Taylor Gallery Series "Gray Whales"
Guitar
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"Gray Whales" Guitar
(Click for a close-up) |
January 22, 2001The "Gray Whales" guitar (GSGW) is the third entry in the Gallery
Series of limited edition Taylor guitars. The Gallery Series guitars are designed
to be stunning works of visual art, as well as fine instruments. The first in
this series was the Living Jewels model (GSLJ), or "Koi guitar", a blue
maple Dreadnought with an inlay of Japanese carp swimming down the fretboard and
encircling the soundhole. The second Gallery Series instrument was the "Sea
Turtle" (GSST), on which turtles depicted in paua rim and an intricately
carved jellyfish of abalone shell float on the fretboard and back of a maple Grand
Concert guitar.
The "Gray Whales" further develops Taylor's theme of beautiful and
amazing undersea creatures in this series, with a rich fingerboard inlay of two
majestic whales, gliding through subtle rays of underwater light. The inlay design
was inspired by the awe Bob Taylor experienced on a recent whale-petting trip
to the Sea of Cortez. The GSGW is a Grand Concert body style of strikingly figured
Mexican Ziricote, with an Engelmann spruce top. Ziricote resembles Brazilian rosewood,
both tonally and visually.
In addition to the magnificent whales on the fingerboard, finely detailed
soundhole rosettes of inlaid laser-cut rosewood, mahogany, polyester resins, and
Ivoroid depict knotted nautical rope, and a tall ship inlaid in the guitar top,
so that it appears to be sailing into the soundhole. As with each of the Gallery
Series guitars, only 100 of the GSGW will be made. For more information, visit their web site at www.taylorguitars.com. |
