Taylor 317E Grand Pacific with Sitka / Sapele

[D41Fan]

If anyone has one, what are your opinions on this guitar. I know go try, but none available now. Do you like the Sapele? How about the body shape as I am partial to 14 fret slope dreds. Is this neck anything special? Mod low oval, low profile, fat , thin???
Thanks,
Dan

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by D41Fan

If anyone has one, what are your opinions on this guitar. I know go try, but none available now. Do you like the Sapele? How about the body shape as I am partial to 14 fret slope dreds. Is this neck anything special? Mod low oval, low profile, fat , thin???
Thanks,
Dan

I had one. It was my least favorite of the Grand Pacifics I’ve owned/played (317e, 327e, 717e). The GP is a nice, comfortable body shape and generally warms the Taylor tone (esp with the right strings). But the 317 is the only one that still had too much of the Taylor brightness for my taste.

[SpruceTop]

I played the first one in my area at my local Guitar Center and thought it sounded full with plenty of bass. I thought about getting it but opted for the 717e Builder's Edition Wild Honey Burst.

[D41Fan]

Thanks guys,, I heard a couple of vids which was giving mixed impressions. If it was mic'd it wasnt bad, but if they played through the ES2, it did not sound good to me at all.

[UncleJesse]

I'm not much of a Taylor guy but played one at a GC and thought it sounded pretty good. Lots of bass and more traditional sounding. I came close to grabbing one for sale in our buy/sell section last year. I have not played any of the other GP models to compare it to.

[Canada310]

I'm a fan of the 300 series. I usually prefer it to the 400 series and I think the 314 is the best Taylor for the money. That said, in terms of the grand Pacific for some reason that 317 doesn't compare nearly as well. I love the 517 and 717 (which I chose) but the 317 each time I've played it didn't wow me.

[Wildgift]

I have one and absolutely love it. It is my daily driver. Strongly encourage you try one. Using 80/20 EXPS on it and it sparkles.

[D41Fan]

Would you say the body size is like a Martin slope shoulder 14fret or is the Grand Pacific totally different?

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by D41Fan

Would you say the body size is like a Martin slope shoulder 14fret or is the Grand Pacific totally different?

The GPs are a completely different animal. That’s why some folks (like me) wonder if they should even be called a dread. Smaller than your typical square/slope dread. It’s basically a GA with a wider waist. Don’t get me wrong. GPs are great guitars. Very comfortable. I loved my 717e and 327e. Only reason I don’t still have them is because I have Martin/Gibson (and now Collings) ears...

[dodge]

I love mine, it gets a lot of play time. I play mostly fingerstyle on mine which it's works great for. If I was primarily a strummer I would look at a 327.

[boneuphtoner]

I owned a 317 for several months and for the light fingerstyle I like, I thought the tone was darker than the 517/717 - I ultimately sold it once I discovered that Martins will give me an even darker tone and yet have much greater volume.

I really liked it overall, I just discovered other options that suited me better.

[JohnVA]

I’ve had my 317e for going on a year and a half, purchasing it new. Every time I pick it up it’s like the first time, even now. Most noteworthy is how expressive it is even at low volume levels and the clarity of sound. To me, the highs, lows, and mids are equally well balanced wherever you fret on the neck — you hear what you play. The GP v-brace design offers plenty of volume and the instrument is comfortable to hold. Playabiiity is outstanding and the factory setup has been perfect for me. I think in addition to the GP design and v-bracing, the tone woods — sapele and spruce — are an ideal combination for clear sound (spruce) and lack of harshness (sapele). All guitars are compromises. The 317 is great for individual or small group play but I wouldn’t think it’d be a good fit for a bluegrass band. I’m curious about the new Taylor AD27, with the mahogany top. If playability equals the GPs, I’d think the AD27 would be a nice counterpoint to the spruce top 317.

[Canada310]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

The GPs are a completely different animal. That’s why some folks (like me) wonder if they should even be called a dread. Smaller than your typical square/slope dread. It’s basically a GA with a wider waist. Don’t get me wrong. GPs are great guitars. Very comfortable. I loved my 717e and 327e. Only reason I don’t still have them is because I have Martin/Gibson (and now Collings) ears...

Roy! You got rid of the 717? Some of your experience with it helped me make the jump to get mine. Surprised to see but, certainly no slouches in its place. Enjoy.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by Canada310

Roy! You got rid of the 717? Some of your experience with it helped me make the jump to get mine. Surprised to see but, certainly no slouches in its place. Enjoy.

Yep...finally had a chance to snag my first Collings. Got lucky. CME had a 2017 in superb shape and gave me a great deal. But I still had to sell two fine guitars to make it happen - the 717e and a sweet J-45. No regrets. And I’m glad I’m back down to just two guitars.

[bil40272]

It got the lions share of my playing time during its time with me.
I loved the sound, and of course it had that incredible Taylor Playability.
I Picked up Huss and Dalton Road series DS From The Fretted Buffalo, and at that point my 317 became obsolete.
The DS did everything better than the 317.
That's not to say that the 317 isn't a **** good guitar, but the DS is an incredible guitar.
The 317 is definitely worth a try.