Taylor® Guitars Announces Transition To D'Addario Coated XS Phosphor Bronze Strings

Two Iconic Instrument Brands Team Up To Offer Players An Enhanced Level Of Premium Sound And Performance

El Cajon, CALIF, May 18, 2023 - Today, Taylor Guitars, the leading global builder of premium acoustic guitars, and D'Addario, the world's premier guitar string maker, announce that Taylor is transitioning to D'Addario's premium XS coated Phosphor Bronze guitar strings. This exciting collaboration marries decades of category-leading innovation, including Taylor’s award-winning performance, playability, bracing design and balance, and D’Addario’s iconic tone, comfort and durability, for an elevated acoustic guitar-playing experience unlike any other.

Effective immediately, Taylor 's U.S.-built models, including the recently redesigned 400 Series and new Builder’s Edition 814ce, will be strung with XS Phosphor Bronze strings, while Mexico-built Taylor guitars will begin transitioning to the new strings starting this summer.

“We’re excited for this new chapter of partnership with D’Addario,” says Andy Powers, Chief Guitar Designer, President and CEO of Taylor Guitars. “It’s the guitar maker in us that wants to be standing alongside the string maker in them. The XS strings are really consistent and produce a great response. They have all the metrics that make a guitar sound musical: pitch accuracy, dynamic range, feel, sustain. They work exceptionally well.“

Taylor Guitars and D'Addario, both founded within a year of each other, share similar histories, values and cultures, and are both known for boundary-pushing acoustic guitar innovation, always looking for ways to improve the sound, feel and performance of the guitar. In fact, the two companies have a history of collaboration. In 2017, their joint efforts resulted in a specially designed D'Addario nylon-core string that made it possible for Taylor to launch its award-winning GS Mini Bass, which delivered unprecedented control and low-end punch in a short-scale instrument, resulting in a remarkably comfortable playing experience.

"This is so much more than an iconic guitar company and string manufacturer coming together." says Jim D'Addario, founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Innovation Officer of D'Addario "It's about what can happen when insatiably curious people get together for the sole purpose of elevating what's possible for musicians. Taylor truly embodies that ethos."

Today, the two companies take that relationship to the next level. Taylor’s decision to adopt D'Addario’s XS strings is based on the XS line’s superior performance benefits, including maximum tuning stability, excessively long-lasting string life, enhanced durability and break resistance, and an ultra-thin coating process for a smooth feel. Launched in 2021, XS Strings are D’Addario’s most innovative string line to date. (Taylor also uses D’Addario strings—Pro-Arté Carbon—on its nylon-string models.)

In each XS string set, the wound strings feature an ultra-thin protective film coating, while the plain steel strings feature a unique polymer treatment—which keeps all six strings protected from performance-impacting contaminants. D’Addario’s proprietary Fusion Twist technology and NY Steel core wire deliver unprecedented tuning stability and enhanced break strength on each XS string. The XS line is available in the most popular acoustic guitar string gauges in Phosphor Bronze and 80/20 Bronze.

To learn more about the Taylor x D’Addario story from Bob, Andy and D'Addario's Jim D'Addario, please visit https://www.daddario.com/xs-strings-taylor-guitars.

About Taylor Guitars

Taylor Guitars was founded in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug and has grown into the leading global builder of premium acoustic guitars. Taylor now employs over 1,500 people and currently produces hundreds of guitars per day in its state-of-the-art factory complexes in both El Cajon, California, and in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. The company maintains an active dealer network, with Taylor guitars sold through hundreds of retail locations in North America and with international distribution to 65 countries, including a distribution warehouse and factory service center in the Netherlands. In December of 2020, Taylor transitioned to 100-percent employee ownership. In 2022, Taylor’s Chief Guitar Designer, Andy Powers, was also named President and CEO, with Bob and Kurt continuing to guide the company forward as senior advisors and co-chairmen of the Taylor Guitars board, established as part of the company’s ownership transition.

About D'Addario & Company, Inc.

D’Addario is the world’s largest manufacturer of musical instrument accessories, marketed under several product brands: D’Addario Fretted, D’Addario Orchestral, D’Addario Woodwinds, Promark Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads, and Puresound Snare Wires. A family-owned and operated business with roots dating back to the 17th century, D’Addario now has over 1,100 employees worldwide, and manufactures 95% of its products in the U.S. while utilizing Toyota's Lean manufacturing principles. D'Addario musical accessories are distributed in 120 countries, serve more than 3,300 U.S. retailers, all major e-commerce sites, and are the preferred choice of musicians worldwide.

The D’Addario Foundation believes in the power of music to unlock creativity, boost self-confidence, and enhance academics. D’Addario also reinforces its role as a social and environmental leader with initiatives such as Playback and Play.Plant.Preserve.