New Taylor 717 Day....Part Two

[dhodgeh]

Welcome back to the club.

Your description of this guitar pretty much sums up everything I like about my 717.

Enjoy......

D

[BluesKing777]

I just put my 717e back in the case after playing for an hour (at home) with a bandaid on my thumb.....a bit tricky with my bareback fingerpicking style - sounds like I have a flat or a puncture. But it was that or sit looking at the guitar. Nope, not an option, so on we go in mild pain.

So after a couple of months of ownership, still a baby, the only complaints about the guitar is that with the Silent Satin Finish of the BE model, the guitar slips forward a bit on my right thigh if I am wearing my track pants in the morning. They are probably of KMart or such origin and made of the plastic that looks like soft cotton they call a ‘cotton blend’. (Well, they may have waved a bit of cotton over the machine that spits them out.) While it is not the end of the world, it is a bit of a nuisance adjusting the guitar all the time. Hmmm. I don’t want to wear a strap sitting down, just want to grab the guitar and play it. So I can either buy other trackies for my morning practice or put a strip of Velcro on the side of the guitar that sits on my knee. I do this with a National reso. No biggie.

Now that is said, the other small small small complaint is the other day we had a humid thundery day and when I threw the capo on the 4th, the sound around that area while normally superb, went a bit humidity gluggy. I get the feeling the new torrefied top is ‘finding itself’

On the plus, plus super plus side of things, I often grab a book of hits and play just the melody line and add a few chords, but on this guitar...Wow! Next step up from that is lead guitar style lines. Wow, again. I think I could do just anything on this guitar and far better players than I are probably already finding just that! I mean, you could jump from cowboy chordy things to a full on jazz chord melody thing to a country blues thing to......whatever.

Thanks again, Andy!


BluesKing777.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by Groberts

Jonathan, yours is particularly striking! Love the figure in the top. Very happy to read about how much you like it! I agree with BluesKing777 however; I dont see the 517 fitting into the stable.



Also ...careful to not dismiss the D-18! They are an iconic industry standard for a good reason. Judge each guitar on its own merit, lest you be 'pitting' ...and dismissing one. (been there done that)

You are 100% right. I am not going to get carried away and do anything rash lol. The D-18 does what the 717 can’t do, and that is sound like a Martin. The Martin has low end for days and it is thunderous in the low end.

The Taylor is louder and spunkier. I think the best analogy I can make is that the Martin is the old muscle car and the Taylor is the modern take on the classic. Old and original Mustang vs a 2019 model. The new car is the better more precise machine, but it ain’t quite like hearing that old engine roar!

I think that I’ve for sure found my guitar. This guitar is going to let me be creative and be me. When I play Martins and Gibsons, I feel like I’m playing things to fit their voice. With the 717, I feel like I can play anything and not be limited by what the sound makes me feel like I should play.

So yeah, I’m pretty excited about where I think I can go with the 717, but the D-18 is still quite fantastic.

[The Growler]

Congratulations! That is a beauty. The 717 I played sounded lovely and yours looks great. Enjoy!

[Shades of Blue]

Still in love with this thing! I think my favorite thing about it so far is how easy the single notes jump out and how loud and fat they are. It’s the most dynamic and best sounding guitar I’ve ever played!

[boneuphtoner]

Still on the Elixirs?

[SpruceTop]

Congratulation! Given my only Grand Pacific experience, so far is with a 317e, which sounded wonderful, I've been considering a 717e and your review is getting me closer to pulling the trigger on one! Thanks!

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by boneuphtoner

Still on the Elixirs?

Yup! Putting on some Santa Cruz Mid Tension Strings tomorrow. Going to try some Martin Ebony Pins and possibly the Taylor Bone saddle I got.

I love this thing to death so far.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Congratulation! Given my only Grand Pacific experience, so far is with a 317e, which sounded wonderful, I've been considering a 717e and your review is getting me closer to pulling the trigger on one! Thanks!

