For those who haven't read past posts on this, here's a quick summary:
1. Ordered January 24th
2. Delivered to Martin Music on March 16th for after-market additions
3. Small dent discovered in the top from a faulty case - sent back to Taylor for repair and case replacement
4. Taylor factory closes due to the pandemic
5. Taylor completes the repair and ships the guitar back to Martin Music on May 26th
6. I received the guitar this past Thursday June 11th
Okay, I’ve been really busy these past few days so my only time spent with the guitar was getting it properly humidified and stored on Thursday night. On Friday, I put the Lyric battery pack in place. Then, having realized that I made the wrong choices in tuner buttons and bridge pins, I replaced the tuner buttons with straight black and replaced the dyed bone pins with water buffalo bridge pins with abalone inlays to compliment the abalone inlays on the fretboard and headstock. By introducing less color and going with the theme, I’ve made a more formal, dressed up guitar that looks quite elegant. The burst is actually redder than the 756 I had purchased a few years back, but still quite pretty – it’s a happy burst!
So yesterday was the first time I actually got to have quality time with the guitar. My first impression while playing it was “is this a rosewood guitar?”, because it sounded quite different than all the rosewood guitars I’ve owned in the past. Gone were the muddy bass, the midrange scoop and the plethora of overtones that sometimes got in the way of my playing and singing with a rosewood guitar. Next impression was that this was a very balanced, articulate sound ( common to a Taylor GA – just never heard in a rosewood Taylor like this), with limitless headroom and superlative projection. It’s a loud guitar that is still very responsive to a light touch. Similar to my V-class 614 in its preciseness, it has added depth and sweetness in the tone. I recalled the several Adirondack topped guitars I’ve played or owned in the past, and I can understand why Andy feels that the Lutz spruce tone is reminiscent of old growth Adirondack in character.
Overall, it is a surprising guitar in many ways – and she will fit in very nicely with her six Taylor GA brothers and sisters! BTW, I've named her Renata (it means "reborn" - appropriate I think for a number of reasons...) Here are some pics taken at the shop before she shipped to me:
