Taylor Electrics

I'm a big fan of Taylor acoustic guitars, and today I went to Guitar Center today and had the chance (and quiet) to extensively try out with the new Taylor Electrics. Specifically the Classic and the Standard.

First off, I was surprised how lightweight they are. Kind of like a cross between an SG and a thinline Telecaster (although both are solid body). They were both "bolt on" necks, but unlike any bolt on I've ever seen with a single allen wrench style bolt attaching the neck to the body. The neck was very different on each of them. The Classic ($1300) felt more like a Taylor acoustic neck, very similar to my Variax 500 neck or a PRS SE. The Standard ($1800) was a bit more finished, closer to a Gibson neck without binding (think Les Paul Studio). I felt more "at home" with the Classic...which is nicely finished swamp ash glazed in white (Poly finish). The Standard had a nice looking cherry sunburst and figured wood "tiger" stripes...definitely more of a Les Paul look. The neck seemed a tad wider and thicker gloss on the back of the neck is generally not to my liking, although it still felt like a solid instrument. A Fender "C" shape neck with the 11/16" nut width is very close to the Classic neck.

Both had a very modernly designed a single piece bridge, that is one of the main trademarks of these instruments. They looked very easy to adjust and change strings.... although I'm not quite sure how or if tension could be adjusted. There were no dead spots on the neck and they seemed to be straight out of the box from the factory. Even though they are kind of shaped like a Les Paul, they certainly have a truly distinct look that maybe in a few years could be established as the "Taylor Electric" look.

Both models had a 5 way Strat style switch, but with only 2 humbuckers...so I'm assuming some kind of coil switching or phasing is going on for the extra positions. The Classic pickup covers gave them more of a tele soap bar look, while the Standard looked like modern humbuckers. Only two knobs, volume and "tone." Through a Marshall tube combo, the tone knob seemed to radically changed the response of the pickup rather than being a high cut. I was surprised how many different sounds I was able to produce....from a thin shimmery Strat tone to a fat Humbucking Les Paul type tone. Both guitars sounded the same to my ears....both with excellent sustain...perhaps not as good as a Les Paul, but certainly as good or better than a Strat or Tele...pretty amazing considering how light and thin these guitars are. I was able to drive the gain on the amp from sustaining clean blues/fusion jazz to Van Halen style "brown" with just volume and tone adjustments on the guitar.

I liked the combination of size, sound, and features on these instruments. They balanced on my leg better than any PRS I've ever played. I'd pick one of these over a PRS Single Cut. They are quality USA made instruments that are very versatile. If I were gigging regularly, the Classic would be a no brainer... I'm just doing so much more studio/acoustic stuff these days, that it doesn't make sense to buy another electric. At under $1000 I would probably pop for a Classic....much to my wife's chagrin.

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Great review - thanks!

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