I love my Taylor GS-mini guitar. It is made of exotic Koa wood from Hawaii and it sounds fantastic and plays like a dream. It is also a beautiful piece of woodworking in its own right. I say this partially as a disclaimer. I am an avowed fan of Taylor guitars. I read a story in the latest issue of Wood & Steel, the marketing magazine that Taylor publishes for their owners. You get a lifetime subscription with every guitar.
The story was about a dark time in the history of acoustic guitar manufacturers. It was the mid eighties and acoustic guitars were waning in popularity. A certain famous musician had played a Taylor guitar on one of his studio albums and liked it. The local Taylor dealer called Bob Taylor and suggested that they make a custom guitar for the artist. The catch was, the artist insisted that there be no name on the headstock of the guitar.
Bob and his team of crack luthiers got to work and made a magnificent twelve string guitar and gave it a custom finish with the artist’s signature color. The artist loved it and used it in the video for one of his most famous songs. This may not have been the only reason that acoustic guitars rebounded in popularity. Such things are cyclical. But the purple twelve string Taylor guitar that was featured prominently in Prince’s video of Raspberry Beret will be an icon that will remain a treasured memory of Prince fans.