NGD and Review: Taylor AD12e

jklotz · #1 12-07-2020, 04:31 PM

I've been on the hunt for a gigging guitar with electronics. Some of you may remember my saga with with a Taylor 414ce LTD, which had to go back. Well, I found it's replacement and thought some of you may be interested in hearing about it. A Taylor AD12e.

It's a GC exclusive, but it can also be purchased at Muscians' Friend.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Taylor/...BoC8r0QAvD_BwE

Let me start off by saying I like it. It sounds really good. The tone actually has some character to it, which I don't find in a lot of Taylor guitars. It's fairly well balanced tone wise, not overly bright and has decent, defined bass - something else a lot of the grand concert sized Taylors don't have to my ear, since going to V bracing. I find it attractive and find the West African Ebony back and sides to be somewhat unique and interesting. It really pops with the lighter colored binding, which might be maple (they don't say what it is, but it is wood, not plastic and looks great IMHO). It is echoed in dual lines in the rosette which I find really great looking. The champfered edges make a difference comfort wise for me and it's a nice touch IMHO. It's a fairly light build, projects well, stays in tune and intonation seems really good up the neck. It's responsive enough for fingerstyle (which is what I play) and sounds really good plugged in. It even handles dropped tunings well. Personally I love Taylor's grand concert body size and shape and can't imagine a guitar being more comfortable to play for hours at a time. I like matte finishes for gigging guitars and see that as a plus. The finish seems very thin, which I think helps with the responsiveness and projection. So I'm keeping it.

As most things in life, there are some things that aren't so great too. I'm going to go off on a bit of a rant here, mainly because of the price, which is $1999, and it shouldn't have these issues at that price point. (I got 15% off for the black fri sale, but still)

First off, I played 3 of these at 2 different GC's. The 1st one sounded like a cheap blues box. Dead, thuddy, no treble, almost zero sustain, little bass and boxy. I had pretty much written it off after that. Then I ran across a 2nd one at a different GC. That one sounded way better, but the back and sides looked terrible. C grade ebony at best. Third one was the charm. Definitely the best sounding of the lot.

The side dots stop at the 12th fret. I'll need to get some stickers or white out, as I play up there quite a bit. It comes with a nice gig bag, but at that price, it should have a hard case.

Setup: The nut slots were way high. There was a high fret on the treble side at the 5th fret. It had way too much relief on the neck. I do my own setup work, so I can fix this stuff, but still, for $2K.....

Finish: The neck is made of 3 pieces of B grade mahogany. The scarf jiont at the headstock is poorly matched, almost like they made no attempt to match it at all. It's not grain filled and is very rough to the touch. It feels like they didn't finish sanding it before they applied the finish. There are whiteish finish marks around the neck heel that aren't polishing out. This is my biggest complaint about the guitar, and all three I played were like this. Completely unacceptable for a $2K guitar IMHO.

There is a finish flaw on the neck I feel every time I run my hand over. Seems like a bubble got in the finish and popped. I am not one to worry about stuff like this usually, especially on a gigging guitar, but when I feel it when I play it, that's a different story. I'm probably going to need to micro mesh the back of the neck.

Bridge pins and truss rod cover are made from cheap injection molded plastic and have the witness lines, which were never sanded off. I've already ordered ebony replacements.

So like I said, it's a great guitar but it's got issues. IMHO, it's way overpriced given the cost cutting measures used to put it together. I can't help but think it was rushed out the door to meet quotas. The QC was terrible. I think it would have been better off if they made it at the Mexico facility, their QC seems way better. There was no paperwork whatsoever, no warranty card, nothing included.

But, like I said, I'm keeping it. Despite the flaws, it checks a lot of boxes and sounds good. I'll fix the issues, and it will play great after I'm done with the fret work and setup. If the neck continues to bother me after micro mesh, I may have it grain filled then refinished (back only). Some of you guys may think I'm crazy for keeping it, but I think it will make a great gigging guitar after I fix it.

Thought you guys might like to know.

airborne1 · #2 12-07-2020, 04:48 PM

Thanks for the in-depth review, very informative.

I agree with your assessment of the “minor” issues which plague your Taylor. I too would certainly expect better at that price point!

