A key moment in HBO’s The Last of Us series occurs when Joel (Pedro Pascal) gives Ellie (Bella Ramsey) an acoustic guitar with a moth inlay at the third fret. In addition to being the instrument on which Ellie performs and sings tunes in the show, the guitar become a link between Ellie and Joel, who was restringing the instrument for her when he died.

Now Taylor Guitars is unveiling The Last of Us Replica 314c, an exact replica of the one featured in the HBO Original Series — as well as in the video game on which the show is based — right down to its Tobacco Sunburst top and moth inlay.

Created in association with Sony Pictures Consumer Products and HBO, The Last of Us Replica 314c guitar is based on the company’s 300 Series and features Taylor’s most popular body style, the Grand Auditorium.

“The Last of Us is a story of resilience, connection and finding beauty amid harsh realities — themes that resonate with the emotional expression a Taylor guitar offers players,” says Tim O’Brien, Vice President of Marketing at Taylor Guitars.

“We’re honored to collaborate with HBO and Sony Pictures Consumer Products to bring this iconic instrument to fans and players alike.”

In addition to the Tobacco Sunburst top and moth inlay, the guitar features grained ivoroid accents and a satin-finish body and neck that emulates the vintage aesthetic of the post-pandemic world depicted in the show.

The guitar — available only as an acoustic — features a Grand Auditorium body with a Venetian cutaway for easy access to upper-register notes. Specifications include a solid Sitka spruce top and solid sapele back and sides for balanced, clear and warm tone with a slight midrange presence.

Additional appointments include grained ivoroid body binding, grained ivoroid fretboard inlays that include the moth and large dot position markers, and a custom double-ring rosette also in grained ivoroid.

Each guitar comes with a Taylor-built deluxe hardshell case.

The Taylor x The Last of Us Replica guitar is available for purchase now via TaylorGuitars.com and select authorized Taylor dealers. Orders are built on demand in Taylor’s Southern California factory, with an expected delivery time of 6–10 weeks. Due to the nature of this release, quantities are limited.

Taylor’s big announcement at the 2024 NAMM show was a Bob Taylor side project honoring the company’s 50th anniversary: the AV150-10, a boutique dual-channel acoustic amplifier that's taken on a life of its own under the brand name Circa 74. Taylor says the project reminded him of the freewheeling days when Taylor Guitars was a startup, circa ’74, which inspired the name. 

The AV150-10 is a handsome, wood-crafted acoustic guitar–and-vocal combo packing 150 watts into a 1x10 enclosure with a tan grille cloth. It sits on a neat wood stand and looks like it would fit as easily into a home’s decor as it would a studio setting. I was excited to hear the sound and very curious to see how the wife would react when I boldly brought it out of my office studio and set it in our family living room.

It passed her inspection, and with good reason. The AV150-10 features truly furniture-quality craftsmanship, with an elegant aesthetic that harks back to the golden age of vinyl, but it’s also both modern and classic enough to work in a variety of settings. Solid mahogany never goes out of style, and the way the amp and its lovely mahogany stand fit together is rather ingenious. 

Four little indented holes in the stand receive the rubber foot pads on the amp’s bottom for secure placement, and the back legs are slanted slightly to the rear so that the cabinet tilts upward. 

I also appreciated the straightforward layout. Controls for both channels are the same and feature white plastic dials for level, bass, mid, treble, and reverb. Channel A has a combo input for a vocal mic or instrument, while channel B has a standard guitar input. There’s no need for a bunch of bells and whistles, but Bluetooth connectivity is a welcome modern feature for playing tunes. 

There’s a button with a blue indicator light next to the global volume dial, as well as a mini jack for the aux in and another for headphones. The amber power indicator light gives off a lovely warm glow, and the back panel has a rocker switch for mains power, an XLR direct out, and a ¼-inch line output. 

As straightforward as the design may be, it’s also quite flexible and practical. The AV150-10 is designed to accommodate a variety of different pickups commonly used on acoustic instruments, and the integrity of the vocal signal is not an afterthought. 

There’s a user guide with suggested settings for pickups from Fishman, Baggs, K&K and Taylor’s Expression System, plus microphones from Shure, Electro-Voice, and Telefunken. The amp has no phantom power for a condenser mic, but fortunately, my live mics are dynamic.

I was eager to put it through its paces and started with a Taylor Builder’s Edition 814ce with proprietary ES2 electronics in Channel B. The overall sound is very much what one might expect from a flagship Taylor guitar through a Taylor amp: high fidelity, dynamic, and very touch-responsive. It’s not all in the mids like some acoustic amps, particularly those with small woofers. 

The shiny, smooth tone from this 10-inch speaker covers a broad sonic spectrum, which is great for the vocal side of the equation as well. Troubadours will dig how vocals sound full, like they would through a PA, and that goes for tracks streamed from your phone as well. The reverb is a single digital recreation of a classic room reverb with independent level control for each channel. It sounds nice and lush, and it does the trick.

There’s real power here from the Class D solid-state amp as well. Turn it up, and, boy, is it punchy. The AV150-10 helps notes sing out with strong sustain, and the mahogany cabinet seems to contribute to the punch and projection as you crank it up. There is some circuit noise that increases with volume, but that comes with the territory for an old-school analog amp, and it stays in the background. There’s also plenty of headroom.

With the AV150-10 amp, you can get a real feel for what different pickups are supposed to deliver. For example, I plugged in a Martin CS-SC-2022 with a Baggs HiFi bridge plate transducer system and a Baggs M1 passive magnetic in the soundhole. With all the controls set to noon, the difference between the body energy of the former and the distinct string sound from the latter was very apparent. I made a few tonal tweaks to home in on the best combination, which yielded a wonderfully comprehensive sound. 

I also experimented using an old Taylor 514ce with a Fishman Prefix piezo system, complemented by a Seymour Duncan Active Mag in the soundhole. Here again, the distinct qualities of that piezo and the active magnetic were apparent, and I was able to dial in a beautiful blend. All in all, the AV150-10 is an inspiring platform for a variety of signals.

This exciting era of acoustic-electronic innovation hasn’t seen much action on the amp front, which makes the AV150-10 such a welcome addition. The fact that it comes from Taylor makes it feel familiar even as it arrives out of left field. I also dig this power level and speaker configuration. 

With them, the AV150-10 hits a Goldilocks zone, providing just the right amount of juice in a portable cabinet. Yes, it costs more than the average acoustic amp, but not as much as some in its class. Given its high sound quality, straightforward yet flexible I/O, and living-room aesthetic, the Circa 74 earns an Editors’ Pick Award. 

Specifications

CONTACT Taylor Guitars

PRICE $1,199 street (stand included)

CHANNELS 2 

CONTROLS Each channel has 3-band EQ (bass, mid, treble) plus level and reverb. Global volume also controls aux in. Bluetooth button 

CONNECTIONS Inputs: Channel A combo XLR/¼”, channel B ¼”, aux ¼” line-level, Bluetooth. Outputs: XLR direct, ¼” line 

POWER 150 watts RMS solid-state Class D

SPEAKER 1x10 (full range)

CABINET DIMENSIONS 16.5” x 9” x 14” 

STAND DIMENSIONS 16.75” x 9.25” x 16” 

WEIGHT 24 lbs. (without stand)

BUILT USA

KUDOS Furniture-quality craftsmanship
with classy aesthetic, clear and full tone, intuitive layout 

CONCERNS Some circuit noise. No phantom power for vocal condenser mic

Taylor has announced they will be shipping new acoustic guitars with D’Addario's coated XS phosphor bronze strings.

Appearing on Taylor’s U.S.-made instruments as standard last week, these premium strings will also feature on Mexican-built Taylor guitars from this summer.

D’Addario says their XS strings are the “most innovative coated string ever created.” As the company’s most resilient design to date, XS strings are engineered to last as long as possible while maintaining a smooth feel and balanced tone.

Also available for electric guitars and mandolins, D'Addario's XS range comprises the following acoustic sets in both 80/20 and phosphor bronze formats: 10-47, 11-52, 12-53, 12-56, 13-56 and 10-47 (12-string).

“We’re excited for this new chapter of partnership with D’Addario,” said Andy Powers, Chief Guitar Designer, President and CEO of Taylor Guitars. “It’s the guitar maker in us that wants to be standing alongside the string maker in them.

“The XS strings are really consistent and produce a great response. They have all the metrics that make a guitar sound musical: pitch accuracy, dynamic range, feel, sustain. They work exceptionally well.“

“This is so much more than an iconic guitar company and string manufacturer coming together," added Jim D'Addario, founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Innovation Officer of D'Addario. 

"It's about what can happen when insatiably curious people get together for the sole purpose of elevating what's possible for musicians.

“Taylor truly embodies that ethos."

Founded within a year of each other (D’Addario in 1973, Taylor Guitars in 1974) the two companies have a long-shared ethos of acoustic guitar innovation. In fact, D’Addario and Taylor have previously collaborated on the nylon-core string that appeared on the award-winning GS Mini Bass in 2017, while the Pro-Arté Carbon strings currently feature on Taylor’s nylon-string models.

Visit D’Addario for more information.

Taylor Guitars has expanded its award-winning Builder’s Edition collection with the flagship 814ce model. Available now, the new Builder's Edition 814ce is Taylor’s first four-piece top flagship acoustic guitar and is constructed using Adirondack spruce. 

Paired with an Indian rosewood back and rim, the Builder's Edition 814ce is said to be “rich and versatile” in tone and “perfect for players of any style.”

Crafted for the ultimate in looks, sound and feel, Taylor says the Builder’s Edition instruments demonstrate the apex of their design philosophy in the form of “comfortable, inviting guitars with rich, robust tone and stunning aesthetics.”

By upgrading the standard 814ce from solid Sitka spruce to solid Adirondack spruce, Taylor has needed to adapt to using smaller pieces of tonewood. The result, they say, is increased tonal complexity and expanded dynamics/higher volume ceiling. Meanwhile the enhanced grain symmetry adds a unique aesthetic overall.

“The Builder's Edition collection offers players an aesthetically beautiful and extremely ergonomic playing experience,” enthuses Andy Powers, Taylor's Chief Guitar Designer, President and CEO. 

"We’re happy to finally welcome Taylor’s beloved flagship model, the 814ce, to new heights of craftsmanship and performance.” 

Starting at $4,499, the Builder's Edition 814ce represents a pinnacle of the Californian firm’s guitar-building expertise.

Top-notch appointments include precise 21:1 gear ratio, antique gold Gotoh 510 tuners, a rosewood pickguard and a contoured Curve Wing bridge exclusive to Builder's Edition models. It sports the same Element inlays and abalone/rosewood/maple rosette as featured on the standard 814ce.

The only model in Taylor’s Builder’s Edition collection sporting a gloss-finish body, this decadent acoustic guitar has a beveled cutaway and armrest for ultimate comfort and ease of play. It also comes equipped with ES2 electronics and a deluxe brown hardshell case.

Visit Taylor Guitars for more information.

Taylor Guitars has unveiled three new eye-catching additions to their highly successful American Dream Series: the AD11e-SB, AD12e-SB and AD17e-SB.

This stylish trio of acoustic guitars sports vintage-style firestripe faux tortoiseshell pickguards and hand-painted Tobacco Sunburst finishes along with Italian acrylic dot markers for a classic look.

Introduced during the 2020 pandemic, Taylor says their award-winning American Dream Series instruments were designed to “deliver all the essentials of a premium acoustic guitar, with a thoughtfully streamlined appointment package to make the guitars more accessible during a time of economic uncertainty and increased consumer demand.”

Combining a solid spruce top with a solid walnut back and rim, each model is said to project a “warm, woody” midrange-focused sound not dissimilar to mahogany.

“We’re excited to expand the American Dream family with these new sunburst guitars,” said Taylor’s chief guitar designer, President and CEO, Andy Powers.

“The time-honed look, sound and feel make these models appealing options for many musicians who find inspiration in the undeniable beauty of an unassuming instrument, whether on stage, in the studio, or in the hands of a songsmith.”

Taylor AD11e-SB

Starting at $1,799 and sporting a reduced 24 1/8-inch scale length, the downsized AD11e-SB showcases Taylor’s new Grand Theater (GT) body shape.

But what the AD11e-SB lacks in size it makes up for in tone with its specially voiced C-Class bracing.

Accentuating the bottom-end response of the guitar, this unique variation on Taylor’s V-Class bracing system allows for greater tonal depth and a richer, fuller sound.

Taylor AD12e-SB

Stepping up the ladder slightly with a starting price of $1,999 is the AD12e-SB. This guitar is notable as being the first Grand Concert model in Taylor’s American Dream Series with a spruce top.

Boasting Taylor’s acclaimed V-Class bracing design, the AD12e-SB is destined to be a hit with fingerstyle players and flatpickers alike.

Noted for its detail, articulation and note separation, Taylor says this compact and highly responsive instrument is “perfect” for recording applications.

Taylor AD17e-SB

Also starting at $1,999, is the Grand Pacific-shaped AD17e-SB.

Packing a powerful punch and featuring a full 25 1/2-inch scale length, this round-shouldered dreadnought delivers a balanced, midrange-focused tone with depth and clarity.

Like the AD11e-SB and AD12e-SB, the AD17e-SB is fitted with ES2 electronics and comes with a brown or gray AeroCase.

Visit Taylor Guitars for more information.

Some people are obsessed with power; some are obsessed with fame.

Taylor chief guitar designer, president and CEO Andy Powers is obsessed with koa, and that’s the name of the game for the new additions to the 700 series: the 722ce Grand Concert and 724ce Grand Auditorium, the latter of which is on review here.

It’s a totally different take on the lovely Hawaiian hardwood from a manufacturer who is passionate about koa.

“I love building guitars out of koa,” Powers says. “I love the look, the smell and the sound. This guitar started from materials as we furthered our relationship with our colleagues at Pacific Rim Tonewoods.”

Whereas Taylor’s luxurious Koa Series guitars are made from the highest instrument-grade wood, full of curls and swirls, and laced with copious organic appointments, these koa additions to the 700 series take a more workmanlike approach.

This essentially straight-grain koa is more uniquely streaked and less extravagantly figured than the Koa Series.

And rather than a beautifully polished, multilayered high-gloss finish with a dark stain, the treatment here is super thin and practically unfinished, for a lighter appearance.

To be clear, Taylor’s koa comes from the same sustainably managed Hawaiian forest. Some wood simply appears different inside the tree. It’s analogous to some people having curly hair while others have straight hair.

