Salvaged Sweetness

TAYLOR GUITARS BUILDER’S EDITION 324CE

- Paul Riario

OF ALL THE guitars I’ve come across, one of my favorites is the Pallet Guitar. More than 20 years ago, Bob Taylor constructed this legendary acoustic entirely from oak pallets and scrap two-by-fours found at the back of his factory, and which still resides at Taylor Guitars. The impetus behind the guitar was to demonstrate that the builder’s craftsmanship is just as integral to a great-sounding guitar as the wood used. Fast forward to the present, and it seems this notion has grown some “green” new legs. Bob Taylor, along with master builder Andy Powers, and director of natural resource sustainability, Scott Paul, decided to explore responsible wood sourcing from trees that were being removed in the asphalt jungles and suburbs of Southern California. After partnering with a company called West Coast Arborists, Inc., who provide tree maintenance and management for municipalities throughout California and Arizona, they stumbled upon a species of wood known as Shamel ash that met their demanding standards of a musical-grade tonewood. Dubbed “Urban Ash” to draw attention to the idea of using reclaimed and salvaged city trees, and for its characteristic tonal properties as a future tonewood, Powers created the Taylor Guitars Builder’s Edition 324ce, an inspired eco-conscious model that sounds as beautiful as it looks.