July 06, 2024 I Anniversary
GC Hosts Taylor’s Andy Powers at La Mesa Store to Honor Guitar-Maker’s 50th
Taylor Guitars' Andy Powers, center, speaks to the crowd at the La Mesa, California, Guitar Center location.
On June 1, Guitar Center held an event celebrating 50 years of Taylor Guitars in the acoustic room at its La Mesa, California, store. The event, titled “An Afternoon with Andy Powers,” was centered around an up-close-and-personal sit-down with Andy Powers, Taylor CEO, president and chief guitar designer, in conversation with moderator Stephen Lynch, Guitar Center manager of content and social media. The event covered a wide range of topics, including details on Taylor’s new 50th Anniversary Collection and how it embodies the company’s history. It also included a performance by special guest Hailey Knox — singer-songwriter, producer and musician, known for her soulful acoustic guitar and loop pedal covers of popular songs by artists like SZA and Justin Bieber.
Throughout 2024, Taylor is releasing the 50th Anniversary Collection, a curated collection of limited-edition guitars celebrating the diversity of the Taylor line. Some guitars in the collection draw inspiration from player-favorite models over the decades, and others showcase fine tonewoods, exquisite appointments and exacting craftsmanship. At this event, Powers used Taylor’s new 50th Anniversary Collection as the framework to tell the company’s story, engaging in moderated discussion, demos, and Q&A highlighting classic guitars and recent product launches.
They also touched on the contributions that Powers has made personally since joining Taylor in 2011, namely how he has been responsible for many of the company’s designs, including its V-Class bracing architecture, the American Dream acoustic line, and body styles including the Grand Pacific, Grand Theater and more.
The discussion walked through various perspectives on Taylor guitars, from the conception of the designs and the process of building the guitars, to the magic that happens when they end up in the hands of a creative musician. Joining the conversation, Hailey Knox provided the “artist’s perspective” on Taylor guitars and how they fit into her world. She also touched on the songwriting process and how to channel the creative spark, the hard work that goes into growing a following, and how tools like her Taylor guitar help generate creativity. She then played a short acoustic set using her Taylor 512CE and a looper setup.
