My first 12 string was a rental, back in the mid-70's. It was something for me to use while my old Angelica 6-string was out for repair (after a foolish attempt by yours truly to do my own fingerboard inlays). I fell in love with the sound, and purchase a Yamaha shortly thereafter.
Flash forward to my adult years, where I can now afford some decent Taylor guitars. Compared to my Taylors, playing that old Yamaha was like wrapping my hand around a baseball bat, so I started looking for a replacement.
I had the opportunity to try out one of the new 12-string, 12-fret Taylor models, but I felt that the GA size body just didn't give me the 12 string sound I was looking for. I also tried out the 150e, but I'm finding the dreadnought body shape increasingly uncomfortable for my right shoulder.
I was in western Ohio for Thanksgiving, and hey, that's only a 90 minute drive from Fort Wayne, Indiana, so on Black Friday, my brother and I took an early morning road trip to Sweetwater to try out some guitars. I quickly settled in on the 254ce-K DLX and the 356ce as the best candidates in the price range I was willing to spend, so my brother and I swapped around between the two guitars, taking turns playing and listening. Although the 254s were beauties (and quite a bit less expensive), I just couldn't warm up to them, even though they were very comfortable and had great playability. I felt that the bass response on the ones I tried was kind of weak, likely due to the Grand Auditorium size.
As soon as I tried the 356ce, which is a Grand Symphony, I was blown away. It was exactly the kind of crisp, focused sound I was looking for in a 12, with a little shimmer but not a lot of jangle. I chose the one I preferred, and arranged to have it shipped home.
I think it's a winner...it suits equally well for strumming or fingerstyle play, and the neck feels as comfortable and plays as easy as any of my 6 string instruments. Sounds wonderful running through my Loudbox Mini with a touch of reverb as well. Even though the lower bout is the same 16" width as a dread, the waist geometry on the GS allow me to drop my right shoulder while playing it, making it a good deal more comfortable to play. The larger volume of the GS body adds plenty of punch to the bass.