Powers saw it as an opportunity to make a more straightforward guitar with a different voicing for a different style player.

He says, “I want the guitar to look the way it sounds, and sound the way it feels.”

There is a direct correlation to Taylor’s Ebony Project. Prior to it, everyone from loggers to manufacturers to players assumed that the only desirable ebony was solid dark wood. But that turned out to be a purely cosmetic concern resulting from collective expectations.

When Taylor bought a West African ebony mill and started marketing “striped ebony” in a positive light, both in terms of forest management and aesthetics, lots of players agreed.

Perfectly fine ebony trees no longer waste away in the forest after being cut open, and many players prefer the unique nature of striped ebony.

Taking the 724ce out of its case, the only thought that crosses the mind is, “Gorgeous!” I especially love how the seafoam-green paua-shell rosette appears, set inside the flowing wood grains.

Who doesn’t love genuine seashell inlays on a stunning tonewood? Mother-of-pearl Fountain inlays grace an ebony fretboard as well. A dark-stained maple pickguard blends seamlessly, and the polished bronze tuners practically match the wound phosphor-bronze strings.

A white Tusq saddle is the only thing that sticks out, especially since the nut is black Tusq.

The open-pore matte satin finish facilitates a direct, organic feel of wood against skin. Indeed, the clear, natural sound matches the feel.

It’s lighter and far less dampened than the Koa Series. It takes very little pick energy to set the 724’s top in motion, and its sensitivity facilitates extreme nuance.

It’s very player reflective, capable of a wide variety of tones, from mellow to bright, depending on the attack.

Caress the strings with a light touch and be rewarded with lovely dynamics at low volume.

This is a V-Class instrument made of solid woods, but the thickness and back bracing are different from a K Series.

The bass is less booming but still strong. The focus is a warm, sweet middle range, with a detailed sparkle on top.

The 724ce invites fingerpicking and playing with a flexible plectrum. Play too hard and the top end becomes more brittle and less beautiful. For that reason, heavy strummers and bass mongers may prefer the heartier Koa Series models.

If you like your instrument lively and sensitive to subtlety, the 724ce delivers.

Plugged into a Fender Acoustic Junior GO, its tone was balanced from string to string, and it was easy to add a bit of tropic thunder to complement the vivacious acoustic koa tone with a quarter turn of the bass control.

The 724ce plays easily and precisely up and down the neck, and that’s no surprise, as Taylor guitars are remarkably consistent.

The neck has a modern profile, and the action is so supple that it’s easy to forget you’re playing an acoustic. I was surprised to find somewhat sharp edges on either side of the nut, but the fret edges were nice and smooth.

For those who have longed for a koa Taylor but couldn’t manage the luxury price tag of the K Series, here’s an attractive and far more affordable option.

The 724ce is clearly aimed less at collectors and more at everyday players. One could draw a correlation to Taylor’s workmanlike American Dream Series.

If you like a chunky sound and a bit of fight back under your fingers, this is not the instrument for you. The 724ce is for players that appreciate a lighter, freer, more touch-sensitive tone.

The Grand Auditorium body, with its Venetian cutaway and onboard electronics, accommodates myriad styles and applications, from the studio to the stage.

I had a chance to compare the 724 to the 722 at the NAMM show. It’s essentially similar, but the smaller size yields a slightly softer tone with less gumption and a more crystalline quality, so it’s more suitable for parlor-style fingerpickers and troubadours.

Kudos to Taylor for finding another creative way to bring “aloha” to the musical masses.

Specifications:

• NUT WIDTH: 1.75” black Tusq
• NECK: Tropical mahogany
• FRETBOARD: West African ebony, 25.5” scale
• FRETS: 20
• TUNERS: Taylor polished bronze
• BODY: Solid Hawaiian koa back, sides and top (V-Class bracing)
• BRIDGE: West African ebony with Tusq saddle
• ELECTRONICS: Taylor ES2 with volume, bass, and treble controls
• FACTORY STRINGS: Phosphor Bronze Light
• WEIGHT: 4.7 lbs (as tested)
• BUILT: USA

For more information visit Taylor Guitars.

For the first time since 2020, the music industry descended upon Mickey Mouse Land to get its NAMM dance on, and from jump street it was – well...weird.

We may have been in the right place – the Anaheim Convention Center – but it was the “wrong” time.

NAMM took place on the first weekend in June, whereas Anaheim traditionally hosts the huge Winter NAMM Show in January, and Nashville presents a smaller Summer NAMM Show in July.

While a scaled-back event was held in Nashville in 2021, this year’s bash was intended to be the extra-large experience the Anaheim show usually is.

The turnout, however, was extra small.

If the Anaheim show is a primary litmus test for the state of the musical instrument biz, what does it say about the industry’s health?

In short, it’s complicated.

Some manufacturers – the majors, mostly – are thriving, while the majority are struggling. The sheer number of empty aisles at the show indicated that many not only didn’t make it to the show – they didn’t make it, period.

Everyone has had to adapt, and the situation remains fluid as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on supply chains and personnel.

With the show taking place amid Orange County’s COVID surge, the story this year was less about new gear drops and celebrity performances, and more about human beings.

There was an overwhelming sentiment of, “Damn, it’s good to see you again!” The first exchange was always some version of “How’ve you been?” followed up with anecdotes about life under COVID.

The survival stories were compelling, and some were epic – like listening to a family history of how their folks made it to the New World.

New-gear talk seemed like an afterthought.

But talk new gear we did. In the absence of Gibson, Fender and PRS, Martin and Taylor had an outsized presence, and their booths drew hordes.

“We were pleasantly surprised,” remarked Fred Greene, Martin’s VP of product management.

The lack of many big, loud booths also allowed smaller exhibitors to shine, with many of them pushing products developed a year or three ago.

Some chose not to bring any goods at all and simply held meetings inside cubicles that turned parts of the show floor into office space.

And yet somehow there was still enough cool new stuff that it was hard to walk more than 50 feet without running into something that you wanted to try out or someone you wanted to talk to.

The NAMM Show was shorter by a full day, with the media preview on Thursday and the show floor open Friday through Sunday.

Martin’s press preview kicked off the affair in a rather surreal setting. The star of the show was Rich Robinson, who was on hand to introduce his Custom Signature Edition D-28 ($6,999 street), which he calls the Appalachian.

“My dad had a folk duo in the ’50s called the Appalachians, so I called it that in tribute to him,” he explains.

The guitar is modeled and relic-ed precisely after his father’s 1954 D-28.

“It was always there around the house when I was growing up,” Robinson says, “and my dad gave it to me just as our band was blowing up.”

Robinson used that ’54 to write tons of Black Crowes tunes, including his signature acoustic guitar number, “She Talks to Angels.”

I gave the intro a go on the Appalachian, and it sounded right on the moneymaker.

The Custom Shop SC-2022 ($7,999 street) is the first Nazareth-made instrument with the SC style introduced at the January 2020 NAMM convention.

It combines the revolutionary SC body and Sure Align neck with features from Martin’s other contemporary groundbreaker, the Modern Deluxe, such as solid tonewoods, Liquidmetal bridge pins and Fishman Aura VT Blend electronics.

The Custom Shop SC-2022 ups the ante with a dazzling fretboard inlay. Limited to just 300 instruments, it’s bound to be a collector’s item and quite possibly a harbinger of more American-made SCs to come.

Stay tuned for a deeper story on this development in our upfront New & Cool department.

The Custom Major Kealakai ($7,999 street) is a re-creation of a guitar Martin made for the Hawaiian maestro back in 1916.

Essentially an oversized 12-fret triple 0, it was Martin’s first big guitar by modern standards and the precursor to the game-changing Dreadnought.

I relayed the basic story in the Frets Learn column in the Holiday 2019 issue because of a chance encounter on Oahu with esteemed luthier, player and Hawaiian musical historian Kilin Reece of KR Strings, Honolulu, who had just received the prototype.

He was also at this show, and has much more to add to this truly historic story, including a documentary film and a partnership with Martin and others to launch the Pacific String Museum in November.

We’ll catch up with Reese closer to then.

Finally, the 2.5 millionth Martin was unveiled, showing off a starry top that replicates the night sky as it would have appeared over Manhattan when C.F. Martin and his family arrived in America in 1833.

Fast-forward to last year, and the big news was that Chris Martin IV was handing the reigns over to Thomas Ripsam.

The avid Martin fan and player is now celebrating his first anniversary as the company’s president and CEO.

“It’s been like a whirlwind,” he told me when we caught up, “stepping into such historic shoes.

“We’ve had a great year, and we’re still dealing with the boom. There’s been a lot of demand for our guitars, which is wonderful, but there have also been many challenges, from supply chain issues to all kinds of other stuff in this weird time.

“The key is to make sure that each and every Martin guitar is special, with the kind of top quality that leads to an emotional connection with the player.”

Martin wasn’t the only company with a new head honcho.

Taylor Guitars dropped a press release on the eve of the show declaring Andy Powers the company’s president and CEO, as well as chief guitar designer.

Former president Bob Taylor and CEO Kurt Listug (both Taylor cofounders) will become senior advisors and co-chairs on the board of directors.

The move puts Powers, who is just 41 years old, on the same playing field as Fender’s Andy Mooney and Gibson’s J.C. Curleigh.

Last year, Taylor announced transfer of ownership to its employees, so the company enjoys a new leader at the helm of a ship owned by its employees and under the direction of two sustainably minded co-founders who are intent on ensuring a strong legacy – not to mention, plenty of quality tonewood for the future.

Taylor has a Hawaiian partnership to sustainably supply and grow koa, and Powers is obsessed with it.

He summed up the Taylor ethos in a phrase that should one day be the title of his memoir: “From soil to song.”

Powers thrives at NAMM, where he gives interviews with guitar in hand, playing original compositions to illustrate why a given guitar was created and how he uses that particular tool for specific playing styles.

As an example, he noted how the established Koa Series has a sophisticated look and sound, and how he’s taking an entirely different approach with the new all-solid-koa 700 series, consisting of the Grand Auditorium 724ce and the Grand Concert 722ce (both $3,499 street).

Powers says the 700 series is designed for a more workman-like look and feel, and a sweeter mid-focused tone, with oodles of dynamic nuance.

He let me do some comparisons, and the new series does sound less booming and more nuanced.

Ibanez had a big booth showcasing its wares with lots of instruments that blur the line between electric guitar and acoustic guitar.

A notably cool addition is the AEG550 ($399 street) with its sleek, high-gloss black finish and a vine inlay that runs all the way up an ebony fretboard and onto the headstock.

The Talman TCM50 ($299 street) is an eye-catcher, featuring a figured ash top with vintage brown sunburst and a unique orange pickguard that makes it stand out.

It’s a wildly shaped thinline acoustic-electric hybrid design that incorporates a magnetic pickup near the neck, just beyond an offset oval soundhole.

One of the great things about talking to acoustic artists each month is that they hip you to manufacturers you might not know about or find in your local store.

Yasmin Williams, who was featured in the January 2022 Frets, plays a Timberline harp guitar, and the company’s booth featured several capably showcased by Andrew Kasab.

My favorite guitar at the Timberline booth was the T90Cc Solid Silkwood OM Cutaway. It’s snazzy looking, with an arm bevel and a Venetian cutaway. It plays well and is a strong value at $2,249.

One of the most fun instruments to be found at NAMM this year is made by pickup manufacturer Lace Music Products.

The Electric Cigar Box Guitar (three- or four-string, $349 street) isn’t made from an actual cigar box, but it’s built to look like one and comes in an array of different designs. It has a Lace Matchbook pickup with a push/pull coil tap to select between humbucking and single-coil.

I’d never played one before, but it was in an open tuning, so that was easy enough to figure out and get a song going.

My bandmate Jules Leyhe grabbed a slide, and it sounded great on the box as well. You can see the duo jam on GP’s Instagram.

Even in such a significantly scaled-back setting, NAMM was global. 

Lowden, an Irish manufacturer of high-end acoustics, displayed the new Equals Edition signature model ($1,330 street) in its Sheeran by Lowden line, an affordable range created with Ed Sheeran, who as a former busker wanted his signature instruments to be attainable by everyday musicians.

The company also introduced three fantastic new nylon-string Lowdens: the S-23J made of walnut with a red cedar top ($6,850 street), the S-34J made of koa with alpine spruce ($7,645 street) and the exceptional S-35J made of Guatemalan rosewood and alpine spruce ($18,020 street).

The Boutique Guitar Showcase was back this year, and in an area that was full of unique items, one of the coolest had to be the Domino Resonator by Chicago’s Robert Robinson Guitars ($12,000 street).

It’s essentially a metal resonator housed in a wooden body with a removable face that has six circular sound ports that make it look like a domino.

It sounded very much like Duane Allman’s tone on “Little Martha,” so we tuned it to open E and gave it a go.

You can watch video of Jules Leyhe playing it, also on our Instagram.

And because this NAMM show was all about human connections, we had a memorable moment when we ran into Australian teen sensation Taj Farrant outside.

When Taj told us he was considering approaching Taylor for an endorsement deal, we marched him upstairs and made an introduction to Taylor A&R man Tim Godwin.

Taj’s team made the case for his rising star, noting that he’s played with Santana and has huge social numbers.

After playing a little to demonstrate his prodigious chops, Taj was made a Taylor artist and left with a new GS Mini.

It was inspiring to watch a young musician’s dreams be realized – a magical moment happening in the shadow of Disneyland.

So how will the NAMM Show look next year? That’s the million-dollar question.

It’s clearly dependent on many factors, such as new COVID variants and how manufacturers feel about this year’s show. But one has to imagine the show will bounce back to some degree, if not immediately all the way.

And while some may be quick to make too much of NAMM’s declining attendance, this year’s show was a reminder that it remains an important juncture between musicians and gear makers – or, to use another word, people.

The NAMM Show was a step forward toward resuming some semblance of normalcy, and a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with old friends as well as make new ones.

Master Builder Andy Powers has just been named President and CEO of Taylor Guitars. 

Co-founders Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug will remain with the company as senior advisors while Powers will also continue as Taylor’s Chief Guitar Designer.

The announcement was made this week during a Taylor Primetime livestream featuring Powers, Taylor and Listug. 

Powers will assume his new roles with immediate effect.

“When Bob and I started thinking about our succession many years ago, Bob was very clear that we needed a guitar maker at the helm of the company,” commented Listug.

