Guitars that Failed | Why the Taylor Solidbody, Gibson Les Paul, Fender Jazzmaster and Others Failed
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- Опубліковано 5 бер 2020
- It is the hope of guitar designers and companies to craft a guitar that is innovative and meets the needs of the musician to the point that it finds a market. Sadly, sometimes it doesn't work out. For a number of reason there are great guitar made by talented builders and even successful companies that fail to find a place in the ever crowded guitar market. Sometimes it comes down to price or timing. At times it can be an issues of aesthetics or perhaps a guitar is launched before the market is ready for it. For any number of reasons good guitars fail. There are times when once discontinued guitars were reborn and have become mainstays in the marketplace. Other guitars have not been so lucky. Today, we are going to examine the case of the Taylor Solidbody Electric guitar and from this perspective try to understand why good guitars can fail!
Demo Starts at 16:48
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#guitarfail #guitarreview #alamomusic #gibsonlespaul #taylorsolidbody #chrismckee #coopergreenberg #taylorelectric #taylorguitars #fenderjazzmaster #parkerfly #brianmoore
I LOVE my Taylor Solid Body Standard with HD Humbuckers. It looks, feels, and sounds great! Excellent video.
I picked up a sb1 walnut for around 650.00 USD, 3 months ago. I feel like I cheated someone. This guitar is a steal at that price. I haven’t had my Les Paul out since. I have only played my Tele a handful of times. I even use pedals to emulate acoustic with it instead of grabbing one of my actual acoustics. I fell in love.
next week: taylor reissuing solidbody guitars
I wish
One of the biggest problems with trying to break into the electric guitar market is the fact that the imaginations of guitarists are largely taken up by the traditional favorites and guitarists are surprisingly conservative. A lot of the reason why people stick with the traditional favorites is because there is a huge aftermarket for customisation, and guitars like the Taylor Solidbody aren't guitars that lend themselves easily to customisation outside of what Taylor themselves offer, and there's a mindshare factor involved.
Excellent guitar. The most comfortable neck I have ever played. When I ordered a custom guitar I asked to have this Taylor as a reference.
I just found a Taylor Solidbody Classic in a store. It really stood out to all the other guitars I played there at a similar price point. It managed to sound warm and precise at the same time. I have no clue how it does that but I had to buy it.
I had a prototype Taylor solid body in 2007 and have owned 5 others over the years. My favorite pickups are the mini or 3/4 hum buckets. They gave me my preferred tones through the 5 way switch. To me the 5 way switch is the weak point of the design. I had 3 of them go out but they were instantly replaced under warranty by Taylor. I still have a solid body and will always have one. Thanks for your fantastic reviews of all things guitar.
Mine crapped out 20 yrs ago, not sure if the switch is bad. Taking it into a really good tech to give it a chance.
Yep mine crapped out too. Waiting two months for a switch from them. They have funky proprietary electronics and they don’t have parts. Because of that I would not go near a used one. I’m going to get rid of mine when I get it back.
I acquired my SB custom walnut with minihumbuckers when Best Buy was getting out of the musical instrument business. I love the feel and sound of the instrument but wish I could locate a replacement 5 way pickup selector switch. Looks like the switch was problematic for other owners as well.
I think you hit it right on the head. The timing of this guitar couldn't have been worse. I remember those articles saying the electric guitar was dead because of the lack of sales. Let's see buy a guitar or feed the family. It personally took me almost half a decade to recover from that recession.
I've had my Taylor SB1 for 10 years. I've swapped out pick guards back and forth and have tailored all its features to play like butter (leveled the frets after some years of wear, now they're even tighter; setup features are unique but precise). LOVE this guitar. I find the neck pickup is THICK and the bridge pickup SNARLS, its versatile in numerous styles. Its lightweight, built tight, and I have had little to no problems with tuning and setup. The case fits like a glove. Incredible for its price-point. Fun fact: Taylor Swift was playing an SB with mini pickups on tour ca 2009.
