Thursday, February 26, 2015

We recently toured the Taylor Guitar factory in El Cajon, CA this month. Here are some highlights:


Where it all starts: Wood acclimating to San Diego's climate in sheds outside.


If it looks like your top was burned on the side, it was a
a laser cutter that did it. Taylor used laser in many
applications.



The rosette department-small and efficient. Three people
work here gluing designs in your top.





Computer controlled polisher.

Neck blocks with that distinctive Taylor bolt system
await installation.









CNC machine cuts eight necks perfectly.






Our tour guide explains how braces are clamped to the
top and backs of guitar with a vacuum jig.


The Taylor designed 'automatic' side bending machines.













The Taylor body form-28lbs each. Our guide commented
that the guys are 'really strong' in this dept. given that
they heft these side forms around many times a day!



Noise cancellation overhead.







Chances are high that this woman installed the frets on
your guitar. She is a consummate professional with an
eye for dead-on accuracy.










Many bridges being glued on at once in the final
assembly department.



Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Remember, with these cold temperatures comes...
Excessive strain on any musical instrument subjected to neglect such as being too dry, cold, or brought from one extreme to the next. The biggest culprit: low humidity. 40%-60% is optimal for most acoustic guitars and other wooden instruments.
Please don't leave your instrument in the car for longer than a half hour if you can help it. Cold causes wood to shrink, finishes to crack and necks to pull out of adjustment. If you discover your instrument was left somewhere cold for too long, bring it into a temperate (not extremely warm) part of your home and place it (*in it's case) somewhere away from a heat source to slowly warm up (roughly 2-3hrs). 

*Do not take your instrument out of it's case while still cold! Condensation will form on it's surface further wreaking havoc on an already delicate situation.
Most of these tips apply to solid wood instruments. Plywood instruments are still susceptible but may not exhibit damage as deep as their solid wood counterparts. In some cases, your instrument may field these extremes without a trace of damage but an ounce of prevention as they say...

pic from Acoustic Guitar Magazine forum.