Taylor Guitars history

In 1977, a distributor was engaged to help sell the company's guitars, but the low wholesale price received (between $150 and $380) made it difficult to turn a profit.

In 1981, Taylor took out a loan to purchase additional manufacturing equipment, which helped speed up the processing and tooling of raw materials.

In 1984, with the acoustic guitar market still soft, the company received an unanticipated promotional boost from pop musician Prince.

In 1986, the company also introduced its first Signature Model, named for flatpicking guitarist Dan Crary.

1987: The growing firm moves to a new 5,000-square-foot factory.

In 1990, a second Signature model bearing the name of Leo Kottke was introduced, this time a 12-string instrument.

1992: The company moves to a larger site in El Cajon, California.

Taylor continued to seek new manufacturing solutions and 1994 saw the purchase of a special fretboard sanding machine and an ultraviolet finishing system, which cut the time required to varnish a guitar from several weeks to a single day.

1995 – Bob Taylor begins replacing traditional luthier techniques for guitar making with a priority on exotic tone woods.

Taylor began offering branded clothing and accessories during 1996 as well.

In January 1997, a custom Taylor guitar was presented to President Bill Clinton at the Arkansas Inaugural Ball in Washington.

In 1998 Taylor's guitars were celebrated on an album called "Sounds of Wood and Steel," which featured celebrity guitarists--including Clint Black, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Michael Hedges, and Leo Kottke--all playing their favorite Taylor instruments.

Over the years all save the one in Maryland had been lost, but in September of 1999 Hurricane Floyd fatally damaged that tree as well.

In 2001, Taylor installed an "acoustic room" at its factory, a specially-designed space that was used to analyze the sound of its guitars in a live performance setting.

2004 – The ES system is introduced, also known as the ?Expression System”. Taylor?s own patented pickup system for acoustic guitars.