[donlyn]

Taylor Grand Concert 12 strings (Taylor 552ce cedar)

OP - ellbailz,

Another thought which may have some bearing on a Grand Concert 12 string.

I do favor large Jumbo guitars. The body shape of a Taylor Grand Concert is what I would call a small Jumbo (please forgive the oxymoron). While I do not have a GC 12 string, I do own a couple of GC six strings. Staying within the realm of Taylor guitars and similar woods, I have a Taylor Grand Orchestra 12 string, A Taylor Grand Orchestra six string, and a Taylor Grand Concert six string. All of these share the same woods, spruce over rosewood bodies. I do like this wood combination a lot.

All of these get a lot of play around here. While I have to be careful about over-driving the Grand Concert, it can produce some of the sweetest (as in aural candy) sounds of all. And the body can produce a pronounced bass accompaniment. It's just not a loud guitar on its own. I string it with Elixir PB HD Light gauge strings {.013 - .053}, which is what I use on most of my six string guitars, including the 818 Grand Orchestra. By way of comparison to a Taylor 355 (which I own), rosewood makes for different sounds, but the 355 is one of the best 12 strings ever made. (My own opinion of 'course', but ultimately that is all I can offer.) I mention this because you have one too.

So what we have here is an apples to oranges kind of thing. My connection and comparison through all of these aforementioned guitars is that maybe you hear things in a manner similar to me. My basis of interest in the 552 model is also based on my GC 512 all mahogany Grand Concert and the 355 spruce over sapele and my favorite ukulele, a Kala cedar topped acacia 5 string tenor (octaved on the bass 'G' with a slim wound metal string to a 'gG' course like a 12 string).

This is probably too much info, but I think you might be on the right track with a 552. But a spruce over rosewood X-braced GC might be a good fit too. Having given you an extended summary of my guitar acquisitions, and a bit of why, I'll let you connect all the dots there. All I know is that it works for me. Please post details if you do get (or reject getting) a GC 12 string, as I would like to read your conclusions on this.

Two more ingredients are that I tune my 12 strings to D# and fingerpick all my instruments using my nails as picks.

Be well and play well,

Don
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