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Meet the Taylor GT, a “new category of acoustic guitar”
The new design aims to bridge the gap between small-scale and full-sized acoustics.
Image: Taylor Guitars
Hot on the heels of the American Dream series, Taylor has announced another new design, the GT (Grand Theater), which the Californian company is billing as “a new category of acoustic guitar in size, feel and sound”.
Manufactured in the company’s El Cajon facility near San Diego, the GT is larger than a GS Mini yet more compact than a Grand Concert. According to Taylor, it offers players the playability of a small-scale acoustic but with a much fuller sound than you’d expect from an instrument of its size.
Bob Taylor and master guitar designer Andy Powers will be appearing at Guitar.com Live on 2 October (10:30 am PST) to introduce the GT and all its design elements.
- READ MORE: The full programme of Guitar.com Live
The Taylor GT borrows the curves of a Grand Orchestra model but scales them down to a width of 15 inches at the lower bout. Because of the GT’s shorter scale length (24-1/8 inches), it feels rather like playing an acoustic tuned a half-step down.
To stand toe-to-toe with larger acoustic models – particularly where low-end frequencies are concerned – the Taylor GT adopts an all-new C-Class bracing architecture. This involves a cantilevered, asymmetrical design that the brand claims provides a warm bass response, while offering some of the volume, sustain and intonation benefits of Andy Powers’ V-Class bracing design.
To hear it in action, check out the video below, in which Guitar.com Chief Editor Chris Vinnicombe puts the new GT model through its paces.
The Taylor GT’s body construction combines a spruce top with sustainable Urban Ash on the back and sides. It also features eucalyptus on the bridge, fingerboard and peghead overlay. Meanwhile, the soundhole’s three-ring rosette has been fashioned from koa. Each guitar also sports an ultra-thin matte finish.
In addition, buyers will be given the choice of pure acoustic or electro-acoustic GT models. The latter, dubbed the GTe, comes outfitted with Taylor’s highly regarded ES2 pickup/preamp. Other premium hardware appointments include mini nickel Taylor tuners, a faux tortoiseshell pickguard and blacktop purfling.
The Taylor GT and GTe are priced at $1,399 and $1,599 respectively (including Taylor’s travel-friendly brown AeroCase).
Learn more at taylorguitars.com
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