The Grand Orchestra

[michaelw]

Thanks for all of the clarification! I've only ever heard it called CV bracing or Adirondack bracing.

So here's a question for Michaepedia...you mention the side bracing material. Do the R Taylor's and the Builder's Reserve use the same style bracing on the sides as all the Taylor's use? From what you wrote, I gather the material is different... And to take it one step further, do Taylor Guitars vs. R Taylor's and Builder's Reserve have any differences when it comes to construction? In other words, they both use the NT necks and both offer some type of CV bracing. Are there any structural differences between them?

i know only from guitars that i've seen or owned, which may or may not be consistent with other models -
i had a 06 DN Prototype (with a different body shape & taper) with DN5 aethetics & woods &
the back lining & side bracing on it was mahogany & perhaps the only reason for that is because it was
made of the same material as the kerfing (to me, i thought it was meant to match the back & sides) -
i looked at several of the Taylors i have & the ones that have side braces match the kerfing (not spruce)

other builders have used matching materials for sides braces (i.e. rosewood for rosewood back & sides) &
R Taylors used matching wood for the lining (back to sides) & so i figured that on the Builder's Reserve IV
that the woods might  have matched also (to me, on an all koa guitar, it would make sense for it to do so)

the R Taylors were different than what seems to be the Taylor 'equivalent' -
the body contours & dimensions differ slight (a Style 1 is not exactly the same as a GS, nor a 2-GC or 3-DN)
there were more bracing & top geometry options & a different nut width also (wonder how the Style '4' differed)

the Builder's Reserve models have the same shape as a Taylor (GS, JM, GC)
with some of the features on certain models that seem  to have trickled down
from R Taylor (as they weren't used on a standard production Taylor model)

again, without seeing the guitar & basing it what i've seen or owned
i made a hypothetical guess (regarding the grand orchestras, i said 'if') -
knowing that Taylor is a company where things rarely remain static, i specfically
try not to use terms like 'all' or 'every' because it likely is not the case

i've got a couple of dogs needing specialized vet care (one's going in for x-rays tomorrow)
a few cars that i'm trying to get put together & sold & maintenance projects on the house -
i think i'll just bow out of all this for a while & just let anything that i know to be different to pass

when i post something that is not 'with the flow', it is not to try to prove someone else 'wrong', but
it's because if there is more current or accurate information, i like it put out there & let others decide

we'll see y'all later

[BigSkyTaylorPlayer]

Wow, what an awesome guitar!!!  I'm listening now while I'm posting this and it sounds great!!!  I love the Music Villa and go every time I'm up in Montana.

[TaylorFan]

Obviously the cat's out of the bag but given that the official release date wasn't supposed to be until the 25th I'll say only that the GO is the most powerful Taylor I have ever played! As I was playing the Rosewood version I noticed that my coffee cup, which was located a few feet away on a small table started to vibrate. 

Ted,

It seems you are one of the few people on this thread (if not the only one) who has played this guitar.  How would you think a 12 string GO would sound?  How would it compare to a 12 string GS?

Thanks.

[Nomad]

Obviously the cat's out of the bag but given that the official release date wasn't supposed to be until the 25th I'll say only that the GO is the most powerful Taylor I have ever played! As I was playing the Rosewood version I noticed that my coffee cup, which was located a few feet away on a small table started to vibrate. 

Ted,

It seems you are one of the few people on this thread (if not the only one) who has played this guitar.  How would you think a 12 string GO would sound?  How would it compare to a 12 string GS?

Thanks.

I played all three yesterday.

And again today.

 

[davwir]

Obviously the cat's out of the bag but given that the official release date wasn't supposed to be until the 25th I'll say only that the GO is the most powerful Taylor I have ever played! As I was playing the Rosewood version I noticed that my coffee cup, which was located a few feet away on a small table started to vibrate. 

Ted,

It seems you are one of the few people on this thread (if not the only one) who has played this guitar.  How would you think a 12 string GO would sound?  How would it compare to a 12 string GS?

