Taylor Debuts Small-Body 12-String Guitars, New Grand Symphony Models and More

Taylor Guitars has announced the expansion of its popular and small-body 12-string guitar design platform with the launch of the new Grand Concert 362ce. The company also is making its Florentine cutaway a standard feature on all Grand Symphony cutaway models in its 500 Series and up and is introducing a tobacco sunburst top option for its rosewood/spruce 800 and 900 Series.

362CE & 352CE
Building on the success of the award-winning small-body 12-string 552ce and 562ce models Taylor introduced in 2016, the new 362ce and 352ce add even more player-friendly 12-string flavor to the company’s guitar line.

The 362ce’s compact cutaway Grand Concert shape features solid Tasmanian blackwood back and sides and a mahogany top. What has made Taylor’s breakthrough 12-string design especially appealing is its physical accessibility—the lap-friendly Grand Concert is a pleasant departure from the traditionally beefier size of bigger-bodied 12-string guitars, making it easier for players to set the strings in motion.

The combination of the 12-fret neck and the 24-7/8-inch scale length also gives players a comfortable handfeel that makes fretting easier and once again underscores Taylor’s reputation for making ultra-playable instruments.

“Oftentimes 12-string guitars can be uncomfortable to play,” said Andy Powers, Master Guitar Designer. “They’re usually heavier and bulkier, and the scale length and string tension require quite a bit of hand strength to achieve the intended sound and tone. The feedback when we introduced the 552ce and 562ce 12-string models last year was so positive from hobbyists and experts alike that we wanted to expand the options for that design.”

Sonically the 362ce offers a more controlled 12-string voice that’s not too overpowering in a mix for recording applications. The hardwood mahogany top also adds enough compression to smooth out the response, bringing an appealing consistency across the tonal spectrum, while still capturing the 12-string’s beautiful octave shimmer. Visually, the combination of the shaded edgeburst mahogany top and all-satin finish give the instrument a dusky vintage look. Other features include Italian acrylic small diamond fretboard inlays, black binding with crisp white top trim, a three-ring rosette, a black pickguard, and Taylor’s ES2 electronics.

Players who favor the dynamic response and crisp articulation of a spruce-top acoustic might lean toward the 352ce, which pairs Sitka spruce with sapele back and sides to produce a slightly brighter sound than the mahogany-top edition. The guitar features a gloss-finish top.

The 362ce and 352ce will be available at retail in August 2017 for $2,099 and $1,999 respectively and will ship in a Taylor deluxe hardshell case.

FLORENTINE CUTAWAY & SUNBURST TOP
A sharp, Florentine-style cutaway will now be the standard cutaway form for Taylor’s steel-string, Grand Symphony cutaway models in the 500 Series and up, adding a dramatic flair to the bold-voiced body shape. Aesthetically, the cutaway complements the Grand Symphony’s full-bodied form and showcases the intricate craftsmanship required to create the scooped, hand-bent contours and other finishing details.

A tobacco sunburst top will also now be available for any of Taylor’s rosewood 800 or 900 Series models. The hand-sprayed, vintage look incorporates a breakthrough color application process that adds color without increasing the material thickness of the ultra-thin, 3.5-mil gloss finish. The thinner finish is one of several premium tone-enhancing features of the guitars, and helps elicit more volume and responsiveness.

For more information, visit taylorguitars.com.