90’s Taylors

[MoonSpruce]

It really comes down to Taylor fans having golden era envy in my opinion. I’ve played 90s Taylor’s, they sound bright and like many guitars during that time simply don’t stack up to how good guitars sound today. I tried a 90s 514 and 914 next to a current V Class 714 and I’m not a fan of V Class, but the 714 had much more depth than them.

[TDavis]

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

I wonder if the 96 512 you're buying might have been mine at one time. I have had six or seven 512s from that era, some cutaway some not. Sold most of them here over the last seven years....

You can expect some subtle differences compared to a newer post 2000 model.
All Taylor necks bolt on but this will have the fingerboard extension glued to the top. So a neck set is a bit more of an issue, but most Taylor certified techs can often finesse it without having to unglue and reglue.

Make sure the neck angle is correct! Proper geometry is NOT a given on ANY used instrument. It will sound its best when a straightedge laying centered on the frets just meets the top corner of the bridge. So level with the bottom of the showing part of the saddle.

The neck will have 25.5" scale, unlike the new GCs at 24.75" (I think), and yours will most likely have a 1.75" Nut

The build will be a bit lighter in weight than a newer Taylor, and yours will probably have an Engleman top and sure to have real Mahogany back and sides.

The neck will have a bit less mass than a newer Taylor, with what they would now call the "slim carve". Which helps make fretting a bit easier with the Long scale than it would otherwise be.

The famous "electric neck" that helped Taylor snag so many electric players.
If you have smaller hands this may be a big help. If you have bigger mitts YMMV.

If you want comfort this will be SWEET! If you crave more volume acoustically you might want a 514. Which will be 16" across the LB and a bit deeper, versus your GC at 15".

If it does not have a pup I suggest a K&K and then it can sound as big as you want when you plug in.

The normal Grovers can be lightened considerably by swapping to wood or resin buttons.

Hope this helps

I LOVE these 94-99 Taylors and bet you will be quite pleased.

PM if you have more ????s

Salud

Paul

Thanks, Paul! Do the below pics look familiar at all...?