Your ability to to alleviate these issues to suit your needs is beneficial.

Enjoy your new guitar, play on!

aeisen93 · #3 12-07-2020, 07:25 PM

that guitar looks amazing! I love the wood on the back. Enjoy it.

jklotz · #4 12-07-2020, 10:27 PM

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments.

boneuphtoner · #5 12-08-2020, 08:24 AM

Oh myyy - so gorgeous!!! The back and sides are stunningly beautiful!

Sorry to hear about these minor issues and I agree with you that given the price, this might be hard to swallow. The ebony backs/sides is the primary reason why the cost is significantly higher than the standard American Dream guitars. It looks like you are rectifying the bridge pins/truss rod cover issue with ebony, and I would do the same. Although I'm doubtful that Taylor would do anything about poorly matched mahogany pieces for the neck, they might do something about the flaw with the popped bubble that you can feel - you won't know until you ask.

Many congrats and enjoy!!!

jklotz · #6 12-16-2020, 08:29 AM

I just noticed this. This guitar must have been the last one out the door on a Friday?

In other news, the ebony bridge pins came in and, without getting into a bridge pin debate, seemed to increase sustain a bit, but more importantly, tamed some raspiness in the trebles.

TDavis · #7 12-16-2020, 09:18 AM

I had an AD17 for the briefest time ever. I ordered it online...and was very offput by the open-pore wood finish. There were, what I would have considered "glitches" all over the guitar...and it just looked cheap to me (only my opinion). It was boxed and shipped back within a day.

I give kudos to Taylor for trying to manufacture guitars that might be more affordable to the masses, in the wake of a pandemic...but their normally amazing QC shouldn't go down the toilet in the process!

zmf · #8 12-16-2020, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jklotz

Completely unacceptable for a $2K guitar IMHO.

I agree with you on this point. I suspect there would be a lot of grumbling if a D-18 showed up with those finish issues.

Picker1 · #9 12-17-2020, 04:26 PM

That IS a good looking guitar.

jricc · #10 12-17-2020, 04:33 PM

Thnx for the review. Your guitar is a looker...wish u the best with it!
Really surprised at the lack of QC from Taylor, especially near the rosette.

aeisen93 · #11 12-17-2020, 04:33 PM

I like the back of your guitar more than the one shown on GC's website! Your guitar looks amazing. I hope you're enjoying it!

_zedagive · #12 01-15-2021, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jklotz

Completely unacceptable for a $2K guitar IMHO.

Yes, but it says "Taylor" on the headstock so no need to worry about poor workmanship. Am I also correct in that the back and sides are laminate??

jklotz · #13 01-15-2021, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _zedagive

Yes, but it says "Taylor" on the headstock so no need to worry about poor workmanship. Am I also correct in that the back and sides are laminate??

Hmm, I thought it was all solid woods. I just looked it up and it says:

Top wood: Solid Spruce
Back & sides: Genuine West African Ebony

So I'm guessing if the b&s's were solid, they'd probably have said it. That's disappointing.

Jeremy · #14 01-15-2021, 01:05 PM

The back and sides are solid. Guitar Center isn't the best for accuracy in their listings.

If they were layered, the back would be arched and it would probably have been made in Tecate instead of El Cajon.

FreeRangeTrout · #15 01-15-2021, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jklotz

Hmm, I thought it was all solid woods. I just looked it up and it says:

Top wood: Solid Spruce
Back & sides: Genuine West African Ebony

So I'm guessing if the b&s's were solid, they'd probably have said it. That's disappointing.

Good review overall. Taylor says all of the American Dream guitars are all solid wood on the website. In any event you could probably discern "layered" or plywood by looking at the inside and seeing if the grain lines match. You should be able even to get a cell phone and take some photos.

QC seems kinda of disappointing. witness lines on plastic not so much, but everything else, dang.

However, the V-bracing sounds pretty interesting and some of the videos are impressive. I might actually change my opinion on Taylors - not that my opinion has any particular value...

So, for gigging, as long as it sounds right and plays well - and you can remedy the problems, sounds like a keeper.

But I wouldn't hesitate to send the info to Taylor - if they don't know it's a problem, that can't fix it.

Congrats.