Taylor 12 string guitar leo kottke biography
Taylor LKSM Leo Kotke 12 String Signature, 1993.
1993 Taylor Leo Kottke’s Signature Model
Leo Kottke’s 1969 LP ‘6 & 12 String Guitar’ introduced a new virtuosity to the steel string guitar world.
Taylor 12 string guitar leo kottke biography
Over the few years, Kottke took his prodigious technique to ever greater heights until, in the early 1980s, over-exertion led to tendonitis and his hands began to fail him. He stopped performing and set about relearning to play guitar in a way that wouldn’t hurt his hands.
At the same time, he basically gave up playing 12-string guitar altogether. Then, in the late 1980s, he found a new Taylor 555 with a slim neck that he was able to play without strain. He got in touch with Bob Taylor to compliment him on his 12-string, and Bob suggested they work together to design a guitar for Kottke’s particular style.
They started with a mahogany jumbo that was similar to the 555 that Kottke had been playing.
They added a Maccaferri-style cutaway and stripped away almost all of the ornamentation, leaving on