NGD: Taylor 816ce 2015 (X Braced)
 

New Taylor 816ce!

My first new guitar purchase ever. Coming from a Taylor 414ce, which always left me wanting a touch more low end.

I was never sure how exactly to get this, from the Ovangkol, however in the forum I learned that the GS body shape lends a boost to the lower frequencies, and I started the search.

One thing I discovered in shopping in stores that:

V bracing guitars were not quite appealing to me yet, and
Grand Symphony size guitars are almost impossible to find in store!

I found this NOS X Braced from a retailer on Reverb, and I had to hear it in person.

This guitar wasn't one I was immediately sure I would keep for any length of time. Given the logistics of shipping, and the transaction costs of selling, I decided to go all out to save it -- so I embarked on a string selection pursuit, as many members here have mentioned strings can utterly transform a guitar.

I tried 80/20, PB, Nickel Bronze, and found the overtone from the PB were quite appealing.

Congrats! Beautiful-looking guitar! :up: I love the way you love your guitar...by trying all the different types of strings on her instead of bidding her goodbye. I remember reading about Wade Hampton going through this same “ritual” until he gets the tone he likes! Enjoy playing and bonding with this guitar for many years to come! :) :guitar:

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Congrats! That is a beautiful guitar.

Also a great reminder on how we'll spend thousands on a guitar and give up before trying a hundred dollars worth of string combinations. I love the search for strings and build it into my budget. Sometimes you get lucky on the first couple sets and find "the one" that breathes magic into your guitar. Other times, it's the sixth or seventh set. Maybe never. Then you sell.

Glad you stuck it out and now have a lifer guitar.

AH Acoustic,

One thing is missing from your string experiments (or sorry if I missed it), but . . .

What gauges did you try on your road to success? I have found that each guitar responds best to your ears when you have the gauge on it that suits you best. I have a few 6 string guitars, and while I have a favorite gauge, that is not the gauge that necessarily ends up on a particular guitar, for my style of play.

If I remember correctly, Taylor shipped GS guitars with Medium gauge Elixirs. I have an X-braced Grand Orchestra from that period that was also shipped with Mediums, but now wears Elixir PB HD Lights.

Just being curious,
Don
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Congratulations on your beautiful NOS Taylor 816ce--Enjoy! The headroom on the GS model is outta sight!

That is a beautiful guitar and a great story, one I wish I had followed. I had a GS 516 that I sold before going through the experiment you have done. Good lesson for us all...enjoy your guitar!

AH - Congrats on the 816ce and finding the right strings! It can take time but it's worth it.

It's also possible that the guitar acclimated to your environment and it's now at the humidity/temperature that it likes.

It's always pleasantly surprising to hear how guitars react to certain strings and can suddenly gain new life when certain sets are put on.

I will admit, it's easier for me to track which string combos don't work for my guitars (i.e. most of my boutique guitars sound worse with Elixirs, sad given how they work best at combatting my fretting hand's oils) than what is "best" for any of my given guitars. But I am also just getting started in trying out materials different from PB and 80/20.

On my 000 sinker mahogany I'm about to try some Martin Retros. They seem to be made for that type of "old-timey" sound signature I'm after when I purchased that guitar.

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Congratulations! Sweet guitar.

That's the way to do it and major congrats! I'm a non-Taylor guy, but I understand they're typically well set up and easy to play, which is a major plus since playing is the whole idea.

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Glad you found the key to unlock it. I think the 16s are maybe the best iteration of the Taylor sound. I’ve read that Bob was rather enamored of the Goodall CJ when it came out, and there may be more than a little influence. Still his sonic signature though. I’ll be a little sad when my 516 goes, but it’s served a good purpose in confirming the OM shape as my personal comfort target. Huge voice.