Thoughts on Taylor's new 50th anniversary line?

[TimeOfYourLife]

Personally I am in shock and awe. In awe at the craftsmanship, in shock at the price!

https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitar...ary-collection

The guitar's looks will always be subjective, although I do think the care and craftsmanship involved in creating them merits admiration.

Then again, does $300 worth of Lumber and $100 of seashells equal to 20k?

https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitar...d-circa-74-amp

[MartinD12-20]

[QUOTE=TimeOfYourLife;7396146]Personally I am in shock and awe. In awe at the craftsmanship, in shock at the price!

Amen to that. For me it's not so much what I can afford as it is what I will afford.

[Bob Womack]

I love the Taylor Guitars Company, for the guitars I've bought from them and for the excellent customer service they've rendered to me more than once. I also appreciate the craftsmanship and fit and finish their guitars have featured for so many years.

With that understood, I feel like their visual aesthetic has dramatically moved away from me, to where I rarely see one of their guitars that I find appealing. That and the constantly changing kaleidoscope of features, shape, and wood changes, and their strong integrating of reclaimed wood into the regular lines have made me an outsider who can no longer distinguish or recommend any model because I have no frame of reference.

It is all very disappointing.

Bob

[tommieboy]

Anniversary Guitars

They seem to come and go, and then they are rarely discussed on the various forums after a few years.

Tommy

[tommieboy]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

...can no longer distinguish or recommend any model because I have no frame of reference.

Yeah, when I first got into Taylor guitars in the 90s, the differences between the models were more cut and dry; easier to understand.

Tommy

[llew]

I just learned the Martin nomenclature...I'm not gonna dissect the Taylor models? But the offerings from both builders recently has left me uninterested.

[ScottSD]

I'm with Bob Womack on this one.

Celebratory Appointments: Gold Tuners, Gold acrylic dot bridge pins and a sticker?

I guess a "50" inlay is to much to ask for. Love me some older Taylors but this is a sad turn of events!

Scott

[Rumblefish]

That 814 with the sinker redwood top looks great!

[mbrewer]

I wish the default Taylor wasn’t a cutaway. Looks so good without it.

[ribsareyummy]

I'm somewhat shocked there's an AD and 314 in the mix, I figured they'd all be in the (for me) unattainable 800/900 range. I have heard from a dealer that there will be more 50th anniversary models coming throughout the year, small batches every couple of months. Guess we'll see if that's true. I also heard here's some changes coming to 200-series, not sure if that means a Tecate 50th anniversary model.

I do like the little headstock swoosh in the 5 on the sticker!

[Jimi2]

Originally Posted by Rumblefish

That 814 with the sinker redwood top looks great!

Yeah I’d love to play one. Too rich for my blood though. Fortunately I’ve got a Sinker Redwood 414ce at half the price. It has a unique warm tone, pretty different to most Taylors.

[mikealpine]

Originally Posted by Rumblefish

That 814 with the sinker redwood top looks great!

My thoughts, as well!

[ghostnote]

I think all the guitars in that promo look good, and I’d bet that they’re impeccably built. I’m no Taylor fanboy by any means, either: I only own one(that I like a lot), and it’s a 12-string. But there’s no way on earth that I’d pay that much for any of those.

[edward993]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I love the Taylor Guitars Company, for the guitars I've bought from them and for the excellent customer service they've rendered to me more than once. I also appreciate the craftsmanship and fit and finish their guitars have featured for so many years.

With that understood, I feel like their visual aesthetic has dramatically moved away from me, to where I rarely see one of their guitars that I find appealing. That and the constantly changing kaleidoscope of features, shape, and wood changes, and their strong integrating of reclaimed wood into the regular lines have made me an outsider who can no longer distinguish or recommend any model because I have no frame of reference.

It is all very disappointing.

Bob

Criminy, Bob, you've enumerated every single point that I have outlined over the past decade that has left me wanting, or at the very least scratching my head. I have Taylors from the 2000s, and RTaylors, and to this day I have not found any "new" Taylor that can dethrone the tone and playability of what I own. From their Road Shows to even the factory showroom on numerous occasions, nothing they have created have excited my hands or ears, nothing. And sadly to the contrary, Since Andy Powers, they have steadily moved away from what I prefer (except for the 2013 LTDs, those are amazing!). Oh well. Great company that I still have awesome respect for. Just nothing that they've built gets my attention. Maybe they built the earlier ones too well and now can't do better, LOL!

Edward

[Mark Stone]

I love Taylor - especially their innovation and creativity, and their excellent workmanship. I did not like the tone on the 814ce DLX I once owned; nevertheless I rank my humble MiM 110e (no cutaway) as one of the most practical, best sounding, and best built guitars I’ve ever owned. The instruments linked to in the OP are really, really nice —