Taylor Headstock Veneer?

[Pete Andreev]

Does anybody know of a way to get a Taylor headstock veneer? I'm looking to put one on my Big Baby to replace the ugly plastic one.

I would make it myself but I have 0 inlay experience. I'd be interested if someone would be willing to make one for me as well...see attached picture.

[Glen H]

Have you asked Taylor?

[Pete Andreev]

Waiting for a response but based on some answers I've gotten from them in the past I'm guessing they won't be willing to do it.

[Hesh Breakstone]

If they are not willing to do it there can be some very good reasons why.

First Taylor would not likely wish to participate in the following:

1)  Work that is not theirs being labeled as theirs....

2)  Anything that could construe misrepresentation of their products...

3)  The Taylor name has great meaning to Taylor (as it should) and labeling any product with their name would be something that they would likely not want to have anything to do with even if the product was originally a Taylor but you wish to upgrade it.

Companies protect branding, trademarks, etc. with their lives as they should.  They will have no idea (or control) over what you may do with the guitar later on.

On the other hand we've been successful in getting a replacement label, hand signed by Bob Taylor himself to replace an original label that some hack.... punched through with a socket wrench....  This was a vintage Taylor back from the days when Bob was signing every individual label.  What we asked for and received (Taylor has excellent client and Luthier support!) was a replacement label and in no way were we changing, upgrading, modifying, etc. anything.  The instrument also was to remain the personal property of the original purchaser and that purchaser had registered their warranty.

Taylor aside I would not be keen to even use a counterfeit or aftermarket logo either because it smacks of misrepresentation even if that is not at all the intent.

Tread gently my friend this is a request that gets the attention of attorneys....

Also did we ever tell folks about the cheap, Chinese mando that someone had removed an actual, vintage Gibson mando peg head overlay and laminated it on the cheap copy.  A client brought it to us for a set-up and had paid big bucks for it thinking it was in fact as represented when he bought it - a vintage Gibson mando.

It was a complete loss for the client and he was clearly ripped off....  Yet another "wow, look at what I WON on eBay...." episode...

[Ned Knepp]

My personal opinion is that any permanent modification I make to the structure of a guitar, means that it should never again be represented as original.   If I did something that changed the fundamental look that the original builder put on their instrument, I wouldn't be comfortable re-attaching their label to it after I removed the original in the process. Notice that I'm talking about modifications, not restorations. If you are restoring the face with an eye towards making it look as original as possible, I'm all for replacing their logo.

One of the reasons I feel this way is , as Hesh pointed out, Ebay has lots of "modified" instruments that are not what they seem.  Lately, I think there seem to be more ebay listings that don't ring true when I look at the details, lately. I have noticed that there have been several "Gibson" archtops that don't have the right look. A couple of them were described as replicas in the listing but most of them were represented as the real thing.  I've seen a few mandolins that were obviously not Gibson with that name on the head and an asking price way too high for their obvious quality too.

A couple of weeks ago. I saw what appears to be an old Regal guitar from the '20 listed as a Martin. It sold for a lot more than I believe it was worth and I can't help but think that the buyer thought they got a "great" deal on an old Martin. 

This isn't restricted to complete instruments either. There are parts listed that do not appear to be what the seller says they are, too.

There are actually a lot of nice instruments on Ebay but it's absolutely a buyer beware market. If one of my repairs/modification ever turns up there, I don't want there to be any question that it is exactly that.

[Joshua Levin-Epstein]

You might ask Taylor if they would install the veneer, though if they said yes it would probably be pretty pricey.

[Mark McLean]

Pete.

I have had a Taylor Big Baby for 14 years.  I think, for the money, it is one of the best factory models around.  It used to bug me that it looked so plain.  Once I got into lutherie myself and developed some modest skills I was tempted to do various things to customize my Big Baby.  The main idea was to inlay a nice rosette instead of the laser cut design my older BB has (Taylor have changed that part of the design in recent years).  I also wondered about prettying up the headstock.  In the end I decided that the very spartan appearance of the BB is actually an essential part of its identity - and appeal.  It is a guitar where every dollar has gone into making it play well and sound good.  I now have a real fondness for that plain old, beat-up guitar,and I am glad that I didn't mess with it.  It will probably look a whole lot more beat-up when I see it again next week as my son has taken it on a 6-month study and backpacking trip in Europe.  But the dings and scars will be part of the happy heritage of that guitar.  I have since bought and built some other, fancier looking guitars but the BB remains the most played one in the house. 

Your guitar = your choice.  But my 2c worth - learn to love it for what it is.

Mark

[Pete Andreev]

Mark,

I totally agree about the Big Baby. I've owned about a dozen higher end acoustic guitars and still own a Taylor 912 (absolutely amazing instrument) and I still can't get over how great the Big Baby sounds.

I understand what everyone is saying about misrepresenting the company, and it's a good point.

[Ned Knepp]

Mark, This is off topic but I heard that you're having quite a winter Downunder. I thought you might want to know that I overheard a couple of Laplanders discussing the effects of global warming on Scandinavia and one of them said that it might be time to move their herds of Reindeer to the Outback Tundra of Australia.   

 

[Mark McLean]

Yes Ned, by Australian standards it is pretty chilly at the moment.  Rusty is probably feeling it more as he is in Canberra, which is much colder than Sydney.  We can't really claim extreme cold, compared with North America or northern Europe.  We rarely go below freezing.  But most Australian homes have hopeless heating and insulation so when it does get a bit cold we don't handle it well.  I had a friend from Finland who said that the coldest and most miserable winter she ever experienced was the one she spent in Australia. 

[Ned Knepp]

LOL, Australia sounds a lot like Southern California. It's either summer or not-summer most of the time BUT, on the rare occasion that it gets "cold" (anything below 40 F... or 65 F if you ask my daughter), people start worrying that a new ice age is starting.