For a few years I owned Strat Dlx Plus. This was the Strat with "personality" cards. It was a very good guitar with amazing features, but sadly had a very short 2 year life span.
Here's why I think it failed:
1. Sales persons didn't understand the cards or how they worked.
2. Many players are superstitious and prefer traditional over change.
3. Many players were under the impression that the cards and pickups were digital (not true. All analog sound).
4. Many players believed it was a gimmick.
The facts: the Dlx Plus had locking tuners, a compound radius neck, and N3 Pickups.
The cards were basically I interchanble S1 switches in card form.
I’ve got a Taylor Solidbody Custom. Beatiful guitar, plays awesome, sounds great.
Enjoyed this video!
I was given a Taylor solidbody classic and I love it. It's a fantastic guitar.
Anyone remember the Martin solid body from the late 70's? Is Larrivee still making their solid body electrics? Collings seems to be thriving in both the acoustic and electric markets.
I am a huge Taylor fan and have owned several over the years, acoustic, hybrid and electric... the SB's came out when I was solely devoted to acoustic playing and was basically unaware or uninterested; however, times change and last summer I stumbled upon the fact that Taylor made solid bodies and not owning a solid body guitar and wanting to get experience in that realm, I went searching for one... of course, I could have gone traditional with a Les Paul or Strat etc, but I never felt comfortable playing those in my local shop... On Reverb I found an SB Custom Walnut and struck a deal... the guitar was in cherry condition and I met the seller in a small town in Iowa and accepted delivery... sadly, I did not have the wherewithal to notice the neck was seriously twisted, but Taylor subsequently replaced it for me... I heard of other twisted necks out there, so beware if you go searching for one... there are great bargains to be had with these exceptional guitars, but I do not think Taylor wants to replace anymore necks so make sure you get one with a good neck... Great guitar is mine with mini-humbuckers... this is a great video and I appreciate the history lesson and agree with your assessment and also think, based on small shreds of evidence that the Taylor SB will return one day and I am down for one!
Thanks for a well thought out and rationally explained video. I'm fortunate to own an ash bodied Taylor Classic with mini-humbuckers and really like the way that it plays and 'sings'. I bought it used and feel like I picked up a good deal because of the lack of popularity of the model.
The points about Taylor being seen as an acoustic manufacturer and PRS as an electric maker and therefore not being taken seriously for products outside their perceived 'speciality' is a good one. If they were to reintroduce solids; perhaps an option for Taylor would be to create a different sub-brand for solid body electric electric guitars - a kind of Toyota/Lexus thing. This could create a bit of distance from the acoustic products and let them have their own identity.
I'm not sure the Toyota/Lexus analogy applies to Taylor. Taylor has a brand loyalty and image that spans every market segment (except maybe for the collector market). That brand loyalty has grown significantly since 2013! Especially since Andy Powers joined the team. I reckon a that brand loyalty would now happily extend to a new line of solidbody electrics.
I have had several Taylor acoustics and one T5, Liked them all. One thing i always wondered about was the pickups, in my mind they are ultra clean and pure tone. Many other solid body guitars have pickups with more overtones or harmonics I think. At least to my ears. I played the T5 in gigs with my Picking partner and either because I wasn't use to it or because it was different I had a harder time getting the sound I wanted but did finally adjust to it fairly well. Just my opinion. I don't use pedals, I like a little delay or reverb at times which is built into my amp, and that's about it.
Hello! I own a Taylor electric, same color and pick guard as the one in your video, except mine is a three pickup with a humbucker in the bridge position. I didn't know Taylor made electrics until I was visiting my son near LA in 2015 and found a couple in a Hollywood guitar store. I tried it and loved the look, feel and sound. I found mine at a guitar show when I got home to Boston. It's a GREAT guitar. If more people had actually tried them out, it wouldn't have failed. I love Taylors - I also own a 410CE, an Academy 12e and a T5z.
