NGD:Taylor 327e
I'd done an NGD but buried it in another thread I'd started about 327s so I thought I'd give it its own NGD and more breathing room. Several months ago I set out to sell all of Taylors and go 100% carbon fiber. Well, that only lasted a couple of minutes. When the Grand Pacifics came out, I was somewhat fascinated but the initial MEH from many folks concerned me so I began in the shallow end of the pool with a 317. Referring to the shallow end is based on the 317 being the least expensive Grand Pacific and the fact that I swim several days a week.
It may have been because in my head I was transitioning away from wooden guitars, or so I told myself at the time; but the 317 and I just didn't mesh. I still liked the GP concept as well as the few 517 and 717s that I tried out. I had said two things that Taylor should have heeded. 1) The Grand Pacifics should be marketed as a new body shape and not as slope shouldered dreads. I think that initially many folks were turned off because they expected a boomy vintage Martin dread sound. 2) Taylor should have kicked off the Grand Pacific series with a 327 in the lineup. I really like the 32Xs, and I thought that a 327 would be killer.
I assumed that Taylor would soon follow up with a 327 - don't ask me how knew; I just knew. And so recently the folks from El Cajon released the 327 with little to no fanfare. As far as I know, they merely slipped it onto their website and placed a full page picture on the back page of the most recent Wood & Steel.
Small numbers of 327s began to trickle into the marketplace, and I began to take notice. I bookmarked some internet pages and put others on Ebay and Reverb watch lists. Trying one out didn't seem to be an option, but my experience with my previous 324 and 320 convinced me that the 327 was sure to be right on the money. Based on actual online pictures (as opposed to stock pictures), I saw some with striped tops and some with no stripes or runout. The latter was my visual of choice so I zeroed in.
Well, last week I got an email from Eddies Guitars whose website had one of the chosen 327s. They were having a one-day 20% off sale so I jumped on it. My 327 arrived several days later, and I really couldn't be more pleased. Everything my 317 wasn't, the 327 is. It's got a warm, robust tone with wonderful balance and sustain. It sounds terrific both unplugged and coming through my Loudbox Mini Charge. I've seen some complaints about the ES2 system, but I suppose I don't know enough to be disappointed - it has plenty of oomph and sounds just fine to me.
I bought my 327e for a finger style blues box with a big voice, and it handles those tasks with aplomb. It also strums really well. However, the more I looked at the very thin black pickguard, the more I thought it resembled the electrical tape forming Groucho Marx's mustache and eyebrows so I removed it - the pickguard, not the ersatz facial hair of the late Groucho. All in all, I couldn't be more pleased; and now, more than ever believe that the 327 is definitely the Grand Pacific that should have been in the starting GP lineup.
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