Thoughts on Taylor's new 50th anniversary line?

[mawmow]

I kind of remember they had announced a quite huge step in their pricing
when they launched the V bracing but had to step back.
I do not know if they sold as much as they had expected though.
Sure a new bracing geometry was not worth that price increase even
though it enhanced the sound.
I would have liked that they had launched a V series instead.
Nope, I used to love Taylor 500 series, but would not throw 10grans to get one.

[rule18]

Well, at least for the $14,999 price of the 50th Anniversary PS14ce LTD (Cedar/Walnut) you get an $800 amp.

[CharlieBman]

I own a couple of Taylor guitars and like them. But attaching a "50th Anniversary" and high price tag on a guitar does nothing but make me look the other way.

You can't blame them though. Its' a business. If there's a market for this kind of stuff, might as well give them something to spend their money on.

[Annie B]

Originally Posted by CharlieBman

You can't blame them though. Its' a business. If there's a market for this kind of stuff, might as well give them something to spend their money on.

Well, we don't know yet if people are going to buy these expensive razzle-dazzle guitars. There may not be a market for them. I certainly hope not. Don't want the industry as a whole to go for this particular Taylor "innovation." Martin has some new finishes and a few new lower priced models but they essentially stick to the basics. I'm guessing their new finishes, like the street models, are designed to appeal to younger players because none of them are more expensive than the standard lines. Compared to the likes of Collings and Santa Cruz, Martin still makes more affordable high-end instruments. Just bought a 2024 trusty 00-18 that I swear the angels whisper through. Couldn't find a comparable Taylor. Yet I credit Bob Taylor with forcing Martin to up its game in the 80s and 90s after a long spell of quality inconsistancy.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by TimeOfYourLife

The guitar's looks will always be subjective, although I do think the care and craftsmanship involved in creating them merits admiration.

But you don't think craftsmen deserve to be paid for their craftsmanship because, after all, "does $300 worth of Lumber and $100 of seashells equal to 20k?"

[LAPlayer]

" Then again, does $300 worth of Lumber and $100 of seashells equal to 20k?"

It does unless you can assemble the parts yourself. I found the GS Mini price quite attractive as I did with most of the offerings. The 814CE is just up $1,000 from the standard 814CE, that's not much for a limited, anniversary model. Even though I don't own any Taylors, these will sell out, if they are limited in production. There are a lot of Taylor fan-boys out there.

[MantraSky]

I recently bought a new Taylor 314ce LTD 50th Anniv Builders Edition and it's such a great guitar, plays and sounds beautiful.
I've had Taylor 514ce, 714ce, 814ce, 114ce and now 314ce LTD. Martin D16, D28, HD28, D45 Over all Martin guitars are
Not my favorite playing & sound same with Ovation Adamus etc. A few others, I do a lot of recording so I look for what
"Sounds the Best" more than live-performance.

[Taylorcrazy]

I am a long time Taylor lover. Got my first one, a stunning 710 in 1995. Since that time, I’ve owned two R. Taylors and a slew of Taylors. I currently own a non-cutaway 514 that I plan to keep til they plant me. I will admit that I have been a little uncertain with all the changes Andy Powers has introduced. I am no longer. A couple weeks ago I stopped in a local shop and played an AD17e for the first time. The appearance of the guitar was OK but the tone and playability were fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised. I visited another shop Friday and played two more…again, I was extremely impressed. I truly like those guitars a lot. Sure, I miss the 90s Taylors but I am a former critic of V-Class bracing but now like it a great deal. The funny thing is that the AD17e I liked the most was a Red Top model. I am acutely aware that many folks do not currently like Taylor, Andy Powers, nor V-Bracing. Frankly, there are many who never have, never will and that’s OK! Everyone has their own taste and that just leaves more for all of us who love them! Whatever your guitar of choice is, play and have fun!

[FLRon]

I’ve always thought that Taylor produces a very nice sunburst. I just don’t care for their sound however.

[waterlooz]

Here's my 2 cents.

I got to spend a few days with a GS Mini 50th.

Sound- I was pretty shocked at the sound it produced. The torrified top really changed the tone in a positive way. It had a really nice rosewood tone profile (overtone was there) and had great volume/sustain.

Feel - Lighter than any other GS Mini I've ever picked up. Compared to my koa plus (which is for sale - shameless plug), the neck profile was noticeably thinner. Also, My GS Mini feels more "glued together," to me. Maybe it's the weight difference?

