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NAMM 2020: Taylor digs deep, unveils new models and expands current lineups
Announcing an expanded Builder’s Collection and 200 Series, new V-Class models and more.
NAMM 2020: Taylor Guitars has announced a slew of new models and series expansions, ranging from the premium Builder’s Edition to the ultra-affordable travel-friendly Baby Taylor.
Builder’s Edition
Builder’s Edition 816ce
The first Taylor Grand Symphony model to feature V-Class bracing, the 816ce boasts a tonewood pairing of Indian rosewood with Lutz spruce. Taylor Master Guitar Designer Andy Powers modified the instrument, adding a soundport cutaway for a more complex acoustic sound with a unique dispersion pattern. Other features include a chamfered body and fretboard edges, Taylor’s Curve Wing bridge, and Gotoh tuners.
Read our review here.
Watch our demo video for the 816ce below:
Builder’s Edition 324ce
The Builder’s Edition 324ce is a reflection of Taylor’s commitment to using sustainable materials without sacrificing quality. The new model features back and sides made of Urban Ash sourced from trees that required removal from municipal areas in Southern California, and also marks the launch of a new urban forest initiative in partnership with West Coast Arborists, Inc.
Read our review here.
Watch our video demo for the 324ce below:
Builder’s Edition 912ce
The 912ce and 652ce are Taylor’s first Grand Concert models to feature in the Builder’s Edition lineup. The guitar carries the same tonewood profile as the 816ce and has a 24-7/8-inch scale length fingerboard that provides an excellent fretting experience and produces a precise, high-fidelity, super-fast response like an electric guitar.
Builder’s Edition 652ce
The 12-string 652ce pairs Big Leaf maple with torrefied Sitka spruce and is reverse-strung like some 12-string electrics to emphasise the fundamental note, creating a slightly fuller, meatier 12-string sound. Pairing the double-mounted string anchoring with Taylor’s V-Class bracing allows the new 652ce to produce a clean and articulate sound.
V-Class Series
V-Class Grand Orchestra 618e and 818e
The V-Class Grand Orchestra series adapts the innovative bracing construction for use in Taylor’s biggest, deepest body shape, improving sustain and dynamic range. The new 618e features a figured maple back and sides with a Sitka spruce top, while the 818e swaps the figured maple for Indian rosewood.
V-Class Grand Symphony K26ce
The K26ce features an all-koa build on top of the V-Class bracing and a new soundport cutaway. According to Powers, the addition of a second different-sized soundport broadens the frequency response of the guitar. The K26ce’s scale length has also been shortened to 24-7/8 inches and now incorporates light-gauge strings.
200 Series
Taylor has added to its popular 200 Series range of instruments with five new models: the 210ce (pictured above), 214ce, 214ce-N (nylon-string), 254ce (12-string) and 214ce-K, the last of which features layered koa back and sides with a solid spruce top. In comparison, the 210ce, 214ce, 214ce-N and 254ce use layered Indian rosewood back and sides with a solid Sitka spruce top.
200 Plus Series
This new series is the next step up from the 200 Series and is spearheaded by the 210ce Plus and the 214ce Plus. Key features of the new 200 Plus Series models include gloss finish, black binding, nickel tuners (18:1) and ES2 electronics. Each model also comes with a new AeroCase featuring sturdy construction that provides similar protection as Taylor’s hardshell case, but at two-thirds the weight.
GS Mini Series
Three new models debut in the GS Mini Series: the GS Mini-e, GS Mini-e Koa Plus and GS Mini-e Koa Plus Bass. Both the Koa models feature layered Hawaiian koa back and sides and a solid koa top, while the GS Mini-e presents a layered Indian rosewood back and sides with a solid Sitka spruce top.
Baby Taylor
The travel-friendly Baby Taylor series will receive a tonewood upgrade, with the BT1 and BT1E now featuring layered walnut back and sides, maple necks and integrated ED-B electronics with an on-board tuner.
Pricing and availability of Taylor’s 2020 models TBC. For more information, click here.