Unofficial Taylor Guitar Forum - UTGF
Taylor Acoustic & Electric Guitars => Taylor Acoustic & Electric Guitars => Topic started by: 520Fan on January 22, 2019, 10:26:46 PM
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All the Grand Pacific guitars and specs now available on the website..Have fun!
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717, 517, and 317
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here's what i see so far:
builder edition 517 and 717:
same builder edition silent satin finish
same builder edition chamfered edges
NEW rolled edges along fretboard
NEW compound carve neck profile (sounds like different radius across fretboard, as opposed to along the fretboard)
NEW HX V class bracing
available w/ or w/o electronics
available natural or western honey burst
317:
non builder edition
regular V class
available w/ or w/o electronics
available natural only
717: torrefied sitka / eir
517: torrefied sitka / hog
317: sitka / sapele
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Would've liked to see the armrest on the BE. I'm pro-pickguard too, particularly on a DN. Still, kind of an interesting guitar. There's little difference in retail cost between the 717 and 517.
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Love the look of the 517E. WCB
Can’t wait to test drive .
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NEW HX V class bracing
regular V class
Sigh, here we go. I wish Taylor would just give all series the best. Whether it was CV bracing for the 800 and 900 series only and others get Standard II bracing, or Advanced Performance for 600, 800 and 900 series and the rest only get Performance bracing. I really hate it when brands do this and am happy to see that Martin have shifted to forward shifted scalloped bracing for all of their standard models (with the exception of the D-28, but it is available for the HD-28).
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Sigh, here we go.
Well, they are different companies, and we like that, right? Legacy vs Innovator, although I think Martin has been quite innovative this time around—maybe the critiques of them not being innovative stung and provided motivation.
Andy Powers motif from Day 1 has been to design each individual guitar and its bracing around the tonal characteristics of that particular guitar. One size does not fit all. Kind of makes sense to me. I don’t think Taylor ever said the original V-brace design would not evolve as they gained experience with it. I say, let him run. Try the guitars. If you don’t like them, you don’t have to buy them.
Personally, I am very excited by all the innovative new products coming to NAMM this year. I am very interested in Martin’s new Modern Deluxe series. Then I made the mistake of picking up the short-scale, Walnut J45 Studio at half the price and was blown away. A couch guitar (what I’m looking for) doesn’t get any better than this. So many choices...if this isn’t the new Golden Era, I don’t know what is.
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Interesting that they are going with the torrefied tops on the 517/717 and not the 317. Also interesting that the 717 has sitka spruce instead of the lutz - for me that was a distinguishing feature between the 714 and 814 series
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I know cost cutting must occur somewhere to have different price points.
I always assumed it was more of the 'bling' being added or left out as opposed to quality or function being sacrificed.
Kind of seems (hope i"M missing something and am just wrong here) that the 3xx series is the red headed stepchild of hte Taylor line.
Always appears that it gets the shaft when it comes to new designs, bracing, or whatever.
Why does the academy series have an armrest while the 3xx doenst?
What am I missing? Seriously...I want to know.
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The 717 WHB looks awesome. I haven't even played one (or heard one) and I already want one.
I wonder how the "regular" 717 will differ from the Builder's Edition?
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I know cost cutting must occur somewhere to have different price points.
I always assumed it was more of the 'bling' being added or left out as opposed to quality or function being sacrificed.
Kind of seems (hope i"M missing something and am just wrong here) that the 3xx series is the red headed stepchild of hte Taylor line.
Always appears that it gets the shaft when it comes to new designs, bracing, or whatever.
Why does the academy series have an armrest while the 3xx doenst?
What am I missing? Seriously...I want to know.
The "cost cutting" you are referring to across the entire line is due largely to appointments and features: finish, inlays, binding, tuners, etc. And the big differentiator between the 100/200 and the 300+ line is country of manufacture and back/sides solid vs lam. There is zero sacrifice made to build quality in any Taylor that I have seen, down to my "lowly" Baby Taylor I bought in '99.
The 300s have always been the "entry level" of the full-solid guitar line. From its inception, it was the simplest in appointments and features, had a satin finish, and offered the buyer the "full build" of the Taylor solid-wood guitars at a lower price. Kind of like buying a BMW 3series with vinyl interior. FWIW, I've never heard anything disparaging toward the 300s, but rather the opposite: of how they offer so much tone, build, and overall value in a "yeoman's" package, kind of like the working-musician's guitar.
The build process of the Academy's arm rest is very simplistic ...not at all the same as the full armrest that the higher-end Taylors receive. Look at Taylor's website (or google up the difference) and you will see that it's a fairly inexpensive process given how the Academy line is built. The full-boat process is time consuming and thus more costly.
Edward
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thank you very much, I appreciate your input. :)