Mark TaylorSan Francisco Conservatory of Music

Acoustic Guitars from Nashville! #acoustic #guitar

18 Feb 2026 · 3 min

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2:36

In this solo gear demo, Nashville singer‑songwriter Mark Taylor answers the common fan question “What guitars do you play?” by showcasing his four favorite acoustic guitars. He begins with a 1959 Marathon, originally a nylon‑string classical guitar he rescued from Goodwill for $7.99, noting its steel‑reinforced neck, all‑original wood, and heavily worn but rich tone. He then moves to his 1949 Gibson Southern Jumbo, describing it as the most battered yet best‑sounding instrument in his collection, with original wood, several neck resets, a new bridge, and visible checking and belt‑buckle marks. Next, he presents a 1966 Gibson LG‑1, his “writing” and “couch” guitar that he carries without a case, marked with an X over a broken area and a split top, and on which he has written many songs. Finally, he shows a 2011 Custom Shop Gibson Southern Jumbo, equipped with LR bags, which he uses for live performances and road travel. Throughout, Taylor emphasizes each guitar’s history, condition, tonal character, and personal role in his songwriting and touring life.

Chapters

Hey, what's up you guys? It's Mark Taylor. I'm a singer and songwriter right here in Nashville, Tennessee, and the question I get asked most is, "What guitars do you play?" So I thought today we'd start with acoustics, if that's cool. I picked my favorite 4 acoustics for this video, which was not easy. Uh, but this— we'll start with this one right here because the other 3 look pretty similar. But this is my 1959 Marathon. Uh, it was originally a classical kind of nylon string guitar. Found it at Goodwill for $7.99, believe it or not, back in college. And, um, it's gorgeous. It's got all the original wood in there. It's a steel-reinforced neck, so no truss rod on this guy, but it's seen hell and back. It's more beat up than anything I've ever seen, except for this next guitar. Um, the back's all messed up, but it is such a gorgeous piece, and it sounds so cool and so big and rich. Um, but yeah, 1959 Marathon guitar right there. That doesn't leave the studio very much. Then we move over to My absolute baby. This is my 1949 Gibson Southerner Jumbo. This is the most beat up guitar that I have, but it's also the best sounding guitar that I have. This thing is absolutely gorgeous. Um, pretty much, pretty close to all original. Not quite, but it's had a couple neck resets. It's a new bridge. A couple of the bracing things inside have been changed over the years, but I mean, just look at the checking on the back and the belt buckle marks and the neck. I mean, it's just such a Such a pretty guitar and it sounds so, so cool. So cool. That's 1949 for you right there. Then we fast forward to 1966 for the Gibson LG-1. This is my writing guitar and kind of my couch guitar. This thing doesn't have a case, which I love. I kind of carry it up and down Music Row on my back. But yeah, this thing, it's got— you'll always know it's mine. It's got the X right here. Right over where it's broken. The top is split, that just happened that way, the guitar came like that. But it's such a special piece, I've written so many songs on this guitar. The back is this beautiful wood right here that— pretty clean, uh, a lot cleaner than most of the guitars that I have. But this is 1966, I love writing on this one. And then finally, if you've seen a show of mine in the last couple of years, you've seen this bad boy right here. This is a 2011 Custom Shop Gibson Southern Jumbo, LR bags inside of it. It's absolutely amazing sounding. Um, love this guitar. We play with it all the time, comes out on the road with me pretty much every week. But, uh, yeah, those are my favorite 4 acoustic guitars from Nashville, Tennessee.