Just to add a bit of perspective here: non-US Taylors get users' respect and equal kudos
because the material and workmanship are of equally high standards. The moment Taylor passes guitars that are less-than-US-quality, then folks should
rightfully call them on it.
As I had mentioned previously, I have equal respect for Taylor's made in Mexico guits because they are on-par; no accident, this. Witness Fender's MIM or Epiphones. Now before someone accuses me of bashing these guits, be clear I am not; they are decent guitars that serve the lower-end niche. But make no mistake: the materials and general quality of MIMs and MI-China (or Indonesia) are not to the Standards of their more costly US counterparts. For whatever reasons, PRS' "SE" line from Korea is a far closer approximation to their US products' standards. All this IMHO, of course, but all borne out of my rampant GAS attacks (
) over the decades. But the market seems to bear out my findings, so I don't think I am far from the mark.
All this rambling really to say
"Huge Kudos" to Taylor for making the obvious effort and spending the capital to ensure that their MIMs are spot-on. After all, it is
far easier (dare I say profitable) to let one's import line slip into something less, as many other makers clearly have done.
Edward