Taylor 618e V Class... why did they go back to blonde?

[PaulieDC]

I know, this isn't really an important topic and guitar makers can do what they like, but when that new 600 series hit the scene in 2015 with the revoiced bracing and the gorgeous brown sugar stain that looked like an orchestral instrument, many of us did go bonkers over that. Andy and Bob posted an interview saying that a lot of people don't like a blonde guitar (J200 players will argue that, lol!). When V-Class showed up the finish remained except for the 618e, they went back to blonde, and changed the fret markers to the shape of a barn. Was there any discussion from Taylor why they did that?

[SpruceTop]

I don't know why Taylor changed to the blonde finish on the V-Class Taylor 618e. Perhaps to distinguish it from the 2015 X-Class 600 Series? I like the brown sugar stain on my Taylor 618e and Taylor 614ce better than the newer V-Class blonde. If I had my druthers, I'd have wanted Taylor to do more of a dark amber or a slightly lighter brown sugar finish on the 2015 X-Class 600 Series.

[guitararmy]

Trying to achieve a Gibson Jumbo vibe perhaps!

[Athens]

Actually, I remember a lot of talk against the dark stain. Maple is beautiful wood. Leave it alone.

Just my less than humble opinion.

[gmel555]

Originally Posted by guitararmy

Trying to achieve a Gibson Jumbo vibe perhaps!

My first thought as well.

[Dwight]

Maybe they think it will sell better ...or they have prettier wood now ...or they ran out of the darker stain.

[phavriluk]

Their call, over at Taylor. Made sense to somebody.

[Glennwillow]

I have no idea why they moved away from the stained maple. They may have gotten feedback that people preferred the natural look, but I am only guessing.

I thought their stained maple finish looked good, but I also like a natural maple finish.

- Glenn

[Gchord]

+1 to leaving maple alone.

I'm in the market for a maple body acoustic but don't like the brown stain at all. Maybe people like me are in the majority.

[FingahPickah]

Interesting thread.

I have two natural maple Guilds: a '73 dread and an '87 jumbo 12. I cut my teeth, (ears and chops) on them. They do sound distinctly different from my other guitars. Great singer/songwriter guitars.

With my own personal points of reference, I can recall playing some maple Taylors years ago that sounded thin (brittle) to me.

There are several articles where Andy Powers talks about how he himself has always been a big fan of maple as a tone wood (the long-time wood of choice for bowed and mandolin family instruments) and set out to build a better maple guitar.

When he and Bob Taylor discussed getting some new maple V Class in the hands of Nashville players - Bob insisted they be stained (not natural) because of a "maple is too bright" mind-set at first sight.

Perhaps now, 4-5 years into the success of the stained V Class 600 Series, they thought it was time to go natural again on at least one model. Perhaps Andy's way of saying "see, we do build a better maple guitar". Just a thought.

My son has a brown sugar V Class 614ce that lacks nothing sonically. It's awesome.

[leew3]

My number is in the book and they didn't call me to ask about this decision either. I too am mystified.

[RP]

Taylor is a company that's known for innovation, and they're also not afraid to say, "That didn't work; let's try something else."

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by FingahPickah

Interesting thread.

I have two natural maple Guilds: a '73 dread and an '87 jumbo 12. I cut my teeth, (ears and chops) on them. They do sound distinctly different from my other guitars. Great singer/songwriter guitars.

With my own personal points of reference, I can recall playing some maple Taylors years ago that sounded thin (brittle) to me.

There are several articles where Andy Powers talks about how he himself has always been a big fan of maple as a tone wood (the long-time wood of choice for bowed and mandolin family instruments) and set out to build a better maple guitar.

When he and Bob Taylor discussed getting some new maple V Class in the hands of Nashville players - Bob insisted they be stained (not natural) because of a "maple is too bright" mind-set at first sight.

Perhaps now, 4-5 years into the success of the stained V Class 600 Series, they thought it was time to go natural again on at least one model. Perhaps Andy's way of saying "see, we do build a better maple guitar". Just a thought.

My son has a brown sugar V Class 614ce that lacks nothing sonically. It's awesome.

I have a V Class 614ce, and very much agree that it sounds fantastic. I have played an older 615 with blonde back and sides that I liked as well (and especially liked that it didn’t have electronics or a cutaway). When I got the 614ce, I had read the same explanation as above—that Taylor stained the maple to fend off the “maple is too bright” bias. I think they also said that they did it as a reference to orchestral stringed instruments, which have dark-stained maple backs and sides.

The brown-sugar stain is nice, but I would have preferred it if Taylor had left it natural. The finish on the 618 is even nicer—it has a little shading on the edges. And it sounds great, too. My vague recollection is that their explanation for leaving the back and sides of the 618 natural was in homage of the great maple jumbos.

[Mandobart]

I've never been a Taylor fan - nothing against them, I just prefer the Martin sound. In most all cases I like wood colored wood. I like the natural color each different tonewood has and prefer no stain, burst, etc.

Manufacturers are constantly tweaking their recipes, usually because of their marketing department.

[SpruceTop]

Another thought, the 600 Series features flamed maple back and sides and perhaps the brown-sugar stain helped the flaming to "pop" more. Both my 2015 brown-sugar-stained 600 Series Taylors show beautiful flaming.