– Press Release

The T5, Taylor Guitars’ new thinline hollowbody electric guitar, blew artists and audiences away at Winter NAMM 2005, and more initial T5 orders were taken from dealers than for any other guitar in Taylor’s history.

Now, for a limited time, visitors to http://www.taylorguitars.com can enter the T5 Prototype Giveaway for the opportunity to win a hand-built, fully functional, pre-production model, before the sleek and sexy T5 is available in stores. Contestants can maximize their chances of winning by giving online referrals to friends – if a friend wins, they win, too (one prize per person; contestants must be over age 18 to enter; Taylor will not keep contact information for anyone who enters, unless they opt-in to receive future mailings; U.S. and Canada only; see the Taylor website for complete rules).

The T5 is Taylor’s first-ever electric guitar, designed to sound incredible whether overdriving an electric amplifier or running “clean” through an acoustic amp or PA system. With a flick of the T5’s 5-way switch, a player can explore an endless world of pure, analog guitar tones – from mellow acoustic to full-on electric crunch – thanks to a combination of proprietary humbucking pickups and a body sensor based on Taylor’s breakthrough Expression System pickup.

Like all Taylor guitars, a custom-voiced soundboard is the heart of the T5 tone, creating a strong, colorful voice with outrageous sustain. Resonance of the contoured T5 body chamber is enhanced by sexy, stylized f-holes that allow the top to “breathe” and capture all the subtleties and dynamics of a player’s performance, while a shortened, 24-7/8-inch scale length makes the T5 nearly effortless to play.

During its development, the T5 was “road-tested” by Story of the Year, Switchfoot, and Jason Mraz. NAMM performance video clips of these artists, along with Hanna-McEuen and The Life (formerly Noise Ratchet), are posted on the Taylor Guitars website. There also is video footage of Tommy Shaw (Styx, Damn Yankees) trying out a koa-topped T5-C (Custom) in the Taylor booth at NAMM, and six beautiful T5 “electronic postcards” that Taylor enthusiasts can send to their friends.

Up to 42 contestants in the T5 Prototype Giveaway will win a Story of the Year “Prize Pack”, T5 shirts or hats, and full packages or single sets of electric and acoustic Nanoweb Coated Elixir Strings.

The T5 will arrive in stores in late spring. Deadline to enter the T5 Prototype Giveaway is April 28, 2005.

Enter at: http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/t5/premiere/