“He was adamant he didn’t want to leave the leadership of the company in the hands of people who didn’t know how to design and make guitars.”

Powers has continuously advanced and expanded Taylor’s range of acoustic guitars since he stepped into the role of master guitar designer 2011.

From innovative bracing systems to new body styling, Powers has introduced a number of winning designs, consistently earning him accolades from guitar reviewers, including Guitar Player.

“It’s been amazing – but not surprising – to see how the guitar world has embraced Andy as a guitar designer,” remarked Bob Taylor. “People love the guitars he’s putting out into the world.”

In 2018, Powers was named an ownership partner, highlighting Taylor and Listug’s long-term future aim of keeping guitar making the firm’s central focus.

Last year, the company revealed its transition to complete employee ownership, something Powers, Taylor and Listug feel is the best of course of action when it comes to preserving Taylor’s unique culture of innovation.

Speaking of his new position Powers concluded, “It’s an honor to step into this new role. 

"It’s been a real thrill to be part of this amazing company, now fully employee-owned, and continue advancing according to our original purpose – which is building great guitars, putting them into the hands of musicians and offering something of value to them."

Click here to visit Taylor Guitars' website.

A new tuning can change the soundtrack of your life. So can a new guitar, and so can your buddies.

Since becoming Frets editor in 2016, I’ve poured all the glorious gear goodness and artistic wisdom bestowed upon me into an epic recording project documenting my transition from Strat cat to percussive acoustic fingerstylist.

Lucky Recording Company became the treehouse where musical friends could exchange ideas without limitations, and Spirit Hustler was born of an acoustic heart and layered with cosmic electricity.

“Circlin’ the Sun,” the second single from our self-titled debut album features a skywalking slide solo by Jules Leyhe.

The backstory to the tune is a stellar example of how being amenable to fresh ideas at all times can be transformative in the long run.

Be Open to Tunings

Alternate tunings can be incredibly inspirational, but I wasn’t all in until Tronical sent an automatic tuning system that made switching a cinch.

The device eventually broke, but I was hooked on going modal, meaning no 3rd.

To get to E modal from standard, raise the fifth string up a step, to B, and the fourth up a step, to E. Drop the third string down a step and a half to match the E on the fourth string.

E modal is similar to the open E favored by Duane Allman and Jules Leyhe but with the huge difference of no major 3rd on the third string.

The whole tuning is one big power chord! That sets the framework – or as it’s known in Indian classical music, the “raga.”

You determine if you want a major or minor tonality by what you play over the droning open strings. The wildest thing about having the same note on the middle two strings is that playing them simultaneously chimes like a 12-string.

The intro to “Circlin’ the Sun” consists of a descending major scale played in double-stop unisons on the middle strings from the 12th fret down to open strings.

The tricky part is that before each descent there’s a quick upward gliss (slide) that adds to the Eastern vibe.

Use the Buddy System

Leyhe plays precisely the same lick in bottleneck style on a Gibson SG with laser-like focus on each tone.

That adds a Derek Trucks or Ali Akbar Khan kind of spice to the mix. In the old days I would have simply grabbed my Strat and used a whammy bar to approximate the feel. Instead, I called Jules, who played the Duane role in our tribute, the Allmond Brothers Band, and he crushed it.

He actually played lead three times on three sessions: once on the live track, again on an overdub session, and then again when I challenged him to take it to another level.

When I asked him to hit the end lick an octave higher, he informed me that would put him past the top fret.

I said, “You’re playing slide, so give it a try.” He nailed the sky-high coup de grâce and we both fell about laughing.

For the Job

Another buddy system story: I had an acoustic guitar that didn’t fit my style, and my friend Paul Hayward was in a similar situation, so we swapped instruments.

Now he gigs with my former guitar, and my “new” guitar (dubbed “Paul”) was perfect for “Circlin’ the Sun” because it’s a Taylor 816ce Grand Symphony, which is a bit bigger and sounds grander than the company’s flagship Grand Auditorium.

The booming Grand Symphony shines with chime in the drone tuning, and can be heard clearly right off the bat in the introduction.

FYI, Taylor updated the 816ce in 2020 with a Builder’s Edition that earned an Editors’ Pick in this review and is pictured here from a “Circlin’ the Sun” video shoot.

Order the Spirit Hustler album here.

Jimmy Leslie has been Frets Editor since 2016. See many Guitar Player- and Frets-related videos on his YouTube channel, and learn all about his psychedelic folk rock group at spirithustler.com

“The least Taylor-sounding guitar you’ve heard to date,” is how Taylor presented the AD27e Flametop to GP before sending a review unit and connecting us with designer Andy Powers for a thorough explanation of his latest creation. Needless to say we were intrigued.

So what exactly is this new outlier? The AD27e Flametop joins the American Dream team, which Powers describes as “the cup of black coffee of guitars. ‘Just get the job done.’”

The worker-bee line was introduced at the height of Covid’s first wave, in the summer of 2020 via the original AD27e, which featured a Grand Pacific body made of solid sapele back and sides with a mahogany top.

The primary difference here is right in the title.

“Flametop” refers to the flame maple used for the top, back and sides. Right off the bat this isn’t only unlike any other Taylor, it’s also very unusual for an acoustic guitar.

“Maple isn’t typically used as a topwood because it has a high damping factor, meaning it responds kind of slowly and tends to sluff off some of the delicate frequency response,” Powers explains.

“Normally that kills the guitar, and a maple top is surely not the choice for a high-fidelity instrument, but in this case I’m after a dustier sound. In the context of V-Class bracing, the rules start changing. You can adapt the architecture to allow a very different kind of response.

“‘Flaws,’ such as where the intonation starts to fall off and the resonance becomes too unpredictable, can be re-thought. You can turn a hindrance into a help.”

The Flametop definitely has a distinctive sound. The tone is dry and on the dark side, especially for a Taylor. There aren’t a lot of complex overtones but rather a flat, fundamental tone focused squarely in the middle range.

The Flametop comes equipped with D’Addario Nickel Bronze strings, which are a significant factor in this earthy-sounding equation. Fitting for the Flametop, they are designed to sound less brilliantly metallic, letting the wood speak for itself.

The guitar is also equipped with Taylor ES2 electronics. To our ears, the Flametop sounded a tad lighter and more airy when using an amplifier. We simply rolled the treble back a bit on the guitar.

Somehow, the AD27e Flametop makes you play differently. The neck profile is pretty much modern standard stuff, so it doesn’t seem to be coming from there, although it’s worth mentioning that the neck is made of eco-friendly farmed eucalyptus, which Powers describes as “more akin to rosewood than ebony.”

The Nickel Bronze strings are surely another factor. They feel and sound worn-in, even when they’re brand-new. And we feel they somehow slow you down on the neck. But there’s more to it than that: It’s the maple top’s response that just makes you want to bang away!

The Flametop begs to be strummed aggressively with a thick pick, cowboy-style. It’s a no-frills, broken-in and practically road-worn tone that lends authenticity to blues.

When we mentioned the Flametop feeling like some new version of a pawnshop prize, Powers replied, “That’s it,” and ran with another analogy. “I like driving an old pickup truck, so I got a Ford from the ’50s, and it’s fun to drive around, but it’s also a handful,” he says.

“You immediately want to put in disc brakes, power steering and a smoother transmission. Many guitars I could seek out to create a sound similar to the Flametop are not reliable or comfortable to play. They have poor action, intonation and a host of other issues.

“I wanted to create a sound that I can’t find in any other new guitar, along with modern performance and reliability. So while the AD27e Flametop has that pawnshop dreadnought appeal, it’s also got modern tuners, an accurate fretboard with excellent action and awesome intonation.

“The sonority of the sound, well, that’s a different flavor, and I kind of like it.”

Powers’ point is well taken, and it played out over time. The more familiar we became with the Flametop, the more the whole concept came into focus. The weathered look of its shaded edgeburst Woodsmoke finish and satin sheen perfectly matches the dusky, gritty tone.

Powers had already taken the Taylor sound into new territory with the original Grand Pacific, the first Taylor designed to deliver a warmer sound via a classic, soft-shouldered-dreadnought body style reminiscent of a Gibson J-45 miked-up in a Nashville studio. But that’s still a high-fidelity instrument made for discerning players.

Then came the more workman-like version in the form of the original American Dream, the AD27e, with its more fundamental tone.

The Flametop takes another giant step away from traditional Taylor turf, venturing further to a place that’s downright funky and down home on the back porch.

For a second opinion, we ran it past a pair of trusted ears belonging to the owner of the local recording studio. He’s a good-ol’ southern boy who typically eschews Taylor guitars on account of them being “too bright.”

He took one solid strum of the Flametop and proclaimed, “That’s my favorite Taylor ever.”

Specifications:

• NUT: Black Tusq, 1.75” wide
• NECK: Tropical mahogany
• FRETBOARD: Eucalyptus, 25.5” scale
• FRETS: 20 medium
• TUNERS: Taylor nickel
• BODY: Solid maple sides, back and top. 20” long, 16” wide 4 5/8” deep. V-Class bracing
• BRIDGE: Eucalyptus with Micarta saddle
• EXTRAS: Taylor AeroCase included
• ELECTRONICS: Taylor ES2 with volume, bass, and treble controls
• FACTORY STRINGS: D’Addario Nickel Bronze Light .012-.53 (non-coated)
• WEIGHT: 4.4 lbs (as tested)
• BUILT: USA

Visit Taylor Guitars for more information.

Taylor Guitars have made it onto Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the 10 most innovative manufacturing companies of 2022.

Selected for their market-leading sustainability initiatives, Taylor’s commitment to forest restoration and socially responsible business practices is well documented.

Guitar Player recently covered Taylor’s highly respected Ebony Project – a unique venture that is enabling more socially responsible supplies of ebony for instrument manufacturing.

In 2019, the Ebony Project represented the largest ebony planting initiative in the Congo Basin of Cameroon and was awarded a five-year, $1.4 million grant as part of a broader $9.4 million forest conservation project last year by the Global Environment Facility.

Further demonstrating how sustainable manufacturing practices can take inspiration from materials that are all too often cast aside, Taylor began an urban wood sourcing project in 2020.

Working with the West Coast Arborists company, Taylor has shown how trees removed from urban areas can be given a second life as high-quality acoustic guitars.

These models have proved to be very popular indeed. With over 8,000 Urban Ash guitars sold, such instruments now rank among the most popular acoustics in North America.

Furthermore, Taylor undertook a new initiative last year in order to preserve the supply of koa for musical instruments. Working in partnership with Pacific Rim Tonewoods, the Paniolo Tonewoods venture aims to regenerate Hawaii’s native forest.

As a result, more than 3,000 koa trees along with another 800 native species have been planted by Paniolo Tonewoods as they continue working towards their goal of 150,000.

Visit Taylor Guitars.

Keeping your acoustic guitar sounding and looking its best requires periodic maintenance. Learn the basics, from polishing your guitar to tightening the tuning nuts, in this video from the Taylor Guitars repair facility. 

Proper care of your guitar would not be complete without restringing. Since 1999, Taylor has been factory-fitting its steel-string models with Elixir® Strings. Check out Part 2 of the maintenance video for tips on restringing the Taylor way.

Not sure what strings are recommended for your Taylor guitar? See the list by body shape.

Elixir Strings provides three string types in its acoustic line, all with the same longest-lasting tone. Learn more about Elixir Acoustic Strings.

Jerry McPherson still gets the kind of Nashville session calls that dried up for most players many moons ago.

When called upon, he can help an established artist land a hit, or use his extensive experience to guide a less experienced player to a particular guitar-based musical vision.

McPherson’s credits include countless sessions for superstars such as Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson and Tim McGraw, as well as many other artists.

One of the lauded producers who counts on his fleet fingers is Grammy winner Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon). The two recently teamed up for Universal Audio to make an in-depth Tones & Techniques video (see below) about tracking acoustic guitars, and every reader even remotely interested in recording should take a serious look at it.

In the clinic, hosted by UA’s Ben Lindell, King and McPherson go beyond making suggestions about mic technique, guitar selection, direct signals, plug-ins and other recording gear.

They reveal why they might choose a certain pairing for one situation and a completely different signal chain to yield another sound in three distinct genres: singer-songwriter, roots-blues and pop-rock.

It’s fascinating to watch the process from both sides of the equation, with King going deep down the engineering rabbit hole and McPherson offering his insights in real time.

Lindell assists by clearly displaying the A/B comparisons that the producer and player demonstrate.

McPherson is like a stylistic Swiss Army knife, and his extensive electric guitar background informs his acoustic approach.

He’s a Taylor man, and he plays Taylor guitars throughout the video, but he is also a vintage-guitar lover.

In the following interview, McPherson expounds on topics such as when to go for a vintage vibe and when to stay contemporary. He also demonstrates how to make a modern instrument sound more classic, approach ensemble and solo acoustic recordings, and make the most of a studio situation using practically any microphone and acoustic guitar.

What’s a day in the life of a Nashville session player like today?

It’s a shame that there aren’t as many session gigs available as there used to be, but there’s still an industry here with tracking to be prepared, so it’s still fun. Record labels used to record so much music here, but now it’s kind of the Wild West. A lot of artists come in on their own, representing themselves.

I’m actually just getting ready to go in and do a day of tracking. I have no idea what we’ll be doing. You never know ahead of time; that’s normal.

The unusual aspect about the past few days is that I did a three-day project with the same artist at the same studio, which is rare. In this case it was a fabulous singer from Connecticut recording at Sound Emporium, which is a legendary studio.

What acoustic guitars do you typically take along to a session?

I’ll bring a few different kinds of guitars, including one nice dry-sounding older acoustic. Lately, I’ve been bringing a 1964 Harmony Sovereign dreadnought. Jimmy Page used a Sovereign on “Stairway to Heaven.”

James Burkett is a builder in Alabama who redoes the bracings on old Harmony Sovereigns from the early ’60s and makes them sound fabulous. He refurbished mine. It’s a great old instrument with plenty of vibe.

I also bring a couple of newer Taylors along, not only because I have a Taylor endorsement but also because a lot of younger artists are accustomed to playing and hearing them.

There have been times when I’ve played the artist’s acoustic, which could be anything. I like to bring my Taylor 522 because it’s a 12-fret with mahogany back and sides and a cedar top, which is a warmsounding wood combination, and the positioning of the bridge further from the soundhole gives it a different resonance than a 14-fret. I’ve got a 614 with V-Class bracing that plays so well, with such great intonation.

