In the late 1970's, I was recruited by Ted Unseth, the leader of The Wolverines Classic Jazz Orchestra, for the position of rhythm banjo and guitarist. My main qualification was the fact I owned a banjo. No matter that it was a 5-string banjo (typically, either a tenor or plectrum banjo would be used for this type of music, and they both had 4 strings). I  took the job (and took off the fifth string), thinking it would be fun to learn the book they played. The Wolverines were what is known as a repertory jazz band. Thirteen pieces playing the big band hits from the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's. Think "Mickey Mouse cartoon sound track" and you are pretty much there. I did learn a lot. We played all over the country, coast to coast and border to border. We performed at the Detroit Jazz Festival, backing up Lionel Hampton and Marian McPartland (two jazz greats), the New Orleans Jazz Festival (twice), The Queen Mary in LA, and numerous colleges and venues in between. The Wolves had an old school bus and the thirteen of us piled on with all of our gear and off to the gig we went. Yikes. The road trips were epic, but brutal. My favorite regular gig was playing at the Commodore Hotel in St Paul, the same hotel that F. Scott Fitzgerald spent a lot of time at back in his day. The great trumpet player from the 20's, Jabbo Smith, had been found by Ted working in a car wash in Chicago and Jabbo joined us for many months playing the Commodore. He sat next to me. One of my job requirements was to perform a couple of Django Reinhardt tunes on guitar. By the late 70"s, I was pretty good on the banjo, and I knew almost any chord a cowboy was likely to know on a guitar. I was familiar with Django and loved his playing, but I was hardly a jazz soloist and Django's technique still transcends mortal guitar playing, as evidenced by the fact that there is a big Gypsy Jazz culture these days, and none of these guys goes much further than Django did with technique. I tabbed out the solos and started practicing them. I have one of them, Swing 41, down pretty good these days.......

Information from Taylor:

Ebony/European Spruce 600 Series

Each set of sapwood-rich African ebony selected for the 600 Series LTDs is uniquely exotic, as contrasting hues bend the bookmatched symmetry into abstract art. Compared to the Macassar ebony used in recent years for guitar backs and sides, this species has a higher density, which translates into a rich, ringing character with an even quality across the tonal spectrum. To match the ebony’s sonic characteristics, Taylor’s design team chose European spruce tops with Adirondack spruce bracing. The spruce has a strong attack with big headroom, and produces thick, wide notes with rich overtones. Guitarists who play more slowly or softly will likely appreciate the way the response wraps the fundamental in a whole layer of overtones. “We felt like this wood pairing would be a favorite of someone who likes to play full fingerstyle arrangements rather than a machine gun country picker,” says Taylor luthier Andy Powers. “It won’t have the snappiness of a bright wood. This is a sipping wood. You play the notes and savor how they fade away.” Unique appointments include a new Spiked Ovals fretboard inlay, featuring a progression of engraved koa ovals between a pair of ivoroid spikes. The koa/ivoroid pairing continues on the body with ivoroid binding and curly koa top edge trim, along with an ivoroid/curly koa rosette. Gold Gotoh 510 tuners add a premium touch to match the elevated aesthetic. Both models feature full-body gloss finish, a Venetian cutaway, and Expression System® electronics.

Granadillo/Sitka Spruce 400 Series

The star ingredient of this series, granadillo, is a Central American tonewood that boasts a rich musical heritage. Historically sourced from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula region, it’s considered a type of rosewood, although the species technically doesn’t bear rosewood’s Dalbergia family name. Sonically, granadillo is comparable to Indian rosewood, but it’s harder and denser, yielding an additional bell like ring. The wood traditionally has been used for marimba bars because of its clear, chimey tone. Due to limited availability, there’s no telling when it might be available again. Visually, the color hues of these sets range from pomegranate reds to copper browns, in some cases with more variagation and wilder grain than Indian rosewood. Granadillo was also used on the front of the guitars for the bridge and the headstock overlay. Beyond the aesthetic cohesion, the bridge’s lighter
weight, together with the granadillo/spruce wood pairing, produces clear, long-sustaining notes. The appointment package incorporates maple for the Progressive Dot fretboard inlays, binding and rosette. Four body styles are available, and all models feature satin-finish back and sides with a gloss-finish top, a Venetian cutaway, and Expression System® electronics.

Also: The K28e Grand Orchestra First Edition (Not part of 2013 Spring Limiteds- but worth a look)

One of the unique strengths of the new Grand Orchestra has been its ability to coax greater complexity from the tonewoods that take its shape. Between its ample real estate, deeper body and innovative bracing, the guitar form seems to unlock hidden tonal colors in woods — a surprisingly warm low-end response from maple, or richer lows and highs from mahogany, for example. Credit the efficiency of the overall design, which tames the sonic chaos and enables more tonal detail to emerge in a clear, uniform way.

