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THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE

TO BUYING AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Table of Contents 3 Introduction

How To Start Thinking About Your Search

5 Why a Good Guitar Matters 5 Why Your Search is Unique

6 Your Player Profile

Identifying Your Playing Needs Will Help You Narrow Your Search

8 10 Questions to Help You Define Your Player Profile 12 Bright vs. Dark Tone

14 Playing Comfort

How to Size a Guitar for Your Body and Hands

15 The Body 16 The Neck 18 5 Signs of a Quality Guitar

19 Finding Your Fit

Learn the Three Most Important Ingredients of a Guitar’s Sound

20 The Tone Equation: Your Map to the Right Guitar 21 Balancing the Tone Equation

22 Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101

Getting a Handle on a Guitar’s Features Will Make Your Search Easier

Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101 (cont.)

How a Guitar’s Components Work Together 23 24 25 26 27 29 30

The Front The Back Interior Bracing Steel-string vs. Nylon-string Aesthetic Appointments Plugging In: Acoustic Pickups

31 Body Shapes

How to Choose the Right Guitar Body

32 Guitar Body Types and Their Sound Profiles

Matching Bodies with Playing Applications 43 Cutaway or Non-Cutaway?

44 Tonewoods

Popular Guitar Woods and their Unique Tone Profiles

45 How Tonewoods “Flavor” a Guitar’s Voice 46 Hardwoods vs. Softwoods 47 Solid Wood vs. Laminate Construction 47 Why Solid Wood Guitars Sound Better with Age 49 Visual Tone Chart 50 Popular Back and Side Woods 51 The Classics: Rosewood, Mahogany & Maple 55 The Modern Alternatives: Ovangkol, Sapele 58 The Exotics: Koa, Macassar Ebony 61 Layered Woods 62 Top Woods 63 Spruce 65 Cedar 66 Hardwood Tops 67 Fretboard Woods

68 Acing the Shopping Experience

How to Find, Try and Buy the Right Guitar With Confidence

69 7 Tips for Finding a Great Dealer 71 Shopping Online: Pros & Cons 73 Financing Options 74 8 Tips for Test-Driving Guitars 77 In-Store Etiquette: Do’s and Dont’s 79 Bob Taylor’s Guitar Tips 81 Road Show & Find Your Fit Events

82 The Taylor Guitars Line

A Guided Tour of Taylor’s Model Selection

83 86 87 88 98 101 104 105

6 Things That Set the Taylor Experience Apart A Guide to Taylor Model Numbers The Taylor Line by Series Solid Wood Models Layered Wood Models Compact/Student/Travel Guitars Nylon-String Guitars Custom Options

107 A Guide to Guitar Terms

Learn the Lingo and Talk Like an Expert

108 Tone Talk: Acoustic Tone Terms Translated 110 Acoustic Guitar Parts Defined: An Index

The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

2

S E CT I O N

Introduction

1

• Why a Good Guitar Matters • Why Your Search is Unique

The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

3

Introduction

How This Guide Will Help You Find the Right Guitar There are a lot of guitar options out there. This guide will help you find the right guitar for your needs. Why does it matter? Because you won’t play the wrong guitar for long. That’s why a lot of people who take up the guitar don’t stick with it.

Here are 4 things this guide will reveal to lead you to the right guitar:

1

The essential qualities of a good guitar

2

The questions you need to ask yourself to narrow your search

3 4

How a guitar’s body shape and woods influence its sound

How to test-drive a guitar with confidence, even if you’re a beginner

“If you pick up a guitar and it says, ‘Take me, I’m yours,’ then that’s the one for you.” — Frank Zappa, from Zen Guitar

The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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Introduction

2 Key Thoughts to Guide Your Guitar Search 1

Investing in a good guitar makes a difference. As you explore your guitar options, you’ll find a wide range of features, price points and quality. Our advice: Buy the best guitar you can afford. If you’re a first-time guitar buyer, you might feel reluctant to invest in a “nice” guitar, either due to budget constraints or I’m Not Worthy Syndrome — the feeling that your playing level doesn’t justify it. We understand. But the truth is that a beginner will benefit the most from a well-made instrument. Here’s why: • You’ll sound better right away, even strumming basic chords. • The playing experience will be easier and more enjoyable. • You’ll be more inclined to stick with it. • You’ll improve more quickly. Nothing’s worse than a guitar that’s hard to play and won’t stay in tune. The good news is that quality guitars are available at different price points.

2

Like relationships, sometimes it’s about chemistry. Any good guitar should deliver certain fundamental qualities—playability, clear tone and good intonation, for example. But each person’s relationship with a guitar is unique. And it’s a multisensory experience — part visual, part tactile, and part sonic. Embrace it. Sometimes it’s love at first strum; other times a guitar reveals itself gradually over a few playing sessions. However it happens, what matters is that you find a guitar that inspires you. Take your time and trust your feelings. If you pay attention, the right guitar has a way of finding you.

Generally speaking, the stronger and louder the sound you’re looking for, the bigger guitar you’ll need.

The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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Identifying your playing needs will help you narrow your search

S E CT I O N

Your Player Profile

2

• 10 questions to help you define your player profile • General recommendations based on different playing styles • Bright vs. dark tone

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The Player

What’s Your Player Profile? This section is all about you. The guitar you choose should respond well to your playing style and other aesthetic preferences, both in terms of sound and looks. If you’re a beginner and don’t have a defined playing style yet, don’t worry. You can start by thinking about what your musical interests and goals might be.

“A guitar is a very personal extension of the person playing it. You have to be emotionally and spiritually connected to your instrument. I’m very brutal on my instruments, but not all the time.” Eddie Van Halen

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The Player

10 Questions to Help Define Your Player Profile 1

How will you be playing the guitar: fingerpicking, strumming, flatpicking, or a mix? This will help you decide whether you want a versatile performer or a guitar that suits a more specialized playing style.

2

Do you have a light picking/strumming attack, a heavy attack, or something in-between? This will help you focus on the right body style to accommodate the amount of energy you’ll be applying to the guitar. Generally speaking, the stronger and louder the sound you’re looking for, the bigger the guitar you’ll need. If you have a softer, more delicate attack: You need a guitar that will come alive in your hands without requiring too much attack. In general, smaller-body guitars require less energy to get the top moving and with a light touch will often be louder than a larger body shape. It’s a good option for fingerstyle players. If you have a heavier picking or strumming attack: Your playing style may overload a smaller guitar body. You’ll be better served with a full-bodied guitar that will respond to the high energy that comes from the strong pick attack. If you have a dynamic or hybrid playing style: You’re looking for versatility, and a medium-size guitar will usually get you there. You’ll be able to get an immediate response when you play lightly and a more powerful sound when you dig in. If you want an even wider dynamic range (one that offers more tonal output), try a bigger body size.

Generally speaking, the stronger and louder the sound you’re looking for, the bigger guitar you’ll need.

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The Player

3

Where will you be playing the guitar? If you’re looking for a couch strummer, you might want something that’s comfortable—probably with a smaller body that’s easy to cradle. If you’ll be playing with friends and want a good amount of acoustic volume without having to plug in, you’ll likely benefit from a bigger body. If you plan to play live gigs, you’ll definitely want a guitar with a pickup.

4

What style(s) of music do you want to play? Think of what type of sound you need to express that style or musical genre. A lively bluegrass picker or someone who plans to strum big, open cowboy chords might want a bigger body that’s capable of producing robust bass, volume and projection. A fingerstyle player might prefer a more responsive and articulate sound and lean toward a smaller body. Bluegrass/flatpicking: Dreadnought or other medium to large body for maximum volume and projection Country/Blues fingerpicking: Small to medium body Acoustic rock strumming: Medium-size body for rich open chords

“Guitar is the best form of self-expression I know.” Slash

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The Player

5

Are there certain tonal properties you have in mind, such as volume, richness, low-end response, warmth, etc.? If you have a certain sound profile in mind, this will help steer you toward both your body shape and tonewoods. Rosewood tends to emphasize the low end and high end of the musical spectrum; mahogany has a focused, meaty midrange presence. A cedar top produces warmth that really shines with fingerstyle playing. We’ll get into more of those tonal characteristics in the shapes and woods section. And if you don’t really know what you want, that’s okay. You’ll just want to sample some different options and pay attention to which ones sound and feel good to you. Bigger bodies: More bass response, volume, sustain Smaller bodies: More tonal clarity Different tonewoods: Distinctive tonal “flavors,” from rich and complex to controlled and focused

6

Will you be playing more often by yourself or with other players/instruments? By yourself: You might want a guitar that provides a more expansive sonic palette to give yourself a wider range of tonal colors to explore. With others: You might want a guitar that has enough clarity or volume to be heard clearly in the instrument mix.

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The Player

7

Will you be singing with your guitar? If so, you’ll want your guitar’s tonal personality to complement your voice. A rosewood guitar tends to create a nice pocket of space for vocals because it has a scooped midrange, which is the frequency range where the human voice sits. But it’s all about your voice and the guitar together. It might help to visit a music store at a time when you feel comfortable singing with the guitar or having access to an isolated room where you can pair your voice with each instrument. If you’re more of a solo instrumental player, does the guitar give you a colorful enough sonic palette with which to express yourself?

8

Are there guitarists whose style or tone you would like to emulate? You might want to embrace a similar body style or tonewood pairing. But not necessarily. You might actually need a different type of guitar to capture that sound.

9

Do you plan to play lead lines higher up the neck (toward the body)? If so, a guitar with a cutaway might be a good idea. It gives you access to more of the guitar’s upper register.

10

Do you plan to do any live performing or recording? If you want to plug in, you should buy a guitar with an onboard pickup. If you plan to record, think about the instrument mix that might be involved. If there will be multiple tracks, you might lean toward a smaller body guitar, since it will have a smaller sonic footprint. Sometimes a bigger, fuller guitar voice can take up too much space in the mix and cloud the clarity. And remember, when you record, pure acoustic volume typically isn’t as important because you can control the volume levels with your recording gear.

If you plan to play solo acoustic guitar, you might want a bigger or richer voice to give you a more dynamic range of expression. The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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The Player

Bright vs. Dark Guitar Tone A common descriptive trait with acoustic guitar tone is the degree of sonic brightness or darkness. This can come from your playing style or the tonewoods used on a guitar.

Bright guitar tone has a lot of top end, or treble emphasis.

Dark guitar tone has greater low end, or bass emphasis.

Bright Tone

Dark Tone

Bright tone can come from using thin picks or from where you strum the guitar in relation to the soundhole. The closer to the bridge you get, the brighter and thinner the attack will sound.

Dark tone can come from using heavier picks. They tend to cross the string with a darker “thud” sound, compared to the brighter “flap” of lighter picks. (In fact, the pick material and thickness have a major influence on your sound.) A player with a darker style sometimes wraps around the guitar body more, which pushes the strumming hand on top of, or in front of, the soundhole (closer to the neck). The closer to the neck you play, the darker and rounder your attack will sound. (Good guitarists know how to use these positioning nuances to add variety to their playing.)

