Hands-On Review: Taylor GS 416ce
Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Topnotch Taylor tone and quality in an
affordable, forward-thinking guitar
By John Chappell
Taylor
ranks among the best makers of American-made guitars, producing the finest
instruments money can buy. As a result, many people think that when they really
want to splurge--say, for that once-in-a-decade purchase where money is no
object--they will buy a Taylor. But Taylor brings their design ingenuity, premium
craftsmanship, and beauty to all models in their product line, not just the
premium ones. More and more, Taylor offers plenty of choices that are affordable
and can keep pace in the tone as well as aesthetics departments of their
well-established top-of-the-line models.
The 416ce,
a 400 series cutaway electric, was introduced
in 2011 and is the newest model in Taylor’s standard product line. It is a
stellar example of one of the new breed of Taylor acoustic-electrics that
cannily fuses traditional guitarmaking with modern-world forward thinking.
First, the body shape of the 416ce is the GS (Grand Symphony), a relatively new
addition to the line, created in 2006 by Bob Taylor as a slightly larger
alternative to the GA (Grand Auditorium) -- at the time Taylor’s largest in the
"traditional guitar" body styles (the ones not shaped like a dreadnought or a
jumbo). The GS brings with it the bright, sparkly qualities of the traditional
narrow-waisted, wide-bouted models, but its larger size creates more “boom,”
enabling it to slug it out onstage with dreadnoughts and jumbos. If you like to
play folk-style and bluegrass rhythm with thundering, piano-like bass notes, yet
still want that midrange chime for fingerpicking and leads, the GS is the
ticket.
Material worth
A longtime tonewood favorite, and part of Taylor’s
400 series, is ovangkol body wood. Ovangkol is a tonewood indigenous to West
Africa whose tonal properties closely resemble rosewood. Ovangkol is somewhat
"livelier" though, with a slightly fuller midrange, but a top end that's not
quite as bright as maple.
Besides the solid ovangkol back and sides, the 416ce sports a solid Sitka spruce top, a mahogany neck topped with an ebony
fretboard, and an attractive headstock cap of East Indian rosewood. The guitar
is finished with a gloss top and a satin finish for the back, sides, and neck.
This approach represents another of Taylor's canny decisions, as it’s the
perfect combination of aesthetics and value. The most visible part of the
guitar--the top--is finished with a gloss treatment, while the less-visible back
and sides have a satin finish. The mahogany neck is also satin-finished, which
happens to be my personal preference; it just feels smoother against the palm of
my left hand, especially in humid conditions or when my hand is even the
slightest bit sweaty. Large pearl dots are used for the fingerboard inlays with
an ebony bridge, ebony bridge pins (nice!), and a TUSQ nut and saddle.
The acoustic-electric connection
The
416ce comes with the built-in ES, or Expression SystemŽ. It's an ingenious
system of magnetic sensors that emulate the response of a microphone's
air-driven diaphragm. A sensor under the soundboard captures the vibrating top,
while a dynamic string sensor contributes string and neck vibrations. An onboard
preamp cleanly boosts the signal, which is brought to the endpin jack. You can
either plug in a normal guitar cord (mono 1/4") or a balanced TRS-to-XLR cable
for longer runs, or to connect to a PA or audio interface.
You control the ES using three low-profile,
easy-to-reach knobs (volume, bass, treble) on the guitar's shoulder. A switch on
the circuit board (located just inside the soundhole), allows you to selectively
turn off the body sensor, leaving just the dynamic string sensor pickup. All
three controls have a center detent that allows them to easily snap into their
center, neutral position as you turn them. Moving the two tone knobs left cuts
frequencies, while moving them right boosts them. The volume knob detent is
exactly the halfway point between minimum and maximum volume, ensuring a
predictable balance or square-one, default position to begin your sound checks.
Playing perfection
The
416ce plays incredibly smooth, considering this is not a small guitar. I
enjoyed hours on end of stress-free playing without feeling any of that "big
guitar fatigue" that is so common in other similarly large-bodied acoustics.
Part of the reason is the 416ce’s neck: Even strung with Elixir mediums (I might
opt for light-gauge Elixirs to facilitate more fleet-fingered lead playing), my
left-hand fretwork stayed clean, fast, and effortless for long sessions. The
guitar was set up to perfection with dead-on intonation at the 12th fret and
easy playability well into the 16th position—greatly accommodated by the
Venetian cutaway (that’s the smoother-pointed one) and the low-profile heel
joint. Through lead flatpicking, fingerstyle work, and percussive acoustic-rock
rhythm, the 416ce was clear, articulate, balanced, and loud. Harmonics—both
natural and artificial (with the occasional pinch harmonic I created when
digging in with rock-based aggression) fairly sprang from the guitar. It’s a
good sign when the top is vibrating with maximum movement and is bringing forth
all the subtlety in your playing. The guitar also records quite well. I captured
a full-bodied sound with plenty of sparkle.
Conclusion
The GS is
one of Taylor’s most popular body styles. That, coupled with the versatile
combination of ovangkol and Sitka spruce tonewoods found in the 416ce,
gives you a guitar with a big, bold sound that’s substantial enough
for stage work, but with the sparkle and balance for studio work. It’s a
versatile guitar, and one that is appropriate as a primary axe in a top-tier
professional setting as well as a good working axe. Beyond such obvious utility,
the 416ce is one sleek, beautiful instrument—affordable enough to be a
grab-and-go working guitar, yet quality enough to be a top-shelf studio pick or
go-to favorite when at home.