That same design sensibility helps extend the voice of our newest First Edition koa offering, the all-koa K28e, to greater heights and depths.

“You get that traditional sound of koa back and sides, which is similar to mahogany in that it has a pretty strong fundamental, but with a little more of the sparkle of rosewood,” says Taylor master luthier Andy Powers. “And with the koa top, you also get a unique sweetness in the attack that’s fun with the Grand Orchestra because of its powerful volume and dynamic capability.”

As a top wood, koa produces a unique compression, so it typically doesn’t pack as potent an attack as a spruce top. Instead, the tone tends to ring out at the same volume for an extended stretch, maintaining an even balance and sustain.

“It’s not so much a strong initial attack followed by decay before the note releases,” Andy elaborates. “It’s more like the note sneaks up on your ears and then stays there — it lets itself in the front door, hangs around for a while, and then leaves.”

Because the koa soundboard is stronger and heavier than spruce, it will benefit from having some time to break in.

“It has less stiffness but more weight,” Andy says. “That’s what contributes to the roll-in effect on the attack. Like any other guitar, it’ll get consistently riper, sweeter and quicker to respond as it ages.”

Among the premium touches on these First Edition GO models are AA-grade koa, a shaded edgeburst on the top, back, sides and neck, and Adirondack spruce bracing, which boosts the headroom, giving players extra dynamic range.

A total of 100 K28e First Edition models will be made. Like Taylor’s other First Edition models, these feature a custom label and case plate. Once the guitar is registered, the owner will receive a custom GO First Edition guitar strap, a numbered certificate of authenticity, and a special commemorative booklet. The K28e will eventually become a standard model within the Koa Series.

"My Custom all-mahogany “12-fretter” is very responsive to the touch, both dynamic and gentle.  It has a richness overlaying the typical all-mahogany woodiness. It’s great in both standard and dropped tunings, open and capo-ed all the way up to 7, it’s a wonderful finger-style instrument, but also takes well to strumming. It’s surprisingly light, and is very comfortable to play. Oh, and it’s positively GORGEOUS!

If you buy one of GR’s specials, or tweak the design with a BTO, you will be impressed."

Marty

"The first thing I noticed about my new BTO 12 Fret All Mahogany guitar was how light and easy to play it is.  The Grand Concert body style, combined with the short scale, 12 fret neck make the guitar incredibly comfortable to play.  The sound is very full and warm, and it makes a good compliment to my other Taylor ( a 414ce).  Oh, and it looks great too.  The mahogany edge burst finish is beautiful."

Anne

"In a word, it is wonderful. In two words, it’s surprisingly wonderful. I never thought that a small body guitar could deliver the richness and bass that this guitar has produced straight from the factory. Now that it has begun to open up a bit it is even better and gaining steam by the day. I want to thank you particularly for suggesting the redwood/mahogany combination. Those woods, combined with the more central bridge position give this guitar a low end resonance and mid-range complexity that rivals any OM guitar I have ever played, including several boutique builds. Even better, the short scale and Taylor’s superb standard neck make this guitar feel like it is playing itself. It’s a wonderful and intimate little guitar that has become the one I reach for when I just want to sit on the couch and noodle. I also have decided though to add electronics because it is so versatile that I want to play out with it.

As usual, the BTO experience with Guitar Rodeo was unsurpassed. It means a great deal to me to have you as a resource because of you knowledge of Taylor guitars and your familiarity with the ins and outs of the BTO program. After all these years you understand my preferences and playing style so well that you are able to recommend the build options that were perfect for what I was trying to accomplish.

Thanks again for the insight and superb service."

Stan

• Be familiar with the finish on the guitar you order. Taylor guitars have an extremely durable UV cured finish, explained here. This UV finish is more durable than traditional lacquer and prevents damage from temperature swings.
• Know your dealer. Some dealers (like us!) insure guitars being shipped so you will have recourse if something goes wrong. This gives you peace of mind while you wait for your guitar.
• For guitars with a lacquer finish, such as our Santa Cruz and Carmel guitars, ensure that the instrument is gradually acclimated to the inside temperature. When you receive the box, open it and let the guitar sit in the closed case for up to one hour while it adjusts to indoor temperature. (For those of you familiar with Carmel and Santa Cruz, you know this will be a long one hour wait)
• Talk to us! We know that every guitar purchase is unique. If you have questions, we urge you to call us and ask any questions you may have. We're always happy to help.

By James at Guitar Rodeo