If you have a bright playing style, you might aim for a guitar with a warmer sound to counterbalance the brightness. A larger body shape can also help by naturally adding some fullness to the low end to offset the brightness. Believe it or not, your posture can affect the degree of brightness or darkness of your playing. The more upright you sit, the more likely you’ll be to pull your shoulders back, causing you to strum farther back behind the soundhole (closer to the bridge).

To offset the round tone, you probably would be well served with a wood pairing like rosewood and spruce wood because of the added top-end clarity and tightening of the low end. What’s more, darker players tend to be softer players, in which case a small- to medium-size guitar body might respond better.

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The Player

Player Profile Recap: 4 Key Takeaways · Your playing technique is an important contributor to your overall sound · Look for a guitar with a body shape and tonewood combination whose sonic attributes are compatible with your playing style · If you’re a beginner and don’t really have a defined playing style, think about the type of music you would like to play · Your posture and where you pick or strum the guitar relative to the soundhole can influence the brightness or darkness of your guitar tone

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3 S E CT I O N

How to size a guitar for your body and hands

S E CT I O N

Playing Comfort

3

This section covers the two features of a guitar that will have the biggest impact on your playing comfort: • The Body • The Neck

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Playing Comfort

The Body Guitars come in a range of body sizes, from small and intimate to big and curvy. You’ll want to consider how a guitar’s overall body dimensions feel against your body when you hold it. Here are a few things to consider:

Do you plan to play sitting down or standing up? Most recreational players play sitting down. If so, how high does the guitar sit in your lap? The taper of the waist and the other contours of the body will influence how high the guitar sits in your lap. For example, a guitar with a wider waist will sit higher on a person.

How does the body feel with your picking/strumming arm draped over it? If you sit while you play, a big, curvy lower bout can push your strumming arm higher and cause discomfort. Can you play freely?

If you’re a woman, does the guitar body’s anatomy match up favorably with your own? Sometimes a guitar’s curves can interfere with your own, especially since you’ll be holding the guitar against your body. If so, a smaller body style might prove to be more comfortable.

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Playing Comfort

The Neck One of the most important contributors to a comfortable playing experience is the feel of the neck. The more comfortable a neck feels in your hands, the easier it will be to form notes and chords. You’ll also be less prone to experiencing hand fatigue with extended playing. Because the size of people’s hands can vary considerably, the feel of the neck is important. Here are 5 neck attributes that will influence the playability:

1

The Profile

2

The Width

This refers to the shape of the back of the neck, which will rest in the palm of your fretting hand when you play. Some guitars have chunkier profiles, while others feature slimmer dimensions. A slimmer profile tends to be easier to play.

This is typically measured at the nut, where the neck meets the headstock. The wider the neck, the wider the spacing between each string. • A narrower neck width, such as 1 11/16 inches, makes it easier to form barre chords. Players with small hands might prefer this. • A medium width, such as 1-3/4 inches, offers a balance of compact spacing with enough room to cleanly fret individual strings.

Nut

• A wider neck, such as 1-7/8 inches or even wider, might appeal to a predominantly fingerstyle player with bigger hands or longer fingers. Traditional classical guitars have very wide necks, usually of 2 or more inches.

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Playing Comfort

The Neck 3

Action

4

Intonation

5

This refers to how high above the fretboard the strings are. Guitars with lower action tend to be easier to fret. If the action is too low, the strings will buzz; if it’s too high, the strings require more pressure to fret, especially as you slide up the neck toward the body. If you’ve had a bad experience playing a cheap guitar, chances are it had high action and was hard to play.

When an instrument is properly intonated, all the open strings and every fretted note on the fretboard sound at their correct pitches. In other words, the instrument is in tune with itself all along the fretboard. This creates a pleasant, musical uniformity that makes the playing experience easier and more enjoyable, because you don’t have to play around any weak, off-pitch or “dead” spots on the fretboard.

Scale Length

Side view of neck (nut at left) showing action.

Saddle

Scale Length

Nut

This refers to the maximum vibrating length of the strings and is typically measured from the guitar’s nut to the saddle. Differences in scale length can affect the string tension (and as a result, the playability) as well as the guitar’s tone. For example, if two guitars with different scale lengths are strung with strings of the same gauge and then tuned to standard concert pitch, the guitar with the shorter scale length will have less string tension, which creates a slightly slinkier feel. This can make it easier to fret or bend strings. Different guitar manufacturers each have their own standard scale length specifications. On short-scale necks, not only is the string tension looser, but the more compressed spacing between the frets also makes it easier to reach more notes with your fingers. If you have small hands or suffer from any hand ailments, you should consider a short-scale guitar.

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Playing Comfort

5

Signs of a Quality Guitar

• It stays in tune • The neck is comfortable and easy to form chords • It has good intonation all the way up the neck • The sound is clear and consistent along the tonal spectrum • It produces a pleasing level of volume and sustain

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Learn the three most important ingredients of a guitar’s sound

S E CT I O N

Finding Your Fit

4

• How a simple “Tone Equation” will guide you toward the right guitar • How to identify your personal guitar playing profile • How different body shapes define a guitar’s basic sound • The unique sonic personalities of popular guitar tonewoods

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Finding Your Fit

Use This Tone Equation to Find a Guitar That Fits You When we talk about guitar tone, here’s a simple way of breaking down the three key ingredients that contribute to a guitar’s sound:

Player + Body Shape + Tonewoods = Your Guitar Sound These are the three most important variables that can change a guitar’s sound. Here’s why:

Player This is all about you and the nuances of how you play. Think of it this way: If a group of guitar-playing friends are hanging out and they pass around the same guitar, each playing a tune, chances are the guitar will sound a bit different in everyone’s hands, because of each person’s unique playing style.

Body Shape As mentioned earlier, different guitar body dimensions tend to produce distinctive tone profiles.

Tonewoods These sonically flavor or season the guitar’s sound. The next three sections will explore each of these key ingredients in depth.

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Finding Your Fit

Balancing the Tone Equation In terms of getting the best sound, the key is for you to choose a guitar with a body style and tonewoods that are most compatible with the way you play. For example, if you’re a lively acoustic rock strummer who likes big, long-sustaining chords, tonally speaking, a small-bodied guitar probably isn’t the best option for you because it won’t be able to handle that playing energy. You’ll probably want a bigger guitar, along with woods that produce rich sustain. In the next section, we’ll take a more in-depth look at each part of the tone equation to give you some options.

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Getting a handle on the material components of a guitar will give you a great foundation for differentiating models

S E CT I O N

Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101

5

• How a Guitar’s Components Work Together • The Front • The Back • Interior Bracing • Aesthetic Appointments • Pickups

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Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101

How a Guitar’s Components Work Together A guitar’s body serves as a natural sound box, or acoustic amplifier, for the vibrating strings. The string tension is adjusted by tuning each string to a certain frequency and by fretting the strings along the fretboard. When you pluck or strum the strings, the vibrational energy is transferred to the guitar’s top, or soundboard, with the help of the saddle and bridge, which anchor the strings to the top. The top vibrates together with the back and sides to produce sound, projecting it through the soundhole.

3

Design Ingredients That Influence a Guitar’s Sound

1

The Body Dimensions

2

The Woods Used

A guitar’s contours literally shape the fundamental voice of the guitar.

Each different species has its own unique tonal personality that helps “flavor” the sound.

3

The Internal Bracing This controls the movement of the top, back and sides, working in concert with the body shape and woods to voice the guitar.

Taylor guitar body interior view with the soundhole above. The internal bracing for the top, back and sides is visible.

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Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101

The Front For a more detailed explanation of the function of these components, see our index of guitar features beginning on page 110.

Lower bout

Upper bout Waist Rosette

Soundboard

Strings

Frets

Inlays

Truss rod cover

Fretboard

Nut

Peghead

Bridge Bridge pins Saddle Cutaway Soundhole Finish

Tuning machines

Pickguard

Sides Binding Purfling The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101

The Back

Back

Heel

Heel Cap

Neck

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Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101

Interior Bracing There’s often a lot going on under the hood to influence a guitar’s sound. The bracing is designed both to offer structural support in response to the string tension, while also optimizing the movement of the top, back and sides for tonal purposes. Bracing patterns may vary based on the body geometry or particular tonewoods used for a guitar.

Top Bracing

Back Bracing

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Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101

Steel-string Versus Nylon-string Guitars What are the main differences? Besides the strings themselves, the tone and playing experiences are different. A steel-string acoustic guitar has more string tension and tends to produce a louder, brighter sound with a lot more tonal sustain from the plucked or strummed strings. A nylon-string guitar has less string tension and produces a much mellower sound with a faster note decay (less sustain).

Which is better for a beginner? Many instructors suggest a nylon-string guitar because it’s easier for beginners with sensitive fingers to press down the strings to form chords. But you also should take into account the dimensions of the neck. Most classical-style (nylon-string) guitars have wider necks and other differences in the neck shape that can make it more challenging to form chords comfortably. A well-made steel-string guitar (like a Taylor) will be set up in a way that’s very comfortable for beginners, making it easier to form chords. In such a case, it may come down to which tone you prefer, or which style(s) of music you want to play.

Taylor 714ce Steel-string

Taylor 714ce-N Nylon-string

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Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101

Hybrid Nylon-String Options In the modern era, some guitar makers, Taylor included, offer crossover or hybrid nylon-string guitars that blend nylon’s tonal flavors with the familiar playing features of a steel-string guitar, including a slightly narrower neck, a cutaway, and onboard electronics. As a result, these nylon-string guitars are very comfortable for a steel-string player (or a beginner), whereas a traditional classical guitar could be a struggle to adapt to.

Can steel and nylon strings be used interchangeably on the same guitar?

Taylor 512ce Steel-string

Taylor 512ce-N Nylon-string

No, because the construction of each type of guitar, especially features like the internal bracing, is very different in order to accommodate the differences in tension between steel and nylon strings. Because nylon strings have less tension, nylon-string guitars are built and braced in a different, much lighter way. Putting nylon strings on a steel-string guitar wouldn’t produce enough tension (and energy) to activate the top and get a good sound. The strings would also be cramped, and the saddle would not be correct. Steel strings on a nylon-string guitar would add too much tension for the more delicately designed nylon-string guitar to handle and would end up damaging the guitar.

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Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101

Aesthetic Appointments A guitar’s cosmetic details reflect the builder’s design aesthetic. And yours.

From a guitar body’s curves to the look of exotic woods to its package of decorative appointments, the visual elements of a guitar undeniably play into our attraction to it. If you’re simply trying to find the best-sounding guitar for your preferences, you might pay less attention to these things, but for most

There are many options available, from clean and simple to detail-rich. If you like a vintage look, a sunburst top makes a great choice. If you crave an organic aesthetic, you might opt for wood inlays and bindings. If you like a splash of color and sparkle, abalone trim might be a good option. Here are some visual characteristics to consider:

people, a guitar’s visual aesthetic contributes to the way they perceive it. If the visual artistry enhances your appreciation of it, embrace it. After all, a guitar provides a multi-sensory experience.

Woods

Inlay Areas

Inlay Materials

Color variegation, grain pattern and orientation, figure

Fretboard, rosette, peghead

Wood, mother-of-pearl, abalone, ivoroid

Cocobolo

Body Bindings and Purflings

Fretboard

Rosette

Mother-of-pearl

Abalone

Finish

Color Treatments

Gloss, satin, matte

Sunburst, edgeburst, custom colors

Wood, ivoroid, plastic, etc.