Looks - The burst was perfect, the gold tuners were great. I did chukle a bit that they used such a light wood stain/color for the neck itself with the dark fret board. It was definitely night and day - literally. The wood used on the fingerboard itself was super interesting as they let the natural grain come through.

If I wanted a mini, this is one I would highly consider acquiring. I also imagine we're goong to see torrified tops on a lot from Taylor in the near future. It's simple economics and it is a market they likely want to step into.

PS: I played the 217e 50th for a moment and was very impressed for 1400.

[Luckymud]

Originally Posted by waterlooz

Here's my 2 cents.

I got to spend a few days with a GS Mini 50th.

Sound- I was pretty shocked at the sound it produced. The torrified top really changed the tone in a positive way. It had a really nice rosewood tone profile (overtone was there) and had great volume/sustain.

Feel - Lighter than any other GS Mini I've ever picked up. Compared to my koa plus (which is for sale - shameless plug), the neck profile was noticeably thinner. Also, My GS Mini feels more "glued together," to me. Maybe it's the weight difference?

Looks - The burst was perfect, the gold tuners were great. I did chukle a bit that they used such a light wood stain/color for the neck itself with the dark fret board. It was definitely night and day - literally. The wood used on the fingerboard itself was super interesting as they let the natural grain come through.

If I wanted a mini, this is one I would highly consider acquiring. I also imagine we're goong to see torrified tops on a lot from Taylor in the near future. It's simple economics and it is a market they likely want to step into.

PS: I played the 217e 50th for a moment and was very impressed for 1400.

Agree on the Mini (see my thread about torrefied mini tops for the spruce version). If you don't want to plunk down the extra for the 50th anniversary edition, check out the super basic Sapele/Spruce version. The torrefied top makes it warmer and to my ear louder. I did see something about plans to do torrefied tops to a lot more of their Mexican made guitars, and I think the results are going to be stellar. I have been out on Taylor since V bracing, but warmed up tops feel like a step in the right direction.

[Biosphere]

Originally Posted by Annie B

Well, we don't know yet if people are going to buy these expensive razzle-dazzle guitars. There may not be a market for them. I certainly hope not.

Trust me there is. I know a few dentists who brought the PS-14 Brazilian models a few years back because they were the most expensive Taylors they could buy and they heard that Taylor guitars were the best. I told them they could have got a $5,000 Collings which would have sounded better. They went "pfft" and scoffed to indicate as if saving the difference between whatever those Taylor Presentation Series cost and $5,000 meant anything to them, as that figure is probably a few hours of work for them.

It's ironic how we think surely those people must be stupid to be spending so much money on guitars and how we're so smart for getting more value for money. While forgetting that we are the ones at the bottom of the pyramid, and that time is a much more valuable resource - we have to spend more of our own time working in order to make less money and find deals on guitars while they can buy any guitar they want and the only reason they aren't guitar connoisseurs is because their hobbies are things like supercars and yatches.

[Groberts]

Originally Posted by Biosphere

Trust me there is. I know a few dentists who brought the PS-14 Brazilian models a few years back because they were the most expensive Taylors they could buy and they heard that Taylor guitars were the best. I told them they could have got a $5,000 Collings which would have sounded better. They went "pfft" and scoffed to indicate as if saving the difference between whatever those Taylor Presentation Series cost and $5,000 meant anything to them, as that figure is probably a few hours of work for them.

It's ironic how we think surely those people must be stupid to be spending so much money on guitars and how we're so smart for getting more value for money. While forgetting that we are the ones at the bottom of the pyramid, and that time is a much more valuable resource - we have to spend more of our own time working in order to make less money and find deals on guitars while they can buy any guitar they want and the only reason they aren't guitar connoisseurs is because their hobbies are things like supercars and yatches.

Yeah, the prettiest girls aren't always the best. Not at all.

[nacnac]

Originally Posted by GCWaters

I like it, overall, but I don't like that funky bevel they're doing in the cutaway...

Same here. Not my thing. Don't like the arm bevel either. Makes the top look off center somehow.

[Marshall]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I love the Taylor Guitars Company, for the guitars I've bought from them and for the excellent customer service they've rendered to me more than once. I also appreciate the craftsmanship and fit and finish their guitars have featured for so many years.

With that understood, I feel like their visual aesthetic has dramatically moved away from me, to where I rarely see one of their guitars that I find appealing. That and the constantly changing kaleidoscope of features, shape, and wood changes, and their strong integrating of reclaimed wood into the regular lines have made me an outsider who can no longer distinguish or recommend any model because I have no frame of reference.

It is all very disappointing.

Bob

Come on ! What's not to like about this?