Taylor T5z Custom Koa Hollowbody Electric Guitar - Shaded Edge Burst Reviews
Fresh from Taylor, this T5z Custom Koa Hollowbody Electric Guitar offers a classic premium spread of T5z features — namely, humbucking and acoustic pickups, a thin ergonomic body carve, and a silky string feel that’s out of this world. But this custom edition takes things up a notch with a stunning koa top and back and sides made from urban ash. These tonewoods are a natural fit for the T5z Custom’s hybrid tonal range. Ash’s wide-open focus is a natural canvas for koa’s acclaimed midrange and dynamic responsive. Beyond powering compelling sonics in acoustic or electric modes, these premium tonewoods also show off lots of wood grain for a look that’s pure luxury. Moreover, the T5z Custom plays like a dream with supremely soft action fueled by a 24.875-inch scale ebony fingerboard and comfortable modern carved mahogany neck. Acoustic or electric? For discerning players who crave both, this is the ultimate guitar. Strike while the iron is hot with a T5z Custom Koa Hollowbody from Sweetwater today!
Earn $190 back in Bonus Bucks† OR pay $80/month with 48 month financing*
$190 Earn $190.00 back in Bonus Bucks† on this purchase when you use your Sweetwater Credit Card without financing. Select your offer in checkout. Terms
As low as $80/month
with 48 month financing*
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Highest Rated Reviews
Great instrument!
Plays well and sounds amazing! I love the subtle ergonomic changes over the previous generation. It was a great shopping experience being able to pick the style of wood grain and the weight. Great photos too! The guitar was packaged well and arrived quickly. It has a slightly warmer acoustic tone than the previous generation T5z which has a bit more of a bright "twang" to it. Both generations of T5z sound great and unique in their own ways. I would love to see Taylor change the material of the back panel to something that uses a bit less plastic. Overall I'm very happy with the new changes and the enduring quality of Taylor. Thank you Zach and everyone at Sweetwater for the great customer service and the attention to detail each step of the way.
T5z is a winner for sure - and Sweetwater was uber-helpful
Take this review from the perspective of an old guy who's been playing a Taylor jumbo (915CE) acoustic (retro-fit with Taylor's electric system) for 20 years into his AER (acoustic) amp. I mostly fingerpick (acrylic nails) what we used to call "soft rock" (James Taylor, Carole King and other singer-songwriters of that era).
SIZE: The T5z is small compared to the jumbo. The neck is shorter, which makes fingering just a bit different. There's a getting-to-know-you period which didn't last very long. Included in that period is learning not to bump the volume knob. The more I play it the more I appreciate the not-so-huge size compared to my jumbo. I'm 6 ft. 180lbs (not a tiny guy) so the jumbo was fine, but if you're small of stature, this is a great choice for you.
PLAYABILITY: Significantly easier (less finger pressure needed) than my jumbo. I'm no longer pondering purchase of nylon.
SOUND - NO AMP: Nice thing is that it's playable without an amp connected. Not for a group, of course, but just for me sitting on the couch watching March Madness. I can practice just fine. It is, after all, a hollow-body guitar.
SOUND - WITH AMP: Into my AER (via Line 6 Relay G30) it's beautiful. The multi-position switch gives me a nice range of bright to mellow (probably not what it was designed to do, but I don't have an electric guitar amp). There is no discernable hum or hiss at any setting.
CAPO: I had some struggles getting my old capos to work as I wanted, so I bought a "Dunlop 71S Elastic Heavy/Single Capo" and it's great, even at the 7th fret.
SUMMARY: Clearly this guitar has capabilities far beyond my noodling around at home, but if you want one guitar to "do it all" you should check it out. An oh, did I say that it's utterly beautiful. Koa is a beautiful wood, and with the high-gloss finish it really shines.
Awesome guitar
This guitar plays like butter, sounds amazing, and just gorgeous! I was a little hesitant buying a guitar sight unseen, but my Sweetwater rep Jay was great, assuring me the guitar was inspected, and Sweetwater would have my back if I wasn't happy with the purchase.
Note, the picture has replacement volume & tone knobs that I purchased online. The stock knobs are very high, very sensitive to the touch, and close to the strings. I found myself accidentally altering volume during gigs. I got these low profile ebony knobs on Etsy.
T5z custom koa...Wow!
Totally blown away! Ive always been a fan of high end Taylor guitars. For a production guitar, the Taylor T5z custom koa is a beautiful, extremely well built hybrid instrument. It is without a doubt the most awesome instrument I've owned. I started play in the early 60's and have owned and built numerous custom high end guitars over the years. To me, that says a lot.
I love the instrument's feel and tone options, not to mention it's well constructed visual, presentation. The neck plays like silk and is very consistent. Even after all these years as a musician, I can see how it's versatility is taking my playing to a whole new level..
Thanks to Taylor for knocking it out of the park once again. Thank you Sweetwater for making sure that I am a very happy Sweetwater customer..! (Pictured is the actual instrument that I purchased.