Any guitar that will play in tune is a friend in the studio, and a guitar that’s wonderfully in tune with itself goes up a notch in value as far as the way it resonates on the mic.

It’s also nice to have a newer guitar on hand because I can count on consistency with no mechanical issues or buzzes.

Is that the full arsenal of sizes and styles?

All the Taylors are Grand Auditorium body styles – no parlors or jumbos.

In addition to having a nice vintage guitar, the V-Class Taylor for a modern brighter sound, and the 12-fret for a different voice, I might bring some other things for textural overdubs, such as a gutstring.

I’ve got a Goldstone Irish bouzouki set up for guitar tuning, and I have a 1980 Martin M-38 set up for high-strung tuning. Sometimes I use standard Nashville tuning, but I also like to retune it randomly to fit the song, and then find an arpeggiated, repeating pattern that I can pick through on the chorus.

Another thing I’ll do with that guitar is tune it to all tonics, 2nds and 5ths for whatever key the song is in, so that I’m not committed to anything major or minor, and then find some nice little figure for the intro.

What instrument do you tend to gravitate toward first?

I typically go for more of a vintage vibe, because I’m not keen on sparkly acoustics. That might work for a solo project, but engineers don’t like acoustics that take up so much space in an ensemble.

I’ve gone to great lengths to deaden the strings on some of my guitars so that they are not bright.

Such as?

Okay, so here’s the deal. Years ago I bought a Gibson J-45 from the ’60s that had old strings on it. Engineers would say things like, “Thank you for not having some bright, scrapey-sounding acoustic. I can actually find a spot for this in the track.”

I started thinking about what was going to happen once I finally needed to change those strings.

I’ve got Guitar Player magazines dating back to the ’70s, and I started reading through them. I remember an article where Stephen Stills said he would rub barbecue sauce into his strings. I’m not doing that, I thought, but I started experimenting.

I made a paste out of waterproof sunscreen and fireplace ash. I’d take a set of GHS Vintage Bronze strings out of the package, rub that paste all in them, and then let them dry overnight. After rubbing it out with a T-shirt, the strings would sound like they were three years old.

At a NAMM show, I told that story to the president of GHS Strings, and he said, “I think that’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard!”

That is a weird one! Couldn’t you get similar results simply by using coated strings?

I’m not really into strings that have that dental floss rubbed in them. It feels like my fingers are going to slip off coated strings, and I need that grip.

How about mics?

For a solo acoustic track, I’d be much more likely to use a pair of mics that could be spread out in the stereo field, but that loses its appeal in an ensemble track, which is the vast majority of work that I do.

The general approach is to use a single mic and do two mono passes that are ultimately doubled up, one right on top of the other. I always defer to the engineers here in Nashville, because most of them are so skilled. Trust a good engineer and you’ll probably learn something.

Left to my own devices and my own mics, I will usually start with an AKG C414, which is a condenser mic with a larger diaphragm and a variable polar pattern. That’s a matter of how much you want it to pick up the sound right in front of you, to the left and right, and also around its back to capture more room ambiance.

What other mics do you like for acoustic guitar?

Ribbon mics. I have a Royer and a Coles, and I love the way I can manipulate their sounds with equalization to make an acoustic fit just right in a track. For whatever reason, they seem to take equalization better than condensers.

A large-diaphragm condenser will deliver a full spectrum, with plenty of air in the top end, although not as much of a silky top as a small condenser like a Neumann KM 84.

But I want the top end of an acoustic to sit in the upper mids, below the range of vocal sibilance and cymbals. It’s a common complaint in Nashville that acoustics and hi-hats clash because they sit in the same sonic area.

I think that’s where my magic string paste helps. It tames some of the high end for more vibey, darker types of music. And I think some engineers have moved to ribbons mics for acoustic guitars to get away from the super top end that interferes with other instruments.

How can incorporating a direct signal from an acoustic-electric help?

I use it to help dial in the midrange and add immediacy to the signal. It can also be helpful for experimenting with effects that react differently to a direct signal than a microphone in a room with its own ambience.

How does technique, such as fingerstyle compared to picking, factor into the tonal equation?

I’m the first one to tell people that if there’s going to be a lot of fingerpicking involved, you might want to get a real fingerpicker, because there’s not much middle ground. You’re either fantastic at the technique, and the tone is there, or you’re kind of a hack, which is what I consider myself.

But I will put in the time to work on an essential fingerpicking part if an artist sends me a work tape. Like a crossword puzzle, there’s a certain charm to working it out and arriving at a point where the notes are even, without sounding mechanical. There’s a real beauty to be found.

Sometimes I’ll purposely monitor my playing with too much compression, in order to accentuate any weird noises that I need to go back and fix.

What’s your pick of choice?

My main pick is a Dunlop Nylon 88mm. It has just the right amount of stiffness versus flexibility, and I’ve developed my style around its snappy, quick return.

I’ll use a thinner 50mm red Dunlop Tortex for a more wispy sound, and a thicker 1mm blue Dunlop pick for emulating fingerpicking rolls without having too much pick click going on. The thicker pick is good for a more buttery sound.

Got any tips on what to do before the end of a session?

I always get some visual cues on where my acoustic is positioned in the room. The worst thing that can happen is you pack up your stuff thinking you’re done, and then you go into the control room and they say, “Hey, let’s try that second verse again.”

So you go back into the studio, they punch you in – and it’s not the same sound. That’s why I never move the chair I’m using. When I get up, I get out of it gingerly, and I take visual notes about where the guitar neck is pointing, such as toward an electrical outlet.

I’ll also make actual notes regarding its proximity to the microphone. I’ll use a pencil to measure the distance from the microphone to the guitar and scoot it toward the guitar until the eraser touches it, so I know the exact location of the sweet spot in case we need to go back and track again.

What would your acoustic guitar tell you if it could talk? Taylor Guitars’ TaylorSense facilitates that proposition by gathering vital information about your instrument and sending updates to your phone. I tested it on a trip from the San Francisco Bay Area to Wawona, California, in Yosemite National Park. As it turned out, the guitar had a lot of the same things to say that other family members might, like “It’s hot,” “I’m thirsty,” “Energy is low” and “Ouch, be more careful!” It was actually quite surprising to realize how much happens to one’s six-string travel companion on such an adventure.

TaylorSense is a “smart” battery box, plus an app for iOS or Android devices, that uses sensors to provide guitar health information to the phone via Bluetooth. It monitors humidity, temperature, battery level and impact incidents, and can send push notifications when issues arise as well as links to handy fix-it videos created by the tech team at Taylor. TaylorSense replaces any “current” Taylor nine-volt battery box, which means guitars featuring the proprietary Expression System 1 or 2, ES-T or ES-N onboard pickup and preamp systems.

Installation requires using a screwdriver and following some instructions, but it’s basic stuff. I’m no MacGyver and I was able to download the TaylorSense app onto my iPhone, follow the prompts to install the smart battery box into a Grand Theater 811e, and get them paired up in a matter of minutes while packing up a bunch of other stuff for the Yosemite trip.

Late summer/early fall is generally more temperate and humid near the California coast and warmer and drier further inland, so it’s normal for things to heat up and dry out along the way. But since the air conditioning was jamming upfront, I was surprised to discover the temperature got up to a whopping 93 degrees in the guitar case situated in the way back of the Toyota, and that the humidity level fell 20 percent from a relative 58 to 38 along the ride, only to climb back up a bit upon arrival in the cabin at Camp Chilnualna. It’s easy to tell because the TaylorSense app provides a current-status indication, as well as a timeline with peaks and valleys and a calculated average posted over the past 72 hours.

Due to severe drought, no campfires were allowed, so that situation never arose, but I did take the Taylor up a mountain to a favorite waterfall swimming hole for an afternoon that yielded interesting results. I’d already seen enough to utilize a D’Addario Humidipak System and keep the guitar in the case as much as possible where it maintains relative humidity in the best range at about 50 percent. After putting the phone away to serenade Mother Nature for a couple of hours, I was shocked to find not only had the temperature skyrocketed but humidity had plummeted to a dangerous 29 percent! That arid mountain air was literally sucking the Grand Theater dry, so it was quickly returned to the case with the Humidipaks for a drink.

After scaling back down the mountain, I was pleased to see no impact events registered despite some tricky cliff negotiation that took place. Side note: That Taylor AeroCase is robust! It sure is heavier than it looks, but the protection was worth the energy expended. Speaking of which, the GT wasn’t plugged in during testing, so battery usage was exclusively from the TaylorSense itself, and it only dropped about 10 percent over two weeks.

An older guitar came on the trip as well and it was safe to assume similar vital stats, so monitoring the Grand Theatre’s health was also beneficial to the ol’ dawg. I’d brought that poor thing to Yosemite repeatedly without truly understanding what it was going through. I was eager to try this, because I’d just witnessed a fellow acoustic player’s guitar top split in half out in the desert at Burning Man. Thanks to having TaylorSense in the GT, both guitars spent most of the Yosemite trip in their cases, with Humidipaks at the ready, rather than out on stands.

TaylorSense scored Summer NAMM’s Best In Show awards in the Best Add-On or Accessory category, and it’s easy to understand why. A healthier guitar is a happier guitar. Happier guitars have more consistent playability, which makes each experience more joyful. TaylorSense earns an Editors’ Pick award for being a neat piece of acoustic high tech, and for raising overall guitar-health consciousness.

For more information head over to Taylor Guitars.

Introducing the AD22e, a new Grand Concert acoustic-electric that offers the rich, seasoned tone and exceptional value of the American Dream Series in a compact, accommodating body. Featuring all-solid woods and our tone-enhancing V-Class bracing, this new model’s mahogany top pairs with sapele back and sides for a punchy response with a warm, woody midrange character and clear articulation.

The latest addition to Taylor's American Dream Series, the AD22e is a Grand Concert acoustic-electric guitar made with solid sapele back and sides, a mahogany top, and V-Class bracing, all available at an exceptional value for everyday musicians. Blending rich projection and sustain with a warm, punchy midrange response, this model draws out mahogany's woody character with strong definition that will especially appeal to fingerstyle players. The AD22e's workhorse aesthetic and restrained appointments help keep the price reasonable for working musicians, making it Taylor's most inexpensive solid-wood guitar. Chamfered body and fretboard edges add to the overall playing comfort, and the included ES2 pickup provides faithful plugged-in tone. This model ships with a super-lightweight, durable AeroCase.

Playing blues on an acoustic guitar is as natural as the sun in the sky. After all, that’s how the thing got started.

In the modern era, some acoustics are built for blues and some aren’t. An instrument that requires a little elbow grease is generally a good thing, and unless one seeks a contemporary sound, a vintage instrument or one designed along traditional lines adds an air of authenticity.

The choice of strings can make a significant difference in tone and playability. Here are some historical insights and musings on how to choose a blues box and the strings to make it sing.

Origins & Considerations

A blues acoustic doesn’t have to be fancy unless you need a snappy guitar to play sophisticated licks. Consider “Catfish” Keith. He plays a dazzling signature Santa Cruz that helps him conjure tricky harmonics, and his Catfish Special is an upscale representation of guitars from the formative Great Depression era, when many cats played parlor guitars.

Martin 0 and Gibson L series models epitomize the style, the latter being favored by Keb’ Mo’. With only 12-frets to the body, these guitars have their bridge further from the sound hole and closer to the center of the lower bout, giving the instrument a warm and powerful tone.

Having a shorter scale length and fewer frets also brings the frets closer together and results in less string tension. That means less distance for fingers to stretch, easier string bending and an overall slinkier feel.

These designs are still widely available, with Taylor a notable example of a manufacturer that embraces the 12-fret concept while adding modern touches, such as a cutaway.

Another school of bluesers prefers big 12-strings, often in lowered tunings. They include old-time players like Lead Belly, with his iconic Stella, and contemporary guitarists such as Leo Kottke, who recently reported that he had the chance to buy one of Lead Belly’s Stellas but didn’t because “it scared me.”

Electric icon Jimi Hendrix hardly played acoustic in public, but in the most famous footage of him doing so he’s playing a Zemaitis 12-string.

And of course, a resonator adds an air of legitimacy. Think of Taj Mahal playing a National Duolian on his classic albums such as The Natch’l Blues. These days he plays a Regal RC-56 Tricone Resophonic with a copper-plated brass body.

String Theories

Strings matter. Heavier gauges generally deliver more robust tones, but lighter strings are better suited to the treble-forward nature of the smaller guitars.

Some players leave old strings on as long as possible for the most authentic worn-in tone. As Luther Dickinson once noted, “Think about the situation of the old-time blues players. Those guys couldn’t afford new strings.”

According to Ben Harper, “The rumor and myth of the Lead Belly 12-string is that he used to get free piano strings from a piano refurbishing company. After they put on new ones, they’d give him the old ones. Those thick strings would bend the neck of his guitar if he didn’t lower the tuning way down. That became the Lead Belly 12-string sound.”

Nylon and gut strings have become the exception for American blues since steel strings became widely available in the 1920s.

The 80/20 bronze alloy introduced by D’Addario in the 1930s delivered strong highs and lows with reduced mids. It was succeeded by less corrosive phosphor-bronze strings, which D’Addario introduced in the 1970s. They remain ubiquitous for players of all styles, and are available standard or coated.

More recently, manufacturers have produced strings with alloys designed to let the sound of the wood speak. They include D’Addario’s Nickel Bronze and Martin’s Retro strings, made of nickel and copper.

It’s worth auditioning a few string types to find the best sound and feel on a given acoustic. Once the wood and wires are happening, there are some time-honored tricks that can help make playing acoustic blues easier.

Buy the Definitive Lead Belly here.

Further reading...

• Acoustic Blues Musings, Part 2: Hip Tips and Tricks for Better Playing
• Acoustic Blues Musings, Part 3: Open Roots Tuning Tips
• Acoustic Blues Musings, Part 4: Slide Song Suggestions
• Acoustic Blues Musings, Part 5: Choosing Strings & Slides

Welcome to the American Dream, a trio of Grand Pacific guitars from Taylor featuring all-solid tonewoods and V-Class bracing at an exceptional value for musicians of all stripes. Choose from three distinct styles, each built to serve the needs of everyday guitar players at home, in studio or on stage.