Thanks.

I inquired about a 12 string on these.. Apparently not an option currently due to bracing..

[Edward]

I inquired about a 12 string on these.. Apparently not an option currently due to bracing..

OK, now that's just too bad!!!

Edward

[ataylor]

Savvy move by Taylor to let the Music Villa guys do the first demo -- I was kinda on the fence about this guitar, but that 518 is one of the most impressive guitars in terms of sound I've heard out of any of their reviews. (The new D-18 is great too)

To me, this guitar is kind of like a bigger, louder 12-fret GC in that it's surprisingly warm and vintage for a Taylor, yet still has enough of the crisp balance you'd expect.

I'm going to have a real hard time picking between one of these and a 12-fret GC when the time comes. Ugh.

Can't Taylor do a "buy one get one free" sale? I'd even settle for "buy one get one 1/2 off"...

[TaylorFan]

Obviously the cat's out of the bag but given that the official release date wasn't supposed to be until the 25th I'll say only that the GO is the most powerful Taylor I have ever played! As I was playing the Rosewood version I noticed that my coffee cup, which was located a few feet away on a small table started to vibrate. 

Ted,

It seems you are one of the few people on this thread (if not the only one) who has played this guitar.  How would you think a 12 string GO would sound?  How would it compare to a 12 string GS?

Thanks.

I inquired about a 12 string on these.. Apparently not an option currently due to bracing..

Would the bracing not cope with the tension of the 12 strings?  Is it what Taylor said?

Thanks,

[Herb Hunter]

Would the bracing not cope with the tension of the 12 strings?  Is it what Taylor said?

Thanks,

I don't know what Taylor said regarding the absence of a 12-string version of the grand orchestra model but 12-string guitars have more robust bracing than their equivalent 6-string model to support the added stress.

[Nomad]

Obviously the cat's out of the bag but given that the official release date wasn't supposed to be until the 25th I'll say only that the GO is the most powerful Taylor I have ever played! As I was playing the Rosewood version I noticed that my coffee cup, which was located a few feet away on a small table started to vibrate. 

Ted,

It seems you are one of the few people on this thread (if not the only one) who has played this guitar.  How would you think a 12 string GO would sound?  How would it compare to a 12 string GS?

Thanks.

I inquired about a 12 string on these.. Apparently not an option currently due to bracing..

Would the bracing not cope with the tension of the 12 strings?  Is it what Taylor said?

Thanks,

Taylor hasn't even officially released the product yet. That happens in about three hours.

If Taylor wants to make a 12-string GO, they will. They certainly have the talent there to pull it off. But they don't even know how well the 6-string version is going to do. They're not going to even consider doing a 12-string version if the initial offering falls flat on its face.

Let them see how the guitar is actually going to do before suggesting that it be a 12-string. Again, the product hasn't even been officially released yet. Discussion of anything beyond the current models, and the known planned models, is really premature.

[Joseph]

Obviously the cat's out of the bag but given that the official release date wasn't supposed to be until the 25th I'll say only that the GO is the most powerful Taylor I have ever played! As I was playing the Rosewood version I noticed that my coffee cup, which was located a few feet away on a small table started to vibrate. 

Ted,

It seems you are one of the few people on this thread (if not the only one) who has played this guitar.  How would you think a 12 string GO would sound?  How would it compare to a 12 string GS?

Thanks.

I inquired about a 12 string on these.. Apparently not an option currently due to bracing..

Would the bracing not cope with the tension of the 12 strings?  Is it what Taylor said?

Thanks,

Taylor hasn't even officially released the product yet. That happens in about three hours.

If Taylor wants to make a 12-string GO, they will. They certainly have the talent there to pull it off. But they don't even know how well the 6-string version is going to do. They're not going to even consider doing a 12-string version if the initial offering falls flat on its face.

Let them see how the guitar is actually going to do before suggesting that it be a 12-string. Again, the product hasn't even been officially released yet. Discussion of anything beyond the current models, and the known planned models, is really premature.