Wood binding

Plastic binding

Gloss

Satin

Sunburst

Custom stain

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Acoustic Guitar Anatomy 101

Plugging In: Acoustic Pickups If you want to plug in and amplify your sound, a pickup is a feature worth considering. These days, many acoustic guitars come equipped with onboard pickups. Having one enables you to plug into an acoustic amp or PA system and enjoy an amplified acoustic sound. A pickup is also useful for plugging into a interface for recording software to record a “direct” track as an alternative to playing into a microphone. Even if you’re a beginner and don’t plan to plug in right away, it might be worth considering getting a guitar with a pickup for some point down the road.

Here are 3 other benefits of having a guitar with a pickup:

1

You have the ability to manipulate your sound.

2

You can incorporate other effects into your sound.

3

You can easily balance volume levels if you play with other instruments.

Some acoustic guitars equipped with electronics include onboard tone and volume knobs. These allow you to adjust the bass, midrange and treble levels of the guitar in an amplified setting, which gives you a broad range of acoustic colors to suit different songs or playing scenarios.

While you might not crave the heavy distortion or other crunchy effects often associated with a wailing electric guitar, adding effects like reverb, delay and other flavors gives you a whole new sonic palette with which to experiment.

As one gigging Taylor player shared, he regularly performs house concerts accompanied by a mandolin player. In an intimate setting, the natural acoustic volume of the mandolin overpowers that of his acoustic guitar. By plugging in, each can control his output level to create a clear and balanced sound together.

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Shape matters — discover the best shape for your playing preferences

S E CT I O N

Body Shapes

6

• Basic types of guitar bodies and their general sound profiles • A breakdown of body shapes made by Taylor Guitars for reference • The types of playing applications that match up well with each

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Body Shapes

Choosing a body shape is a good place to narrow your guitar search because a guitar’s physical dimensions are very tangible and play an important role in producing its fundamental sound. The guitar body should feel comfortable since your arms will be wrapped around it. A simple way to classify body shapes is in terms of overall size. Basically, think small, medium and large, plus a “sub-compact” size that’s scaled down for portability and to fit kids. Remember, in general, a smaller-size guitar will produce a more controlled voice with a smaller sonic footprint, while a bigger size translates into a louder, more substantial voice with more low-end presence. To provide examples of different guitar body shapes and their general sound profiles, we’ll be using Taylor’s five standard body styles.

L–R: 618e, 814ce The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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Body Shapes

Small Body

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Body Shapes

Small Body Taylor Shape:

Grand Concert (GC) General Sound Profile:

A Good Option For:

• Responsive to a lighter touch

• Fingerstyle players

• More focused, articulate, well-defined tone

• People with smaller frames or hands

• Fits well in a mix with other instruments

• Players who don’t need a super loud guitar

Taylor’s smallest full-size shape has compact dimensions all around, which make for a physically comfortable, lap-friendly playing experience. The Grand Concert’s slight waist and shallower body depth help produce a balanced sound across the tonal spectrum, with the kind of note definition that fingerstyle guitarists and session and stage players tend to appreciate. The smaller body also means the guitar’s voice won’t take up too much sonic space in a mix with other instruments.

Grand Concert 812ce

Taylor’s Grand Concert models feature a shorter scale length (24-7/8 inches compared to 25-1/2 inches on other models), which makes it easier to form chords, and the reduced string tension also makes it easier to bend the strings. This makes the GC a good match for people with smaller hands, older players, people with hand ailments, and really anyone looking to reduce the stress on their fretting hand.

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Body Shapes

Medium Body

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Body Shapes

Medium Body Taylor Shape:

Grand Auditorium (GA) General Sound Profile: A Good Option For: • Louder and more dynamic than a smaller body

• Generalists who want a great multi-purpose guitar

• Well balanced, with more bass response, sustain and projection

• Light to medium strummers

• A beginner who doesn’t know what • A versatile performer that they want accommodates a mix of playing styles The Grand Auditorium is the most popular and versatile of Taylor’s body shapes. The next size up from the Grand Concert, it actually shares the same basic body dimensions as a Dreadnought body (a traditional guitar shape), but with a more tapered waist, enabling the guitar to fit more comfortably in your lap. Tonally, it lives in the sweet spot between a Dreadnought—known for robust flatpicking and rhythmic strumming—and a Grand Concert—designed with fingerstylists in mind—to give players the best of both worlds. The GA’s well-defined midrange helps maintain the balance and clarity, yet with enough power on the top and bottom for medium-strength strummers and flatpickers to let loose. It’s a smart choice for a musician looking for one guitar to cover a diverse mix of music. If you’re a novice or generalist and want a guitar that can cover a lot of ground or don’t quite know what your playing style may be, you can’t go wrong with a Grand Auditorium.

Grand Auditorium 814ce

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Body Shapes

Medium Body Taylor Shape:

Grand Symphony (GS) General Sound Profile:

A Good Option For:

• Slightly bigger and louder than the Grand Auditorium

• Players with a strong strumming/picking style

• Powerful voice with strong bass response

• Acoustic/roots-rock players looking for a full-voiced sound

• Wide dynamic range

• Players with a dynamic (light to heavy) playing approach

The Grand Symphony’s dimensions are slightly up-sized from the Grand Auditorium—expansions include a higher and wider waist, and a bigger, more rounded lower bout. The result is a more potent all-around sound with a deeper, more piano-like bass, thicker trebles, and increased volume and low-end sustain, all without disrupting the tonal balance and clarity of the guitar. Consequently, the GS can really be driven dynamically. The lower mids have an extra roundness and girth that add richness and complexity to the voice. Those who find the Grand Auditorium to be a little bright for their ears will enjoy the greater depth and resonance of the GS.

Grand Symphony 816ce

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Body Shapes

Medium Body Taylor Shape:

Dreadnought (DN) General Sound Profile:

A Good Option For:

• Robust voice with low-end power and upper midrange

• Flatpickers and strummers with an aggressive picking attack

• Strong, clear treble notes

• Players who gravitate toward a traditional guitar sound & shape

• A neo-vintage voice for traditional flatpickers and strummers

• Playing acoustic leads that require strong, clear treble notes

This classic body is one of the most traditional and recognized shapes in the acoustic guitar world. Due to its wider waist, the Dreadnought tends to sit slightly higher in a player’s lap, making it feel more like a large body. (After all, its name comes from an early 20th century battleship). The extra width helps produce a loud, robust voice, especially on the low end, along with a snappy quality in the midrange that will appeal to traditional strummers and flatpickers. Its ability to handle a driving attack has given it something of a workhorse personality in the guitar world.

Dreadnought 810ce

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Body Shapes

Large Body

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Finding Body Shapes Your Fit

Large Body Taylor Shape:

Grand Orchestra (GO) General Sound Profile

A Good Option For

• A bold and complex voice

• Fans of big-bodied, big-voiced guitars

• Broad dynamic range with strong sustain

• Players looking for sonic depth and complexity

• Surprisingly balanced and responsive for a big body

• Players with a dynamic style

Among large guitar bodies, the Jumbo shape is perhaps the best known. Gibson borrowed the outline of its archtop electric guitars to create the footprint for their Jumbo acoustic shape in the late 1930s, and Guild also made a number of Jumbo-style guitars. For years, Taylor made its own version of a Jumbo. The shape evolved into our Grand Orchestra (GO). The new guitar dramatically improved the capabilities of a big-body guitar to make it a more versatile instrument.

Grand Orchestra 818ce

The GO is Taylor’s biggest, boldest, most complex-sounding body style. But what really distinguishes it from other big guitars is that it’s balanced from bottom to top—even the treble notes exude richness and power—and it responds to a light touch, rewarding players who have a dynamic playing style. If you crave a guitar sound that’s brimming with power and rich detail, the Grand Orchestra won’t disappoint. Driving flatpickers will love the deep growl and strong, clear highs. Solo performers will be inspired by the expansive palette of sonic colors and textures. Whether you plan to strum big, open cowboy chords or pluck lush fingerstyle arrangements, the Grand Orchestra gives you a versatile and expressive tool.

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Body Shapes

Sub-Compact & Travel

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Body Shapes

Sub-Compact/Travel Portability has always been part of the appeal of a guitar, and in recent years guitar makers have scaled down their designs even further to accommodate people’s active lives and their desire to have a guitar on hand when they travel. There is also a demand for guitars that are downsized to be more comfortable for children to play.

General Sound Profile:

A Good Option For:

• Baby Taylor: A more diminutive voice due to its 3/4-scale

• • •

• GS Mini: Surprisingly full-voiced due to optimized design features

Travelers, songwriters, and anyone looking for an extra portable guitar Couch strummers looking for a comfortable guitar Kids and players with small hands due to the shorter scale length

Baby Taylor

GS Mini-e Mahogany

Baby Taylor The ¾-size mini-Dreadnought offers impressive playability and musicality, broadening its identity beyond simply being a children’s guitar. It offers a legitimate musical instrument for players at every level. Adult players buy them for their kids but also embrace the Baby as a slide guitar, songwriting guitar, an alternate tuning guitar, etc. Its popularity helped establish the travel guitar category.

GS Mini Taylor’s next-generation version of a scaled-down guitar after the Baby Taylor was designed to create a bigger, richer guitar sound, yet still retain the compact feel of a travel-friendly guitar. The guitar borrowed from Taylor’s shapely Grand Symphony body style and incorporated many of Taylor’s latest design ideas. Right out of the gate, the guitar was major success, yielding a full-size voice in a comfortably intimate package that suited both an active lifestyle and relaxed couch strumming. More than 125,000 GS Mini models have been made.

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Body Shapes

Cutaway or Non-Cutaway? Some acoustic guitar bodies feature a cutaway on the treble-side upper bout of the guitar. This gives players greater access to the frets near the soundhole and broadens the playing range of the instrument.

Does a cutaway diminish the tonal output of the guitar? Not by much. Even though a cutaway does reduce the soundboard surface area and the overall air cavity inside a guitar, in reality, the part of the upper bout where a cutaway is located doesn’t vibrate as much as other areas of the guitar. The tonal output is affected more by the taper of the waist.

Which is better? Our opinion is that the access to the upper register offered by a cutaway far exceeds the negligible tone loss. If you want to be able to reach those high notes or simply like the aesthetic of a cutaway, go for it. If you don’t plan to venture that far up the neck, or simply prefer the aesthetic symmetry of a non-cutaway, opt for that.

Cutaway

Non-Cutaway

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Popular guitar woods and their unique tone profiles

S E CT I O N

Tonewoods

7

• How tonewoods “flavor” a guitar’s sound • Commonly used guitar woods and their unique tonal properties • The types of playing styles that match up well with each

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Tonewoods

How Tonewoods “Flavor” a Guitar’s Sound The types of tonewoods used for the top, back and sides of an acoustic guitar provide the core ingredients for its sound. The unique physical properties of each different species of wood— stiffness and density, for example — translate into different tonal personalities, meaning that different wood species will yield different degrees of bass, midrange, treble and overall sustain relative to each other. The techniques of a guitar builder, like the cooking techniques of a chef, play an important role in voicing the instrument. The way they “season” and mix their ingredients is intended to coax a pleasing blend of flavors from their creations.

