Taylor Grand Pacific — some first-hand impressions

[ataylor]

As mentioned in one of the previous threads about the then-unreleased Taylor Grand Pacific, I was able to get a sneak peek of sorts a couple weeks ago. Andy Powers was in town to meet with the folks at the Fretboard Journal, and they were kind enough to put together a little event for Andy to do a show-and-tell — and Andy was kind enough to agree and come along.

Those in attendance were under a light NDA of sorts, which I assume was mostly to discourage any audio/visual documentation, but I figured I should wait with any of my own written insights until the guitar was officially unveiled today.

Andy wasted no time in getting out one of the new Grand Pacific guitars — a natural-top 717. He talked about the background of the guitar, where the inspiration came from, and such — sticking pretty closely to the stuff in the videos now on Taylor’s website, but with a bit more of a personal touch.

One thing he mentioned at this meet-up that I haven’t heard in the Taylor videos yet was that this was the guitar he originally developed the V-bracing for — I thought that was interesting. He also seemed less interested in categorizing the guitar with existing models, though he did say it was probably most similar to a round-shoulder dreadnought.

Andy did a bit of playing here and there between talking about the model, fielding questions, and such — it was a treat to hear him play as much as it was to see his guitars and get some first-person background ahead of their release. The guitar sounded fantastic in his hands. After a little while he said he wanted folks to try the guitar and passed it around the small room for folks to check out and noodle on while he carried on talking and answering questions.

He then pulled out a 517e model, which also sounded and looked quite nice — this one in the sunburst finish. After he was finished talking and answering questions, he handed that guitar out for folks to try as well, and some folks pulled out a few other guitars — it looked as if one or two people had brought some older Taylors for Andy to check out as well as what looked to be a guitar an attendee had built, et cetera.

It was a pretty chill, casual setting, and it was fun to hear from a talented luthier — both the discussion and the playing. Andy just seems like a super chill guy who loves making guitars, but despite his laid-back personality, he is very adept and almost scientific in the way he describes his process and concept behind the guitar making. It was very cool of him to take the time to hang out with some guitar nerds.

Yes, I did get a chance to play both guitars.

I can’t say it was a great setting to make definitive conclusions — it was noisy and crowded in a small setting, but it was a nice preview and a treat to get to play something new. As such, my impressions on the sound come as much from hearing Andy play as hearing myself play.

First, the looks — I loved the more stripped-back look of these Builders Edition models. Wood bindings and rosette, simple, traditional-looking inlays. A softer bridge design not unlike the short-lived R. Taylor shop did. A matte finish. Both guitars looked both premium but accessible and inviting.

The shape itself looks nice — it feels different to me from the classic Gibson design, maybe it’s a softer, slightly more rounded bottom on the lower bout? It still feels like a Taylor shape.

Second, the feel — the guitar felt great in hand. I’m one who likes matte finish guitars, so I wasn’t missing the gloss. The neck is noticeably more full than what you’d expect from a Taylor, but not overly pronounced in a V-carve or anything. The heel of the neck was rounded, and the rounded fretboard, binding, and bridge all gave the guitar a very warm, inviting feel.

That said, the guitar does have a full scale length and comes with medium gauge strings. In that sense it was less like picking up a J-45 or my Fairbanks F-35, and more like picking up an Advanced Jumbo. I’d say in terms of feel, the neck felt kind of like a Collings dreadnought — maybe a similar feel to the neck and similar playability.

Sound was the hardest thing for me to judge definitively. That said, it was clear that this is a big shift in tone for a Taylor guitar. I had always thought their 12-fret model was the most vintage/traditional-sounding guitar they made — until now.

When Andy played the guitar, it sounded very loud and articulate to me sitting 10 feet away. It almost sounded like he was plugged in — very dynamic tone. It’s a dry, fundamental sound. As you might expect with a mahogany guitar, this was especially true of the 517e.

I thought it was a very “honest” sound — as in it’s going to give you exactly what you put in. Not unlike something like a Telecaster. Great playing is going to sound great on these guitars. Sloppy playing isn’t going to hide behind many overtones or piano-like balance.

I typically prefer mahogany back/sides — but between Andy’s playing and my own brief time with the guitars, I think I preferred the rosewood. This is unfortunate because it would be easier for me to pass on a mahogany guitar given what I already own.

This is the guitar I wanted Taylor to make ten years ago, back when I thought I’d only ever own Taylor guitars but found myself with a huge crush on the J-45 and Advanced Jumbo. If I hadn’t ended up with a Fairbanks and a Martin in the meantime (not to mention the Taylor dreadnought I already owned), I’d be frantic to try one again and likely to buy one. But given what I already have — I’m not sure.

