Dave Matthews collaborates with Taylor for signature acoustic
(Dave Molter | Posted 2010-05-10)
Taylor Guitars has announced the Dave Matthews Signature Model guitar. Inspired by Dave's Taylor 914ce, the DMSM is an Indian rosewood/Sitka spruce Grand Auditorium. A custom fretboard inlay blends elements of the popular “Cindy” inlay, which graces Matthews’ 914ce, with a design that pays tribute to the band’s longtime sax player, LeRoi Moore, who passed away in 2008. Based on a sketch that Matthews provided, a crown inlay between the 11th and 12th frets honors Moore, incorporating ball-tipped points with one ball partially missing in his memory. A nickname of Moore’s within the band, “Grux,” is inlaid between the 13th and 18th frets. The headstock inlay also was developed from a sketch by Matthews. The guitar top was shaded with an aged toner to approximate the patina Matthews has on his older 914ce. Each DMSM comes with a custom guitar label and a certificate of authenticity, both personally signed by Matthews.
Matthews is a longtime Taylor player whose first Taylor model was a 714. “I was initially drawn to it because I liked the way it felt,” he says. “I liked the size of it, the shape of it, and the feeling of the neck. The sound cut through really well in our band, but it also had a really genuine, wonderful acoustic sound.”
Matthews later bought a 914ce off the wall at an acoustic music shop in Seattle, Washington, where he was living at the time. “I always feel like an idiot when I pick up a guitar in a music store because I don’t have lots of licks to wail on,” he confesses. “I’m not a great craftsman at the guitar. But I picked up the 914 on the wall and really fell in love with that particular guitar. So I took it home with me, and it stayed my number one.”
Among Matthews’ other Taylors are an all-walnut Jumbo W65ce 12-string and a rosewood Grand Auditorium 856ce 12-string. When approached about doing a signature Taylor model, the 914ce was Matthews’ natural choice.
Specs
Type/Shape: 6-String Grand Auditorium
Back & Sides: Indian Rosewood
Top: Sitka Spruce
Soundhole Rosette: Abalone
Neck: Tropical American Mahogany
Fretboard: Ebony
Fretboard: Inlay Dave Matthews "Grux" Inlay
Headstock: Overlay Dave Matthews Signature Overlay
Binding: Ivoroid
Bridge: Ebony
Nut & Saddle: Bone
Tuning Machines: Gotoh 510
Strings: Elixir® Light Gauge Strings with NANOWEB® Coating
Scale Length: 25 1/2 Inches
Truss Rod: Adjustable
Neck Width at Nut: 1 3/4 Inches
Number of Frets: 20
Fretboard Radius: 15 Inches
Bracing: CV - Sitka Bracing w/Relief rout
Finish: Gloss
Color Options: Natural
Sunburst Options: None
Cutaway: Venetian
Electronics: Taylor Expression System®
Body Width: 16 Inches
Body Depth: 4 5/8 Inches
Body Length: 20 Inches
Overall Length: 41 Inches
Case: Taylor Deluxe Hardshell
U.S. Suggested Retail Price: $5428 <
From information on the Taylor website: www.taylorguitars.com.
