taylor guitars

I have toured the guitar factories of five guitar companies, and I consider Taylor’s to be the best. This was my third time taking the tour, and I can see how the factory has grown and improved just in the last decade. The guides are informative and very enthusiastic about showing off their operations and gorgeous guitars. I would recommend taking the tour to anyone who is even remotely interested in guitars, woodworking or high tech factories.Here are some tips that I hope are useful:* The tour takes ~1:20. It is free; photography is not a problem.* Because the tour is popular, try to arrive at least 15 minutes early (12:45 or before) so you can get your lanyard. If the on-site parking is full, you’ll have to look for curb parkin on the street.* If the tour size is too big, it will be split into two groups. The second group will circulate in a different direction from the first. Don’t worry if you’re in group #2 because it might be smaller.* You will be asked to wear a headset in order to hear the guide over the shop noise (mildly loud in a couple of areas). Eye protection is mandatory, and is provided by Taylor if you don’t wear glasses.* The gift shop and waiting areas are both awesome because there are lots of guitars available for playing. The earlier you arrive, the more you can play (hint, hint).

Highly recommend this tour even if you don't play. Very cool to see the steps into making these beautiful guitars. The tour guide was great. You get a headset so you can hear her the whole time. Seeing all the different kinds of wood they use and all the steps that go into making one guitar is fascinating. You can tell they take pride in their workmanship. The tour is about an hour long and they only do one a day so plan accordingly.

American ingenuity has always meant a lot to me. After all, the good old USofA is still considered a toddler, compared to many other countries on this planet. Part of the uniqueness of America is that we attract many people with a variety of talents from many lands and often produce a great product. One of these great products, Taylor Guitars, is manufactured in the suburb city of San Diego, El Cajon. Since I live the same distance North of San Diego has El Cajon is to the east, the Taylor factory tour is something I had to plan in advance.The Taylor name has become one of the most respected names in musical instruments. Along with legendary names like Martin and Gibson, Taylor holds its own and is preferred by many well-known musicians. The opportunity to see guitars made from scratch through to the finished product was an amazing hour-long tour. I found it most interesting to see that a craft, which was once exclusively performed by hand, has reached a new level of precision. With the introduction of lasers and robotic equipment operated by experienced luthiers, Taylor has been able to produce a magnificent product.At the conclusion of the tour, I felt completely impressed and satisfied with the time spent. And while the tour was completely free of charge, I consider it “priceless”, not because it was without cost, but because it demonstrated the great extent to which many American companies produce their respective products with exceptional care. I would recommend this tour to any member of the family.

Took the free tour and was very impressed with this company. The story of how this company started was interesting. Great tour guide. Clean facility. I was amazed at the steps that go into making a guitar. It was a lot to absorb, I would take this tour again and highly recommend it. I don't know how they keep track of all these guitars.

This was my first time coming here and it was great the tour guide explained things clearly and showed us every step in the process of making guitars starting from the stack of wood to the garnish and designs on the fret board. It was an awesome experience. After the tour we were allowed to go into the showroom and play around with the guitars.There was also a little store with t-shirts and cups in the main building.

The Taylor tour is one of the most informative and interesting guitar tours around. You learn so much!!It's FREE!! and they'll even give you free coasters. Seriously, I traveled a long way to visit here and the tour itself in no way lets that travelling feel you came too far.I heartily recommend a visit here even if you're not a guitar player

This is an outstanding tour filled with information, fun facts and some pretty cool guitars. Our guide was Sheila and she could not have been more pleasant and fun. It is clear she sincerely is proud of the company and works very hard to make her tours fun. I was amazed at the amount of access given to visitors and the fact that the employees still act as though they work for a little mom and pop shop. Great time for everyone, even kids.

What do Jason Mraz, Jewel, Taylor Swift, Dave Matthews and Clint Black all have in common? They play Taylor guitars. Whether you are a serious musician or an amateur guitarist or just curious about how guitars are made, a tour of Taylor Guitars Factory is well worth the drive out to El Cajon (about 16 miles east of Downtown San Diego).The factory has a FREE daily 1-hour guided tour at 1:00 pm. Just show up 10 minutes before it starts and sign in. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and informative. Their enthusiasm for their company is infectious. Guests wear head phones while the guide shows and explains the entire process such as selecting and drying/curing exotic woods, cutting and shaping the soundboard, fretboard and neck, making inlays, cut-outs and abalone rosettes, varnishing, and final assembly. The final inspection decides whether the guitar will be shipped or land up in the recycling bin. The tour goes right through the factory floor and through several buildings. You will see workers as well as robots doing dozens of different precision jobs. Many of the machines were designed and developed specifically for Taylor Guitars. You will gain an appreciation for the workmanship that goes into each instrument.You can also try out the different instruments and buy a Taylor Guitars shirt or mug after the tour. This tour is recommended for teens and adults. Since the tour goes through active manufacturing, this would not be good for young children. It is also not wheelchair accessible.

If you're on a budget, Taylor Guitars are the next best thing to a custom made Geiger Guitar. Taylor's guided tour of their site is not to be missed! Informative and inspiring.

Our guide was a very personable woman who had worked at Taylor for 12 years and had worked at many jobs in the factory. This is not a pretend tour. They give you some safety glasses and take you right through the entire factory floor. From the wood curing area to the varnishing to the final assembly and inspection. Who says America doesn't make anything any more? The meticulous detail and the care given to every single guitar just made you appreciate the men and woman making it happen.

This was great, a 1.5 hour tour of Taylor Guitars learnign how they make the guitars, the woods they use,how they treat the wood a History of Taylors The have sound rooms you can take a Guitar in and try out the Guitars had a lot of fun on this tour and it is FREE

need to go on a tour to see the workings, but becky likes working there

I took my 3 chilren (8;6;4) on this awesome manufacturing guitars tour. The guide was kind, helpful, and knowlegable. The company provided safety glasses and headphones/receivers for the guide's microphone (hense everyone could hear during the entire tour!) My 4 yr old was board after 15 min, but the other 2 and I loved it. They encourage questions. After the tour, we were encouraged to play the beautiful/expensive guitars. The tour started promptly at 1 pm and took 3/4 hrs. It is only 30/45 min from San Diego by car (gps took me right there). It is well worth the trip!!!

I am surprised that this tour is free (please don't change that though)! The tour I was on went slightly over time and at no stage was anybody made to feel like the tour was a burden on any of the staff at Taylor Guitars. Considering the tour group is watching the staff perform their everyday duties as they construct guitars I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere. Almost as surprised as I was when I discovered they allow photography and the use of video.There is so much sharing of information (with details on wood, technology, history, Taylor Guitar secrets and more) that I didn't find myself bored at any stage on the tour. In fact I found myself wanting to build a guitar I was so inspired.The store at the end of the tour has plenty of items ranging from plectrums to discounted Taylor Guitars. It's a great way to spend an hour or so.

what a great way to display your guitars and show the world how you make an excellent instrument from raw wood to finished product, under one roof, makes you want to own a Taylor