With V-Class bracing inside, the American Dream Series trio of Grand Pacific dreadnought models represents the most affordable entry point to the sonic complexity of solid tonewoods in the Taylor line. From the ovangkol/spruce AD17e and its stylish blacktop twin to the mahogany-topped AD27e, the American Dream Series serves up a warm, seasoned tone reminiscent of classic acoustic recordings, with unique voicing touches that generate clear low-end power and a punchy midrange. 

All models are made in the U.S. and ship with a lightweight, super-sturdy AeroCase, and ES2 electronics are optional. Discover the entry point to the solid-wood, V-Class Taylor experience at Taylor Guitars. 

In my experience, little comes close to the feel, playability, and sound of a Taylor acoustic. The Taylor guitar lineup spans everything from mid-range to the very highest echelon of acoustics, so choosing the best Taylor guitar might seem like a difficult decision – how can you even compare an $800 acoustic with one that sits at over $4,000?

Here at Guitar Player, we've been testing Taylor acoustics since their inception, and collectively we've had our hands on more Taylors than we'd care to remember. You will see subtle differences between their more accessible acoustics to their high-end guitars in the specific wood used and the location they are made. More expensive instruments come out of the USA factory, whereas the more affordable lines typically come from Mexico.

The good thing is that whichever Taylor guitar you buy, it will still feel like a quality instrument, regardless of the cost or where it's made. If you want the best all-rounder, I'd go for the Taylor Builder's Edition 517e. It sounds incredible unplugged or using the built-in electronics, and has that classic dreadnought look without a cutaway. For something a little less expensive that is compact enough for traveling with, have a look at the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa, which is available for below $1,000, and delivers those stunning Taylor sounds and looks for less.

To help you navigate buying a new Taylor, whether it's your first or your third, I've put together several sections of this guide to advise you. If you're buying for the first time, I've got a how to choose section with some sage advice, an FAQ that answers all the most commonly asked questions around Taylor guitars, and a glossary of key terms for breaking down the acoustic guitar-specific lingo.

My top picks

Best overall

When Taylor launched its Builder’s Edition 517e Grand Pacific in 2019, it came as a surprise to many. Here was a vintage-look, round-shouldered dreadnought that had been brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century by Andy Powers’ innovative V-Class bracing (read more about that in our buying advice at the bottom of the page).

The torrefied Sitka spruce top and Silent Satin finish help to deliver a mature, broken-in voice that comes without those tactile ‘squeaks’ you normally expect from a new gloss guitar. Meanwhile, the compound carve-neck profile transitions from a subtle ‘V’ at the nut to a rounded ‘C’, providing superb comfort and facilitating higher fret work.

That V-Class bracing provides wonderfully consistent sustain across the fretboard, along with pristine intonation that means there’s less chance of hitting a sour note while fingerpicking.

Best travel

Over a decade after its introduction, the GS Mini remains the standard for travel guitars, delivering projection that belies its scaled-down dimensions. As expected from Taylor, the GS Mini-e Koa plays smoothly, with low action and a comfortable neo-tropical mahogany neck.

A great choice for those who want a go-to, home and away acoustic, the GS Mini-e Koa offers easy playability combined with stunning figured grain. The solid koa top lends a warm timbre to the overall tone, and there’s an impressive depth for a guitar of its size.

Its versatility is further boosted by its ES-B pickup/preamp combo, which comes with a handy onboard tuner – ideal for gigging guitarists. As any good travel-sized guitar should, the GS Mini-e Koa comes with a beefy structured gig bag. So if you were to take this pint-sized guitar to a gig or on your travels, it’ll be protected.

Best beginner

The 214ce-K DLX is one of Taylor’s more accessibly-priced guitars, sitting below their US-made range, but having the playability and feature-set to go toe-to-toe with just about any acoustic from it.

Though it has a less intimidating price point, it certainly doesn’t skimp on the quality. With solid figured Hawaiian Koa back and sides and a Torrefied Spruce top, the body construction is equal parts eye-catching and robust.

Playability is where the 214ce-K DLX excels, with the Taylor ‘Venetian Cutaway’ providing good access to the high notes, meaning this is a great option for players who frequently solo. A particular highlight is the West African Crelicam Ebony fretboard, which is so beautifully rich and dark, it oozes luxury and provides a fantastic smooth bed upon which your fingers can effortlessly dance.

The 214ce-K DLX is as good as you can get from a Taylor guitar before breaking into their US-made range – this guitar is made in their Mexican factory, though some may expect American at this price point. I’d argue that there really isn’t any need to make the additional outlay to step up, because this does everything you could expect from a pro acoustic.

Best for fingerstyle

The Taylor Builder’s Edition 814ce is a truly stunning instrument, and while it can handle pretty much any style, I love it for playing fingerstyle on. It's not cheap, but if you want the best Taylor for fingerpicking, then this is the guitar you've been looking for.

The neck is superbly playable, and the factory action came with a nice, low action. The intonation is absolutely spot on, and playing it feels almost too easy; it's really that good to play. Fingerstyle single notes and arpeggios come effortlessly, and when you do want to strum hard, it responds brilliantly.

The tone is quintessential modern Taylor, light and lively with excellent sustain. It's rich and complex with plenty of sparkle, and will sound great in a band mix. Solo players might want something a little beefier in the volume department, but in terms of quality, it's absolutely brilliant.

One of the best things about the 814ce is the work that's been done on the body for comfort. There's not a single sharp edge anywhere to be found, and the bevels and contours make it incredibly comfortable whether you're playing sitting or standing.

Best for live performance

The dreadnought guitar shape – actually developed by Taylor’s primary competition, Martin – is probably the most common and famous style of acoustic guitar in modern times. The 810 was a beloved Taylor dreadnought back in the '90s, and the 810e is a modern-day reissue, with subtle enhancements.

As you would expect from a US-made Taylor, the attention to detail is exquisite, and the powerful haunches of the dreadnought body shape give the guitar an air of authority in looks, feel, and sound.

While Taylor has updated this reissue with some modern features such as the neck profile, they’ve kept as many of the vintage appointments as possible, including X-bracing, rather than their more modern, patented V-bracing – on a smaller guitar, this may impact the tone, but in the substantial body of the 810e, this has no negative bearing on the tone.

If you’re an acoustic player who likes to play a bit of everything, from finger-picking to strumming, the 810e could be the acoustic for you. It will particularly appeal to professionals who are looking for a girthy bottom end and plenty of volume when unplugged, and the addition of an LR Baggs Element VTC pickup gives you natural tones when amplified – it’s pretty much the perfect live acoustic.

Best 12-string

When you pick up a Taylor you know you’re getting a quality instrument and that’s no different with the Taylor 362ce 12-string acoustic guitar. It’s a simple, yet classy-looking instrument that’s not top-of-the-range Taylor, but nor is it a low spec either.

If you’ve never played a 12-string before, trust us you’re in for a treat. The 362ce is open and airy with loads of brilliant chime when playing chords or individual notes and plenty of action in the mid and lower ranges too. The all-mahogany construction makes it more balanced than a Sitka-topped guitar, giving a rewarding playing feel.

Some 12 strings are quite difficult to play due to the extra strings and string tension, but that’s not the case here. Playability is nice and easy, and fingerstyle sounds absolutely fantastic, with barre chords coming with ease.

Spec comparison

Still not sure which of my top picks to go for? Well, here you'll find a side-by-side comparison of all the top guitars in this guide, with all their key specs to let you make an easy comparison between the various models.

Also consider

For me, the above guitars should cover the needs of most acoustic players seeking a Taylor. That said, there's loads of great Taylor acoustic available, so here are some more for you to look at if you didn't find what you were looking for above.

How to choose

There are a lot of Taylor guitars to choose from, so breaking down what you really need from your purchase is essential, especially when you're potentially spending a lot of money. Here are my recommended steps to outline before you decide which guitar to buy.

1. Budget

Their more cost-effective range of instruments – sitting between the $500-$1,000 mark – offers well built models that will appeal to intermediate players and would be ideal for anybody looking for their second acoustic, or professionals looking for a solid gigging instrument with good electronics, that you won’t lose sleep over if it takes a bit of a beating. While these are more affordable guitars, corners haven’t been cut in quality, as the whole Taylor range features solid wood tops.

At the other end of the scale there is an insane lineup of acoustics sitting atop their range, made from coveted tone woods such as Honduran Rosewood, which will set you back over $10,000. These are the pinnacle of acoustic guitars, from looks to tones. If that’s not exclusive enough, however, you can design your own Taylor from their custom range to produce a truly unique guitar for your exact specifications.

People without quite such outlandish budgets should look no further than the standard USA-made Taylor range. This will still set you back at least a couple of thousand dollars, but the quality absolutely deserves such an outlay. Having had the fortune of playing several USA Taylors, I can say with confidence that they have a sound quality and playability that is pretty much unrivalled.

2. Body shape & size

Taylor offers a wide variety of body shapes, which in turn have different sizes. There's a pretty big difference between the biggest and smallest ones, so making the right decision here is key to your overall comfort with the instrument.

Smaller body shapes will be better if you're a younger or smaller player, or you want something easily transportable, whereas bigger sizes are better for those performing live, or players with larger dimensions that can comfortably use a larger guitar.

The Taylor body guitar shapes, in order of size from smallest to biggest, are as follows:

• Baby: Taylor's smallest size, good for beginners and younger children.
• GS Mini: Taylor's Grand Symphony shape but smaller, good for travel or sofa guitars.
• Grand Theater: Larger than the GS Mini but still relatively small, producing more volume.
• Big Baby: A dreadnought style body made smaller.
• Grand Concert: A nice size for fingerstyle guitarists.
• Grand Auditorium: Taylor's medium body size, the perfect middle ground of comfort and projection.
• Super Auditorium: A body that's slightly longer and wider than the Grand Auditorium.
• Grand Symphony: A shape and size equivalent to a round-shoulder dreadnought.
• Grand Pacific: Taylor's take on the classic dreadnought shape pioneered by Martin, but now used by many acoustic brands.
• Grand Symphony: Larger than the Grand Auditorium, this unique shape features a soundhole in the cutaway.
• Grand Orchestra: Taylor's equivalent of a jumbo size guitar, the biggest model they offer.

3. Electronics

The vast majority of Taylor guitars come with electronics built in, but not all of them feature this. Electronics amplify the guitar's sound allowing you to play through an amp or PA, so while not essential for playing acoustic guitar, they certainly up the versatility factor.

This is a very personal decision, but if you're not likely to be gigging your Taylor, then chances are you might not get much use out of the onboard electronics. If you want to gig your acoustic, or just use an amp and some pedals, make sure you get one with them built-in.

FAQ

Key terms

• Action: Refers to the height of the strings from the fingerboard.
• Armrest: Taylor guitars often come with a beveled armrest for comfort.
• Bolt-on: A style of neck where the neck is joined to the body with bolts.
• Bridge: The part near the bottom of the guitar that the strings go over.
• Builder's Edition: A premium line of Taylor guitars
• Couch guitar (Sofa guitar): A small body acoustic that's comfortable enough to sit with on the sofa.
• Cutaway: Where a section of the body is scooped out to allow for easier access to the upper frets of a guitar.
• Dreadnought: A large acoustic guitar body shape. Taylor sometimes refers to this as Grand Pacific.
• Fingerstyle: A way of playing guitar where you pluck the strings with your fingers instead of a guitar pick.
• Layered wood: A more cost effective way of producing tonewoods, different from laminate in that it's constructed from a hardwood veneer over a core and backing wood.
• NT neck: Taylor's version of the bolt-on neck that allows you to make adjustments to the angle.
• Nut: Found where the headstock meets the neck, responsible for guiding the strings to the tuning pegs.
• Short scale: A guitar with a smaller distance between the nut and bridge, making it more comfortable to play.
• Sitka spruce: A commonly used tonewood for acoustic guitar tops.
• Tonewood: The wood used to make acoustic guitar bodies.
• V-Class Bracing: A Taylor specific type of bracing found on the inside of the guitar.

How we test

At Guitar Player, we are a team of dedicated guitarists who have immersed ourselves in the world of acoustic guitars. With our profound admiration for Taylor's craftsmanship and tonal excellence, we have meticulously explored and played numerous instruments to identify the best Taylor guitars available today.

To compile our list of top Taylor guitars, we combine our hands-on experience, meticulous research, and insightful discussions with our editorial team. We consider a range of factors including tonal quality, playability, build quality, aesthetics, and value for money, ensuring that we showcase the finest Taylor guitars on the market.

As passionate musicians ourselves, we understand the importance of finding the perfect instrument that resonates with your playing style and musical preferences. Whether you're a fingerstyle virtuoso, a strummer, or an all-around player, our goal is to provide reliable and informed recommendations that help you discover the ideal Taylor guitar for your musical journey.

Read more on how we test gear and service at Guitar Player.

Related buying guides

• Check out the best Martin guitars
• These are the best acoustic guitar strings
• Plug in with one of the best guitar cables
• Get the best of both worlds with the best acoustic electric guitars

"This feels like the last stand,” Bob Taylor says. “Other traditional ebony-producing countries, such as Madagascar, India and Sri Lanka, have been logged very heavily, with not a lot of thought for the future. But there’s still a lot in Central Africa, Cameroon in particular, that we can make last, if we’re smart about it.” 

Sometimes it can be hard to see the forest for the trees, but one thing is painfully clear: There is no forest without the trees.

Taylor Guitars is on a mission to make sure guitar players never have to experience that sad reality. Using his personal finances, as well as the considerable resources of Taylor Guitars, he is saving trees and setting up his legacy with the Ebony Project. Having handed his company over to master guitar designer Andy Powers, whose V-class bracing is redefining Taylor’s guitar line, Taylor has been free to focus on the bigger picture.

He hired Scott Paul, the former forest campaign coordinator at Greenpeace, to serve as Taylor’s national director of Natural Resource Sustainability. Together with a team of experts from a wide range of fields, they are working with local communities in Cameroon to propagate and plant ebony trees, as well as other fruiting species, with an eye on long-term economic viability.

The Ebony Project’s roots date back to 2011, when Taylor partnered with Spanish tonewood supplier Madinter to purchase Crelicam, at the time a small, rundown ebony sawmill in Yaoundé, Cameroon. In 2016, they partnered with the Yaoundé-based Congo Basin Institute (CBI), a multi-institutional organization made up of universities and NGOs that focuses on finding solution to the region’s most pressing challenges.

The Ebony Project works to conduct basic ecological research into West African ebony, and is working with local villages to produce new ebony and fruit trees. They’ve already put some 5,000 trees in the ground and have another 15,000 growing in nurseries for planting.

