Earlier this year, Taylor Guitars and Elixir Strings® partnered up to give one lucky band or artist the ultimate in guitars and strings. Musicians who had registered with SonicBids.com were invited to TestDrive 2009, a “fan-favorite” contest that would award five select artists with Taylor SolidBody guitars and Elixir strings and cables. One overall winner would be awarded recording time at a marquee studio, offering a chance to show off their musical prowess with their new Taylor guitars.

Out of 2,000 entrants, 25 were voted into the semifinals, and of those 25, five finalists were chosen by the Taylor Guitars and Elixir Strings Artist Relations teams. The five finalists were: power-rockers The Better World, singer-songwriter Matt Duke, genre-crossing band The N Result, modern pop act Kenotia, and energetic rockers Facing Forward. In the end, it was the New Brunswick, New Jersey-based band The N Result that took the top prize. Comprised of members Ross Lippencott (lead vocals, guitar), Dan Bascom (guitar), Bobby Tarantino (bass), Eitan Levine (keyboard), Nate Sankary (drums) and Chase Innis (MC), the two-year-old band has amassed a strong following both on campus at Rutgers University, where most of the band are students, and along the East Coast, including New York City.

“We are so excited to record,” Lippencott exclaimed upon hearing the news that his band had won. “We have a lot of new stuff that’s going to sound really good on our Elixir-equipped Taylors.”

As part of the competition, each band was asked to make a video showing how they were using the products. Lippencott and his bandmates decided to make a full-scale, heist-themed music video featuring their song “Break it Down” off the group’s debut album, Lines.

“We wanted to portray how we felt about having premium products and what it means to an emerging band like ours to get this opportunity,” Lippencott explains. “As it’s something we value so much, we wanted to create a video that was a throwback to the great stories of thievery, like an Ocean’s Eleven or The Italian Job. We actually contacted a museum we know, and they graciously let us use their space. On the wall there were super expensive paintings, and the thought of putting the guitar in a glass case just seemed like such a cool idea.”

At the end of the video, the band added the Taylor and Elixir logos and the tagline, “Don’t be caught without them,” because as Lippencott shares, “as an artist, you don’t want to be caught without a Taylor.”

http://www.myspace.com/thenresult
video: www.youtube.com/thenresult

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Once a talented, aspiring preteen with a Taylor guitar and big musical dreams, country pop superstar Taylor Swift has made her mark on the music industry. After spending much of 2009 on her first headlining tour and celebrating the milestone success of 10 million total albums sold and over 20 million paid downloads, Swift is now adding to her repertoire as a singer, songwriter and actress with her very own signature guitar. In collaboration, Taylor Guitars and Taylor Swift announce the arrival of the Taylor Swift Baby Taylor guitar (TSBT), a model that is sure to inspire players of all skill levels with its compact size, full-voiced tone and a top that features Swift’s design touches.

Based on the best-selling Baby Taylor guitar, the TSBT is ideal for both promising players and accomplished pickers. At three-quarters the size of a standard dreadnought, with a slim 1 11/16-inch neck and a comfortably compact shape, the guitar is just right for both the littlest player’s hands and anyone who likes to pick up and play on the go. With the new model, Swift hopes to inspire others to express themselves through music. “I wanted to share my passion for playing guitar with my fans,” she says. “For a beginner, finding the right guitar can be intimidating, but this guitar, it’s the perfect size. Even if you’ve been playing for years, it’s a great size to travel with.”

The TSBT is crafted from a resilient sapele laminate body with a solid Sitka spruce top. Swift’s design, which encircles the guitar’s soundhole, features her well-known expression “Love, Love, Love” among delicate vines. The design also commemorates the songwriting spirit and success of her latest album, Fearless, whose title is inscribed above the bridge along with her signature.