I don’t know what the 317 sounds like, but I think the torrified top is what I’m hearing that I like so much. Loads of airy thick mids. The V Bracing to me reminds me of a D-28. The non-scalloped bracing on the D-28 leads to a punchy guitar with loads of sustain, and I think that the V Bracing really beefs up the center of the guitar creating a stiffer top. When I had my D-28, I remember being underwhelmed with the low end. It’s punchy and sounds better strummed hard...unlike any Taylor I’ve played.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

Yup! Putting on some Santa Cruz Mid Tension Strings tomorrow. Going to try some Martin Ebony Pins and possibly the Taylor Bone saddle I got.

I love this thing to death so far.

Doesn't your new Taylor come with standard Taylor ebony pins?

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Doesn't your new Taylor come with standard Taylor ebony pins?

Oh yes it does! I just have saved these for a rainy day...

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[Shades of Blue]

Best guitar ever...period. Love this thing. I got the Santa Cruz strings on, as well as the Taylor bone saddle. My ebony Martin Pins were too fat to fit, but I don’t care.

Best way I can describe it is woody. I don’t hear string, I just hear wood and vintage like sounds. With this guitar there is no string “plink”. It’s just wood.

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[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

Best guitar ever...period. Love this thing. I got the Santa Cruz strings on, as well as the Taylor bone saddle. My ebony Martin Pins were too fat to fit, but I don’t care.

Best way I can describe it is woody. I don’t hear string, I just hear wood and vintage like sounds. With this guitar there is no string “plink”. It’s just wood.

Knew you’d love those SCs on it. They sure warmed and fattened the tone of my 317. I’m also thinking this body shape brings out the best of the V-bracing. No wonder Andy says he originally designed the new bracing for the GPs. To my ears the V-bracing on the 714ce I had just heightened the typical Taylor brightness...which is why I ultimately sold it. But the V-bracing on the GPs truly produces something new - more woody and warm.

[arwhite]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Knew you’d love those SCs on it. They sure warmed and fattened the tone of my 317. I’m also thinking this body shape brings out the best of the V-bracing. No wonder Andy says he originally designed the new bracing for the GPs. To my ears the V-bracing on the 714ce I had just heightened the typical Taylor brightness...which is why I ultimately sold it. But the V-bracing on the GPs truly produces something new - more woody and warm.

I played a 317 and vclass 314ce back to back in the same shop and they sounded more alike than different to me. And I could probably attribute the difference mostly being medium strings on the 317 and light strings on the 314. My own vclass 324 bears this out. It is a different guitar with medium lights vs lights.

Really the body cavity size of the GP vs GA isn't that different. Same depth and same lower bout width. The waist and cutaway on the 314 being the primary body differences. As far as I know nothing is being done differently on the GP vs the GA as far as the bracing goes.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by arwhite

I played a 317 and vclass 314ce back to back in the same shop and they sounded more alike than different to me. And I could probably attribute the difference mostly being medium strings on the 317 and light strings on the 314. My own vclass 324 bears this out. It is a different guitar with medium lights vs lights.



Really the body cavity size of the GP vs GA isn't that different. Same depth and same lower bout width. The waist and cutaway on the 314 being the primary body differences. As far as I know nothing is being done differently on the GP vs the GA as far as the bracing goes.

Thanks for the comparison!

I preferred the D-28 to the HD-28 when I played them last year at a shop. I seem to prefer punchiness, woodiness and sustain to piano like highs.

And then it hits me...I prefer the V Bracing because of what I said above. It’s thick, punchy, with loads of sustain. You hit it, and you get louder wood thickness and not just a loud string plink. And, my 717 is louder than any Martin I’ve ever played.

I’m a believer in V Bracing now, but all except one thing...low end. I’m getting more low end now than I did with with the Elixirs and Tusq saddle, but if you judge a guitar by the low end, you aren’t going to like V Bracing. If you want balance and an OM/000 sound on steroids, this is your guitar!!!