Grand Auditorium (GA)
The medium-size GA gave the world
an identity-defining Taylor shape
and sound. It was big enough to
compete with the bigger, traditional
dreadnought shape, long established
in the acoustic world, yet the GA
offered more sonic balance instead
of a bass-dominant tone. The slightly
tapered waist helps create an even
blend between the bass, midrange
and treble notes. That tonal balance
comes through for strummers, the
clarity suits fingerstyle playing, and
the overall presence sits well in a
studio mix with other instruments.
The GA is a superb all-purpose gui-
tar shape that rewards players with
versatility and incredible range.
Grand Symphony (GS)
If you crave acoustic horsepower — if
you’re a strummer or picker who likes
to drive a guitar and get full-bodied
tone and robust volume, yet without
compromising balance — the GS
is your shape. It’s Taylor’s boldest,
richest acoustic voice, and, like a
good sports car, blends power with
responsiveness, which means players
can drive the GS hard without sacri-
ficing clarity.
Grand Concert (GC)
Taylor’s smallest body shape features
a slender waist that helps curb the
overtones. As a result, the GC tends
to occupy less sonic space, which
helps it blend well with other instru-
ments both on stage and in a record-
ing mix. Because of its tonal clarity,
the GC is well suited for fingerstyle
and for pickers who play lead lines.
With the availability of the Expression
System
®
acoustic pickup or studio
microphones, acoustic volume is
not an issue. The GC also features
a shorter 24 7/8-inch scale length,
which, together with the more com-
pact size, offers physical comfort and
playability that may appeal to players
with smaller hands.
Dreadnought (DN)
Bob Taylor chose to honor the large,
traditional guitar shape he inherited
by refining it, taking a potent tone
known for its strong bass response
and adding a balanced midrange
and clear notes to give flatpickers
and strummers the ability to be both
aggressive and articulate across the
tonal spectrum. Strong pickers are
bound to love the blend of power
and fidelity, which adds a new tonal
dimension to roots-flavored music.
Jumbo (JM)
Taylor’s biggest shape delivers a big,
full sound without the bottom-heavy
boominess. The curvy dimensions
present a lot of soundboard real
estate, yet the contoured waist helps
tighten the midrange, keeping the
overtones in check. Jumbos are great
as big, full strummers, especially for
solo artists who want a robust acous-
tic voice without sacrificing balance.
Taylor Jumbos particularly shine as
12-strings, yielding a rich, lush tone
with lots of signature Taylor clarity and
balance.
Woods
The woods used on the top, back
and sides of an acoustic guitar inter-
act with the fundamental sound profile
established by the shape, adding
distinctive tonal “flavors.” A wood’s
stiffness and density, for example, will
influence its tonal frequencies, mean-
ing that different species of woods
will yield different degrees of bass,
midrange, treble and overall sustain
relative to each other.
The description of each series in
our acoustic/electric line on the fol-
lowing pages includes a note on the
distinguishing properties of the tone-
woods used on the back and sides of
the guitar. These are just generaliza-
tions for reference; keep in mind that
each set of wood is unique, which of
course adds to the fun of sampling
guitars.
When it comes to soundboards,
Sitka spruce is far and away the tone-
wood used most often for guitar tops.
It’s strong yet flexible, which produces
a clear acoustic tone. Here is a brief
rundown of soundboard properties
among the woods we commonly use
for guitar tops:
Sitka Spruce
— Used on the majority
of Taylor acoustics, it yields a broad
dynamic range and accommodates a
versatile range of playing styles.
Western Red Cedar
— Cedar’s softer
density adds an element of warmth to
a guitar’s tone, especially for players
with a softer touch, like fingerstylists
or moderate strummers and pickers.
More aggressive players are better
matched with spruce, as they might
run out of headroom with cedar.
Adirondack Spruce
— Compared to
Sitka, it has more dynamic range and
can be driven hard for greater volume
without losing clarity. Some players
also perceive an additional sweetness
in the midrange tones. Its availability
is limited.
Engelmann Spruce
— Compared to
Sitka, Engelmann often has a hint of
additional richness that sounds like
an aged or played-in guitar. Its avail-
ability is also limited.
Hardwood Tops
— Woods like koa
and walnut that are used on the back
and sides of a guitar are sometimes
used as tops, as well. Their stiffness
translates into a bright tone initially,
but the more the guitar is played, the
more full-bodied the tone becomes.
To read more about acoustic shapes
and woods, visit taylorguitars.com
under “Features.”
