Business
Taylor Guitars links El Cajon craftsmanship with ebony conservation
A new KPBS profile traces how the San Diego County guitar maker's search for responsibly sourced wood became a long-term forest and research effort in Cameroon.
Taylor Guitars, the globally known instrument maker rooted in El Cajon, has spent decades rethinking how the ebony used in its guitars is sourced and valued, according to original reporting from KPBS Public Media.
Local base: Taylor Guitars is headquartered in El Cajon
Forest connection: The company's work centers on ebony supplies from Cameroon
Reporting date: October 8, 2026
Following the supply chain
KPBS reported that co-founder Bob Taylor began asking deeper questions after visiting an ebony sawmill in Cameroon. The trip exposed waste and sustainability problems in a material central to guitar making, leading the company to pursue broader use of usable wood and support forest-focused work.
The profile connects that effort with scientific research on ebony regeneration and the role wildlife plays in the forest. Taylor's work has expanded beyond manufacturing into partnerships and research aimed at keeping the resource viable over the long term.
A local company with a global footprint
The report also looks at Taylor Guitars' development in San Diego County and the design and production changes that helped it become one of the best-known acoustic-guitar makers in the world. The conservation work shows how decisions made at an El Cajon factory can reach far beyond Southern California.
Original reporting: KPBS Public Media →