Grand Concert changes to the body size / shape

[LesPauloholic]

Hi,

Have there been changes to the size or shape of the Grand Concert body throughout Taylor's history?  I though I had read something back maybe around 2010 that at some point there was a change.

The reason I'm asking is that I have a K22 from 1999, I believe, and it seems to fit poorly in another newer GC case I have.  It seems like the waist may have been shifted a little bit.  It also fits very snugly.  There is a lot of padding in the case version that I'm trying to use, almost an inch all the way around the body.  It would be good to know if there are slightly different GC body shapes for some of the different variations (scale length, 12 fret, nylon, etc.)

Thank you,
LesPauloholic

[SDTaylorman]

Your best bet is to get that info straight from Taylor themselves. Super friendly customer service!

from https://www.taylorguitars.com/support:

Customer Service
Our El Cajon, California and Amsterdam, the Netherlands Factory Service Center staff can help with any service, maintenance or repair questions concerning Taylor guitars.

Email: support@taylorguitars.com

United States and Canada: 1-800-943-6782 from Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (PST)

Europe: +31 (0)20 667 6033 from Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (CET)

[Strumming Fool]

And the short answer is yes, Taylor has modified the shape of all their body styles since the 90s, including the grand concert. I can't remember what exactly they changed in the GC, but there was a definite shape change in the early to mid 2000s. Short or standard scale shouldn't make a difference, but a 12th fret join would result in a shorter guitar than a 14th fret join. Hope that helps...

[LesPauloholic]

But a 12 fret guitar would fit in a 14 fret case, right?  I would think that change would only show up as a shorter overall length.

[Strumming Fool]

Because the neck join is at a different spot, the neck will not rest on the neck holder in the same place as a 14 fret. So while the body may have the same dimensions as the 14 fret guitar, the curves of the guitar may not align with the 14 fret configuration in the case. That would  be my theory anyway. Perhaps other GC owners can chime in.

[LesPauloholic]

The folks at Taylor replied to my email question about this.  I thought I'd share their reply here:

Thank you for contacting us. In January of 2004 500 series and higher Grand Concerts were revoiced and the body depth got ¼” deeper to 4 3/8".
The rest of the GC lineup (300/400s) started being built with a body depth of 4-3/8” as of 2006. The other dimension of the body as far as lower and upper bouts stayed the same. If your guitar is a 99 model was a 1/4" thinner than what the case was designed for so there will be room back to soundboard. The tightness of the case may be due to the fact that is a new case and just needs to break-in.

[SDTaylorman]

That's a great answer from Taylor. Not that I expected anything but. 

Thanks for posting it LesPauloholic!

[davids714]

Thanks again for providing Taylor's response. I was wondering about this with regard to my 1997 922.