Taylor's new Dreadnought

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I played it. It's called the Grand Pacific. It's a slope shouldered dreadnought. It's a nice guitar. But, if you love a traditional Martin Dreadnought sound, you might night go for this. If you like a Gibson-esque sound, you might like this one. It's otherwise another high quality Taylor instrument with some new design features including a new neck profile.

I assume we'll see Grand Pacific body style offered in several series. (GP800, GP600, maybe even on the value side GP200, etc...). Do you know if the guitar you played was V-braced or X-braced?

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Flipguitar_pro

As a huge Dreadnought fan I am probably just going to blindly order one right after Winter NAMM. The sound clip that Taylor posted is very interesting but nothing beats hearing it in person.

I personally look forward to what Andy and his team have come up with! The only decision I have to make is whether to go custom or not.

I applaud your spirit, and I'm looking forward to any review you wish to share with us!

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by Rmz76

I assume we'll see Grand Pacific body style offered in several series. (GP800, GP600, maybe even on the value side GP200, etc...). Do you know if the guitar you played was V-braced or X-braced?

I asked him the same Q earlier in this thread. He said V-braced. Also, it has the black nut in the pics/vids...the sign of V-bracing.

[Tnfiddler]

This new Taylor dread has me gassed up so bad that I’m in the process of getting a Bourgeois slope shoulder dread to go with my 1995 810!

[Cuki79]

I think the Edge has one or two





People should check the Premier Guitar Rig rundown I think they showed or told the Back and side wood

[dodge]

Yeah he pulls out the Taylor around 29 mins into the interview. Claims it's a prototype:
https://youtu.be/qDYfXvGuaL4

[RussL30]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Martin invented the dreadnought, so it's natural to assume that any dreadnought shaped guitar would be compared to a Martin by some people, including me.....

Thanks for the thoughtful response Dave. I may be different than most people but when I pick up a dread made by a company other than Martin I don’t usually ever think to compare it to Martin and usually compare it to other offerings from that maker. I do find it interesting that you see a correlation in Taylor owners liking Gibson as a secondary sound. I like a balance in guitars and not guitars that are really boomy or bright. That’s why I’m not a huge fan of Martin rosewood dreads or most Taylor GA’s. Gibson is phenomenal at creating this balance and there is something magical to me about Taylor pre Powers bracing in a large dread body with a warm wood like rosewood or mahogany. My favorite Martin dreads are their straight braced D18’s which is their most balanced. I don’t know if I’d be in Powers target market, because this guitar gives me no reason to sell my Pre Powers Taylor dread and I’m not giving up my Gibsons to buy a Taylor that wants to be a Gibson.

I respectfully and thoroughly disagree with your comments about Taylor not being able to make a guitar as resonant as Martin or other makers. There’s no truth in that and is a biased opinion because we all hear differently.

The more I see photos of this guitar, I don’t even know if this can actually be considered a dread. It looks like a weird marriage, between a GS, L body Larrivee and J45. I don’t what this guitar can do that the GS models and square shoulder dreads can’t. Also I hate to see these guitar companies copy each other more and more and lose their originality and principles.

[edward993]

Originally Posted by Paddy1951

...
Here's a wild thought. What if one or the other or both of them decided to build guitars that truly offered shades of gray in both directions, sound-wise. Both companies are certainly capable of that.

What if it came down to how guitars are built quality wise and customer service wise and not a "sound?"
....

I believe that both companies undoubtedly have already built guitars that have gravitated toward the other; this is fairly easily demonstrated. Likewise, they both have (or retain) their “signature” tone, if one believes such a thing, as evidenced by their key bread-and-butter models ...you know, the instantly recognizable Taylor or Martin.

As for quality, I don’t think it has ever been better, frankly. And while I will let Martin owners speak for Martin’s customer service, anyone who has dealt with Taylor’s CS knows full well how they service their owners, and remarkably, those who are not the original owners. It’s a good era tone playing guitar, no doubt!

Edward

[ataylor]

The silhouette of this guitar looks far more like a slope-shoulder dreadnought to me than it does a GS or Larrivee L style.

Based on the Sean Watkins clip, which is pretty much all we can judge this on so far, I’d say it has a drier, more fundamental tone than anything I’ve heard from the Taylor lineup in a long time. Kind of like an older 510 but braced to bring out a bit more midrange and punchy bass. I think it’s great for Taylor to offer something in this flavor.

This is the guitar I wanted ten years ago! I was falling in love with Gibson slope-shoulder guitars but wanted Taylor to make one because I like the ethos and culture of the company as well as the blend of modern and traditional in their approach to guitar construction and tone.

Really looking forward to seeing official images and sound clips and eventually playing them in shops. I have a feeling this is going to be dangerous territory for me...

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by ataylor

The silhouette of this guitar looks far more like a slope-shoulder dreadnought to me than it does a GS or Larrivee L style.

Based on the Sean Watkins clip, which is pretty much all we can judge this on so far, I’d say it has a drier, more fundamental tone than anything I’ve heard from the Taylor lineup in a long time. Kind of like an older 510 but braced to bring out a bit more midrange and punchy bass. I think it’s great for Taylor to offer something in this flavor.

This is the guitar I wanted ten years ago! I was falling in love with Gibson slope-shoulder guitars but wanted Taylor to make one because I like the ethos and culture of the company as well as the blend of modern and traditional in their approach to guitar construction and tone.

Really looking forward to seeing official images and sound clips and eventually playing them in shops. I have a feeling this is going to be dangerous territory for me...

Oh the Sean Watkins clip isn't the only one... We also have the recorded guitar in the Taylor teaser.... But that sounds like Watkins playing on both.



That guitar has very much a Gibson slope sound to it, but it's a little brighter. I like what I'm hearing a lot in the clip and I like the ad. It says "we know a certain group of players think all our guitars have a similar sound and we're doing something to change that so that maybe we have something for you in our catalog".

For those saying a Gibson slope isn't really a dreadnought, keep in mind the original Dreadnought produced by C.F. Martin for Ditson in the early 1900s (Ditson 111) was a slope shoulder, short scale body shape.



It sure looks to me like the Gibson J-45 (Jumbo $45) shape was inspired by these early Martin slope shoulder designs, and the J/AJ body branding of the body mold was likely just a way for Gibson to trademark their unique names for their take on the dreadnought at the time.

They are all Dreadnoughts and people trying to make a case that a Gibson slope isn't a dreadnought doesn't really have much wind to it if you look at the history.

[RussL30]

I very much consider Gibson slopes and other brands’ slopes just as much a dreadnought as square shoulder dreads. I’d just like to see Taylor continue with the square shoulder dreads in addition to this model. Also, from limited photos and angles we’ve seen so far, I think it looks more Larrivee shaped than traditional slope dread shaped. That may change when we get to see full photos or see it in person.

[maxtheaxe]

Originally Posted by Flipguitar_pro

This picture has been floating around the net. I think it looks gorgeous!

Almost looks like a Larrivee 'L' body.

[Shuksan]

Does anyone know what the little black object at the edge of the sound hole is in the Sean Watkins video?

[kcnbys]

Originally Posted by Shuksan

Does anyone know what the little black object at the edge of the sound hole is in the Sean Watkins video?

It's a little tuner that clips onto the edge of the soundhole.

[Rudy4]

I personally think Taylor should leave the dread to everyone else. There's already a huge number of Martin / Martin copiers doing the dread. It just makes me yawn.