“The beautiful thing about a Novo is it’s got the weight of a Gibson and, yet, it feels like you’re playing a Fender”: Corey Taylor on his love of boutique guitars

Corey Taylor is a man who needs no introduction. Most in the metal world will know him for his vocal exploits in two of the biggest powerhouse names in metal, Slipknot and Stone Sour, but his recent solo endeavours – which kicked off in 2020 with CMFT (Corey Mother Fuckin’ Taylor, of course) – have seen him exercising his guitar-playing chops far more frequently.

So we thought we’d invite the man himself on latest episode of Guitar.com Originals series My Guitars & Me, to get the lowdown on the six-strings that make up his current arsenal.

We discovered that for a man who, no doubt, has a rolodex of industry contacts and could likely get his hands on any guitar he wanted, Taylor is a passionate advocate of boutique guitars, namely Novos, which are built in Nashville, Tennessee by Dennis Fano.

He shows us the very first Novo guitar he ever bought, a beautifully bruised-up red Serus J, loaded with custom DiMarzio pickups and adorned with the logo of the Cherry Bombs, the dance troupe his wife Alicia Taylor is a member of.

“I’d never played anything like it,” he says. “To me, the beautiful thing about a Novo is it’s got the weight, it’s got the heft, and the richness of a Gibson, and yet it feels like you’re playing a Fender. It’s just such a great rock guitar, man. Anything you hit on it sounds dope.”

Watch the full episode below:

About My Guitars & Me

In this new Guitar.com Originals series, we sit down with talented artists and guitar-loving individuals with their most cherished and beloved instruments, to find out why these guitars are so significant, and how they have shaped their lives. Get up close and personal with the guitars that have guided the musical journey of some of the guitar world’s biggest names with My Guitars & Me.