Oh my, I'm drooling! What a beauty. Congrats on a wonderful find.
I''m in the midst of looking for a Taylor 12 Fret GC Mahogany/Cedar for my daughter. To tell the truth, I'd like one myself. How is the bass response on your R Taylor? I've thought about going with either a modified build or a BTO, but it scares me that it may fall short in the tone/sound department.
I have an RT Style-2 (which I coincidentally bought on the same day!) that is quilted maple b/s and engelmann top. It sounded so nice at Taylor I had to take it home. That also offered me a chance to compare it side-by-side, taking my time, with my GA7e (cedar/rw) as well as a 410Ltd (spruce/ovang). The depth of tone and low-bass frequencies my RT-2 was producing was nothing short of amazing in that it is as if its build defied its size. While its volume was clearly not as pronounced as my GA or 410, its bass tones and overall balance (as well as warmth ...nothing "maple-bright" about this guitar, and had gorgeous, present mids!) was truly "special" in this guitar. Suffice it to say I ended up selling the GA7 and 410, but my RT2 is a keeper through and through.
And I can also say that had played jalbert's RT2 at Taylor, along with numerous other style 2 RTs, and have to say the deep tones are definitely part of its tonal quality and build. If you can find one, they are worth hearing/playing, IMHO. That said, I have played two 12-fret models at RoadShows and was likewise impressed with them for largely similar reasons. If you want the tone and don't mind sacrificing a bit of the overall volume (heck, amp it if ya need to
), I would
most certainly look into a used RT-2 or a current 12-fret model. These two seem to really have something special going on in my book.
Edward