What qualities make ebony such an essential tonewood?

Bob Taylor: Ebony is not only hard, it’s tough. It was put on violins and other fretless instruments long before it was put on fretted instruments because you can push a string down to it, and it will work. Something softer isn’t going to sound good at all, and it will wear out. Ebony has all the essentials. It’s got a super-close grain, so it feels good on your fingers. It’s hard enough to hold frets, and it’s resonant enough to give good tone.

Ebony is ideal for fretboards and bridges, but more difficult to dry and prepare for sides and backs, as large pieces can crack between the sawmill and workbench. However, Madinter is having some success providing ebony sets to luthiers, and Taylor is making limited numbers of ebony guitars. This difficulty in drying is why ebony isn’t typically used for other common lumber purposes, such as furniture, and too much of the tree has always been left behind after you take the premium guitar pieces out.

What are you doing to make the most of the ebony currently being harvested?

Taylor: We’re using more of the harvest by creating different products, and we’re changing the story about black ebony being the only color that’s aesthetically pleasing, which has been the notion for a long time. We’re using ebony that was rejected for violin fingerboards to make cool guitar hangers and slides, and soon we’re going to introduce ebony guitar picks. That’s not a novelty item. We’ve designed a totally legitimate, Andy Powers-approved pick that’s got some meat to it and is a real tone producer. I’ve also started another company, Stella Falone, that makes ebony kitchen woodcrafts, including cutting boards, tongs, pepper mills and salt-and-pepper shaker sets.

We’ve broadened the color spectrum that is acceptable for an ebony fingerboard. Our customers have responded well to highly colored ebony, and other brave manufacturers are getting into it as well. For instance, Fender is using Crelicam ebony on their Acoustasonics, so big props to them.

It not only helps these trees make it into the instrument world rather than becoming firewood, it also helps keep trees in the forest, because we’re getting more product without cutting down more trees.

Only one out of 10 to 20 ebony trees actually has a true jet-black core. For decades, the tree cutters knew the market only wanted those, so they’d cut a tree down in order to see the color inside, but then take only the black ones to market. The others were left there to rot. That waste wasn’t acceptable to us, so we decided to bring them all in under the assumption that we’d figure out a way to use them.

So what Taylor markets as smoky ebony is the same species as black ebony.

Scott Paul: The tonewood ebony from Cameroon is all the same species, Diospyros crassifloria Hiern, but the market has historically always wanted, or was only aware of, black ebony. I don’t know how that started, but it became a tradition. There was even a law in Cameroon a hundred years ago or so that said you can only bring black ebony to the port for export.

It was almost an accident of history, where the two sides of the supply chain were disconnected and not really aware of the realities on the two ends. When Taylor became vertically integrated and bought the Crelicam ebony mill, it may have been the first time a manufacturer was also the primary producer of the wood, and in turn learned that only a percentage of ebony trees are actually totally black inside.

Since there is zero tonal or acoustic difference, why are we wasting the resource? We began educating our customer base, and they’ve responded affirmatively. It also makes a guitar unique, special and your own.

So Taylor is turning what was once a negative cosmetic element into a positive thing for the forest – and for the guitar, since each piece is distinct. It makes one wonder how many ebony trees have been cut and abandoned because they were not black.

Paul: That’s been the fate of countless ebony trees since 1950 or 1960, when more industrial logging started in the Congo Basin. But the good news is that there are more trees in Central Africa than previous estimates suggested, and Cameroon lies at the heart of the ebony range.

Ebony was actually recently downlisted from “endangered” to “vulnerable” on the IUCN [International Union for Conservation of Nature] Red List of Threatened Species.

Taylor: Cameroon still has significant ebony, partially because its government has some specific laws about harvesting. There are 190,000 ebony trees in and around Cameroon large enough to be harvested legally, and 33 million approaching that size, although most are in protected areas.

It’s the only place that I’ve ever gotten my ebony from, and now we hold the permits to cut almost 40 percent of their annual limit set by the forest ministry. We do it with tender loving care, and we replant.

Can you relay some details about how the Ebony Project developed?

Taylor It started in 2011 when we bought the mill, which we almost didn’t do because we realized at the 11th hour that it had been “greenwashed” – meaning we found out there were illegal things going on. It made us very uncomfortable. But then we realized that if we didn’t buy it, I would never be able to use ebony on my guitars, and my partner Vidal de Teresa would never be able to sell it to guitar makers again.

We bought the place simply to be absolutely sure that we’d have legal wood. Essentially, the only way around the issue was to work through it. We put the responsibility on our shoulders. Getting the mill set up to function well was an uphill battle, and once we got some traction, we started asking ourselves some hard questions. How sustainable was the supply? There wasn’t much information to be found. We started to experiment with growing trees in a nursery at Crelicam. It turned out to be more difficult than we thought.

How did you figure it out?

Taylor: Through the Ebony Project. One day I was introduced to Dr. Thomas Smith. He runs the Institute for Tropical Research at the University of California, Los Angeles. Tom has been working in Cameroon for decades. He’s the real deal. He had started a collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to form the Congo Basin Institute. We met one day, and I agreed to fund a new project at CBI, the Ebony Project.

Tom then hired the right team of top environmental biologists, social scientists, some graduate students and postgraduate students. They’re all now doing some deep science. We started studying the ecology and biology of the ebony tree. We investigated how the flower is pollinated and how the seed is distributed across the forest to reproduce. We started growing trees in nurseries and, eventually, planting.

Paul: In a nutshell, the Ebony Project does two basic things. First, it conducts basic ecological research on what the plant is: how it lives and how it dies. And some of the most groundbreaking discoveries ever made about the species have happened during the past year. We have the first-ever images of the insects that pollinate the flowers, and the first hidden-camera images of the animals that distribute the seeds.

The second thing the Ebony Project does is plant new trees. The crucial element of the project is that we work with villages to produce ebony trees through cuttings or from seed, and then we pay them to nurture these baby plants in nurseries for two to three years, until the plants are strong enough for the villages to transfer them into various settings across their lands.

The project also produces a number of locally coveted fruit trees. That’s an important part of the formula, because these communities are planting ebony trees that are not going to be of any strict economic value until long after we’re dead, but the fruit trees will be ready in a few short years.

How long does one have to wait for an ebony tree to mature until it’s ripe for harvesting as a guitar component?

Paul: Nobody really knows. It will happen faster in an agroforestry setting where, for example, there’s more sunlight compared to a closed canopy forest setting. We’re planting in both. Surely, it will take at least 80 years, and maybe up to 120. Participating villages are paid a small sum for the first five years to produce, care for and ultimately plant the trees. The fruit trees take five to seven years to produce fruit that can be eaten, sold or traded. That’s the short- and long-term breakdown of the Ebony Project to the villagers.

Taylor: At this point in my career, when I look at a guitar hanging on a wall in a store, I consider who suffered so that I might have that guitar. And then I try to relieve that suffering. There have been too many wood suppliers, particularly in the developing world, that supply wood to the music industry without being part of the financial party. I don’t believe we should be making our money off of them. I want them to make a good living, be considered a part of our industry and share in the profits.

What is the most meaningful certification that guitarists who are trying to support environmentally conscious manufacturers should look for when considering a purchase?

Taylor: Wow, that’s really hard. There simply isn’t a certification that I would bank on at this point. The player has to have true belief in a company that’s communicating well.

Paul: I believe in forest certification, but for a bunch of reasons it has proved extremely difficult to implement for acoustic guitars. That said, I honestly believe I can do more at Taylor Guitars in terms of pushing the envelope or moving the needle on environmental issues than I could at Greenpeace or any of the other high-profile environmental policy jobs I’ve held in the past.

Don’t get me wrong: Those groups do a great job and have their role, but simply put, everyone loves guitars. Bob calls it “the guitar love thing.” It’s an unparalleled position to get a message across. After all, what is a guitar but something that helps you tell stories and express thoughts?

Taylor: There’s a saying that goes, “If you think you’re humble, then you’re probably not.” The same applies to sustainability. Our goal here is sustainable ebony, but we don’t feel we’ve achieved it yet. We’re working on koa in Hawaii as well, and we have a few other projects up our sleeves. For Taylor, sustainability is a journey, and hopefully we’re moving in the right direction.

Visit Taylor's website for more information on The Ebony Project.

Small is the big new thing at Taylor Guitars, which announced two Grand Theater models at NAMM’s Believe in Music Week, and dropped big news about transitioning ownership to its employees. 

The novel C body falls in between a GS Mini and a full Grand Concert size, and the GT 811e and GT K21e join the line-founding GTe Urban Ash, which earned an Editors’ Pick in December. Its new siblings offer premium woods, including the hallmark rosewood-and-spruce combination of the flagship 800 Series, while the GT K21e is pure solid koa from the island of aloha like its cousins in the Koa Series. 

All GTs feature Taylor’s new C-Class bracing system, designed to deliver bodacious tones from petite bodies. Being a rather petite dude, I was stoked to put these little lovelies through a few paces. GTs come in a featherweight AeroCase, which this player prefers to a hard case for a compact fiddle. 

Taking the instruments out revealed two distinctly different aesthetics. The 811e appears familiar and classy, with a single abalone rosette and Element inlays. The K21e, on the other hand, is stunning and exotic. A shaded edge burst radiates like a jewel in sunshine to highlight the rich koa wood grain, while Spring Vine inlays and antique gold tuners add elegance. 

I was a little hesitant to lay hands on the striking beauty, especially considering there is no pickguard, but as lead designer Andy Powers explains, “The material of this full-body gloss finish, while very thin, is actually more durable and scratch resistant than most pickguard materials, especially when applied over a tougher wood like koa.” 

The overall feel of the two is quite similar, with the koa model being smoother, silkier, and slinkier. The immediate gratification factor is off the charts.

The first thing you notice is a lack of tension compared to a full-scale instrument, as if the strings were slightly slacked, a gauge lighter, or even nylon. By coupling a short scale length (24 1/8 inches) with a short body length (18 1/2 inches), Powers conjured a uniquely chill vibe, which naturally relaxes the approach in both hands. 

I usually go for the snappy feel and pronounced sound of a full scale, but I appreciate the change of pace on these GTs.

The fretboard action feels a heck of a lot like an electric. With less distance between the frets and a unique, slightly more narrow than standard nut width (1 23/32 inches), it made challenging chords and licks easier to play. 

String bending is such a cinch that one winds up using more vibrato. That’s especially true on the K21e, which offers an ocean of nuance in every note. Due to the altered angle of the rhythm-hand dangle on the compact body, I found myself playing more fingerstyle, with a light touch going a long way.

The standing “hang” is spot on. It was a blast walking down the street serenading the cats with a guitar that feels less like a beast of burden and more like a natural body extension.

The volume is of course a bit softer than that of a full-size guitar, which my wife noticed right away because it was easier for her to sing over, but she also enjoyed the full tone, saying, “It sounds just like one of the bigger guitars, only quieter.” 

I compared the GT 811e directly to an 814e Grand Symphony (same wood combination), and while the latter certainly sounded bigger, less boxy, and more spread out, there wasn’t a bunch more bass. Powers attributes that in part to GT’s C-Class bracing. Before any eyes roll about another new “magic” bracing, understand that this is simply a modified version of V-Class bracing.

Powers explains: “C-Class is an asymmetrical variant of V-Class bracing designed specifically to bring out the bass. The C stands for cantilevered. Think of a diving board: It’s anchored at the steps and at the fulcrum point, but from there on out is free to fluctuate. 

"The main brace in the GT uses a similar principle; it’s less supported at one end. The extra flexibility helps mitigate the inherent quality of a smaller guitar having a higher resonant frequency. A smaller sound hole helps bring out the bass as well. 

“Finally, building a shorter body with modern curves means it doesn’t look or function like a parlor guitar. Notice that unlike the Grand Concert [Taylor’s smallest 'full' size], the Grand Theater doesn’t have the narrow, elongated look of a parlor guitar at all. 

"This is going the opposite direction. It’s actually based on a scaled-down version of our largest guitar, the Grand Orchestra, with proportions maximizing the amount of interior air volume, kind of like a baby grand piano.”

Getting a full-figured sound from a petite box is a big part of the GT story, but the takeaway is ultimately about sonic integrity, not bass or volume. Each of these two models sounds holistic, and the K21e is truly special. It has Lincoln-like integrity, practically plays itself, and is resonant, with fabulous sustain.

I normally prefer the wooly warmth of rosewood, but it sounded slightly stuffy in the low mids compared to this crystal clear koa. The K21e is simply one of the most pleasing production guitars to pass though my hands in any size, and somehow sounded preferable to my experiences with larger all-koa instruments.

“Having less string tension allows for more of the body sound to shine through,” Powers says. “Koa is a hard wood. A solid koa top will always have a natural compression effect that trims off the initial attack like a limiter. But the K21’s unique build re-sets the whole mix and allows the koa body’s best characteristics to come through. 

"It’s surprisingly responsive, and the sweet, colorful tone is strong, articulate, and lively. Koa’s natural clarity helps mitigate the boxy quality inherent in small guitars.”

Both new GTs offer a ton of cool qualities in a small package that not only travels well but also is truly stageworthy. Taylor ES2 electronics faithfully translated their distinct personalities through a Fender Acoustic Junior Go and an AER Tommy Emmanuel signature. At a rehearsal in a spacious room, the 811e compared favorably to a Taylor 514ce Grand Auditorium.

Little folks will surely appreciate Taylor’s diminutive Grand Theater. Viking-sized players might find the quarters a bit cramped or feel a bit self conscious about wearing one well onstage, but it’s easier for anyone to handle around home, and studio applications abound for all. Players with repetitive stress injuries should certainly audition a GT because it requires so little torque to make it sing.

Creating an exceptional guitar on a small platform presents a huge challenge and requires only slightly smaller amounts of materials than a large one, so we can’t expect it to cost much less.

The Taylor GT 811e is a versatile workhorse suitable to practically any style or situation, and it delivers plenty of bang for the buck. The Hawaiian koa GT K21e costs a lot of kala, but I can’t imagine any fingerstylist or koa enthusiast who has the cash regretting the decision to spend it on this dream machine. Both deservedly earn our Editors’ Pick Award. 

