Taylor fusion/crossover nylon

[CCFingerstyle]

Originally Posted by fazool

Chris Crouch is a nylon expert and occasions the AGF forum. The sound of this nylon string makes me GAS severely for one of these

I'm not sure if I am am expert, but I have bought and tried out quite a few Taylor nylons. Here are my responses to your questions:

Yes, the Taylor nylons would be considered hybrid instruments.

All of the Taylor nylons are nice; my least favorites were the Academy and the 714ce-N. I could not get good tone out of the 714.

In general, I like the older NS series guitars better than the newer ce-N models.

I personally favor the NS72ce and NS52ce models with the smaller bodies, but the NS74ce and NS54ce models are quite nice (or the Jason Mraz model if you can live with the markings - basically a NS72ce).

Of the ce-N models my favorite is the 514ce-N.

My comments are mainly based on playability and tone. Unfortunately, what I favor really doesn't matter that much since personal preferences play such a part in whether or not you will like a particular model.

I agree with the person who liked the Cordoba Fusion model. They are very similar to the Taylor NS series. I favor the Cordoba Fusion Orchestra CE cedar/spruce model and not the Natural model.

I agree that a Sand is the ultimate on nylon/electric. I currently own the Richard Smith model thinline, but I think I will go back to the deeper body model. Paul McGill Super Ace is also a very nice nylon/electric (Happy Birthday to Paul today). Of course, these guitars are in a totally different price range.

Of all the Taylor nylons I have owned, my NS52ce (cedar/mahogany) is my favorite. I swapped out the factory electronics and put in a Barbera system (the kind Kirk now uses on the Sand models) and it is an extraordinary guitar.

[birdsong]

I have two in the crossover camp that I really like.

Cervantes I; 48mm nut width, 650mm scale, slightly radiused fretboard; these are nice guitars; they Highlander pickup with it is quite "potent";

Kenny Hill New World Player; 50mm nut; 628mm scale; not sure about the fretboard radius (I just don't remember). No pickup in it.

I cannot quite play a traditional nylon-stringed guitar, with a 52mm nut. This is for medical reasons. I can barely do the 50mm one, but the short scale helps and the Sageworks magnetic assist really helps too.

As pointed out, "crossover" seems a bit vague in that there can be various parameters included and you may not care about all of them. So you have check the specs.......

[DoryDavis]

Originally Posted by CCFingerstyle

I'm not sure if I am am expert, but I have bought and tried out quite a few Taylor nylons. Here are my responses to your questions:

Yes, the Taylor nylons would be considered hybrid instruments.

All of the Taylor nylons are nice; my least favorites were the Academy and the 714ce-N. I could not get good tone out of the 714.

In general, I like the older NS series guitars better than the newer ce-N models.

I personally favor the NS72ce and NS52ce models with the smaller bodies, but the NS74ce and NS54ce models are quite nice (or the Jason Mraz model if you can live with the markings - basically a NS72ce).

Of the ce-N models my favorite is the 514ce-N.

My comments are mainly based on playability and tone. Unfortunately, what I favor really doesn't matter that much since personal preferences play such a part in whether or not you will like a particular model.

I agree with the person who liked the Cordoba Fusion model. They are very similar to the Taylor NS series. I favor the Cordoba Fusion Orchestra CE cedar/spruce model and not the Natural model.

I agree that a Sand is the ultimate on nylon/electric. I currently own the Richard Smith model thinline, but I think I will go back to the deeper body model. Paul McGill Super Ace is also a very nice nylon/electric (Happy Birthday to Paul today). Of course, these guitars are in a totally different price range.

Of all the Taylor nylons I have owned, my NS52ce (cedar/mahogany) is my favorite. I swapped out the factory electronics and put in a Barbera system (the kind Kirk now uses on the Sand models) and it is an extraordinary guitar.

Chris thank you for the comprehensive comments (and your great playing). I had a couple of followups if you have time. (this is the OP). Are you going back to the deeper Smith/Sand for more acoustic volume? How is the acoustic volume on the thinline? Also, I have the Cordoba Fusion natural. Dissatisfied with the pickup, I had an LB6 installed. Hard to put my finger on it, but still just not inspiring. Plays great. Happy with the bass side of it actually. Not so on the treble. What would you say would be improved by moving to the Orchestra model? That is surprising you couldn't get the tone you liked out of the 700 series Nylon Taylors. Thanks again!

[DoryDavis]

Thanks everybody for such great information. This is the OP. The Furch GNC-4 is on my radar now. Does anyone own or has played one? How tall are the frets? How is the plugged in sound? Thanks again everyone.

[lodi_55]

I've been gigging with Taylor nylons/hybrids for about 10 years. I have had nothing but great experiences with my 414 FLTD and my 712 12 fret nylon. Taylors don't project like other crossover but I find that to be a good thing when you're trying to tackle live sound with a nylon.

[DoryDavis]

Mike you get a great sound with that Taylor nylon.