KOA 700 Series

[Coco Kid]

Koa is a highly variable wood. I have played several high-end Taylor koa guitars that were "meh" especially for the cost, not even beating out my 114ce tonally at nearly 10X the price.

Sadly I would say this says more about Taylor than Koa as a tonewood. I've played many Koa guitars that have been consistently brilliant, James Goodall and Dana Bourgeois as examples. The problem with Taylor is that they are built to spec - therefore there is less hand voicing and working with the wood to bring out the best in each piece, but the upside is that you can get them at a cheaper price than Goodalls and Bourgeois. That's why you get random variations in terms of tonal quality in Taylors. I too have had the same experience as you where a 300 series Koa can sound better than a Builder's Edition series. I did get to play a 722ce the other day and the tone sounded fine. Not fine enough for me to have any interest in buying it, but not bad. Unfortunately the rosette was a bit too much for my liking aesthetically though (it looked like abalam with lots of tiny pieces of multicolored abalone reminiscing of a teenage girl's glittery nails rather than the marbled floor look of solid abalone/pearl) - that was one thing I liked about the last 700 series and its all wood aesthetic, sometimes less is more.

[Earl]

It is the nature of the beast for factory guitars.  A small operation like Goodall can tap tone and adjust thickness and even bracing for a specific piece of wood to bring out its best character.  But a factory has to build to specifications.  What the factory gains in economy of scale (price) comes at the price of the ability to adapt for individual slices of wood.  I'm a big koa fan and really into Hawaiian music, but you absolutely must test drive specific guitars.  I got lucky with my 424 LTD.  It was mail ordered because I discovered them about six months after the series was introduced.  But a store in TN still had three of them and the owner and I chatted at length.  There were good pictures posted of all three and he played them all.  I told him to choose the one with the best tone to send because all three were visually acceptable to me.  That worked out well.  They had a good return policy but it was not needed.

Probably the single best acoustic guitar that I have ever played was a koa/spruce Goodall concert jumbo during a visit to Anchorage, AK about ten years ago.  I had to swallow hard at the significant price -- more than twice what I had ever paid for any other guitar -- and decided to sleep on it.  Going back the next day with credit card in hand, it was sold.  Someone else agreed with my assessment and did not hesitate.  Conversely, I had long lusted after a Goodall Royal Hawaiian model.  They have premium koa and lots of bling, nicely done in abalone and shell.  When I finally got to play one at Buffalo Brothers a few years ago, it was very underwhelming.  Here are some pictures:
 https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/2005-goodall-kgcck-all-koa-3432.html

[Rclompus]

I recently purchased a new 724ce Koa guitar and wanted to provide some feedback as a new member of this forum.  I have owned many Taylor guitars over the years and seem drawn to Koa as a top wood with a 224ce K-DLX, Mini GS Koa Plus, T5z Koa custom and a spruce top 317e.  Koa seems to provide a balanced bottom end along with tremendous harmonics that gets better as you play them.  The 724ce is a totally different guitar.  I'm not sure if its the select Koa wood, V bracing or very thin satin finish.  This guitar sounds wonderfully balanced and clearer than any other Taylor acoustic.  When you finger pick or strum the strings, the wood really vibrates and feels distinctly different. None of my other Taylor acoustics come alive this way when you play them.  It's caused me to practice and play longer.  It's been a real pleasure to enjoy the sound it produces. An external mic records the tone and harmonics really well.  It also sounds great with a llittle reverb through the AER-60 amp.  This amp is like listening to a window inside your guitar.

It's a fresh sound from Andy Powers at Taylor.  Nice bottom end along with refreshing clarity without an overly bright top end. Sometimes when I strum it, it sounds like a 12 string guitar.  I recommend auditioning this guitar if you are interested in a new acoustic from Taylor.

Be well,
Richard Clompus

[Earl]

Welcome Richard!  Nice report. 

I'm not looking for any new guitars any more, or any new wood guitars, as I am actively downsizing.  But I will keep my eyes peeled if I happen to see one in a store.  Koa is always intriguing to me.