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Tonewoods

Hardwoods vs. Softwoods Tonewoods are often separated into hardwood and softwood categories. Hardwood trees generally have a slower growth rate and higher density, while softwood trees tend to have a faster growth rate and lower density. The backs and sides of most acoustic guitars feature hardwoods. Some of the most popular are rosewood, mahogany, maple and koa. Softwoods, by comparison, are fairly lightweight but have a high tensile strength. That balance of lightness, strength and elasticity makes softwoods a popular choice for a guitar’s top, or soundboard. Such woods include spruce, cedar and redwood. Sitka spruce is far and away the most commonly used tonewood for guitar tops. It’s stiff in the right ways, yet also flexible, which helps produces a clear acoustic tone with good dynamic range and sustain. (Spruce, incidentally, is also used for soundboards on pianos and bowed instruments such as violins.) Some hardwoods, such as mahogany and koa, also can be used for guitar tops.

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Finding Your Fit Tonewoods

Solid Wood vs. Layered Wood Construction One of the distinguishing wood-related features among guitars is whether they are made from solid wood or laminated layers of wood (or other materials). Solid wood construction tends to convey a wood’s tonal spectrum in the fullest, most complex way, resulting in a superior sound. Solid wood guitars also tend to be more expensive to produce because of the material costs and because the wood must be sawn, kiln-dried, book-matched, and handled under climate-controlled conditions. Layered woods incorporate a plywood construction, usually with exterior and interior veneers and a middle core layer, and typically yield a slightly less complex tone. Among the benefits of layered wood guitars are: • Affordability • The ability to use visually exotic wood veneers to add aesthetic appeal • Stability within changing climate (humidity) conditions If you’re on a budget, a guitar with layered wood back and sides can be a good option if the guitar is well made.

Why Solid Wood Guitars Sound Better with Age One of the interesting characteristics of a well-made solid-wood guitar is that, if it’s properly cared for, its sound will improve with age. Guitarists often talk about the need to give a new guitar some “play-in” time to allow the sound to open up. Initially, the woods used for a guitar tend to have a certain degree of inherent stiffness — they aren’t used to vibrating under the tension of strings. But through the playing process, the woods become more relaxed and broken in. (Think of the way a stiff new pair of jeans becomes softer with extended wear.) The natural aging process also contributes to this, changing the cell structure of the wood over time as its sugar content naturally crystallizes. It makes the wood less resistant to motion, and as a result, a played-in or aged guitar will often be more resonant and responsive to a player’s touch. Certain hardwoods with a higher density tend to take a bit longer to open up. Koa comes to mind. But as a guitar goes through this process, the sound tends to get warmer, richer and sweeter. This is one reason why vintage guitars often have an appealing sonic character associated with them. That’s also why comparing a new guitar to an old guitar, even if they both incorporate the same woods and construction methods, often isn’t a fair comparison. This is also why a quality guitar will tend to hold its value well over time. It wears in rather than out!

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Tonewoods

Comparing Tonewood Sound Profiles Ahead we’ve compiled general sound profiles for some of the commonly used woods in the acoustic guitar industry. The more you get into the realm of boutique builders and individual guitar makers, the more you’ll find other exotic species, some of which you’ve probably never even heard of. These tone profiles are merely meant to be a general reference, especially since other variables factor into the overall tone of a guitar, things like: • The climate conditions that shaped a particular tree’s growth patterns • The interaction of the top wood with the back and side woods • The guitar’s body dimensions • Bracing and other construction nuances • Your playing style and ear While modern technology has brought high levels of production consistency to guitars (especially at Taylor), each individual guitar ultimately is crafted from a different set of tonewoods, which means that each will often present its visual and sonic character in slightly different unique ways. The proof, we like to say, is in the playing. And that’s all part of the fun of sampling guitars — tuning in to the unique character traits of each. Like food, it often comes down to your personal tastes.

“The guitar is a small orchestra. It is polyphonic. Every string is a different color, a different voice.” Andres Segovia

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Tonewoods

Tone Chart One of the most common ways to describe a wood’s tonal properties is in terms of its frequency range, which is often broken down into low-end frequencies, midrange and high-end frequencies. Picture it as a visual spectrum, as we’ve done in the chart to the right, with the lower frequencies on the left and the higher frequencies on the right. The graph line for each wood visually depicts its general tonal range. Rosewood and ovangkol, for example, tend to resonate with more low-end frequencies, whereas koa and maple tend to sound brighter from having more top-end frequencies. Note also rosewood’s “scooped” mid- range and ovangkol’s fuller midrange. The dotted lines for koa denote the expansion of low-end frequency range as the guitar opens up after a period of playing it.

Low Frequency

Midrange Frequency

High Frequency

Mahogany Rosewood Maple Koa Ovangkol Sapele Macassar Ebony

The chart is only meant to provide a general reference for wood tones relative to each other. Keep in mind that this is not based on any scientific measurement of frequencies and is based on our collective—and subjective— experiences with these woods. Acoustic tone will always occupy some gray area, based on the uniqueness of each set of wood and other variables.

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Tonewoods

Back and Side Woods The Classics

Rosewood, Mahogany and Maple

The Modern Alternatives Ovangkol, Sapele

The Exotics Koa, Macassar Ebony

Layered Woods Laminate construction with an appealing outer veneer

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Tonewoods

The Classics

These tonewoods claim a rich heritage in the acoustic guitar world: Indian Rosewood Tropical Mahogany Maple

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Tonewoods

Indian Rosewood Tonal Properties • A rich, musical tone with ringing overtones that add complexity and sustain • Broad frequency range with deep lows, bell-like highs, and a slightly scooped midrange • One of the most enduring and popular tonewoods

Consider rosewood if: You crave a rich, “high-fidelity,” acoustic voice with strong bass and treble, complex overtones, and plenty of sustain. Rosewood is a very versatile tonewood, so it matches up well with a wide range of playing styles.

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Tonewoods

Tropical Mahogany Tonal Properties • Its tonal character comes through its meaty midrange, featuring a strong fundamental focus often described as “punchy,” “woody,” or “dry,” without a lot of ringing overtones • Has a more controlled response that responds well to a strong playing attack; it can help even out the harshness of a heavy strummer • Clear and direct tonal character makes it a great option for playing with other instruments • Sometimes referred to as an earthy, low-fi sound in contrast to rosewood’s richer, high-fidelity characteristics • Mahogany guitars have been featured on many roots music recordings over the years, from country blues to folk to rock

Consider mahogany if: You like a clear, direct tone with a lot of midrange, rootsy character. It’s a good guitar wood to try if you’re not sure what tonal personality you want. Its controlled response makes it a forgiving wood for beginner-level players.

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Tonewoods

Maple Tonal Properties • Revered in the bowed instrument world for centuries for its linear, transparent response; very reflective of the player rather than imposing its own personality • Traditionally known for having a clean, bright and focused tone, with a quick attack and fast note decay that cuts through a mix well • Taylor’s maple guitars were revoiced to produce more warmth, complexity, volume, sustain, responsiveness and overall versatility, while retaining maple’s naturally clear qualities

Consider maple if: You want a great all-around wood that can respond well to a variety of different playing styles. Keep in mind that Taylor has voiced its maple guitars to produce greater warmth, complexity and sustain. With other acoustic guitar brands, maple tends to have a brighter sound with less warmth or sustain.

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Tonewoods

The Modern Alternatives

These tonewoods are lesser known than their classic counterparts but have similar tone profiles: Sapele Ovangkol

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Tonewoods

Sapele Tonal Properties • Alternative to mahogany, with extra top-end sparkle • Consistent and balanced output across the tonal spectrum • Compatible with a diverse range of playing styles

Consider sapele if: You want a versatile-sounding guitar with good clarity and overall balance. It does everything that mahogany does, with a little more top end. Because it doesn’t have as established a heritage as mahogany, sapele guitars tend to be a more affordable option.

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Tonewoods

Ovangkol Tonal Properties • African relative of rosewood, sharing many tonal qualities including a wide tonal spectrum from lows to highs • Slightly fuller midrange a treble than rosewood, resembling koa • Popular choice among players at every level

Consider ovangkol if: You like the sound of rosewood with a little more midrange. Ovangkol’s versatility makes it a great choice for a wide range of playing styles. And because it’s a lesser known wood than rosewood, an ovangkol guitar may be available at a more affordable price point.

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Tonewoods

The Exotics

These tonewoods are admired for their striking looks as well as their musical properties: Hawaiian Koa Macassar Ebony

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Tonewoods

Hawaiian Koa Tonal Properties • Prized for its exotic visual appeal; guitar sets are often beautifully figured • Fairly dense tropical hardwood that shares some of the same tonal properties as mahogany, i.e., namely a strong midrange but with extra top- end brightness and chime • The more a koa guitar is played and the wood ages, the warmer and sweeter its voice gets

Consider koa if: You’re inspired by the visual appeal of exotic looking woods and crave midrange tones with a little extra top-end brightness. And remember, a koa guitar will age gracefully, rewarding you with a sound that improves with time.

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Tonewoods

Macassar Ebony Tonal Properties • Dense hardwood produces a clear, focused sound with good projection and volume • Strong bass and lower mids, clear highs, and a slightly scooped midrange like rosewood • Rich overtones complement slower, softer playing • Also responds well to aggressive playing

Consider Macassar ebony if: You’re either a fingerstyle player who savors rich, lingering overtones or have a strong picking/strumming attack and crave a strong, clear sound. With the right body shape, Macassar can accommodate a wide array of playing styles.

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Tonewoods

Layered Woods

Crafting guitars with backs and sides of layered, or laminated, woods allows us to conserve tonewood resources (a veneer log will produce eight times the yield of a log that’s sawn for solid-wood guitar sets) and offer players a resilient, affordable and because of Taylor’s building techniques, a great-sounding instrument. Taylor’s laminated construction features three layers of wood, incorporating a middle core of poplar with a veneer on each side. The process allows us to bend an arch into the back of the guitar for added strength, and together with the layered approach, produces a durable guitar that travels well and holds up better to fluctuating humidity conditions. Between the all-wood layers, solid-wood soundboard, and signature Taylor construction techniques, players can expect a full spectrum of acoustic sound. Note: All laminates are not created equal. At Taylor, we’ve actually moved away from using the term “laminate” to avoid confusion with the growing number of laminate products in the marketplace made from synthetic, non-wood materials such as High Pressure Laminate. The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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Tonewoods

Top Woods A guitar’s top, or soundboard, is a vital part of its tonal equation. It’s the first filter and generator of sound from the vibrating string energy. The top resonates together with the strings, saddle, bridge and the rest of the body to produce a complex range of tones. Think of the top as the equivalent of a speaker driver.

