Taylor’s 400 Series of acoustics boasts the company’s most accessible presentation of solid rosewood/spruce guitars, and nowhere is this more evident and striking than in the new 417e, which Guitar World Tech Editor Paul Riario unabashedly calls a “modern-classic” acoustic.
Arriving in Taylor’s Grand Pacific body shape, the 417e joins Taylor’s 400 Series for the first time in a round-shouldered dreadnought style, “with a more powerful low end and warmly refined voice than a traditional slope-shouldered dreadnought-style acoustic,” Paul points out.
The 417e sports the promised combination of tonewoods, in this case expressed via a solid Sitka spruce top and a solid Indian rosewood body, offering clarity and projection as well as warm response and rich overtones.
You also get a Neo-Tropical Mahogany neck with a slightly fuller C-shape profile, and West African Crelicam Ebony fretboard sporting newly-designed Italian acrylic ‘Finial’ fret markers inspired by classical flourishes in carpentry and architecture.
Other elegant appointments include white binding, black-and-white top purfling and an agoya shell rosette, as well as one of the guitar’s most distinguishing characteristics, its vibrant Tobacco Sunburst top and full-gloss body.
And that’s not all: there’s also V-Class bracing for more volume and longer sustain, Taylor’s Expression System 2 electronics, nickel tuners, a Black Tusq nut and Micarta saddle and an included Deluxe Hardshell-Western Floral case.
“Once again, Taylor Guitars has dialed in a newly-refined feel and sound with the 417e,” Paul says. “Its round-shouldered dreadnought shape, along with the classic rosewood and spruce pairing will appeal to musicians looking for a robust and powerful acoustic voice with shimmering depth.
“Add in its classic looks with a beautiful sunburst finish, and It goes without saying: Taylor’s elevated design and detailed craftsmanship make the 417e a clear and stage-worthy workhorse that many musicians will undoubtedly choose as their go-to instrument.”
We couldn’t agree more.
To check out the 417e for yourself, head to Taylor Guitars.
