Taylor AD17e Natural Ovankol Discontinued?

[themissal]

Does anyone know why they discontinued this model? I like it…

[SDTaylorman]

Abandoned in favor of Sunburst Finish. Ovangkol now only on 4xx Series Acoustics I believe.

Of course if you actually want to know the why then this is the wrong place as you'll simply get opinions. Want the answer? Go to the source:

https://www.taylorguitars.com/contact

[themissal]

Thank you.  I’ll do that. I actually think the top pairs extremely well with  Ovankol

[themissal]

Circling back…

“Thanks for contacting us! You are correct the AD17e Natural has been discontinued, I'm not sure the reasoning behind it. I believe they are revamping some of the models in the American Dream series, which has happened with every series over the years to make way for new models.
 
I hope that helps,
 
Best…”

[SDTaylorman]

Thanks for the follow-up. As always Taylor has the answer about their products. Even if the answer is "we just decided to do that". 

[jbrnigan]

I think it's too bad that Taylor discontinued the "Natural" finish in the Dream series.  I am not a fan of Sunbursts, Flametops, blacks, etc,... there is just something appealing to me when guitar woods are finished
"Naturally".  On a positive note, I picked up an AD17e at a discounted price because they were being discontinued.  I removed the pickguard and replaced it with a clear guard.  Since the Dreamer series is essentially a 300 series without "bells and whistles", I saved a bundle of dough and have a nice solid wood Taylor that is easy to look and plays beautifully.

[bglaze]

I came here to ask the same thing. I literally just bought one about an hour ago. I went into the guitar store to get some strings, and they had 2 "Natural" AD17e's on clearance! These have been on my "watchlist" for a *while*, and I couldn't believe it. I played both, and one of them had one of the biggest sounds I had ever heard from an acoustic. It was a no brainer. I'm definitely bummed they are discontinued, but I was so glad to snag one while I could -- and for a discount!

[Gabrielobrien]

The American Dream Series is based on making the most of what they have around. Taylor has been navigating away from ovangkol for years, first by adding a 400 series rosewood option, then removing ovangkol from the 400s. They used most of the remaining stock on the ADs because it was there and wood they had on hand during the pandemic shutdown. When it came time to move to something else, Andy suggested walnut as it was available and the original American Dream pre-Taylor guitars were walnut back & sides.

I believe the natural top is still available if you order through a dealer.