California Dreamin'

Taylor's chief designer, president and CEO, Andy Powers, talks us through the choice of body woods for the AD12e

- David Mead

As you can probably tell from the enthusiastic response in the review that precedes this feature, we were very impressed by the Taylor AD12e. And this is something that we share with Andy: “You know, it feels almost like I want to tell a secret or something,” he confides, “but I really like it, too! For what that guitar costs, the amount of musical instrument that you get is really good.” We couldn’t agree more. It’s a guitar that works on so many levels. But we’re curious to know about the choice of timbers used in the guitar and how the American Dream Series fits into Taylor’s catalogue.

What’s the ethos behind the American Dream Series as a whole?
“It was actually born out of the pandemic. I looked around and went, ‘Okay, if I don’t have anything that I want, I don’t have the materials that come in from all over the globe, I have hardly anything in a time of uncertainty. What do I really need? What are the essentials? This isn’t a time for filigree and frills and elaborate aesthetics, this is a time to just focus on the basics let’s get the job done. What’s the job? The job is to make a great-playing instrument, a great-sounding instrument that delivers for a musician.’