On the left is the beautiful fretboard inlay of the Koa Series. The device in the middle firmly holds the fretboard in place. After fretwire is installed, the carousel on the right holds the heel block in place. After this step, the necks will go into a CNC machine that carves out the neck.
Upstairs, next to the side bending department is "Taylor University," a place where new recruits or those desiring to relocate into another production area get instruction in various skills necessary for the job. In addition to learning skills such as sanding and gluing, exposure to how different guitars look is also important. On the right is the neck and body of the Living Jewel Gallery Series guitar.
Using water and a very hot mold, a factory worker carefully bends the side for a guitar. After the sides are bent, they are placed in molds until they hold in the correct shape. In the side bending department, neck and tail blocks as well as side reinforcement on "e" models are installed. Then, kerfing is installed. Wood binding is also bent in this department.
After top, back, and sides are joined and binding is installed, guitar bodies are taken to the finish department for their UV coating. Before the UV finish, this was the bottleneck for guitar making, where guitars spent much of their time. However, since the UV coating cures almost instantly, Taylor can build a single guitar in about a day if necessary.
Here is Buffy, the Robotic buffer, hard at work. At this time, it buffs only the top and back. After a guitar body is buffed by Buffy, the sides are buffed by hand. After the body has passed inspection, bridges are installed, necks are joined with the body, and the guitar is set up.
