At Concept Music we have many wonderful customers...
It was a whirlwind trip which meant spending only 3 days in San Diego however that was long enough to see first hand and in great detail how Taylor approach the art of guitar making and what an exact science they have turned it into. Their passion for all things wood and their attention to every minute detail has resulted in them becoming one of the fastest growing guitar makers in the world and their output is astounding considering the price range of the guitars they make.
The USA factory (I say "factory", but it is in fact a conglomerate of 5 adjacent buildings) produces around 260 guitars a day. The total annual production (including their Mexican factory which makes the One Series guitars as well as their range of "Baby" Taylor and GS Mini models) is a staggering 100,000 units per year... double that of 3 years ago! All the more impressive as that growth has been achieved in the middle of the biggest global financial crisis we've seen in many decades. Their consideration and understanding (and one might almost say affection!) of timbers and how they move and breathe seem to be critical to their success and greatly affects the way they approach the entire manufacturing process. With many "resting" periods in between manufacturing stages, Taylor aims to be 100% certain that every guitar that leaves their factory is as stable as possible and will never cause the final owner any issues... a goal it would seem to us they have well and truly achieved with flying colours. Since we started selling Taylor guitars again earlier this year we have not had one guitar come back in need any adjustment at all let alone a fault!
Taylor guitars are different in so many ways to most of other barnds of guitar on the market today... and easily the best way to see, hear and feel that difference is to drop in and try some and have chat with the boys. Even if they're not for you... you can't help but be impressed! Click here to see some of models we currently have in stock.
The classic Weisseborne guitar... reborn!
How lovely is this new Weissenborne guitar made by Phil Carson-Crickmore? Phil is a fabulous luthier in Melbourne and is well known in the acoustic guitar world for making beautiful instruments (& even ukuleles!) and these latest lap steels are exceptional. As Phil has designed them with a fully acoustic neck they are very light and very resonant and have a beautiful, soft tone that is quite haunting.
The Weissenborne style of acoustic lap steel has been repopularised in recent times by the lies of John Butler and Xavier Rudd but actually hearken back to the late 20's and early 30's in the USA. The original "Herman Weissenborn" guitars are extremely rare as it is estimated that less than 5000 were produced. Phil's excellent interpretation of it is constructed of highly flamed Victorian Blackwood and each has unique inlay work. If you're in Perth drop in and try one in our sound proof acoustic room... they won't last long!
New Buddy Holly Tribute guitar from the Fender Custom Shop
Another stunning reproduction from the Fender Tribute series of iconic guitars! And they don't come much more iconic than this one which adds to Graham's Collection of other special edition guitars such as the SRV Number 1, is this VERY Limited Edition (there are only 50 world wide and just 2 made it to Australia!) is this 'new' Buddy Holly Stratocaster built by Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Dennis Galuszka.
The original 1955 guitar has been painstakingly reproduced using the original materials, pickups, woods, paint scheme. It even has all the nicks and dings from Buddy's original, and is offered as a special 50 Piece Tribute to one of Rock & Roll's pioneers.
The Master Built Stratocaster comes with a 2-Disc set of Buddy's gold records, and a signed certificate by Buddy's widow, Maria Elena Holly. There is also a special DVD interview with Maria Elena that makes this unique package not only a great Tribute guitar, but also documents a beautiful and tragic love story.
For the techies out there here are the full specs:
• BODY: HAND SELECTED OFF CENTER ASH
• FINISH: NITRO CELLULOSE LACQUER/2 COLOR SUNBURST
• NECK: 1/4 SAWN MAPLE NECK
• FRETS: VINTAGE
• HARDWARE: VINTAGE NICKLE
• BRIDGE: VINTAGE SYNCHRONIZED TREMOLO
• PICKUPS: 1954 STRATOCASTER
• WIRING: VINTAGE STRAT
• CONTROLS: VOLUME/TONE/TONE,3-WAY SWITCH
• R$9499
Taylor guitars back in stock at Concept Music!
When Concept Music moved to Wembley from West Perth 12 years ago we stopped carrying Taylor guitars. Graham still owned his Acoustic Guitar Centre in North Perth at the time & as he was already selling Taylor there, it seemed unnecessary to have them in both stores at the same time... however he subsequently sold the Acoustic Guitar Centre, & in consideration of the new owners he agreed not to stock them for a period of time.
But... "that was then, and this is now"! With that "period of time" elapsed it's Taylor time at Concept Music once again. (Yes, you just know Graham can't help himself when it comes to nice acoustic guitars... & they don't come much nicer than Taylor!). And one of the first guitars to arrive was this amazing & very different piece... if you think the bridge looks odd at first glance, you're quite right: it's an 8 string Taylor Baritone guitar. And what an incredible sound! Even at $4,900 we reckon it's good value & won't last long so if you get a chance, drop in & it give it a strum... it's a whole lotta gee-tar!
Welcome to Ben Witt of "The Chemist"
Little did we know that when we asked Ben Witt to do a guest spot at an event recentlyy that he would end up working here! Ben is an incredible young local artist and when he told us he was looking for a few days a week we jumped at it. Ben studied contemporary music at WAPPA and has been busy as the songwriter, guitarist & vocalist of local band The Chemist who have received extensive airplay on triple J, toured nationally with acts such as Boy & Bear and Birds of Tokyo, and were runners up in the International Songwriting competition in the rock category last year. Ben has also been hired as a session guitarist for high profile acts including the Aria award winning Bob Evans & Megan Washington. You may see him playing a Fender Telecaster or a Godin 5th Avenue through a Fender Blues deluxe, and is known to indulge in the experimental possibilities his pedals can offer. We are pleased to have his enthusiasm & expertise on board... drop in & say "Hi" next time you're going past!