Actual NGD was 12/20 but I wanted to sit with it for a few days and make sure there weren’t any annoyances or duddy notes!
Taylor Builder’s Edition 517
First thing I have to say is the neck on all these Builder’s Edition guitars is that they are very close to the 70s Martin necks favored by so many. It fills the hand but isn’t a baseball bat. A nice soft V at about .86” that gets to more of a C at the 12th close to .95”. One of the most comfortable necks out there.
The sound is great and not typical Taylor. A very deep bass, clear highs and just the right amount of mids. It actually sounds like an old well broken in guitar.
Typical BE features, rolled fretboard, rounded body edges, baked Sitka top, Neo-tropical mahogany (whatever that is) back sides and neck. V-bracing gets a bad rap, and most of the guitars with it I have played haven’t thrilled me, but it is a great fit for the Grand Pacifics.
I had always wanted one of these since I played the first one when they came out, but either didn’t have the funds or didn’t want a guitar with the es2. All of the guitars I played, es2 or not were very consistent and having recently played another with the es2 I decided to take the chance and order one without a pickup.
It arrived 12/20 and sounded a bit stiff out of the box. After a few hours playing the stiffness wore off. After a few days I switched from elixir mediums to D’Addario XS lights. I prefer the tone and play feel with the lights.
The only con for me is the terrible strap button placement on the back of the guitar. I wish they would have left the button off the guitar to allow for attachment wherever the owner would like.
Just ordered a Holter pickguard and plan on having the plastic nut and saddle replaced with bone. Looking forward to seeing how this ages. It’s a great compliment to my maple Iris AB.
All in all a very happy NGD.
The only other guitar that caught my fancy recently was a satin D-18, however, the current necks on the standards are just too thin and uncomfortable. Had there been a Martin with the Builders Edition neck, I may have bought one. Maybe martin will keep taking cues from Taylor and add some thickness back to the necks.
