Taylor 812ce 12-Fret Grand Concert
Offering the comfort of a slightly smaller body and string scale length, Taylor’s 812ce 12-Fret Grand Concert models sport refined aesthetics, plus a slinkier string-feel and easier-to-fret action on the higher frets. Boasting ample tonal control and responsiveness provided by Taylor’s onboard ES2 electronics, all 800 series guitars pair top-tier craftsmanship with time-honored tonewoods to produce a bold, contemporary voice.
800 Series
Taylor’s 800 series starts with a time-honored pairing of all-star tonewoods combined with top-tier craftsmanship to boast refined aesthetic touches, plus transformative design features that dial up the volume and sustain. The Indian rosewood back and sides married with a Sitka spruce top give 800 series instruments ample sonic versatility, with a rich harmonic texture and ringing overtones, resulting in unmatched clarity and balance to produce a distinctively bold, contemporary acoustic guitar voice.
Grand Concert Cutaway
With its shorter, 24 7/8-inch scale length the Taylor Grand Concert body shape favors the fingerstyle player, as well as single-note lead and solo guitar arrangements, issuing notes with precise clarity and offering easy action even on the highest frets. The model’s smaller body makes for a comfortable feel, without skimping on rich, robust tonal resonance, or valuable volume.
Although it’s not part of the body, the neck is connected to the guitar, and the point at which the neck joins the body is a key factor contributing to the guitar’s overall sound. While 14-fret versions offer modern feel and articulate response, 12-fret versions boast a warm, sweet tonal character and a slinkier string feel.
Q: Does a cutaway diminish a guitar’s tonal output?
A: Not in a discernible way. We recommend you decide based on whether you want that extra upper-fretboard range; or, if you simply have an aesthetic preference—either for a more traditional, symmetrical look of a non-cutaway, or in favor of the sleek, more modern contouring that the cutaway offers.
V-Class Bracing
The Taylor Grand Concert features Taylor’s innovative new V-Class bracing, which lets the soundboard of the guitar vibrate naturally, increasing sustain and overall cohesiveness, and generating additional volume without sacrificing sustain. This design puts the body more in tune with the strings, improving articulation and harmonic alignment, resulting in a sound that is optimally warm and seasoned, nicely blended, and full of luscious low end without being muddy.
ES2 Electronics
The Taylor Expression System 2 (ES2) delivers the latest technology in Taylor acoustic guitar amplification. The heart of the ES2 system is Taylor’s patented behind-the-saddle pickup, featuring three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated pickup sensors. The new positioning enables the piezo pickup’s crystals to respond more naturally to the guitar’s energy as it is transferred through the saddle, with three pickup sensors installed behind the saddle, through the bridge, with three tiny Allen screws that calibrate the position of the sensors in relation to the saddle. Together with Taylor’s custom-designed preamp, this ES2 system produces exceptional amplified tone and responsiveness.