Good questions ... Ted @LA Guitars... my thoughts exactly! If you are going to make a powerhouse guitar that maybe will replace the jumbo, It only seems natural, to me, to ask such a question..however premature.. since Taylor 12 strings have been known to be easy playing and great sounding...especially the jumbos. It would definitely be important for me to know also.  I have been considering a GS 12 string... but now.. maybe to wait a while.

Thanks to all who have handled the guitar and posted info.

[cigarfan]

Thanks for all of the clarification! I've only ever heard it called CV bracing or Adirondack bracing.

So here's a question for Michaepedia...you mention the side bracing material. Do the R Taylor's and the Builder's Reserve use the same style bracing on the sides as all the Taylor's use? From what you wrote, I gather the material is different... And to take it one step further, do Taylor Guitars vs. R Taylor's and Builder's Reserve have any differences when it comes to construction? In other words, they both use the NT necks and both offer some type of CV bracing. Are there any structural differences between them?

i know only from guitars that i've seen or owned, which may or may not be consistent with other models -
i had a 06 DN Prototype (with a different body shape & taper) with DN5 aethetics & woods &
the back lining & side bracing on it was mahogany & perhaps the only reason for that is because it was
made of the same material as the kerfing (to me, i thought it was meant to match the back & sides) -
i looked at several of the Taylors i have & the ones that have side braces match the kerfing (not spruce)

other builders have used matching materials for sides braces (i.e. rosewood for rosewood back & sides) &
R Taylors used matching wood for the lining (back to sides) & so i figured that on the Builder's Reserve IV
that the woods might  have matched also (to me, on an all koa guitar, it would make sense for it to do so)

the R Taylors were different than what seems to be the Taylor 'equivalent' -
the body contours & dimensions differ slight (a Style 1 is not exactly the same as a GS, nor a 2-GC or 3-DN)
there were more bracing & top geometry options & a different nut width also (wonder how the Style '4' differed)

the Builder's Reserve models have the same shape as a Taylor (GS, JM, GC)
with some of the features on certain models that seem  to have trickled down
from R Taylor (as they weren't used on a standard production Taylor model)

again, without seeing the guitar & basing it what i've seen or owned
i made a hypothetical guess (regarding the grand orchestras, i said 'if') -
knowing that Taylor is a company where things rarely remain static, i specfically
try not to use terms like 'all' or 'every' because it likely is not the case

i've got a couple of dogs needing specialized vet care (one's going in for x-rays tomorrow)
a few cars that i'm trying to get put together & sold & maintenance projects on the house -
i think i'll just bow out of all this for a while & just let anything that i know to be different to pass

when i post something that is not 'with the flow', it is not to try to prove someone else 'wrong', but
it's because if there is more current or accurate information, i like it put out there & let others decide

we'll see y'all later

We will miss you!!!!!!     

[leeasam]

tomorrow morning I will be able to play all three models!   As for rpicing according to the 2013 price list they are the SAME as a say 614e.  Oh and BTW in the prioce listings now the models are listed such as  614  -- 614e   - 614CE    so if you special order a guitar that is not in stock you do not have to go sanse Cutaway or e or ce just order these models. However to get a C with no e may just be subtracting the ES price.

[PureTone]

The current price list does not show an option for no electronics as it did last year for the 300 and up Acoustic/Electric Series.

Only the Nylon and Baritone Series shows 'Available without cutaway and/or electronics'.

The 214e-N is also notated with an asterisk, even though it does not have a cutaway.

Either it was an omission or there is no longer an adjustment for no electronics.

The 614 has never been offered as a standard model, only the 614C, so it is a new addition.

[Herb Hunter]

Recordings tell me very little about a guitar's actual tone as microphone choice, its placement, equalization settings and playback equipment shortcomings can alter the sound of a guitar so very much but what impresses me about this recording of Andy Powers' playing the grand orchestra guitar is the sustain that is evident despite a light touch. And I don't think it is the result of compression during the recording.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xhihApCEGg