Specifications

• GT K21E
• PRICE: $4,699 street, AeroCase included
• NUT WIDTH: 1 23/32” (1.72)”, Tusq
• NECK: Mahogany
• FRETBOARD: West African ebony, 24 1/8” scale, Spring Vine inlay
• FRETS: 20
• TUNERS: Gotoh mini 510 antique gold
• BODY: Solid Hawaiian koa back, sides, and top with C-Class bracing
• BRIDGE: West African ebony with Micarta saddle
• ELECTRONICS: Taylor ES2 with volume, bass, and treble controls
• FACTORY STRINGS: Elixir .012–.053
• WEIGHT: 4 lbs (as tested)
• BUILT: USA

• GT 811E
• PRICE: $2,999 street, AeroCase included
• NUT WIDTH: 1 23/32” (1.72)”, Tusq
• NECK: Tropical mahogany
• FRETBOARD: West African ebony, 24 1/8” scale, Element inlays
• FRETS: 20
• TUNERS: Taylor nickel mini
• BODY: Solid Indian roseweood back and sides, solid Sitka Spruce top with C-Class bracing
• BRIDGE: African ebony with Micarta saddle
• ELECTRONICS: Taylor ES2 with volume, bass, and treble controls
• FACTORY STRINGS: Elixir .012–.053
• WEIGHT: 4 lbs (as tested)
• BUILT: USA
• CONTACT: Taylor

Named after the guitar shop where Taylor Guitars was founded in 1974, the American Dream Series embodies the principles of innovation and resourcefulness that have always helped Taylor get through tough times.

In the midst of the global pandemic, Taylor set out to pack all the ingredients of a great guitar into a more accessible package. Crafted in Taylor’s California factory, the American Dream Series delivers everything you’d expect from a premium Taylor experience. Solid wood construction. Tone-enhancing V-Class® bracing. And legendary Taylor playability. Designed for the times, these guitars have everything you need, and nothing you don’t.

Last October, Taylor Guitars announced a new line of acoustic guitars, the Grand Theater series. With a body that – size-wise – slotted right in between Taylor's GS Mini and smallest-of-the-pack Grand Concert shapes, the GT line was launched with the stunning GT Urban Ash.

Now, Taylor has expanded the GT line with two new acoustics, the GT K21e and GT 811e. 

Both guitars are outfitted with Taylor's C-Class bracing system, which involves a cantilevered, asymmetrical design that allows lower frequencies to shine and project, despite the GT models' relatively small body sizes.

You can read more about both of the guitars below.

GT K21e

The GT K21e features a figured koa top, back, and sides, with a shaded edgeburst around the entire guitar. 

Additional appointments include maple binding and top purfling, a maple Spring Vine inlay scheme, a gloss finish, Gotoh Mini 510 tuners in antique gold, and ES2 electronics. 

The Taylor GT K21e guitar will be sold for $4,699.

GT 811e

The GT 811e features a solid Indian rosewood back and sides, a solid Sitka spruce top, and a Crelicam smoky ebony fretboard with mother-of-pearl “Element” inlays.

Other elements of the guitar include an abalone rosette, maple binding with rosewood top purfling, a rosewood pickguard, a gloss finish, Taylor Mini-smoked nickel tuners, and onboard ES2 acoustic electronics. 

The Taylor GT 811e guitar will be sold for $2,999.

For more info on the acoustics, stop by taylorguitars.com.

These two new additions to Taylor’s Builder’s Edition series are radical in their own ways. The eco-conscious 324ce is the first guitar to come from Taylor’s Urban Wood Initiative, which uses trees sourced from cities that have scheduled their removal due to age or safety concerns. 

The 816ce represents a redesign of Taylor’s Grand Symphony body style, with a shallow cutaway sporting an extra soundport. Shared elements include V-Class bracing, a Silent Satin finish, Expression System 2 electronics, and lots of Taylor’s West African Crelicam ebony. That’s where similarities end and unique qualities begin.   

Builder’s Edition 816ce

The Grand Symphony has traditionally appealed to players that appreciate Taylor’s signature Grand Auditorium style but want a richer boom from its slightly larger body.

I own one of each and generally choose the Grand Symphony for big strumming songs that call for a bolder tone, particularly those in lowered tunings. My GS is a 2013 816ce, so I was particularly curious about this redesigned 816ce. I was surprised, as Taylor took it in a totally new direction.

This Grand Symphony puts emphasis on delicacy and sparkling nuance, rather than brazen bombast. The most obvious novel element is the semi-Florentine cutaway encapsulating a small, oval-shaped soundport.

As Andy Powers explained at the 2020 NAMM show, the soundport adds dimension, and the wider panorama leads to a more symphonic sound.

The listener actually receives more of that widespread experience than the player, unless of course the player puts a couple of microphones up in the studio, and then the possibilities become endlessly interesting, especially considering the guitar’s onboard electronics.

How good does the new 816ce look and feel? Don’t get me wrong: The former is beautiful, but the redesign has a more unique visual appeal with its eye-catching soundport cutaway.

The natural Lutz spruce top practically radiates in sunlight, as does its green abalone rosette. Other snazzy appointments include Windansea inlays in shell and mother-of-pearl on the ebony fretboard and peghead overlay, and a classy rock-maple binding.

The Builder’s Edition 816ce has practically perfect playability. Its slightly shorter scale length makes stretch chords more easily attainable, which comes at the slight cost of vigor. Ultimately, the 816ce is suitable for a broad range of styles. It feels silky smooth under the fingers, in hand, and along the body.

Size and weight remain the same, so it was interesting how this Grand Symphony somehow seemed much easier to wield than its predecessor. Plus, the bass boost available from the Expression 2 system can compensate for what’s lost acoustically in the low end with the new symphonic spread strategy.

Builder’s Edition 324ce

Taylor heralded its Urban Wood Initiative at NAMM with the Builder’s Edition 324ce Grand Auditorium as its musical voice. The back and sides are solid urban ash, which is the first urban wood species to be featured in the Taylor guitar line.

Andy Powers says, “In almost every physical way I can measure, it is reminiscent of good Honduran mahogany.” Mahogany has a potentially vast tonal palate, depending on the nature of the cut, but it is mostly associated with having a straightforward wooden sound that helped it earn its Americana stripes in countless classic bluegrass and country music settings.

Taylor’s Builder’s Edition 324ce pairs its urban ash back and sides with a tropical mahogany top, so it emanates that classic dry and strong sound all around. The top end is present without being too trebly, and the bottom is rich but not boomy. The mids and low mids are front and center, fundamentally clear, and wonderfully resonant. That held true when the guitar was plugged in, too.

The Builder’s Edition 324ce is a brunette beauty decked out in various shades of brown, with a Tobacco Kona Burst on top. The whole instrument is dark and handsome, like a fine Cuban cigar transformed into a fine music-making machine. It lacks a pickguard, so scratching is a potential worry for those who consider such things a problem.

There’s not a rough edge to be found anywhere, and the beveled armrest and cutaway add considerably to the ergonomic enjoyment. The 324ce’s playability is sheer pleasure and versatility. Fingerpicking comes as readily as plectrum strumming, and chords come together as willingly as notes in single strokes.

The craftsmanship and factory setup are impeccable. How Taylor manages to make each and every instrument feel so consistently spot-on across its many designs is a modern mystery. Taylor’s continuing crusade to resource responsibly also deserves kudos. 

The company partnered with West Coast Arborists to develop the Urban Wood Initiative, sourcing wood from city trees at the end of their lifespan in Southern California, where Taylor makes its American magic. It’s a hip concept and collaboration that will surely bear further fruit. 

Saving city-dwelling flora from landfills to be reincarnated in the form of Taylor guitars is a win-win. The ingenious nature of the Urban Wood Initiative is how Taylor realized terrific tonewood can be found well beyond the forest, right down on Main Street. 

Perhaps the coolest thing about the Builder’s Edition 324ce is that you feel as good about playing it as you do about how it plays. Editors’ Pick Award on its way.

Specifications

• Builder’s Edition 816ce
• PRICE: $3,999 street
• NUT WIDTH: 1.75” black Tusq
• NECK: Tropical mahogany
• FRETBOARD: West African ebony, 24 7/8” scale, Windansea inlays
• FRETS: 20
• TUNERS: Gotoh 510 with antique gold buttons
• BODY: Grand Symphony made of solid Indian rosewood back and sides, solid Lutz spruce top with V-Class bracing
• BRIDGE: West African ebony with Micarta saddle
• ELECTRONICS: Taylor ES2 with volume, bass, and treble controls
• FACTORY STRINGS: Elixir .012–.053
• WEIGHT: 5 lbs
• BUILT: USA

• Builder’s Edition 324ce
• PRICE: $2,999 street
• NUT WIDTH: 1.75” black Tusq
• NECK: Tropical mahogany
• FRETBOARD: West African ebony, 25.5” scale, Italian acrylic Compass inlays
• FRETS: 20
• TUNERS: Gotoh 510, 21:1 gear ratio
• BODY: Grand Auditorium made of solid urban ash back and sides, solid tropical mahogany top with V-Class bracing
• BRIDGE: West African ebony Curve Wing with Micarta saddle
• ELECTRONICS: Taylor ES2 with volume, bass, and treble controls
• FACTORY STRINGS: Elixir .012–.053
• WEIGHT: 4.6 lbs
• BUILT: USA
• CONTACT: Taylor Guitars

• More of the best Taylor guitars

The designation GT has long been applied to sports cars and other things that are agile and speedy, so it’s appropriate that Taylor’s new GT, or Grand Theater, is the sleekest model in the California company’s line. 

Size-wise, it sits between the GS Mini and Grand Concert, which is the smallest of the company’s full-size body shapes. Taylor’s reason for creating the ultra-compact GT is simple: Today’s guitarists are drawn to the playability of smaller flattops but don’t want to compromise tone. 

And this is what prompted design chief Andy Powers to develop a new guitar that combines the inviting playability of a “parlor” instrument with the rich sound of a full-sized guitar.

For this review, we looked at the GTe model, which adds Taylor’s ES2 electronics system. The GT is designed from the ground up for playing comfort, and after taking it out of its brown AeroCase and tuning it up, I was immediately impressed. It’s one of the easiest playing guitars I’ve ever had my hands on.

Weighing a scant 3.7 pounds, it’s light as a feather, yet so dynamic and expressive. It has good sustain and pumps out a surprising amount of volume, all the things one expects from a standard-size steel-string flattop.

Powers developed the GT around several different design concepts. It has the basic body shape of Taylor’s Grand Orchestra, but the proportions are smaller. So while the GT’s 15-inch width at the lower bout is about the same as the Grand Concert’s, its body is shorter – only about 18 1/2 inches long.

The size comparisons continue with the neck measurements, where the GT’s 24 1/8–inch scale length is in the middle between a GS Mini (23 1/2 inches) and a Grand Concert (24 7/8 inches).

As Powers explained, the GT scale is like playing with a capo on the first fret of a 25 1/2–inch-scale guitar, so it has the same string tension as a 25 1/2–inch-scale instrument tuned down a half step. Although the GT comes with .012–.053 strings, it feels like it’s strung with .011s.

Another reason the GT feels so compact and easy to play is that, between its shorter body length and shorter scale (which also slightly compresses the fret spacing), your hands are physically closer together when playing, so the guitar feels more nimble.

Factoring as well into the playability equation is the GT’s 1 23/32–inch neck width, which is right between between 1 11/16 and 1 3/4 inches, making it more comfortable for fretting, especially if you have smaller hands. The GT is constructed of solid urban ash back and sides with a solid spruce top.

Urban ash is a sustainable wood cut from Shamel ash trees slated for removal in city areas around Southern California. Taylor says its tonal qualities rival that of Honduran mahogany, offering a clear, woody sound, with plenty of midrange warmth.

It’s certainly a pleasing-looking wood, with a rippling grain that stands out nicely when bright light hits it. It also feels raw, tactile and woody thanks to the ultra-thin (2.0 mil) Urban Sienna finish.

Much has been made of Taylor’s V-Class bracing, and for good reasons, but the GT uses new C-Class bracing, which Taylor describes as a “cantilevered, asymmetrical design that combines stiffness and flexibility in a way that helps accentuate the lower frequencies to produce a surprisingly warm bass response for such compact dimensions.”

We’re told the bracing borrows some of the functional benefits of V-Class, however, including intonation stability and enhanced volume and sustain, and that’s borne out by the GT’s solid intonation and notable lack of compression when playing it hard.

Cosmetically, the GT is a sweet-looking guitar with a three-ring rosette, tortoise-colored pickguard and black purfling on the top. The acrylic Pinnacle fretboard markers are another classy touch.

Another alternative wood here is eucalyptus, which is used for the fretboard, bridge and headstock overlay. Its striped grain looks similar to ebony, and it has comparable density and weight.

It all adds up to an incredibly fun guitar. The mahogany neck sits comfortably in the hand, and its soft V shape offers ideal positioning for chording and flat picking.

The string spacing and lighter tension is inviting for fingerstyle playing, and the GT is very responsive to the player’s touch, easily steering through softer and louder passages while maintaining consistently sweet and focused tone.

Since our test model was the GTe, it featured Taylor’s Expression System 2 electronics. With the guitar plugged into a Fishman SA-220 system, there was no harshness, and the volume delivered without feedback was impressive.

Bottom line, Taylor’s new GT Urban Ash has a big presence that belies its small size, and the GTe adds on a sweet-sounding electronics package. It’s a natural for trips, but it’s just as worthy as a studio and/or performance instrument thanks to its rich tone and full-bodied soundstage. It’s well deserving of an Editors’ Pick Award.

Specifications

• PRICE: $1,599 street, brown AeroCase included
• NUT WIDTH: 1 23/32”
• NECK: Mahogany
• FRETBOARD: Eucalyptus, 24 1/8” scale, Italian acrylic Pinnacle inlays
• FRETS: 20
• TUNERS: Taylor nickel mini
• BODY: Solid urban-ash back and sides, solid spruce top with C-Class bracing
• BRIDGE: Eucalyptus
• ELECTRONICS: Taylor ES2 with volume, bass and treble controls
• FACTORY STRINGS: Elixir 012–.053
• WEIGHT: 3.7 lbs (as tested)
• BUILT: USA
• CONTACT: Taylor Guitars

• More of the best Taylor guitars

Taylor Guitars has announced the GT, a new acoustic guitar that - size-wise - slots right in between the Taylor GS Mini and the Grand Concert, the smallest of Taylor’s full-size body shapes. 