Player Technique
It’s fair to say that a guitar’s tone
is largely in the hands of the player,
so it helps if you understand what
kind of a player you are and what
you’re going for when you play. Your
playing style (strumming, flatpicking,
fingerstyle), your attack (how hard or
soft you hit the strings), string type
and gauge, the way you fret — essen-
tially the sum total of everything you
physically do to the guitar — is a big
part of the equation. For more on the
tone-shaping variables of the player
and how they can be matched up
with the right tones or woods, go to
taylorguitars.com/guitars/features/
woods/tone.
Electric Tone
When it comes to electric guitars,
pickups are another key part of the
tone equation. In the electric portion
of the Guitar Guide, you’ll find more
details on Taylor’s proprietary electric
pickups, their tonal personalities, and
the different pickup configurations
that are available.
In terms of body styles, certain
distinctions are reflected in the differ-
ent body designs of the T5, T3 and
SolidBody. The T5 is a fully hollow-
body design, which helps yield more
natural acoustic tones that contribute
to the T5’s incredible sonic range.
The T3 is a semi-hollowbody with a
solid center block that runs down the
length of the center. The SolidBody
is, as the name suggests, the most
solid, although the Standard and
Custom feature special tone cham-
bers, partly for weight relief but also
to optimize the body’s natural acous-
tic “bloom.” This enhances sustain,
which is otherwise hard to create on
an electric when everything is locked
down.
Bob’s Guitar Tips
People often have questions as they consider the many guitar
choices available to them. Bob Taylor answered a few common
questions and offered some personal advice on finding the right
guitar.
What qualities set a Taylor acoustic guitar apart from other
guitar brands?
A Taylor has a unique tone, known for its clarity and balance. This
tone-print not only sounds fantastic when played on its own, but
works very well when played with other instruments or when
recorded. Equally important and widely recognized are the superb
playability and intonation of a Taylor. Currently our NT
®
neck design
is the ultimate in straight, precise, adjustable guitar necks. It allows
total control over action and intonation. This adjustability allows the
original factory setup to be perfect, and allows easy, quick, afford-
able adjustments for the life of the guitar after the purchase. It’s the
best neck/body attachment in the industry today.
How will I know when I find the right guitar?
Sometimes this is easy, and sometimes this is hard. First, try not
to second-guess a feeling when you know you’ve found the right
guitar. All too often a person laments the guitar that got away, so
when one inspires you in a way that you know is right, act on it.
Now, if that doesn’t come to you, and you’re shopping for a guitar
among many options, try to define what the guitar is meant to do
for you. Is it a one-time purchase to solve all your guitar needs for
life, or is it a guitar to fit a particular musical style or desire? Most
people have multiple guitars because they have multiple needs
and play many styles. For instance, a small-bodied guitar might be
perfect for fingerstyle, but you might want a larger guitar for strum-
ming. This is where people get confused. It’s so much easier if you
try not to make each guitar solve every musical problem, especially
if you’re a person who already knows you need more than one
guitar. However, even with these challenges, you will eventually like
one particular guitar more than the others, and when that happens,
go for it!
How will an acoustic guitar’s sound change over time?
It will develop more clarity, more depth and more volume. In short,
it will just sound better and better. It’s one of the amazing treats
of buying a guitar. Whereas your clothes, car, computer, TV and
furniture wear out with age, your guitar wears in with age. Sure,
it gets worn cosmetically, but the tone just improves. It’s most
noticeable when you play your 10- or 15-year-old guitar against a
brand new one of the same style. I often smile when I read forums
where people proclaim that Taylor made better guitars in the early
’90s than now because their old guitar sounds better. They’ll claim
it has some quality they can’t describe. I can describe it very eas-
ily: It’s called “age.”
What are the most important things to remember about
caring for a guitar?
Caring for a guitar is easy if you consider heat and humidity. Low
humidity ravages a good guitar. Also, heat, as in leaving your guitar
in the trunk of your car while you shop or eat at a restaurant on
a summer day, will wreak havoc on your guitar. But in our experi-
ence, it’s the long, slow lack of humidity that does more damage
to a guitar than anything else. Store you guitar in its case rather
than displaying it in the living room or music room, unless you are
controlling the humidity in those rooms. Use a soundhole humidi-
fier to restore lost humidity to the wood in your guitar. Sharp fret
ends or low, buzzy action are signs of a guitar drying excessively.
Other than humidity control, in my opinion a guitar doesn’t need
too much other care. Just play it, wipe it down, polish it once in a
while, and change the strings to keep the tone sounding good.
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