Second Taylor Factory Tour (and V-class Guitars)

[TokyoNeko]

Since I took my first Taylor factory tour at the end of last year, there has been a seismic change to say the least. So I went back to El Cajon to do another tour, and more importantly, check out the V-class guitars for myself. Now I feel like I can offer a legitimate opinion, instead of merely speculating.

First, the tour. There are no pictures to post this time, because I didn't take any. Everything else was the same, and in one area where things were different (bracing) the guide asked not to take pictures. I was a bit surprised that the guide spent 20 minutes talking about the virtues of brown-streaked ebony and barely spent about 2 minutes on the V-class. In fact, he didn't even mention the gradual transition of the new bracing until I brought it up in front of everyone that only the GA shape has the bracing. And when I asked why the GA was chosen first, he couldn't give a straight answer. I find it curious that the guide would be unable or unwilling to go to details on this, since the company's chief luthier had made it his mission to evangelize its virtues tirelessly.

But I was really there to check out the showroom again. Not surprisingly, the V-class propoganda was front and center there. Almost all the guitars in the showroom were V-class GAs, save for a small corner for electrics and other X-braced acoustics. This prevented me from doing a true apples-to-apples comparison, since the X-braced GAs were nowhere to be found. I had to settle for an A/B between the new 814e and an old 812e.

The 814 definitely had more volume, which is in part due to a bigger body, but I found that one of Andy Powers' claims about better projection at higher frets is true. My main takeaway, however, is that the 812 had the classic Taylor tone (brightness and shimmer) along with a healthy dose of overtones. The 814, on the other hand, was missing that signature Taylor vibe and almost seemed to creep towards a Martin in its sound profile. It might be louder, and it had more of that in-your-face punchiness.

Based on this very small sample, I could see myself actually preferring the V-class within the Taylor line, due to my personal taste. But that doesn't mean I would buy a V-class Taylor, because I feel like I can get a better dose of that tone elsewhere. Now I understand why some longtime Taylor fans are upset, because it seems like Taylor is on its way towards gradually abandoning its tonal recipe for something dramatically different.

Jusy MHO, of course.

[JohnW63]

I can only think that there must be a lot of variance in tones, because I have read that they make LESS bass and are thinner sounding and some , like yourself , say they are going the other way. I have to surmise that it all depends on what model and guitar you get to handle and what environment you got to play it in.

Wow. Like a lot of other guitars.

[LeftIsRight!]

Thanks for sharing.

Man this subjects comes up a lot. The new bracing will be liked by some and not so much by others.

There are so many guitar players in the world, of which a fraction is represented on this forum.

Let the test of time determine if this V bracing thing was a mistake or not for Taylor. My guess is that many people will end up liking it. And there’s always the new customers who have no idea what the old taylor sound is about anyway.

[Jeremy]

My observations actually have me leaning the other way. I own a 414ce-R V-Class and it sounds more "Taylor" to me than the 810e with AP bracing I previously owned which had a lot more low end compared to Standard II and CV braced Taylors.

[TokyoNeko]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

My observations actually have me leaning the other way. I own a 414ce-R V-Class and it sounds more "Taylor" to me than the 810e with AP bracing I previously owned which had a lot more low end compared to Standard II and CV braced Taylors.

A perfect example of why it's important to play/hear for yourself, instead of relying on others' posts only.