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Tonewoods

Sitka Spruce Tonal Properties • The most commonly used wood for tops because it’s light and stiff in the right ways, especially when quartersawn • Its lighter weight gives the top the freedom to move, which helps translate the player’s picking or strumming into clear acoustic tone • Generates a broad dynamic range • Accommodates numerous playing styles, from aggressive strumming to light fingerpicking

Goes well with: Virtually every playing style. If you have an extremely aggressive strumming or picking style, you might consider Adirondack spruce. If you have an especially light touch or play fingerstyle, cedar is a good alternative.

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Tonewoods

Adirondack Spruce Tonal Properties • Once commonly used for guitar tops but currently limited in availability • Produces a robust output and has a higher volume ceiling than Sitka, allowing it to be driven more aggressively for greater volume without distortion • The midrange tones tend to have a slightly richer, sweeter quality

Goes well with: Players with a very strong attack who crave maximum tonal output without overdriving the guitar.

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Tonewoods

Western Red Cedar Tonal Properties • Less dense than spruce • Its relative softness adds warmth to a guitar’s tone, especially for players with a lighter touch, like fingerstylists or light to moderate strummers and pickers • Players with a stronger attack are often better paired with spruce • Cedar pairs well with nylon-string models because of its responsiveness to the strings, which produce less overall energy than a steel-string guitar

Goes well with: Fingerstyle players and players with a light picking or strumming touch who crave a warm, responsive sound.

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Tonewoods

Hardwood Tops A hardwood-top guitar, such as an all-koa or mahogany-top model, produces a natural compression, so it won’t yield as quick a response as a spruce-top guitar will. There tends to be more of a controlled, sustaining “roll-in” effect to a note. • A mahogany-top guitar will produce strong fundamentals, with clear and direct focus • Its natural tonal compression will help even out the response of an aggressive strummer • An all-koa guitar will sound similar to mahogany but with a touch more shimmer and chime in the upper register because of its slightly denser nature • Players with a strong picking or strumming can often “dig in” on a hardwood top guitar without overdriving it

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Tonewoods

Fretboard Woods True to its name, a guitar’s slotted fretboard hold the frets in place. In the acoustic guitar world, ebony is widely used due to its density. At Taylor we use ebony for all of our fretboards because it holds frets extremely well and its density provides resilience in the face of the rigors of fretting the strings. Some guitar makers use rosewood fretboards (even more so in the electric guitar world), but because it has a lower density we find it to be less resilient than ebony. Inexpensive guitars sometimes incorporate fretboards made of Richlite, a composite material.

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How to find, try and buy the right guitar with confidence

S E CT I O N

Acing the Shopping Experience

8

• How to Find a Quality Guitar Dealer • The Pros & Cons of Shopping Online • Financing as a Buying Tool • Test-Driving Tips at a Guitar Store • In-Store Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts

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Acing the Shopping Experience

7

Tips for Finding a Quality Dealer

Buying an acoustic guitar from a brick-and-mortar music store is ideal for many customers for a simple reason: It lets them play, feel and compare actual models. That tangible playing and listening experience can be invaluable. Plus, a good store will have a knowledgeable staff that can help. Here are 7 tips for finding a quality guitar dealer:

1

Ask around.

2

Visit stores.

Find out where other local musicians buy their gear. Between traditional word-of-mouth recommendations and small business review sites like Yelp, you should be able to get a sense of which stores are popular and why.

You can usually get a good sense of the vibe and philosophy of a store and its staff by spending time there. Even if you feel a little intimidated because you’re not a gear expert, if it’s a good store, the staff should make you feel comfortable there. For more tips, see our section, “8 Tips for Test-Driving Guitars.”

If it’s a good store, the staff will make you feel comfortable there.

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Acing the Shopping Experience

3

Look for authorized dealers.

4

Look for a healthy guitar selection.

5

Check the store’s return policy.

6

Visit the store’s website.

7

Check their involvement with the local community.

Especially if you’re interested in particular brands, authorized dealers for those brands will tend to have a strong model selection and product knowledge. They’ll also be more inclined to feature in-store events sponsored by guitar manufacturers. For example, Taylor’s Road Show events are presented at Authorized Taylor Dealers around the world. You can find a list of authorized dealers on most guitar companies’ websites.

A great dealer will carry a broad array of guitar brands and models at different price points. It makes the store a more appealing destination point and gives you more options to compare. The best-performing dealers always stock a robust selection of models.

A good dealer wants a happy, long-term customer, and its return and other service policies will help you gauge their level of customer support.

While a slick website isn’t a sure sign of a great dealer, the website gives you a basis for how the store operates and engages with customers. Many share their history and story there, and a good dealer will usually feature up-to-date product information on their site.

If you want to support your local independent businesses, find out how the store interacts with the local music scene, either through their lesson program, sponsored events, etc.

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Acing the Shopping Experience

Shopping Online — Pros & Cons Nothing beats a hands-on, in-store playing experience, but a good online retailer can offer access to broader model selection. If you’re reading this, you know there are lots of online resources available for researching guitars. You can find everything from photos and specs to video demos to customer reviews and guitar forum discussions among enthusiasts. There has also been a rise in the number of online retailers who sell new guitars. Let’s set aside the category of used guitars and websites like eBay and Craigslist for the moment and focus exclusively on buying a new guitar from a music instrument retailer.

Buying a Taylor Online Taylor Guitars is well known for having a high level of manufacturing consistency. Consequently, many people feel comfortable purchasing a Taylor online. While we continue to be major advocates of the in-store experience, we also sell through a network of Taylor Online Preferred Dealers. These dealers have committed to serving the online community with high standards of Taylor guitar selection, product knowledge, customer satisfaction and professionalism. You can find our Online Preferred Dealers at: www.taylorguitars.com/dealers/online

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Acing the Shopping Experience

Here are a few considerations for shopping online: Consistent quality breeds consumer confidence. One of the obvious challenges of buying a new acoustic guitar sight unseen and sound unheard is exactly that: You don’t get to play and experience the unique nuances of a particular guitar. But as the modern manufacturing methods of some companies have brought more consistency to guitars, people have grown more comfortable buying online. If you’re considering this, be sure to find out what an online retailer’s return policy is. They may also offer attractive financing options.

Online retailers often offer expanded model selection. Depending on the music stores in your general area, you might not have access to the model selection you want. A good brick-and-mortar retailer understands the value of a robust selection, but online retailers usually have the ability to offer an expanded inventory. If you’re interested in a specific model and a local dealer doesn’t have it, many are willing to order it for you, but online retailers can be a good outlet, with a quick shipping turnaround.

If you plan to buy online, look for reputable retailers who are authorized dealers for the brand you want. They will tend to have the best selection, their staff will typically be knowledgeable about the product specs for the brands they sell, and they generally offer helpful customer support.

If you’re interested in a specific model and a local dealer doesn’t have it, many are willing to order it for you.

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Acing the Shopping Experience

Financing as a Buying Tool Financing a guitar purchase may allow you to “step up” to the guitar you really want. Here’s some advice on how financing can work for you. Given the broad range of guitar price points (from a couple hundred to thousands of dollars), a big question for many customers, especially beginning players, is how much to spend. Should you buy one of those inexpensive player packs? Would you be happier saving and buying a mid-level instrument with better features at a higher price point? Should you consider financing to nab that special guitar you can’t seem to put down before someone else claims it?

Here are 4 tips as you consider your budget and financing options:

1

You’re not just investing in a guitar; you’re investing in yourself. You’ve probably heard the expression, “Buy nice or buy twice.” Beginners or recreational players will sometimes find a guitar that they love but think, “How can I justify spending the money? I’m not that good a player.” But do you want to be? A good guitar will help get you there. Even if you’re on a budget, try not to skimp on fundamental qualities like playability, intonation, and sound. If you do, you might end up with a guitar that never gets played or hampers your progress.

2

Financing can help you take home The One. Some guitar manufacturers offer interest-free financing through participating authorized dealers. Ask a dealer what their layaway or financing options are. If you’re really interested in a guitar, a good dealer should be willing to work with you to help you secure it. Using a combination of money saved and financing can also be a good option.

3

Financing can allow you to buy other gear to go with your new guitar. If you’re also looking into picking up a PA system, amplifier, accessories, etc., an interest-free financing program can help.

4

A good guitar will sound better over time. This is one of the unique pleasures of a well-crafted instrument. This should give you some additional peace of mind as you consider a purchase. It means that if for some reason you need to sell the guitar down the road—possibly to upgrade to a better guitar—it will tend to hold its value well.

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Acing the Shopping Experience

8

Tips for Test-Driving Guitars

If you’re fairly new to the guitar, going to a music store can feel a little overwhelming. But a good music store knows how to create a welcoming environment, and if you’re thinking about buying a guitar, you’re the one in the driver’s seat. With a little planning, “test-driving” guitars should be a fun experience. Here are 8 tips to help you get the most out of your visit to a music store.

1

Have an idea of what you plan to play. Thinking about which riff/chord pattern/or song you want to play ahead of time will help you properly audition each guitar. And if you have a certain type of pick you like, don’t forget to bring it with you.

2

Most music stores have a dedicated acoustic room. Use it. If you can, go on a weekday morning or another off-peak time when the store is less busy. Privacy and time alone with an instrument will allow you to feel uninhibited and relaxed, which in turn will let your ears and hands hear and feel a guitar’s nuances more naturally.

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3

Play the same thing on every instrument.

4

Isolate the particular features you want to compare.

5

Take notes.

6

Use your phone to record yourself.

Some guitars feel perfect for fingerpicking. Others make barre chords almost effortless. Some are so smooth you can solo for hours. Ultimately, let the guitar take you where it wants to. But it helps to demo each guitar the same way. If you know how to play, strum some chords (using the same pick each time), play a single-note melody, fingerpick. These three different approaches will allow you to assess the guitar’s versatility.

Limiting the variables between two guitars makes it easier to decide which you prefer. If you want to compare different tonewoods, play models with the same body style to lend consistency to that part of the equation. Or if you want to compare different body shapes, play models that have the same wood pairings. That way, you’ll get a better idea of what is responsible for those tonal differences.

It might sound nerdy, but writing down what you hear and what you like about a guitar really helps when trying out instruments. After playing three guitars you might find yourself asking, “Wait, which one was brighter? Which one had the wider neck? Which one felt good against my body?” Take notes and refer back to them. This will especially come in handy if you visit a store on different occasions and want to refer back to your previous playing sessions.

Your phone’s Voice Memo app can be a really useful tool for comparing the tone profiles of different instruments. It’s like having a second set of ears, and it captures the sound of each instrument from a different listening perspective. Just be sure to position the phone in the same spot to have a consistent source point for your evaluation.

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7

Make friends with the sales person.

8

Take your time.

A good sales person is interested in building a lasting relationship with customers. Even if you buy a guitar the first time you walk into a store, they know that you’ll be more likely to come back if you have a good experience. If you’re just looking, it’s okay to say, “I’m just looking. No plans to buy today.” That will help put everyone at ease and allow you to feel that the salesman is working for you, not for your money.

Your 30-minute lunch break isn’t enough time to shop for a guitar. Instead plan to spend at least an hour or more in a music store. You want to look, play, make notes and ask questions without being hurried. And don’t feel like you need buy the first time you walk in, although, if you find what you want, go for it. In your ensuing visits, try the same (and other) instruments every time. Even if you aren’t looking to make a purchase, this will get you in the habit of being comfortable in the store, getting a feel for different instruments, and slowly educating yourself about guitars in general. The more test-driving experience you have, the more discerning you’ll become.

