812ce vs. Jazz Guitar---Picture

[Go Navy]

One of my two jazz guitars, the Ibanez GB10, is a pretty compact guitar as the genre goes, and I'm kinda used to that.  Whenever I sat down to play a dreadnought acoustic or anything towards that end of the size spectrum while shopping around for an acoustic, I felt it wasn't physically right for me, although playable.  I was glad when I discovered the Taylor  x12 series, and was hooked by its size.  The x14 series felt pretty nice, too.

Just for fun, I took a side by side picture of my 1980 Ibanez GB10 (which they're still making), and my new 812ce, and thought it might be interesting to some of you fellow Taylor fans.  Some specs (Taylor's from their site):

The GB10 lower bout is about 14.5 inches vs. 15" on the 812.

The GB10 has 22 frets (some not really usable) vs. 20 on the 812.

String spacing at the nut on the GB10 is about 1.5" vs. 1.75" on the 812....big difference. 

Scale length: not sure how to measure this, but on the GB10 from the nut to the bridge on the high E it is about 24.75"; scale length on the 812 per Taylor's site is 24 7/8".  Pretty close on that metric.

I didn't measure body depth since they're obviously very different, as they should be.

(P.S. the trim on the GB10 pickguard is starting to come loose....that's why the blue tape pending repair    Never had any other issues in 30 years with it. Not for sale!)

[Steve]

Um, you know you can take that Elixir sticker off the pickguard, right?

 

[cigarfan]

Um, you know you can take that Elixir sticker off the pickguard, right?

 

Great minds!

(yes Steve, I was talking mainly about yours!)

[Go Navy]

Um, you know you can take that Elixir sticker off the pickguard, right?

 

Yes.......  It's now off!  Thanks.........

[randyc]

Two very pretty instruments, I'm sure that you enjoy both for their unique characteristics !

I didn't realize how tiny those GB models are !  For further comparison, here is a 912 beside a L-5 "Wes Montgomery".  The Taylor -12 models are small guitars by jazz standards.  Although the L-5 is a good size instrument, even my smallest jazz guitar (Heritage 575) is appreciably larger than a -12.  Note that I am not complaining, LOL ... as a small man, I totally appreciate the "user friendliness" of the 912.



EDITED to add:  FWIW, the conventional determination of scale length is twice the distance from the nut to the twelfth fret.  This removes the ambiguity of individual string intonation adjustments at the bridge.

[michaelw]

the AG75 is pretty close to the X14 size (yeah, the foam strip was still under the bridge  )
looks like it's not available in this finish anymore - wish it was still around
http://www.ibanez.com/HollowBodyGuitars/model-AG75

hmm ... a blue blackburst might look kind of cool, if it were offered

kind of like cherry blackburst, but different
http://cdn1.gbase.com/usercontent/gear/2674247/p3_uqqrj1tgd_so.jpg

[Greenheart]

Um, you know you can take that Elixir sticker off the pickguard, right?

 

Yes.......  It's now off!  Thanks.........

I hope you know you just ruined the resale value. 

[randyc]

On whimsy, I made another size comparison and this was a REAL surprise:  the 912 is even smaller than this '76 Custom Legend, the smallest guitar that I own !  It's amazing that the 912 has comparable tone and projection.

[Go Navy]

Yes.......  It's now off!  Thanks.........
[/quote]

I hope you know you just ruined the resale value. 
[/quote]

It's not for sale!

[Go Navy]

Two very pretty instruments, I'm sure that you enjoy both for their unique characteristics !

I didn't realize how tiny those GB models are !  For further comparison, here is a 912 beside a L-5 "Wes Montgomery".  The Taylor -12 models are small guitars by jazz standards.  Although the L-5 is a good size instrument, even my smallest jazz guitar (Heritage 575) is appreciably larger than a -12.  Note that I am not complaining, LOL ... as a small man, I totally appreciate the "user friendliness" of the 912.



EDITED to add:  FWIW, the conventional determination of scale length is twice the distance from the nut to the twelfth fret.  This removes the ambiguity of individual string intonation adjustments at the bridge.

Sweet L5, Randy!  I'll bet it sounds terrific.

[randyc]

Thanks, the L-5 sounds good, even unamplified, although it is a very different sound, to be sure.

I noted "Guild X-175" in your signature line - a VERY nice jazz guitar (ridiculously undervalued). Guilds are great guitars, whether electric or accoustic.  I purchased this SF III new in the early 'nineties:





These instruments, in my opinion, are great investments - at least the ones made in Westerley prior to the Fender takeover.

[Go Navy]

RandyC......couldn't agree more about the Guilds. Yours is gorgeous and I'll bet it plays great, too. They are real sleepers, although I don't know where the market is today.  I don't run across good used ones too often.

 Here's a thumbnail of my X-175.  It has a sweet, warm, fat jazz sound.....just great. I think it's all laminate but not 100% sure about that.  It was in unbelievably good condition, with its nice original hard case which showed some wear and tear, when I bought it used about 4-5 years ago.  It was on the wall in a local guitar shop, calling out to me. 

The neck and action are wonderful.



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[Go Navy]

MichaelW:  I don't think I ever saw an Ibanez AG75 but now you've ruined my morning....I want one!

[dougboy1970]

MichaelW:  I don't think I ever saw an Ibanez AG75 but now you've ruined my morning....I want one!

Come on now, Go Navy, you just got the 812.  You're not entitled to any GAS for at least 4-6 months!  HA! 

[randyc]

RandyC......couldn't agree more about the Guilds. Yours is gorgeous and I'll bet it plays great, too. They are real sleepers, although I don't know where they market is today.  I don't run across good used ones too often.

 Here's a thumbnail of my X-175.  It has a sweet, warm, fat jazz sound.....just great. I think it's all laminate but not 100% sure about that ...

You are correct about the laminated construction, my SF III is also laminated.  These instruments were Guild's response to the most popular jazz guitar made:  the Gibson ES-175, also a laminated guitar.

Purists might turn their noses up at a jazz guitar that doesn't include a carved spruce top, solid maple sides and carved back ... but the ES-175 virtually eliminated feedback in large-body guitars without sacrificing the rich, fat sound for which these guitars are noted.  This enabled guitarists to obtain amplitudes near to those of horn sections without the usual problems of amplification ...

Your Guild X-175 has the same dimensions as the Gibson ES-175 but your guitar includes a traditional (and more attractive, at least to me) Venetian cutaway.  Guild instruments can often be found at about half the price of Gibson counterparts.  In my opinion, it is a better instrument than the original Gibson, hence my earlier statement about Guild guitars being a good investment.

(EDITED to correct awkward phrasing)