James Taylor

James Taylor may be the quintessential 1970’s singer-songwriter, and he has stayed true to his acoustic roots. Early on Taylor played a Gibson J-50 and he has played a wide variety of guitars since then. As of 2009, he uses guitars custom made for him by Minnesota luthier James A. Olson. Taylor goes for highly responsive soundboards to accommodate the wide dynamic range of his light-touch picking. Taylor also frowns on finger picks, using his thumb and the nails of his first three fingers.

James Taylor’s technique has been described as “rippling with countermelodies and lines that balance bass and lead licks simultaneously.”

James Taylor plays primarily in standard tuning. He has occasionally recorded in open G (“Love Has Brought Me Around”) and uses dropped D for “Country Road” and some others. Like John Prine, Lyle Lovett and other modern finger-pickers, he often uses a capo.

Sources: Gibson Lifestlyle