You want to look, play, make notes and ask questions without being hurried. And don’t feel like you need buy the first time you walk in.

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In-Store Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts Here’s how to act like a good customer in a store.

DON’T: Lean a guitar against the wall or amp.

DO: Use a guitar stand or hanger.

DON’T: Start using advanced percussive guitar techniques on a new,

vintage or really any guitar.



DO: Tell the salesperson you are interested in



modern percussive techniques and ask their opinion on any given guitar’s compatibility with these concepts.

DON’T: Ask to borrow a pick and then put it in your mouth (ew), do a pick

scrape, and walk out of the store with that pick in your pocket.



DO: Bring your own pick(s).

DON’T: Plug into an amp and crank it all the way up when there are lots

of other customers around.



DO: Ask if there is an isolated room where you



can crank up without disturbing others.

DON’T: Plug (or unplug) into an amp that is already turned on with the

volume up.



DO: Flip the amp’s “stand-by” switch and turn



the volume down (amp and guitar) before you plug in.

DON’T: Leave amps on when you’re finished.

DO: Turn amps off when you’re finished.

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In-Store Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts

DON’T: Sample a guitar with a heavy hand. Remember, you don’t own it yet.

DO: Be respectful of the instrument.

DON’T: Change the guitar to a different tuning to play it and then leave the guitar in that tuning when you are finished. DO: Return the guitar to standard tuning when you are done.

DON’T: Play a guitar with dirty hands.

DO: Wash your hands before playing.

DON’T: Wear a big belt buckle. It could damage the guitar. This goes for

big zippered/buckled/buttoned jackets as well.



DO: Wear clothes that won’t leave marks on



DON’T: Be afraid to ask “dumb” questions. Salespeople truly are there

to help.

DO:

Listen to thoughtful answers to your questions. And trust your own feelings toward a guitar as you play. No one will know better than you what feels and sounds right.

the back of the guitar.

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Bob Taylor’s Guitar Buying Tips Taylor Guitars co-founder Bob Taylor answers four common questions about finding and caring for the right guitar.

1

What advice would you give someone in their guitar search? Try to define what you want the guitar to do for you. Is it a one-time purchase to solve all your guitar needs, or is a guitar to fit a particular musical style, desire or application? Many people own 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 strumming. It’s often easier if you try not to make each guitar solve every musical problem, especially if you already know you need more than one guitar.

2

How will I know when I find the right guitar? Sometimes this is easy, sometimes this is hard. Try not to second-guess a feeling when you feel you’ve found the right one. All too often a person laments the one that got away. When a guitar inspires you in a way that you know is right, act on it.

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3

How will an acoustic guitar’s sound change over time? It will develop more clarity, depth and 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, a guitar gets worn cosmetically, but the tone just improves.

4

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 experience, it’s the long, slow lack of humidity that does more damage than anything else. Store your guitar in its case rather than displaying it in your living room or music room, unless you are controlling the humidity in those rooms. Between 45 and 55 percent relative humidity is ideal. If necessary, use a soundhole humidifier 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 periodically to keep the tone sounding good.

Taylor Digital Hygrometer

In our experience, it’s the long, slow lack of humidity that does more damage than anything else.

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The Taylor Guitars Road Show Another great resource to help you learn more about acoustic guitars is the award-winning Taylor Guitars Road Show. These are fun and informative in-store events presented at the music stores of authorized Taylor dealers across North America and around the world. The events are free, and all are welcome. At our Road Shows, a guitar expert from the Taylor sales staff is joined by a Taylor product specialist in a lively interactive presentation that helps guests better understand what sets a Taylor apart and the differences between different types of guitars. One of the best parts is that the Road Shows feature playing demonstrations that help you hear the tonal differences being discussed.

Here’s what you can expect:

Find Your Fit Events In addition to Road Shows, our staff offers an even more personalized approach to helping customers with our Find Your Fit events. These are personal one-on-one in-store consultations. Just schedule an appointment and a Taylor expert will talk with you about your playing style, musical interests, and goals, and then recommend a guitar body shape and wood pairings that best match your needs. They’ll also answer any questions you have. And if you’re not sure where to begin, they’ll help you understand the basics. You’ll find a current listing of Find Your Fit events here: taylorguitars.com/events/find-your-fit

• A playing demo to show how guitar shapes and woods affect tone • Helpful tips on how to find the right guitar for your particular needs • A chance to test-drive the latest Taylor models • The opportunity to ask questions

Our staff is super friendly and genuinely loves helping people find a guitar that will inspire them for years to come. You’ll come away with a much better understanding of what to look for in a guitar, and have a great time in the process. For the latest Taylor Road Show tour dates, visit taylorguitars.com/events/road-show

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How a Taylor contributes to a great playing experience

S E CT I O N

The Taylor Guitars Line

9

• 6 Things that set Taylor apart • A guide to Taylor model numbers • The Taylor line by series • Additional model options

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Why a Taylor? We all crave an instrument that inspires us. That’s why people love picking up a Taylor. It puts inspiration within reach of anyone, anytime, from beginners to pro musicians. For years, Bob Taylor and his development team have worked painstakingly to remove the obstacles to a good playing experience—tuning issues, high action, murky tone, and lack of serviceability, among others.

Here are 6 things that set the Taylor experience apart:

1

Manufacturing Precision

2

Superb Playability

3

Clear, Balanced Tone

Led by Bob Taylor, our world-class operation has set the standards for modern-day, precision guitar craftsmanship. The result is industry-leading consistency in the build quality of our guitars.

Our patented NT (new technology) neck design delivers exceptional playability and spot-on intonation. The neck assembly process allows us to control the neck angle’s accuracy to .001 inch, which also makes micro-adjustments easy throughout the entire life of the guitar. It’s the best neck/body attachment in the industry.

Taylor guitars are known for their overall clarity and balance across the tonal spectrum. The clear articulation makes our guitars easy to record and mix with other instruments in the studio and on stage.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

4

Model Options The Taylor product line gives players a rich musical palette to explore. Beyond our robust selection of acoustic models, we’ve built additional flexibility into our line with an array of standard model options, while our extensive Custom program makes designing your dream guitar a convenient reality.

5

Service & Support

6

Sustainability

We take pride in providing personalized customer service every step of the way, whether you need help choosing a guitar or taking care of it. From our friendly and knowledgeable staff to our network of repair technicians, we want to provide you with a lifetime of great Taylor service.

When customers purchase a Taylor guitar, they are supporting the highest levels of ethical, eco-conscious business. Bob Taylor has applied innovative thinking to support the sustainable use of tonewoods for generations to come. Our manufacturing methods are designed to reduce waste and maximize the amount of usable wood yielded from each tree harvested. We’ve also partnered with environmental groups and local communities around the world to create pioneering programs that serve as healthy models for responsible forestry. We’ve embraced alternative woods with sustainable growth cycles. We’ve gone beyond simply complying with environmental laws to assume an industry-wide leadership role in the way we source and purchase wood.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

The Taylor Line at a Glance

Grand Concert (GC) - 812e

How to easily navigate our selection of model offerings Below is the basic framework of our guitar line. This should help you navigate through our options. We’ll also explain how our model naming structure works. Grand Auditorium (GA) - 814e

Choose from Five Body Shapes From smallest to largest:

Grand Concert (GC) Grand Auditorium (GA) Grand Symphony (GS) Dreadnought (DN) Grand Orchestra (GO) Note: Two offerings from our Travel category are scaled-down versions of existing shapes. The Baby Taylor is a 3/4-size Dreadnought. The GS Mini is a smaller version of the Grand Symphony.

Grand Symphony (GS) - 816e

Dreadnought (DN) - 810e

Taylor Guitars By Series The full-size guitar models in our line are organized by series, featuring the 100 through 900 Series, along with our Presentation (PS) and Koa (K) Series. The models within most series share the same wood pairings and appointment packages, and are offered in a variety of body shapes. In general, the higher the series, the more premium the guitar features are.

Grand Orchestra (GO) - 818e

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Understanding Taylor’s Acoustic Model Numbers Taylor acoustic models are organized within about a dozen different series.

The majority of Taylor’s acoustic guitars are offered in three model variations: • Cutaway body with onboard electronics (e.g., 814ce) • Non-cutaway body with onboard electronics (e.g., 814e) • Non-cutaway body with no onboard electronics (e.g., 814)

Here’s how our model numbering system works: The first digit (or letter) identifies the Series. All guitar models within each series share the same back and side woods and appointment package. The second digit typically indicates whether the guitar is a 6-string (1) or a 12-string (5). For example, a 12-string Grand Symphony in the 600 Series would be a 656ce. The second digit can also identify a model that features a hardwood top (2). For example, within the Taylor Koa (K) Series, the K22ce is a six-string Grand Concert with a koa top. If it’s a 12-string with the same top as the back and sides, 6 is used instead of 5. (A 12-string koa/spruce GS would be a K56ce; with a koa top it becomes a K66ce.)

614ce

Indicates a model with a cutaway

Indicates a model with onboard electronics The third digit identifies the body shape according to this numbering system: 0 = Dreadnought (e.g., 610ce) 2 = Grand Concert (e.g., 612ce) 4 = Grand Auditorium (e.g., 614ce) 6 = Grand Symphony (e.g., 616ce) 8 = Grand Orchestra (e.g., 618ce)

Taylor nylon-string models are integrated into the 200-900 Series and are designated by the letter “N” at the end of the model name. For example, a nylon-string Grand Auditorium with a cutaway and electronics within the 600 Series is a 614ce-N. The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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The Taylor Guitars Line

Guitars by Series Here’s a basic breakdown of the distinguishing features of each series in descending order, starting with our ultra-premium offerings and ending with our most affordable options.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

All Solid Wood Series One of the hallmarks of a premium acoustic guitar is the use of solid wood for the back, sides and top.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

Presentation Series Back/Sides: Macassar Ebony Top: Sitka Spruce The entrancing appeal of Taylor’s Presentation Series begins with richly striped Macassar ebony back and side sets, paired with top-shelf Sitka spruce that boasts consistently even grain structure. Each guitar demands the highest levels of craftsmanship, and it shows in the harmony of intricate appointments that adorn them. Ebony binding flares smoothly into a contoured armrest that heightens playing comfort, while paua inlay artistry adds elegant sparkle to the fretboard, bridge and body. Each model we make renews our commitment to a detail-rich design aesthetic.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

Koa Series Back/Sides: Hawaiian Koa Top: Hawaiian Koa Hawaiian koa’s evocative natural beauty is unparalleled, especially the figured sets we select for our Koa Series. Our models showcase koa’s rich character upfront with a koa top (Sitka spruce and cedar are available as options), and the overall aesthetic is enhanced with a shaded edgeburst finish on the top, back, sides and even neck. An all-wood appointment package features our fluid Island Vine fretboard/headstock inlay in maple and blackwood, with Hawaiian plumeria flowers doubling as fret markers, along with rosewood binding, maple top trim, and a rosewood/maple rosette. One of the most rewarding traits of an all-koa guitar is the way its tone sweetens over time and with extended play.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

