Hi All!
A bit of an update on my grand concert purchase. I finally took the plunge on a BTO Koa. Always been fascinated by that wood ever since Taylor came up with the Kenny Loggins and Richie Sambora signature models. I read somewhere that Koa is kind of a gamble in terms of tone; its fairly inconsistent. However, I thought that I should get it over with especially considering that koa guitars with "good figuring" is hard to come by these days (the regular production Koa series are starting to look like mahogany guitars).
Anyway, from my testing of a K24ce, I love the bright sound of the guitar (over my Eng/IRW 714) and I heard that the low-end response of koa will improve over time. Ordered through Lincoln of Randee's Music, Chicago. He's a real pleasure to deal with. Here are the specs:
Grand Concert w/ Venetian Cutaway
14-fret, short-scale
AA-Koa Top
AA-Koa Back and Sides
Adirondack CV Bracing
Ebony Binding
White Fiber Purfling
Paua Single Rosette w/ bound soundhole
Tropical Vine Inlays
Standard headstock with koa headstock veneer
Mother of Pearl Taylor Logo
Gotoh 510 gold tuners
Gloss body, natural finish
Satin neck
Here are the Koa sets for the top and back/sides that I chose:
Topwood:
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Back/Sides:
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Again, thank you for your suggestions. Let me know what you think!