Originally introduced in 2018, Taylor’s Builder’s Edition acoustic guitars were conceived by master guitar designer Andy Powers as a means of demonstrating new cutting-edge innovations, including Taylor’s acclaimed V-Class bracing system. With a level of craftsmanship that’s a cut above standard models, Builder’s Edition guitars give Andy the creative freedom to break the usual Taylor mold by crafting premium instruments with outstanding, player-friendly features — Andy’s “director’s cut” version of a V-Class guitar, if you will. 2020 introduces four new, envelope-pushing models that blend V-Class voicing with comfortable contours, inspiring features, and intriguing tonal textures.
Our job is to dream, innovate, and build instruments that, musically, are more than the musician is asking for.
Andy Powers
V-Class Bracing: The Best of Both Worlds
All Builder’s Edition instruments are built upon Taylor’s V-Class framework. So, what is V-Class bracing? And what sets it apart from standard X-bracing? It’s true that X-bracing has long been the gold standard for acoustic guitar design, and it has produced countless legendary instruments. That said, X-bracing creates a conflict between the acoustic guitar’s natural volume and sustain. If an X-braced guitar’s top is flexible, it generates volume; and if it’s rigid, it produces sustain. There’s always a tradeoff — you can’t have it both ways. V-Class bracing offers a new paradigm: an acoustic guitar top that can be both stiff and flexible. This means that you get maximum volume plus maximum sustain. It offers the best of both worlds.
State-of-the-art Expression System 2 Electronics
Builder’s Edition acoustic-electric guitars are all stage ready by virtue of their built-in Expression System 2 (ES2) electronics. The ES2 system is centered around a 3-section proprietary pickup located behind your guitar’s saddle. Because of where it’s positioned and integrated into your instrument’s saddle, this pickup yields clarity and accuracy that exceed most other designs. There is a myriad of useful controls on tap, including a master volume, dual tone controls for tweaking your high and low frequencies, and a phase switch that reverses the polarity to yield top-notch feedback suppression — a must-have feature on a noisy stage.
Four New Cutting-edge Models
2020 introduces four new models of Taylor acoustic guitars. The 816ce is Andy’s first V-Class Grand Symphony. It boasts a tweaked body design and a unique soundport plus a chamfered body and fingerboard edges. The 912ce is the Builder’s Edition Grand Concert, delivering a responsiveness that’s sure to appeal to electric players. The 652ce is a reverse-strung, 12-fret, 12-string Grand Concert with ultra-smooth double-mounted string anchoring. And finally, the 324ce is a mahogany-top Grand Auditorium that’s built from eco-friendly urban ash. These new acoustic guitars are top-shelf additions to the Builder’s Edition collection, arming you with exciting, new sonic personalities.
The Builder’s Edition concept is meant to be a limitless expression of our instrument-building imagination.
Andy Powers
816ce Builder’s Edition
The 816ce Builder’s Edition is a reintroduction of Taylor’s Grand Symphony. Constructed from Indian rosewood and Lutz spruce, this amazing acoustic gives you more — more tone, more volume, more sustain, more everything. It’s loaded with premium features, such as a chamfered body and fingerboard edges, a 24-7/8″ scale length, light-gauge strings, a Curve Wing bridge, Gotoh tuners, and a Silent Satin finish. The Grand Symphony isn’t just a clever name; it’s an apt description of how this guitar sounds — airy and complex with a reverberant, orchestral character. The most distinctive feature of the 816ce is its soundport cutaway, which produces a rich, high-fidelity voice with a unique dispersion pattern.
816ce Features:
- New body design gives it a distinctive identity among Taylor models
- Soundport cutaway produces a rich, high-fidelity voice with a unique acoustic dispersion pattern
- Classic rosewood/spruce combination with additional bloom and resonance added by V-Class bracing
- Chamfered body and fingerboard edges offer an eye-grabbing look and supreme playability
- Light-gauge strings and a 24-7/8″ scale length ensure amazing playability
- Curve Wing bridge softens the feel against your picking hand
- Gotoh 510 tuners give you ultra-precise tuning
- Silent Satin finish couples a gentle matte look with a noise-reducing formulation
- All elements work together to produce an expansive voice that radiates as it disperses, creating a natural reverb-like effect
912ce Builder’s Edition
The 912ce Builder’s Edition is a Lutz spruce-topped, Indian rosewood Grand Concert cutaway with a rich, articulate voice that offers nuanced, responsive performance. This compact gem is loaded with a beveled armrest and cutaway, a chamfered body and fingerboard edges, and a 24-7/8″ scale length plus a Curve Wing bridge and Gotoh tuners. This acoustic is tailor-made for players who demand finesse and a delicate touch, making it great for jazz players and fingerstylists. Its mix-penetrating tone and wide dynamic range also work well for leads in the full gamut of genres — rock, jazz, blues, and more. The 912ce also makes a top-tier studio acoustic. If you can only have one acoustic guitar in your studio, the 912ce is a great choice.
