Kurt Listug

Kurt Listug was born in San Diego in 1952 and raised in nearby Bonita. After graduating from Bonita Vista High School, he earned an A.A. at Southwestern College, and then attended San Diego State University for three semesters, studying German and philosophy. In August 1973, Kurt dropped out of college to work at the American Dream Musical Instrument Manufacturing shop in the Lemon Grove area of San Diego. Another guitar maker at the shop was an 18-year-old named Bob Taylor. One year later, in 1974, Kurt (then 21) and Bob bought the business from owner Sam Radding with $10,000 borrowed from family and friends. In time, they changed the name to Taylor Guitars.

“We were very young, and even more naïve,” Kurt recalls. “We struggled for years, almost going out of business a number of times, but the thing that kept us going was this: We were already doing exactly what we wanted to do. If we had quit, it would have been to do something we weren’t excited about. So we continued. And the small successes along the way were enough to give us hope, to keep going.” Over time, the duo ramped up production while maintaining their strong commitment to quality craftsmanship, pioneering key innovations in the guitar-making process along the way.

Over the years that ensued, Kurt and Bob made history, becoming the only American luthiers in the 20th century to grow an acoustic guitar company from a small shop to a production-level manufacturer without relinquishing ownership or creative control. Today, under their guidance, Taylor Guitars produces hundreds of guitars per day in its state-of-the-art factory complexes, maintains an active network of retailers around the world, and has become the guitar brand of choice for artists across diverse genres including Jason Mraz, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown, Shawn Mendes, Leo Kottke, George Strait, Alan Jackson and many others.