Taylor 517e Natural Grand Pacific

Description

Taylor Grand Pacifics are back in stock! In case you've missed the hype so far, here's what Taylor says:

"Among the first generation of our Grand Pacific dreadnought guitars, the mahogany/torrefied spruce Builder’s Edition 517e dramatically expands the Taylor line’s sonic palette with a new flavor of acoustic tone that may surprise players who think they know the Taylor sound. An exciting new entry into the dreadnought category, this round-shoulder Grand Pacific resonates with a finely-honed balance of low-end power and clarity across the middle and upper registers, producing warm, rounded tone in which notes blend seamlessly together to create a seasoned sound. Back and sides of neo-tropical mahogany flavor the sound with dry, woody character, coupling beautifully with the dynamic response of the torrefied Sitka spruce top. The Builder’s Edition stamp means that the 517e is detailed with premium features designed to maximize player comfort, including chamfered body edges and a new compound-carve neck profile that compensates for the change in your hand position as you move along the neck. Subtly contoured fretboard edges and a rounded, ridgeless heel add to the guitar’s pleasing fretting-hand feel, while a refined bridge shape brings extra comfort to your pick hand. Under the hood, V-Class bracing enables the guitar to pump out stunning projection and sustain, plus nearly perfect intonation, which means you won’t have to contend with sour notes on the fretboard. And with our proprietary onboard ES2 electronics, the guitar’s many tonal virtues will shine for amplified applications. Between its sound and feel, the Builder’s Edition 517e once again raises the bar on the Taylor playing experience."

What do we think? Everything you've heard about these is true and then some. This a new sound for Taylor, and one that is likely to delight traditional dreadnought enthusiasts looking for that effortless Taylor playability. The 517e Grand Pacific Builder's Edition, with its solid Mahogany back & sides and V-braced torrefied Sitka Spruce top, produces a response and openness of tone you probably wouldn't guess was coming from a Taylor if you played it blindfolded. This is an excellent strumming & flatpicking guitar (that also fingerpicks easily too); and with its newly contoured neck, it feels like an absolute dream to play. Priced with deluxe leather case from Taylor!