900 Series Back/Sides: Indian Rosewood Top: Sitka Spruce Among the three classes of rosewood guitars in the Taylor line, the 900 Series models project an aura of rich sophistication. It begins with Indian rosewood that’s been graded for consistently straight and tight grain, often displaying a rich range of color variegation. The 900s also boast an array of tone-enhancing touches, from Taylor’s Advanced Performance bracing—customized for each body shape—to optimized wood thicknesses, ultra-thin gloss finish, and protein glues that enhance the tonal transfer. Distinctive aesthetic features include ebony binding that flares into an ergonomic contoured armrest on the lower bout; a paua rosette outlined in koa and ebony; paua and koa trim around the edges of the body and neck, including the fretboard extension; fretboard inlays of Mother-of-pearl and pink abalone; and a striking striped ebony pickguard. Other premium touches include a bound soundhole and gold Gotoh tuners. From top to bottom, the 900s radiate impeccable craftsmanship. The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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800 Series Back/Sides: Indian Rosewood Top: Sitka Spruce Taylor’s flagship rosewood/spruce series was completely reconceived for 2014 in celebration of Taylor’s 40th anniversary year, and showcases a comprehensive array of tonal enhancements that uniquely optimize the tone profile of each body shape. Voicing refinements include custom-calibrated bracing and wood thicknesses for each shape; protein glues that enhance the tonal transfer; thinner finish to reduce the tonal dampening on the wood; and customized string sets for the Grand Concert and Grand Auditorium. Among the fresh aesthetic strokes are rosewood purfling that outlines the top and frames the abalone rosette; a rosewood pickguard; a new Element fretboard inlay; and a marbled ebony fretboard. Inside and out, the new 800 Series reaffirms Taylor’s ongoing commitment to improving the acoustic experience with better-playing, better-sounding guitars. The Grand Auditorium 814ce is one of the best-selling acoustic guitars in the entire industry. The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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The Taylor Guitars Line

700 Series Back/Sides: Indian Rosewood Top: Sitka Spruce Rosewood fans who crave a vintage acoustic vibe will be naturally drawn to our 700 Series. The rosewood we select for these models leans toward rich chocolate hues that feature a slightly wider grain structure. Our aptly named Vintage Sunburst finish saturates the top in a warm, gradual fade that blends well with the rosewood sides and faux tortoise shell pickguard. Creamy ivoroid outlines the body, fretboard, headstock and soundhole, and also is used for the neo-traditional Heritage Diamonds fretboard inlay. Think of a guitar that’s an old soul at heart, but with all the modern Taylor touches —effortless playability, clear, balanced tone—that make our guitars so rewarding to play.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

600 Series Back/Sides: Maple Top: Sitka Spruce Maple guitars are known for their clear articulation and a level of transparency that enables the guitars to easily take on the personality of the player. Although maple has traditionally been characterized as a bright-sounding guitar wood with quick note decay, Taylor has brought significant tone-enhancing refinements to the 600 Series to elicit greater warmth, complexity and responsiveness. A specially roasted spruce top helps produce the more seasoned sound of an older, played-in guitar, while attractive visual touches include a hand-rubbed “Brown Sugar” stain that highlights the rich figure of the maple back and sides.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

500 Series Back/Sides: Mahogany Top: Mahogany In addition to spruce tops, our 500 Series also features mahogany-top models. The natural compression of the mahogany top produces a focused midrange punch, can handle the liveliest of pickers and strummers, responds well to players with a strong rhythmic attack, and because of its strong fundamental tonal character, behaves well with other instruments in a stage or recording context. Smaller-body models like the Grand Concert (standard or 12-Fret) make a great choice for snappy blues fingerpicking, while an all-mahogany Dreadnought will hold up to rootsy flatpickers. Throwback appointments include a black pickguard, ivoroid binding, and our Heritage Diamonds fretboard inlay in ivoroid.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

400 Series Back/Sides: Ovangkol Top: Sitka Spruce Year after year, Taylor 400 Series owners testify to the tonal properties of their ovangkol-bodied guitars. We relate its tone to that of rosewood in terms of its frequency range, with perhaps a bit less ringing complexity but a slightly fuller midrange presence. Its blend of clarity, balance and sustain give it an expressive versatility that resonates with many different types of players. Visually, its appearance can exhibit golden brown hues with a wide range of variegation and, occasionally, wispy tendrils of figure. Understated appointments, including white binding and progressive pearloid dots, dial down the flash in favor of a clean, modern look that fits any musical setting. If you’ve been looking for a new tonewood discovery and haven’t tried ovangkol, it’s worth a test-drive.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

300 Series Back/Sides: Sapele Top: Sitka Spruce or Mahogany The premium-sounding solid wood Taylor experience starts with our sapele 300 Series. While the African hardwood shares some of mahogany’s tonal characteristics, its higher density yields a more pronounced treble, which contributes to a brighter overall sound. The series features a mix of spruce- and mahogany-top models, in this case for three body shapes: Grand Concert (322), Grand Auditorium (324), and Dreadnought (320). The amber hues and rich grain of both woods match well, and the compression of hardwood tops produces a warmer, throatier sound—less crystalline than a spruce top—that balances well with sapele’s zesty highs. High-contrast appointments on the mahogany-top models include black binding with white top edge trim, a white 3-ring rosette, and a black pickguard.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

Full-Size Layered Wood Series These guitars featured a back and sides of three-ply all-wood layers, with a solid wood top.

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200 Deluxe Series Back/Sides: Layered Rosewood, Koa or Sapele Top: Solid Sitka Spruce The 200 Series has continually evolved to elevate its performance and aesthetic appeal among players. Our distinctive Deluxe category is loaded with high-end looks and features. Choose from a layered rosewood body with a solid Sitka spruce top and optional sunburst; layered koa and solid spruce; or layered sapele and solid spruce with an all-black finish. All feature a full-gloss body, Small Diamond fretboard inlays, Expression System® 2 acoustic electronics, and a Taylor standard hardshell case. Two body styles are offered—a Grand Auditorium and Dreadnought—and all models come equipped with a Venetian cutaway. Whether you’re a beginner looking to invest in your first quality guitar or a seasoned pro looking for a reliable stage partner, these guitars won’t let you down.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

200 Series Back/Sides: Layered Rosewood Top: Solid Sitka Spruce

100 Series Back/Sides: Layered Sapele Top: Solid Sitka Spruce Our 100 and 200 Series guitars are kindred spirits, linked by our desire to make the Taylor experience broadly accessible to all types of players without compromising on the essentials of a great guitar: playability, tonal clarity and workmanship. These qualities can make all the difference to a player who is near the front end of the guitar journey, or anyone trying to progress to the next level. These guitars feature a slightly narrower 1-11/16-inch neck than our standard neck width of 1-3/4 inches. These two series also are limited to two body style options: Grand Auditorium and Dreadnought, with an optional cutaway and pickup.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

Travel-Size Layered Wood Series

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The Taylor Guitars Line

GS Mini Back/Sides: Layered Sapele, Koa or Rosewood Top: Solid Sitka Spruce or Mahogany We think the world would be a better place if everyone had a GS Mini. Since its debut in 2010, our modern-day parlor guitar has wowed the world with its fun-size appeal, packing a grown-up guitar voice into a scaled-down form that fits perfectly into everyday life. As active or relaxed as you want to be, having a Mini on hand is like having your songwriting muse on instant demand. A 23-1/2 inch scale length puts more notes within easy reach, while the full-size soundhole helps surround you with great tone. Both the original spruce-top and the mahogany-top models come pre-fitted for our easy-to-install ES-Go® pickup. Additional models include the GS Mini-e RW, featuring layered rosewood back and sides with a solid spruce top, and the GS Mini-e Koa, featuring layered koa back and sides with a solid koa top. Both models include Taylor’s our ES-T® pickup for instant plug-and-play fun.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

Baby Series Back/Sides: Layered Sapele or Koa Top: Solid Sitka Spruce, Mahogany or Koa From the moment of its birth, our original portable picking partner, the 3/4-size Baby Taylor, declared that it was more than just a starter guitar for kids. It was immediately embraced by adult musicians and travelers as a legitimate instrument and has inspired endless creative uses because of its portability and playfulness. From acoustic lap slide to Nashville highstrung guitar to godsend for people with hand ailments, it gave many folks the creative spark they were craving. Our little Dreadnought has given thousands of kids a wonderful outlet for learning to express themselves through music, and along with its up-sized sibling, the Big Baby, it is still going strong. Standard models are now available with an optional acoustic electronics package, featuring the Expression System Baby™ (ES-B) pickup, which incorporates piezo design elements from the Taylor ES2. The pickup is powered by an onboard preamp unit that includes a built-in digital chromatic tuner, low battery indicator, and Tone/Volume controls. The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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Nylon-String Guitars In addition to steel-string acoustic guitars, the mellow-toned character and rhythmic textures of nylon-string acoustics offer players another distinctive sonic palette to explore. A traditional classical-style neck has a much different feel — marked by a width of two or more inches and a flat fretboard. Taylor’s hybrid-style nylon-string guitars were designed to be inviting and comfortable for steel-string players. The radiused fretboard makes fretting easier, and the slimmer neck profile makes for a smooth crossover from a steel-string. If you find it difficult to play a steel-string acoustic, you might consider the lighter string tension of a nylon-string guitar. Other modern amenities of a Taylor nylon-string include a cutaway and onboard electronics. Taylor’s nylon-string guitars are offered in two body styles: Grand Concert and Grand Auditorium.

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The Taylor Guitars Line

Custom Options As you become clearer on what features you’d like with your first or next acoustic guitar, you might gravitate toward certain custom options. In addition to the standard models that make up a guitar company’s line, many also offer additional flexibility through standard model options or a full-blown custom program.

Standard Model Options These deliver a minor twist on a stock guitar model. This might mean substituting a cedar top for spruce, a different neck width option, a different scale length, a different type of tuning machines, or a cosmetic option like a sunburst top or shaded edgeburst. Taylor offers a menu of standard model options; some are available at no additional charge, while others have an upcharge.

Custom Orders A custom program usually offers a broader array of options and enables customers to select their specifications from a variety of categories. For some customers, this enables them to essentially design their dream guitar from the ground up to reflect their personal preferences to the fullest. A custom program usually offers additional species and grades of woods, along with a rich menu of appointment options. Taylor offers a robust custom program through our authorized dealer network. Over the years, we’ve made thousands of custom guitars, we know what works and what doesn’t, and we’re happy to help customers design a guitar that they’ll love. One important consideration is the turnaround time for a custom order. Typically, the smaller the guitar company, the longer the wait. Because of Taylor’s size and manufacturing sophistication, our turnaround time is much shorter.

