Taylor Guitars has been a part of San Diego since 1974. Started by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug, the two have made themselves a household name throughout the world. The Taylor Guitar factory is headquartered in El Cajon, CA, and allows San Diegans and visitors alike to view their manufacturing process, which is a world class operation. Taylor Guitars started with a $10,000 loan from friends and family, and though they struggled for many years to get on their feet, now have over 800 retail locations in North America, and are sold internationally in sixty countries.
Taylor is known for their specific attention to detail and the use of modern technology, oh which they are considered the best sounding and easiest to play guitars in the world. Bob Taylor,who dropped out of college at San Diego University to become a luthier (which is the official job title for guitar makers), has created a staple for musicians through combining the use of technology and high tech tools. Many artists including Dave Matthews, Zac Brown, and many others are known for using Taylor Guitars. In the same league as Gibson or Martin guitars, Taylor is a preferred choice of many professional musicians.
Not only is Taylor making amazing sounding guitars, but they are an active participant in helping the ecosystem, taking responsibility of the environment, so that when customers purchase their guitars they know they are supporting highest levels of ethical, eco-conscious business. This is obvious in their partnerships with organizations like GreenWood Global, which is a non profit that empowers indigenous, forest-based communities to support themselves through sustainable forestry practices.
At their location in El Cajon, they offer tours of the of the factory which gives customers a chance to see the steps of guitar construction, and enable them to experience each process as the guitar evolves from raw wood into a finished instrument. They employ four hundred people in El Cajon, and also have a a factory in Tecate, Mexico which employs three hundred people constructing over 130 different models.
Taylor has been heavily involved in San Diego since Bob Taylor’s college efforts at SDSU. In setting up their factory in El Cajon, they will continue to have a longstanding relationship with the city, as they are truly a business that spread into the international realm.