Still, I would like to play these guitars again in another setting and with a little more time. I think they’re really great and represent a nice change of pace for Taylor. It will be fun to see and hear more about them in the coming hours/days/weeks...

[ataylor]

Okay, that’s waaaaaaay longer than I thought it was. Sorry!

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by ataylor

Okay, that’s waaaaaaay longer than I thought it was. Sorry!

No problem, I enjoyed reading it.
The videos posted give a good first impression. I hope to play one of these soon and see what we got goin' on. That being said, I feel pretty happy with my J45 Standard and I already sold a beautiful Pono Slope Shoulder a while back that was a stunningly made and beautiful sounding instrument.
I don't need another one

[Spyvito]

Thanks for the post. This could very well be a milestone for the brand.

[darylcrisp]

neat review, thanks!
I'm pretty sure a lot of folks went to sleep excited about hearing all about these particular models today, I know I did.

d

[Goat Mick]

I wasn't very impressed with the look of these, but Trey Hensley just posted a video on Facebook of him putting one through it's paces and I'm really impressed. Definitely a departure from the traditional Taylor sound.

Not sure if you'll be able to see this as it was on his Facebook page, but here's the link.

https://www.facebook.com/ThatGeetarPickinFeller/videos/2625677530780675/?__tn__=lC-R&eid=ARAd0XyfqJG-99JWnApzBNugLcXCi_Br6oeezh4fv3DfnkfcgvyaFQE_OFYApt tXHvLhCbd8xCpb_RqF&hc_ref=ARQb6ZH6yjB0hx51kcLheVR2 SZVIipKm5zRbKJvF42hR7wbxI0opDGuolA4qqi-tvbw&__xts__[0]=68.ARD1-9pq2RaZCFXJyBztZKDJdDQnFKbZrEHcNGGRd6gUZvhqIO8c488 7WbDw9ZL_LxkwMH7XkofNHC3WznwDI7PNpaTLw7fDZDEsbr9nB Us_JuagPrBlelL1PQ6pFgkP2k5PxARGVv1WFtlNLBAVzFeDmhv 7VHI7wX3qmNrEUbqRf8KdLKZugjTSqs5MwapdnTFz0uRzqQck1 Qvpr-XQavMDSk1cAdeohFR7EBNcI6f-jXXPEz2WuF84

[darylcrisp]

you know, when you start hearing all the musicians out there that have been using one of these, it looks like Taylor planned really well with this introduction and put these in the hands of known name players.

I think these may end up being one of the best received new Taylor models ever.

I'm smitten with the 717, natural, no electronics.

Just looking at price, they are not bad at all.

d

[darylcrisp]

ataylor

did you notice the feeling of weight of either? I love a light feeling instrument, and one can usually expect 4-4.5 lbs in a standard J-45. I love that light feel in ones hands.

in the past, I've felt many Taylors felt on the heavy side.

just wondering if you took notice while you had them in hand?

d

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by darylcrisp

ataylor

did you notice the feeling of weight of either? I love a light feeling instrument, and one can usually expect 4-4.5 lbs in a standard J-45. I love that light feel in ones hands.

in the past, I've felt many Taylors felt on the heavy side.

just wondering if you took notice while you had them in hand?

d

To be honest, I was so worried about handling the guitars in an unfamiliar and crowded setting that I didn’t really notice.

It looks like Sweetwater has a some of the new models in stock with weights listed — some are in the range you mentioned.

[RP]

Thanks for the nice review, ataylor....

[Tnfiddler]

I, for one, am really excited about the looks of these! I’d love to have a 517 BE!

[darylcrisp]

wow, sweetwater has a couple of each model. this introduction was well planned, usually when things were introduced there was a wait until dealers started having them for sale, Sweetwater already has them, wonder is Musicvilla and Alamo music has stock?
Just think, these folks have had these and had to sit quietly until today.

Weights look good also based on Sweetwater site.

d

[Rev Roy]

VERY thoughtful review, ataylor. Thanks for posting.

[steve223]

I'm not a huge Taylor fan but I am really liking how these sound and they look pretty good to.!! Looking forward to playing one

[oliverkollar]

Originally Posted by Goat Whiskey Picks

I wasn't very impressed with the look of these, but Trey Hensley just posted a video on Facebook of him putting one through it's paces and I'm really impressed. Definitely a departure from the traditional Taylor sound.

It's Trey Hensley....not fair!!! That dude can make anything sound good!