I’ve been hesitant to post this NGD because, frankly, all of the wonderful and expensive guitars discussed in this forum are a bit intimidating for someone like me. I’m just starting out on the guitar journey and was in the market for my first acoustic. I went to the local GC mainly because it was convenient and started playing around in the acoustic room. I “played” a lot of guitars but was drawn to the Yamahas and ended up buying an FG830.
It was a beautiful instrument and easy for my left hand to play. Not so much the right. After playing the Yamaha for a week I came to the conclusion that the Dreadnought size was just too big for my comfort. After some more online research I had a list of guitars I wanted to try. I had also decided I was going to double my budget to the $600 range. Looking at concert sized guitars I quickly narrowed the search to the Yamaha AC12R and the Taylor Academy 12e. What I was looking for was comfort and playability. In appearance, these two couldn’t be more different, but they both played wonderfully. But it came down to comfort— the Taylor was more comfortable in my arms than the Yamaha. It was that simple. I imagine the Yamaha has a better tone and overall sound, but for me, at this point, I need to maximize my time playing the guitar so I went the comfortable route.
I know that GC doesn’t get a lot of love and I’m sure there are very good reasons, but my experience was really positive. Friendly and helpful sales folk that left me alone when I wanted to be. The process of exchanging the Yamaha for the Taylor was simple and straightforward. Also, the electronics on the first Taylor I brought home crapped out after one day and GC made the exchange for a new instrument painless. When I get to the point of looking for my next guitar I’m going to check out some of the independent shops I’v learned about since reading this forum, but won’t necessarily rule out doing business with GC.
The Academy 12e is elegant in its simplicity. No binding, no gloss finish. But it does have some nice touches such as the armrest, which, in my opinion, greatly adds to the comfortability of this guitar.
https://imgur.com/a/dA4wS