Taylor Guitars have revamped their popular 700 Series (opens in new tab) by moving away from the perennially popular combination of rosewood and spruce towards Hawaiian koa.
Hawaiian musicians played a crucial role in the evolution of the modern acoustic guitar and fine Hawaiian koa wood has long been used in the instrument building industry.
Highlighting their market-leading sustainability initiatives – including forest restoration in Hawaii – Taylor appeared on Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the 10 most innovative manufacturing companies of 2022.
Working in partnership with Pacific Rim Tonewoods, the Paniolo Tonewoods venture aims to regenerate Hawaii’s native forest.
So far, thousands of koa trees along with hundreds of other native species have been planted by Paniolo Tonewoods as they continue working towards their goal of 150,000.
Taylor’s reimagined 700 Series builds upon the company’s decades-long tradition of utilizing Hawaiian koa.
Crucially, the koa 700 Series offers an alternative to the premium Koa Series (opens in new tab).
“For almost 40 years, Taylor has built a reputation crafting beautifully figured Koa Series guitars,” commented master guitar designer and partner at Taylor Guitars, Andy Powers. “But a lot of fantastic-sounding koa wood comes from trees that don’t have deeply figured grain.”
The new Taylor 700 Series Grand Auditorium 724ce (opens in new tab) and Grand Concert 722ce (opens in new tab) display a new look that includes rosewood binding; a paua shell/rosewood rosette; maple/rosewood top edge trim; and a dark-stained maple pickguard.
While the new koa 700s have replaced the rosewood/spruce 700 Series models, the recently released rosewood/spruce Builder’s Edition 717 (opens in new tab) currently remains available.
Visit Taylor Guitars (opens in new tab) for more information on these gorgeous acoustics.
