Full Circle

Taylor Guitars officially started on 15 October 1974. Bob Taylor and his partners, Kurt Listug and Steve Schemmer, had purchased the store where they worked building guitars – the American Dream – from owner Sam Radding. They found they couldn’t actually use the name at the time because Sam’s brother who ran an American Dream retail outlet objected, so originally the venture ran under the title Westland Music Company. But they still needed a name for the guitars that they planned to make.

“I can see the three of us sitting around in the shop,” remembers Bob today, “Kurt, Steve and myself. ‘What are we going to call the guitars?’ It was quite a discussion. See, Kurt and Steve grew up across the street from each other and they were planning to buy this American Dream company but Kurt’s dad wouldn’t loan him any