Which Taylor Acoustic Guitar Is Right for You?
by Jules
Fitzgerald
knowyourinstrument.com
Taylor has come up with a wide variety of acoustic guitars to choose from, each with its own unique characteristics. Aside from their standard steel-string models, the company also has specialty models that include 12-string guitars, baritone guitars, 12-fret models,
small-body guitars like the Big Baby Taylor acoustic guitar and even those with nylon strings. The array is so massive that it can be challenging and confusing to find the right model that suits you best.Fortunately, you can’t really go wrong when choosing a Taylor. Taylor acoustic guitars have a proven reputation for staying in tune, being comfortable to play and having a clear and balanced tone. This means that whichever Taylor acoustic you choose, you’re sure to have an enjoyable and fulfilling playing experience, whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years.
To help you find the right fit, we’ve put together this quick guide for narrowing down your options and choosing the Taylor acoustic guitar that’s right for you.
Determine your playing style
The first step in choosing the right acoustic guitar is knowing your own needs and preferences. Do you need a guitar that performs best when strumming, fingerpicking, flatpicking or a mix or all of these playing styles? If you’re new and don’t have a playing style yet, think about your musical interests and goals. For beginners, it’s best to choose a guitar that’s versatile and allows you to
explore various techniques as well as musical genres.Choose a Shape
Taylor Guitars offers five full-size body shapes:
- Grand Concert (GC) - a small-body guitar shape, this is extremely couch-friendly, This shape is a good fit for fingerstyle players and light strummers as well as those who find small-bodied guitars more comfortable to play.
- Grand Auditorium (GA) - a medium-body shape, this is a good fit for beginners and those who want a versatile, multipurpose guitar.
- Grand Symphony (GS) - also has a medium body but is just slightly bigger and has more tonal output than the Grand Auditorium. This body shape is best for dynamic strummers and fingerpickers.
- Dreadnought (DN) - also considered a medium body shape, it has a wider waist and is the shape of choice for traditional strummers and flatpickers with a strong attack.
- Grand Orchestra (GO) - this is a large body shape and it has the biggest and richest sound profile of all Taylor guitars. It’s a great fit for players who want a really powerful acoustic voice and love a jumbo-sized guitar.
Choosing which shape to go for depends on your level of comfort when playing as well as the sound profile of the guitar. Try out different shapes and see which one feels natural and sounds great to you!
Select your tonewoods
Taylor guitars are made of different tonewoods, such as Maple and Tropical Mahogany. Different combinations of these tonewoods influence the sound of the guitar. Once you’ve found the guitar body shape that fits you best, try playing different acoustic guitars with the same shape but different tonewoods.
When trying out different Taylor acoustic guitars, listen carefully and pay close attention to the model that gives you the best feeling in the world, the one that speaks to you - that is the guitar for you.
Have fun choosing your Taylor guitar and let us know what you picked!