I have one and love it. It's beautiful and sounds like no other one. It is perfect!
I have an SB1-S chambered electric in mint condition. Case queen from under a bed. I got it and the electronics malfunctioned during a gig. Something was loose in there, so I tried to repair it but it was a lot of circuitry so I left it on the wall. Been a couple decades so I am gonna take it in for repairs. It deserves another chance.
I've had a T5 since they first came out. My go to ever since. I bought a Solid Body Custom Walnut when they first came out. I had trouble with the intonation on the fret closest to the neck. Still loved it. Loaned to a kid at church. He decided to take it to Krazy Kat and trade it for something. I never got it or my money back.
great info, the sg was originally called the les paul ii, but les hated the neck joint and wanted it to be neck thru, so they renamed it the "sg" for "solid guitar". the only gibson that i know of that hasn't been discontinued is the 335
Timing is everything... Taylor discontinued the Solidbody in 2013 or 2014, and then PRS just dominates the exact same space a few years later with the S2 line (USA made, similar features, similar colors, similar price point).
The Taylors were lovely guitars. Hopefully they come back someday.
Had one of these. Loved everything about it except for the pickups. The pickups sounded sterile and non-descript - a complete disconnect from the rest of the guitar. And you were basically locked into Taylor's pickups.
I've just bought a Taylor Solidbody Custom Koa. It is an amazing guitar! I agree with Chris. I hope Taylor come back around to solidbodies. There is a whole market just waiting for a revolution!!
Of course the question becomes "what next?" An electric guitar is only half an instrument. The other half being amps and pedals....
can the sb1 be repaired if they no longer make the bridge saddle for it?
When a company builds a new guitar, it doesn't exist in a vacuum. It has to be better than it's competition in it's price range. And for the most part, that's why guitar heroes choose a guitar, because it's better than the guitars they don't choose to play... It might be subjective, or even a looks thing, but for the most part no good guitarist is going to play a guitar that's going to make them sound bad.
So... was the Taylor better than the Fender or Gibson in the same price range? Be objective as possible... Could it do something the other guitars can't? Did it sound or play better than it's competition? Does it have a special look that other guitars can;t match? If no, than it might be a very good guitar, but not good or cheap enough to survive in a competitive market.
Unfortunately consumers don't think objectively. They look at both who is playing what as well as price and image. For such a long time JM has dominated the guitar market burying both rock and blues. Maybe that will soon change and rock will have a comeback like in 1963 and blues in 1983. JM POP is nothing but POP. If he played a concrete block guitar or a ukulele, such would sell.
I own a Classic White which has aged into a sweet looking light cream color. This guitar is rock solid and playability is off the charts. #taylorguitars
One problem with the SB's is lack of support - as in parts. I bought a used one from Ebay that was supposed to be play ready. Not even close; Neck/body alignment action too low (could not fret any strings without getting buzz). The kill shot was the bridge pickup was dead. Talked to Taylor, no assurance that parts that might be needed would be available since they were no longer made. The only stock of parts was whatever was on the shelf at the time production ceased. So I returned it to the seller as unplayable with no certainty of repair. That sent me in Fender's direction and now have two Strats (SSS and HSS) and a Gibson SG for HH. You info about the bridge is a little 'gloss'. The forums abound with complaints about the difficulty with getting the bridge/intonation setup correct, in large part to the counter intuitive direction of adjustments and difficulty in accessing adjustment points.
True. Once production ceased the long term proprietary parts situation became a problem. That is true of anything that doesn’t use off the shelf parts and gets discontinued.
Add to that the bridge is very fragile, you could damage it completely by turning it wrong or sightly hard. And no wonder why... it's made from powder alluminum. I broke mine on a basically brand-new SB. I follow all their bridge instructions right, but it broke up while tightening the pivots... the bridge jumped and almost hit me in the face.
In a way...Taylor solid body electrics have been sort of rebranded as Power Electric's
Check out the Ovation UKII.