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Tonewood Sourcing and Sustainability As with any consumer product that relies on natural resources, responsible sourcing and sustainability have become important considerations for customers as they make buying decisions. Taylor’s commitment to conservation-minded tonewood consumption has led to some industry-leading initiatives. One is a pioneering mahogany sourcing partnership with remote forest communities in Honduras. The well-managed program has become a model of sustainable social forestry and enabled communities to improve their quality of life while properly managing the forest resources around them for the long-term future. In Cameroon, Taylor has been the co-owner of an ebony mill since 2011. Bob Taylor has used Taylor’s manufacturing expertise to upgrade the harvesting and milling efforts there, improving working conditions for employees, introducing better tools and machines, and training employees to improve the mill’s processing capability. Ultimately, this is helping Cameroonian communities to build a better economy through responsible management of an important natural resource. Taylor’s work there was honored in 2014 with the American Corporate Excellence (ACE) Award from the U.S. Department of State. Other forward-thinking sourcing programs currently being explored by Taylor involve the planting of certain desirable tonewood species for future generations to be able to use.

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S E CT I O N

A Guide to Guitar Terms

10

• Basic types of guitar bodies and their general sound profiles • A breakdown of body shapes made by Taylor Guitars for reference • The types of playing applications that match up well with each

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A Guide to Guitar Terms

Talking Tone: How Guitar Players Describe Acoustic Tone Like wine lovers and foodies, guitar players wield colorful lingo to describe tonal “flavors.” The good news: Guitar talk actually translates into definable qualities of sound. The bad news: Our ears, like our taste buds or senses of smell, are wired in a multitude of different ways, so we don’t always hear tone in the same way. In the end, using words to describe sounds is, at best, an approximation, since sounds don’t always neatly translate into words. Don’t get hung up on the lingo. Understanding a few basic terms will take you a long way.

Below is an earful of commonly used expressions relating to acoustic guitar tone. A few are technical, while others are more descriptive. Even if you’re not a great player, with these in your guitar vocabulary you’ll be able to talk tone with the best of them.

Bright: Treble emphasized, or with a lower degree of bass.

Meaty: Lots of midrange, with a full low end. Also referred to as fat, full, rich, thick.

Buttery: Warm, rich notes, that melt away rather than decay. More commonly used regarding chords.   Ceiling: A defined boundary, often used in reference to volume. A guitar or wood’s ceiling is the point at which it stops delivering volume or tone.

Midrange: On car stereo or home audio systems, the frequency response often ranges between 20 Hz to 20 kilohertz (kHz). Midrange covers from 110 Hz, which is a low A string, up as high as 3 kHz. High frequency (treble) tones tend to reside beyond that. If one considers where an acoustic guitar’s pitch range falls, predominantly all the notes on the fretboard occupy the midrange of the frequency spectrum that can be heard. It’s where voice is; it’s the middle part of a piano.

Crisp: More treble emphasis, without lingering overtones. Dark: Bass tones emphasized or tone with a lower degree of treble. Decay: The way a sustained, ringing note diminishes over time. Dry: A tone with a strong fundamental and little to no overtones, with under-pronounced or very subtle frequency peaks. Mahogany’s focused midrange is often described as dry. Fundamental: The true frequency, or pitch, of a note. A low E, for example vibrates at a frequency of 82.407 hertz (Hz). (1 Hz = 1 vibration per second.) Growl: A certain rasp or overdriven sound that a bigger-bodied guitar puts off, often as the result of aggressive playing. The “alpha dog,” if you will.

Overtones: Multiples of a fundamental frequency, also referred to as harmonics, which occur as a string vibrates, creates wave patterns, and the harmonics stack up. The term “bloom” is used to describe the sonic effect of the overtones as they stack up over the decay of the note. Although overtones tend to be more subtle than the fundamental, they add richness and complexity to a sound. Piano-like: Exactly what it sounds like. As if you packed a grand piano inside a guitar’s body and put strings on it. A bell-like quality to the notes and a brilliance of note separation.

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A Guide to Guitar Terms

Presence: Generally, the treble frequencies that provide articulation and definition. If you put your hand over your mouth and talk, your voice has less presence. One can still hear and understand the words, but they will have less presence because they lack the articulation of a clearly defined high frequency. Scooped: Attenuated, or slightly diminished. Picture the visual connotation, like on a graphic equalizer. If you scoop the midrange, you dip those middle sliders down a bit, which would look like a smiley-face curve. The result would be a level low end and high end, but a little less of the midrange. Sparkle: In a general sense, the opposite of warm; some excited high frequencies. Koa or maple tends to have a high-end sparkle. Same idea as “zing.” Sparkling treble frequencies might also be described as “zesty.” If they appear to linger, you might say they “shimmer.” Throaty: An extremely beefy midrange. The origin might be based partly on the fact that the human voice tends to occupy midrange frequencies. Warm: Softer high frequencies, like if you took a little of the very top off the treble. A rosewood Grand Auditorium has a warm treble sound; the treble is there but it’s not overly bright. Woody: A seasoned, well broken-in dry tone. A vintage mahogany guitar will have an especially woody sound.

“You’re always learning about this thing every time you pick it up.” Keith Richards

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A Guide to Guitar Terms

Anatomy of an Acoustic Guitar: An Index Learn the lingo and sound like a guitar expert. Action: The distance of the strings above the frets, typically measured at the 12th fret of the neck.

Fretboard: The part of the neck into which frets are inserted and on which the strings are pressed when the guitar is played.

Back: The thin, wide wood behind the guitar, opposite to the top.

Frets: Raised metal bars inserted into the fretboard, against which the strings are pressed to change their pitch.

Body Binding: Strips of fiber, plastic, or wood glued around the edges of the body. The purpose of binding is to protect and decorate the edges of the guitar.

Heel: The end of the neck the joins the body. The neck is attached to the body at the heel and the extension using three bolts.

Braces: The strengthening bars glued to the top and back of the guitar to provide stability and to control how the guitar vibrates. The size, shape, and placement of the braces play a vital role in determining the tone, volume, and balance of the guitar.

High Angle: The plane of the frets aimed above the surface of the bridge. Raising the angle lowers the action.

Bridge Pins: Small plastic or ebony pins that hold the strings in the bridge of the guitar. Bridge Plate: Part of the bracing for the guitar top. The bridge plate, or pin plate, is a thin piece of maple or other hardwood that is placed directly under the bridge to support the top under string tension. Endpin: A knob or button inserted through the tailstrip and tailblock that allows the player to attach a strap to the guitar. Fretboard Binding: Strips of fiber, plastic, or wood glued around the edges of the fretboard. The purpose of binding is to protect and decorate the edges of the guitar. Fretboard Inlays: Decorations of wood, shell, or other materials set into hollowed-out areas called pockets in the fretboard.

Heel Block: A wooden block (usually made of mahogany) used to join the two sides of the guitar body together at the neck joint, opposite the tailblock. Kerfing: Strips of wood, triangular in cross-section, slotted with a saw to make them flexible, and wrapped and glued to the inside edges of the guitar sides. Kerfing increases the glue surface where the top and back are glued to the sides. Label: A sticker placed on the back inside the guitar body, that has the model and serial number printed on it. The label is visible through the soundhole of the top. Low Angle: The plane of the frets aimed below the surface of the bridge. Lowering the angle raises the action. Lower Bout: The widest part of the guitar body, below the waist. The dimensions of the lower bout play a role in the bass response of the guitar. Neck Angle: The alignment of the fret surface relative to the top of the guitar. On a Taylor, the neck angle is set so that the plane of the frets aligns with the top surface of the bridge. The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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A Guide to Guitar Terms

Nut: A bar, usually of bone or plastic, placed between the fretboard and the peghead veneer. The nut provides a bearing surface for the strings and holds them at the correct height above the fretboard and the correct distance from one another.

Relief: The slight forward bow in a guitar neck; 0.004” to 0.007” (4 to 7 thousandths of a inch) is the desired amount of relief in a Taylor neck.

Peghead Binding: Strips of fiber, plastic, or wood glued around the edges of the peghead. The purpose of binding is to decorate and protect the edges of the guitar.

Saddle: The narrow bar of hard plastic or bone set into the bridge to provide a bearing surface for the strings, and to transmit string vibration through the bridge and into the body.

Peghead Inlay: A decoration of wood, shell, or other material set into a hollowed-out area called a pocket in the peghead veneer.

Shaft: The straight section of the neck between the peghead and the heel.

Rosette: The circular inlays around the soundhole of the guitar.

Peghead Logo: The guitar maker’s brand name or trademark design, usually of pearl, wood, or plastic, inlaid into the peghead veneer.

Side Dots: Small round inlays on the side of the fretboard that mark positions on the neck. Single side dots are inserted at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th frets. Double side dots are inserted at the 12th fret.

Peghead Veneer: A thin piece of wood, often Indian rosewood or ebony, glued over the peghead as a decorative cover.

Sides: The thin bent panels of wood that connect the top to the back of the guitar. The sides are made of the same wood as the back of the guitar.

Peghead: The section of the neck that holds the tuners. The peghead on a Taylor guitar is cut from the shaft and glued back on at an angle using a scarf joint.

Soundhole: The round opening in the top of the guitar.

Pickguard: A thin protective plate of plastic or wood attached to the top of a steel-string or electric guitar to protect it against marking or damage from fingerpicks or a plectrum. Pickup: Generic term for any electronic component that converts mechanical vibration into an electrical signal for amplification. Pin Bridge: On a steel-string guitar the strings pass through this wood part (usually ebony) that is glued to the top of the guitar. The strings are held in place with bridge pins. This type of acoustic bridge is called a pin bridge.

Sticker: An adhesive label with the Taylor logo that attaches to the heelblock to cover the heel bolts. Strap Pin: A knob or button that is screwed into the heel of the neck and used to hold one end of a guitar strap. Tailblock: A wooden block (usually made of mahogany) used to join the two sides of the guitar body together at the butt or tail of the guitar. Tailstrip: A piece of wood that is inlaid where the two sides meet at the bottom of the guitar.

Purfling: Thin strips of fiber, plastic, or wood set between the binding and the wood of the top, back, or sides. Purfling is typically arranged in alternating black and white, or white and color patterns. The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar

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A Guide to Guitar Terms

Tie Bridge: On the nylon-string guitar, the strings pass through holes in the bridge itself and are tied in place. This type of bridge is called a tie bridge. Look for this obvious clue to identify a nylon-series model. Top: The front surface of the guitar body that has the soundhole cut into it and the bridge attached to it. Truss Rod Cover: The small piece of wood or plastic screwed to the peghead to cover the truss rod opening. Truss Rod: A metal bolt set into the neck of a guitar to counteract the forward-bowing force of the guitar strings. The tension on the truss rod determines the amount of relief in the neck. The truss rod is not designed or intended to raise or lower the action of the strings. Tuner: A mechanical device attached to the peghead of the guitar, used to adjust the tension of the strings. The string winds around the tuner and can be tightened or loosened to change the pitch. Upper Bout: The part of the guitar body between the waist and the neck. The upper bout plays a role in the treble response of the guitar. Waist: The inside curve in the sides of the guitar body between the upper and lower bouts. The waist plays a role in the midrange response of the guitar.

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Taylor Guitars We’re here for any questions you may have.

Customer Service North America 1-800-943-6782 Customer Service Europe +31 (0) 20 667 6033 www.taylorguitars.com To locate the Taylor dealer nearest you, visit:

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