Made in Taylor’s California factory, the GT (short for Grand Theater) is built with a non-cutaway body that features the basic curves of the company's Grand Orchestra model, with a width at the lower bout (15 inches) that's almost the same as the company's Grand Concert model, but a shorter length.

The guitar has a solid spruce top and back and sides of solid urban ash, a tonewood taken from Shamel ash trees slated for removal from municipal areas in Southern California. Also onboard is a Eucalyptus fingerboard with Italian acrylic “Pinnacle” inlays, a Eucalyptus bridge and peghead overlay, and Taylor nickel mini tuners.

• These are the best acoustic guitar strings

Notably, the GT is outfitted with Taylor's new C-Class bracing system. Another Taylor bracing system innovation, C-Class architecture involves a cantilevered, asymmetrical design that allows lower frequencies to shine and project, despite the GT's relatively small size.

Elsewhere, the guitar features a three-ring koa rosette and a faux tortoise pickguard, with a 2mm matte finish on the top and an Urban Sienna stain on the back and sides providing a sweet visual touch.

The Taylor GT Urban Ash rings up at $1,399, while its counterpart with an ES2 electronic system - the Taylor GTe Urban Ash - comes in at $1,599.

For more info on the GT, stop by taylorguitars.com.

Named for the Southern California guitar shop where Taylor Guitars was founded back in 1974, the American Dream series was created to provide an affordable solid-wood instrument that springs from the Grand Pacific round-shouldered dreadnought platform that Andy Powers designed in 2016. 

The Grand Pacific is a very different type of Taylor, with a warmer and more “blended” sound that Powers says was inspired by the guitar tones heard on classic bluegrass and country recordings from the ’50s and ’60s. 

Essentially, it’s the sound of a steel-string flattop that has been miked, compressed, EQ’d, recorded, mastered and pressed to vinyl. That’s thinking outside the box!

The American Dream series follows this same philosophy, while delivering a high level of performance courtesy of V-Class bracing, all at a price that’s very affordable for a U.S.-made guitar. 

In fact, the guitars in the series are the lowest-priced American-made guitars Taylor has ever offered, and it’s no coincidence that they have been introduced at a time when the pandemic has made it more difficult than ever for people to purchase new guitars.

Joining the recent AD17 and AD17e models, which feature backs and sides of solid ovankol (a relative of rosewood) and Sitka spruce tops, the new AD27 tilts the recipe toward a warmer sound and deeper lows via a body made of solid sapele (a tonewood similar to mahogany) and a mahogany top.

This lightweight guitar is fitted with a mahogany neck and is topped with a 25.5-inch scale eucalyptus fingerboard carrying 20 smoothly finished frets and a perfectly shaped black Tusc nut. 

To keep costs down, the ornamentation is fairly spartan and consists of a black-maple-black rosette, a tortoise pickguard, black plastic truss-rod cover and heel cap, and Italian acrylic position dots and a headstock inlay. 

Tuning chores are handled by Taylor-branded nickel die-cast machines, and the ebony bridge has a Micarta saddle and black pins. 

The guitar wears a thin (2.0 mil) matte finish that allows you to really feel the graining of the woods, which all look very attractive under the reddish-brown hues of the Urban Sienna stain. Suffice to say, if you’re a fan of natural-looking guitars, the AD27 has you covered.

The C-shape neck feels great with its medium depth and a width of 1.75 inches at the nut. The string spacing is easy to navigate, whether soloing or fingering complex chords, and the factory setup was well dialed in on arrival, providing low and buzz-free string action and rock-solid intonation all along the neck. 

This is one of the most rewarding aspects that V-Class bracing brings to the equation, as well as enhanced sustain, which always makes an acoustic guitar more enjoyable to play.  

The AD27 has a big voice, and it rings out clearly and has nice complexity in the midrange, with lots of low-end girth. 

While not exactly the sonic cannon that, say, a D-28 can be, the AD27 is better balanced top to bottom (at least compared to my ’90s Martin) and still pumps out a good amount of volume with little compression when played hard with a pick. 

The way this lightweight guitar transfers string vibrations through the body and neck is unreal. It’s resonant and dynamic, and the touch responsiveness is something fingerstyle players will appreciate.

The bottom line is, if you’re seeking the bright, crisp and articulate tones that Taylors are known for, the American Dream guitars are different animals.

As the low-cost realization of Andy Powers’ mission to create an instrument with a round, buoyant tone and the flexibility to cover a wealth of different styles, the American Dream AD27 is a guitar for the times, with an inspiring sound that will please players of all kinds - singer-songwriters, bluegrass pickers and anyone who appreciates great tone. As such, it deservedly earns our Editors’ Pick Award.

Specifications

• PRICE: $1,399 street
• NUT WIDTH: 1.75” black Tusc
• NECK: Tropical mahogany
• FRETBOARD: Eucalyptus, 25.5” scale
• FRETS: 20 medium
• TUNERS: Taylor nickel
• BODY: Solid sapele sides and back, mahogany top. 20” long, 16” wide 4 5/8” deep. V-Class bracing
• BRIDGE: Ebony with Micarta saddle
• EXTRAS: Taylor AeroCase included
• FACTORY STRINGS: D’Addario coated phosphor bronze
• WEIGHT: 4.14 lbs (as tested)
• BUILT: USA
• CONTACT: Taylor Guitars

Named after the guitar shop where Taylor Guitars was founded in 1974, the American Dream Series embodies the principles of innovation and resourcefulness that have always helped Taylor get through tough times.

In the midst of the global pandemic, Taylor set out to pack all the ingredients of a great guitar into a more accessible package. Crafted in Taylor’s California factory, the American Dream Series delivers everything you’d expect from a premium Taylor experience. Solid wood construction. Tone-enhancing V-Class® bracing. And legendary Taylor playability. Designed for the times, these guitars have everything you need, and nothing you don’t.

Taylor Guitars

Named after the guitar shop where Taylor Guitars was founded in 1974, the American Dream Series embodies the principles of innovation and resourcefulness that have always helped Taylor get through tough times.

In the midst of the global pandemic, Taylor set out to pack all the ingredients of a great guitar into a more accessible package. Crafted in Taylor’s California factory, the American Dream Series delivers everything you’d expect from a premium Taylor experience.

Solid wood construction. Tone-enhancing V-Class® bracing. And legendary Taylor playability. Designed for the times, these guitars have everything you need, and nothing you don’t.

Taylor Guitars

Taylor Guitars has launched a new line of acoustics, the American Dream series.

The new line features three American-built models - the AD17, AD17 Blacktop and AD27 - built with Grand Pacific body shapes and Taylor's trademark V-Class bracing. 

Expression System 2 (ES2) electronics are optional on all three models in the American Dream lineup, which got its name from the guitar shop where Taylor was founded in 1974.

You can learn more about each model in the American Dream series below.

Taylor AD17/AD17e

The AD17 is Taylor’s first Grand Pacific model to feature ovangkol back and sides with a spruce top. It features an Urban Sienna color treatment and a thin matte finish. 

The guitar is available - with and without electronics - for $1,399 (without electronics) or $1,599 (with electronics). 

Taylor AD17 Blacktop/AD17e Blacktop

The AD17 features ovangkol back and sides, a matte black spruce top, a black pickguard and a thin 2-mm finish.

The guitar is available - with and without electronics - for $1,499 (sans electronics) or $1,699 (with electronics.) 

Taylor AD27/AD27e

The AD27 features a hardwood mahogany top, sapele back and sides, an Urban Sienna stain and a matte finish.

The guitar is available - with and without electronics - for $1,399 (without electronics) or $1,599 (with electronics).

For more info on Taylor's American Dream series guitars, stop by taylorguitars.com.

Maybe you've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to snag a new Builder's Edition guitar. Maybe you've had your eye on a new Grand Pacific dreadnought or something from the 200 Series that you can count on for practice at home as well as performance and recording. Whatever your Taylor of choice, now's the time to act!

Until May 31, you can add a GS Mini, Academy Series or Baby Taylor acoustic guitar to your purchase of select Taylor models for just $99. That means you can grab that Builder's Edition 324ce with Urban Ash that you've been wanting or the 214ce DLX that inspires you and add a second vibrant acoustic voice in the process.

Whether you're looking for your next dream guitar or you know someone who would love the gift of music, the Taylor Days promo event has you covered. Don't wait—this offer is only valid while dealer supplies last.

Taylor Guitars has partnered up with West Coast Arborists to launch its new Urban Wood initiative, and with it the company's new Builder's Edition 324ce acoustic guitar.

West Coast Arborists (WCA) is a large, California and Arizona-based tree services company that - among a number of other services - helps cities remove trees and recycle the wood from them when the trees have been damaged by weather or begun to ail.

WCA recently invited Taylor to take a look at its inventory of urban wood species, and see if any of them would make the cut as instrument tonewoods. Though Taylor built prototypes with a number of woods that didn't quite work, there was one, shamel ash, that hit the sweet spot. 

“This ash species happens to be a great mix of the right weight, density, dimensional stability and drying attributes, and responds well to sawing, sanding and finishing,” Andy Powers, Taylor's master guitar designer, said. “In almost every physical way I can measure it, it’s reminiscent of really good Honduran mahogany.”

Re-dubbed Urban Ash, the wood graces the the back and sides of the new Builder's Edition 324ce, which is also built with a mahogany top. 

Elsewhere, the guitar features a chambered body and fretboard edges, a beveled armrest and cutaway, V-Class bracing and a Curve Wing bridge.

ES2 electronics, Compass inlays in faux pearl and Italian acrylic, and Gotoh 510 tuners also come standard. 

The Taylor Builder's Edition 324ce acoustic guitar is available now - with a deluxe hardshell case - for $2,999.

For more info on the guitar, stop by taylorguitars.com.

Comfort and Elegance are the hallmarks of the Builder’s Edition K24ce, an exquisite addition to Taylor’s Koa Series, which features V-Class bracing, a beveled cutaway, Silent Satin finish and Expression System 2 electronics. In the grand scheme of Taylor acoustics, only the Presentation Series is more luxurious, so it’s no surprise there is much to appreciate about this Builder’s Edition model.

It’s hard to overstate how stunning the K24 appears, especially when viewed in natural sunlight, where every nuance can be fully absorbed. The front and back are made of book-matched koa that ripples both laterally, from the middle toward the sides, and vertically, from headstock to heel. At certain angles, the ripples take on a three-dimensional quality and appear to flow back and forth.

The Kona Burst finish adds to the effect, as golden highlights give way to tan, bronze and, finally, a deep rich brown. Abalone’s rainbow hues radiate from the dark ebony fretboard in a Spring Vine engraving that climbs toward the headstock, where it’s capped off with a final touch of inlay and a mother-of-pearl logo on the ebony veneer.

The K24ce’s Grand Auditorium body is exceptionally comfortable. It features the beveled armrest found on many of Taylor’s high-end models and takes it to the next level with a beveled cutaway, as well as a slight rounding of edges everywhere.

The double-contoured cutaway makes the upper register not only accessible but also actually more enjoyable to explore. There’s even a little beveled edge that acts as a pinkie rest along the highest frets. The Silent Satin finish is designed to eliminate incidental noise as one’s arm moves across the top, and it feels as smooth as silk.

The factory action was absolutely perfect right out of the case. The K24ce’s round, C-shaped neck feels instantly inviting and accommodates playing in every imaginable way, from intricate linear lines to chords both simple and complex. This instrument makes challenging parts easier to play.

I found that my playing was more precise, as well, thanks to the spot-on intonation, which facilitates accuracy and gives confidence that the notes needed — even the most elusive harmonics — will manifest. The only thing I couldn’t bring myself to do on this Taylor was bang away. It’s simply too sophisticated.

Koa has a rare tonal clarity, and this guitar embodies its properties. The K24ce sounds lively and resonates with a balanced tone that’s focused in the mids and high mids, with a defined low end and a super-crisp top end. 

The Expression System 2 does a fine job of fleshing out the low end and delivering a powerful representation of the guitar’s tone. I used the K24ce on a holiday gig and had to do nothing more than dial down the treble. In many ways, this is the epitome of a top-end

Taylor, and it’s hard to imagine anyone picking up this lovely guitar and not appreciating its comfort, playability and elegance. Devotees will surely enjoy its ultra-high-definition sound, while devil’s advocates (or maybe Martin aficionados) may naysay that it’s too much so. 

But no one could argue that such top-shelf Hawaiian koa hardwood will age gracefully, eventually sweeting and warming up, and anyone spending over five grand on a guitar certainly understands the long-term nature of a sound investment. Such discerning players will find the Taylor Builder’s Edition K24CE a rewarding experience that grows with time, as it rightfully should.

Specifications

CONTACT taylor.com
PRICE $5,299 street

NUT WIDTH 1.75", black graphite
NECK Tropical mahogany
FRETBOARD West African ebony, 25.5" scale, Spring Vine inlay
FRETS 20 medium-jumbo
TUNERS Gotoh with gold buttons
BODY Hawaiian koa back, sides, and top
BRIDGE West African ebony with Micarta saddle
ELECTRONICS Expression System 2
CONTROLS Bass, treble, volume
FACTORY STRINGS Elixir Phosphor Bronze Light .012–.053
WEIGHT 4.8 lbs
BUILT USA

Taylor Guitars is currently offering a great deal with its Taylor Days sales promotion. Through May 3, for just $99 USD you can add an acoustic GS Mini, Academy, or Baby Taylor guitar to the purchase of other select Taylor models from participating Taylor dealers.

In the U.S., the promotion is split into two tiers: Buy any guitar from Taylor’s 300 Series or higher (including limited edition, custom and T5z models) and get an acoustic GS Mini or Academy Series guitar for $99. Or buy any guitar from Taylor’s 100 or 200 Series and score an acoustic Baby Taylor for $99. The promotion is a great way to add two distinctive Taylor flavors to your toolkit or pick up your dream guitar and give the gift of music to a friend or family member. For full details, visit TaylorGuitars.com.

Named after the guitar shop where Taylor Guitars was founded in 1974, the American Dream Series embodies the principles of innovation and resourcefulness that have always helped Taylor get through tough times.

In the midst of the global pandemic, Taylor set out to pack all the ingredients of a great guitar into a more accessible package. Crafted in Taylor’s California factory, the American Dream Series delivers everything you’d expect from a premium Taylor experience. Solid wood construction. Tone-enhancing V-Class® bracing. And legendary Taylor playability. Designed for the times, these guitars have everything you need, and nothing you don’t.

Taylor Guitars American Dream Series