Can i ask you something is ibanez ae205jr a great buy??
I am pretty sure I purchased the last brand new SB sold new in the world (got it years later as B stock from a place in Barcelona). I have two now and had a third before this. They are incredibly good guitars. The only problem was a design issue which could lead to the bridge cracking if adjusted incorrectly, but that is rare. And the plug and play pickguard is nice but you only do that once or twice in the guitar lifetime so not all that important. But the pickups sound great and the guitar feels better than any other electric.
Two of mine are/were ebony fingerboard. The maple neck one has a rosewood fingerboard (which mates up better for expansion rates etc).
Taylor still has the tail stop but doesn't make the bridge saddle anymore... I am currently looking at a sb1 for $525... but worried I won't be able to find parts if the saddle breaks... can it be fabricated ya think?
@@douglasbroccone3144
they carry replacement parts now for the hardtail version
if the tail stop is ok ya think it's a good deal at $525?
@@douglasbroccone3144 definitely
Keaggy is amazing on whatever he plays
I've had standard with a Maple flame top solid mahogany body bought in 2008. and I have a LP & s tele and I still think the Taylor is far superior!
I have a T5 plus (Koa) that is an absolute beauty. Musically, it is difficult to characterize; I like it better than the Fender Acoustasonic, but that doesn't mean I love it. As an amped acoustic it is OK, and an electric hollow body, it is OK. As a hybrid, I guess this shouldn't be unexpected - as a jack of all trades but a master of none. Since I have some really great acoustic guitars (310, 914, 327), and some really great electrics (Fender Srat HSS, SSS, Gibson SG), I find that the T5 no longer finds a 'home' in what I want to play. Doesn't mean it is a bad guitar, just that it has niche role that I find I no longer really fill driven to fill. But it is beautiful, and so I'm not looking to trade it away either. But I wouldn't buy another one today.
Same with this one - all the tones are just ok - none great - none anywhere near a custom fender or Gibson. Even a Good Squier has better tone. Probably the kind of noiseless pickups. Great body and idea imo.
I have a Taylor solid body custom walnut from 07 and it’s amazing!
Epi Nighthawk is awesome at a very affordable price point.
I recently saw the Taylor solid guitar on a different channel. For me the bridge of the guitar was too complicated/hard to adjust.
Didn't the Les Paul get reintroduced before Clapton was on the scene? I thought it was because the SG (the LP replacement) wasnt what many players were looking for.
Eric learned from Peter Green, Duane Allman, Dickey Betts et al
they tried to bring it back as early as 1966 but Gibson was going through leadership changes and of course Norlin took over in 1968 plus they had so many damn worker strikes it delayed things until june 1968
I was going through my closet and found 3 sets of the Taylor loaded pickguards. 2 humbuckers sets and one set with 3 single coils😁, but I never bought the guitar.
sell me the single coil 😀
Ovation Deacon, Breadwinner and Viper were really good guitars that failed. Unfortunately for me, I had a Viper and Breadwinner and sold them. STUPID ME! I'm keeping my open for a used Taylor Solid Body.
I think it would have been successful at an 800 dollar price point.
I have a Gibson Blueshawk I bought in 1998. Love that guitar! They still have a small cult following. I will never part with that guitar.
I am looking for one of those! They are amazing guitars.
Yes I knew the LP'S had failed terribly. Only when someone at Gibson speculated to massively overproduce their stock of such in 1968, and Jimmy Page (not Eric Clapton) played one on his earth shaking 1969 American tour that rocketed them did they become so popular to this day. Fortunately for Gibson they were overstocked with gold top LP's in 1969. Indeed Clapton did play one on his Beano Album in about 1965, but that did not swing the LP into orbit. It was definitely Page's first American tour with Zeppelin in 1969.
Mine has rosewood fretboard and no case
Good video!
When the Taylor Solidbidy came out I initially wanted one, but the headstock, pickguard and overall asthetics turned me OFF, so I never pulled the trigger. Plus when I played one, it didn't have the feel or mojo I wanted somehow....one of those unexplainable things...