912ce Features:
- Compact body is tailor-made for players who demand finesse and a delicate touch
- Beveled armrest and cutaway supply unrivaled playing comfort
- Classic rosewood/spruce combination with additional bloom and resonance added by V-Class bracing
- Chamfered body and fingerboard edges offer an eye-grabbing look and supreme playability
- A 24-7/8″ scale length ensures ease of playability
- Curve Wing bridge softens the feel against your picking hand
- Gotoh tuners give you ultra-precise tuning
- Silent Satin finish couples a gentle matte look with a noise-reducing formulation
- Nuanced, responsive performance is great for jazz players and fingerstylists
- Mix-penetrating tone and wide dynamic range work well for leads for rock, jazz, blues, and more
- Versatile tone makes it a top-tier studio acoustic
652ce Builder’s Edition
The 652ce Builder’s Edition is Taylor’s first 12-string Builder’s Edition model. This acoustic’s Grand Concert body is comfortable, thanks to its compact size and electric guitar-inspired contouring, while its shorter 24-7/8″ scale length and 12-fret neck encourage easy playability. The 652ce is strung in reverse, which emphasizes fundamental notes, resulting in a full, meaty 12-string sound. Plus, double-mounted string anchoring (each string pair shares the same bridge-pin hole) creates a consistent break angle for a super-even response. You also get a bevy of high-end features, including a beveled armrest and cutaway, a chamfered body and fingerboard edges, and a 24-7/8″ scale length plus a Curve Wing bridge and Gotoh tuners. Like all V-Class instruments, the 652ce produces a clean, focused sound with rock-solid intonation and an articulate low-end response.
652ce Features:
- Compact body with electric guitar-inspired contouring feels great
- Strung in reverse, which emphasizes fundamental notes, resulting in a full, meaty 12-string sound
- Double-mounted string anchoring creates a consistent break angle for a super-even response
- Beveled armrest and cutaway supply unrivaled playing comfort
- Figured bigleaf maple and torrefied Sitka spruce exhibit a great combination of warmth, dynamics, and sustain
- Chamfered body and fingerboard edges offer an eye-grabbing look and supreme playability
- A 24-7/8″ scale length ensures easy playability
- Curve Wing bridge softens the feel against your picking hand
- Gotoh tuners give you ultra-precise tuning
- Silent Satin finish couples a gentle matte look with a noise-reducing formulation
- Produces a clean, focused sound with rock-solid intonation and an articulate low-end response
324ce Builder’s Edition
The 324ce Builder’s Edition is the line’s most accessible model, with a versatile sound that’s sure to appeal to a broad range of players. As part of Taylor’s push toward ethical forestry, this acoustic guitar’s back and sides were built from eco-friendly urban (Shamel) ash. This eco-friendly tonewood is sourced from salvaged trees that were removed from the urban canopy in Southern California. There is no tonal compromise, however — the 324ce’s body sounds like it was built from the same high-end mahogany that was used for this guitar’s resonant top. High-end features are abundant here, including a beveled armrest and cutaway plus a Curve Wing bridge and Gotoh tuners. If you’re searching for a player- and stage-friendly acoustic, the 324ce is a fine choice.
324ce Features:
- Grand Auditorium body yields a powerful sound with loads of definition
- Beveled armrest and cutaway supply unrivaled playing comfort
- Eco-friendly urban ash back and sides sound like high-end mahogany
- Curve Wing bridge softens the feel against your picking hand
- Gotoh tuners give you ultra-precise tuning
- Silent Satin finish couples a gentle matte look with a noise-reducing formulation
- Taylor’s most accessible Builder’s Edition model — supremely player- and stage-friendly
That’s our first look at Taylor’s 2020 Builder’s Edition acoustics. If you have more questions, give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700.