Swift, who shares a close relationship with Taylor Guitars and regularly uses a variety of Taylor guitars when both performing and recording, fondly remembers her own Baby Taylor as a go-to guitar during her early days of touring. “I used to sit in the back seat of the rental car while I was on my radio tour at 16, writing songs on my Baby Taylor guitar,” she reflects. “I love the sound, and I love those memories.”

It’s not just Swift who is excited about this guitar. Taylor dealers everywhere are also eagerly anticipating its arrival, like Bryan Rankins from Fazio’s Frets and Friends in St. Louis, Missouri. “It’s not often that I get excited about another ‘signature’ guitar, but when I heard about the Taylor Swift Baby Taylor, my reaction was much different,” Rankins says. “Here you have an incredibly gifted young woman who is inspiring young people through her words and music. When I first saw a picture of the guitar, I knew right away that it would help spawn a whole new breed of young musicians and give them something positive that will stay with them for the rest of their lives."

In addition to Taylor’s global network of dealers, the Taylor Swift Baby Taylor is available now for pre-orders at Amazon.com. “We’re thrilled to work with Taylor Guitars to make the new Taylor Swift Baby Taylor available to our customers,” said Noah Herschman, director of Home Electronics and Musical Instruments for Amazon.com. “Taylor Swift is one of the hottest stars in country and pop music, and her collaboration with Taylor Guitars has resulted in a product that we think our customers will love. Now they can pre-order it and ensure they’ll get it in time for the holidays.”

Introduced in 1996, the Baby Taylor was designed to be the ultimate musical travel companion and set the standard for how good a small guitar could sound. Delivering impressive volume and tone for its compact dimensions, the Baby Taylor quickly became the favorite “road guitar” for many professional musicians, including rock legends Bono (U2) and Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), pop artist Katy Perry, and country music hit makers Clint Black and Tim McGraw.

The TSBT will be offered at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $398 and comes ready to rock in a cushioned Taylor Guitars gig bag. The Taylor Swift Baby Taylor guitar is available for purchase at authorized Taylor Guitars dealers, Amazon.com and soon, at TaylorSwift.com.

Dave Carroll and bandmate Julian Marentette of the smash YouTube.com hit “United Breaks Guitars” will visit the Taylor Guitars Factory on Monday, July 20.

The “United Breaks Guitars” song relates Carroll’s story of travel trouble as his guitar was broken at the hands of a major airlines. As he tells it: “In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say 'no' to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise.”

Members of the media are invited to meet and interview Dave Carroll, the singer/songwriter of the song as he tours the Taylor Guitars Factory. Please contact publicrelations@taylorguitars.com for additional information.

“United Breaks Guitars” has been viewed by over 3.2 million people since its debut on Monday, July 6, has been covered in The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times, and has gained national viewership with segments on The Early Show (CBS), Fox and Friends (FOX) and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer (CNN).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pWWHIxbM_s

w00t Brad Gillis solo on a jumbo!

Taylor Guitars has partnered with Country Music Television’s popular TV show, “Crossroads,” for the ultimate fan giveaway: a custom designed Taylor SolidBody guitar signed by country sensation Taylor Swift and legendary rock band, Def Leppard.

The hit show, which pairs country artists with musicians from other genres, featured Swift and Def Leppard late last year. To commemorate the performance, CMT has recently released a special DVD: CMT Crossroads: Taylor Swift & Def Leppard. Both Taylor Swift (PSGA, GS8, 615ce, PS-LTD, K65ce, T5-S, SolidBody Classic) and Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell (GS6, GS8, 816ce, T5-C1, SolidBody Custom, SolidBody Classic) are long-time Taylor players.

Now through July 18, contestants can visit www.CMT.com and enter to win this one-of-a-kind custom SolidBody and an autographed copy of the DVD.

Enter To Win

List of rules and regulations

For additional information about CMT, please visit www.CMT.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZFYB_8C7nY

See Peter Sprague tear that nylon up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TZMu7yBvkw

Great vid of Claudio and Travis at the 2007 NAMM show.