Not to mention, the proprietary pickup size thing wasn't smart on Taylor's part! Apple can get away with that...but Taylor Electrics? Not so much.
I like the Taylor solid body electric. Thinner body and a belly cut.
That was an awesome axe. I loved the tone on that thing.
@@mikeellis9720 Yeah good tone! It's an oddball and I collect electric guitars and always look for something non traditional. Would you happen to know if they made them lefty as well as righty?
@@davidkastin4240 I only saw RH. Cream color, super comfortable. In a room full of high dollar LPs & Strats it was the best playing one in there. I should have bought it but 1600 bucks twenty years ago was a lot of money to me. Still is.
@@mikeellis9720 Ok thanks. Yeah that's a bit over my budget
Taylor's are costly. And that was way back when... What kinda oddball stuff you got?
Andy will make them V-Class pickups 😂
why do they call them solid body when they are chambered? I think thats why they are not popular. For a chambered guitar youd better go for a 335 or so...
The Taylor solidbody is kind of a boring body design. If they would have done something more similar to a prs (doublecut with carved figured maple top) they would have been a success.
Chris McKee looks like Andy McKee
The problem is guitar salesman will sell what is the easiest not the best unless they are spiffed by the manufacturers. They are not paid well and they need to eat. Plus they are biased as Hell. I could name names, but I won't.
Those Taylor solid bodies also weigh a TON.
What revived the Les Paul in 4 words -
Eric Clapton Beano Album
My dad has a mustache
I think the Taylor SolidBody failed for the following reasons:
1. Aesthetically unattractive: It looks just plain ugly for a lot of people, lifeless, no curves; the art deco style looks a bit weird.
2. Bad ergonomics: It's uncomfortable (specially playing sitting), there's no contours or similar facilities.
3. Electronics: Almost 99.9% of the time they will fail (the pickup selector specifically) and are difficult to replace (everything is PCB based, so there's no easy way to change parts/pickups with more common ones).
4. The bridge: This is the most problematic one. The bridge is very fragile (it's made of aluminum powder), it breaks easily while adjusting the action. If you overturn the action screws a little bit the bridge will break and will be ejected right away out of the guitar. There's no direct replacement for this bridge, you need to call Taylor to see if they have one (which I highly doubt at this time). If you can't get an original bridge, then you may need to ask a luthier to adapt other type of bridge (which may be quite expensive).
5. Sound: While subjective, a lot of people didn't find them special, they tend to sound lifeless.
6. Price: People didn't want to spend 1,300-1,500 USD on something sonically unknown, with no reputation or mojo; directly competing with the classic brands. Have these guitar costed around 800 USD they may have been accepted better.
If you can find one for cheap (650 USD or less) then you may consider it: it's USA made, has good finish and construction, quality materials and it's something tonally different (specially the one with minihumbuckers).
I found a black one mint with case for 500…. I want to buy it for someone I care for that plays and currently doesn’t have an electric….. should I grab it?
@@mela6034 I think it's a good deal, grab it.
I watch plenty of your videos but this one was ``too long in the tooth``. As a kindly intended suggestion - share the talk time with your guest. And it took too long to hear the demo. Other then that I liked the sound of this guitar demo.
Anyone else think the playing demo sounded a little out of tune? Maybe I just don't like the sound of the guitar idk
falcongunner I’m glad he played it clean. Shows how it just doesn’t match a Les Paul or SG.
falcongunner you are deaf buddy
The Taylor SB failed for a couple reasons imho:...1st, it was U G L Y ! People prefer a good looking guitar...this was not it! 2nd, it had non-standard sized pickups, making those proprietary, which, unless you're Apple, is a recipe for disaster. I Initially wanted one, but was on the fence cuz of the issues I listed, not to mention I hated the pickguard. Once I saw one in person, I was SOLD....on NOT buying one.