With innovation, durability and premium quality paramount, Taylor Guitars is always striving forward to get the best guitars into the hands of players. As we have come to expect from Taylor Guitars, they never sit still and are adding surprising and inspiring guitars to their range again this year. Find out all about their new Gold Label and Studio models here.
Born With An Old Soul.
Taylor Gold Label Collection.
What Is The Gold Label Collection?
With plenty of new design elements, Taylor's Gold Label Collection unveils a stunning model that differs from anything Taylor has ever produced. It reaches back to the beloved flat-top guitars of the 1930s and 1940s.
With Taylor's Gold Label Collection, Andy Powers has moved into new sonic territory for Taylor; inspired by an older, more traditional sound. The guitars combine several new design elements that contribute to that sound such as a ‘Super Auditorium’ body and a new long-tenon neck joint.
What is at least as special is the absence of Taylor's own Expression System 2 pickup. For the Gold Label Collection, Taylor makes way for the popular LR Baggs Element VTC.
Gold Label 814ce Rosewood & Koa
The Gold Label 814e has a ‘torrefied’ Sitka spruce top and two different options for the soundboard: Honduran rosewood and Hawaiian koa. You also have the choice of a Natural or Sunburst finish.
The New Features
Andy Powers wanted a warmer, older, ‘heritage’ sound, something from more than a generation earlier than when Taylor Guitars was founded (1974). Something somewhat reminiscent of the traditional 1930s flattop sound, but with the familiar benefits of V-Class including improved volume, sustain, response and accuracy of pitch between notes.
The new Gold Label model therefore has 3 key features:
1. A new Super Auditorium shape: The proportions are similar to Taylor's Grand Auditorium, but the body is slightly longer and the lower bout is slightly wider. Andy describes it as a ‘classically proportioned set of curves’.
2. New Fanned V-Class bracing: This V-class variant has a fan-like arrangement of braces in the lower bolt of the top. They are put in place with traditional hot hide glue.
3. A new long-tenon neck joint: The improved wood joint of the long-tenon translates into greater low-end resonance and a sound that some compare to historic guitars with a dovetail neck joint. But this design remains glueless and allows for even easier and more precise micro-adjustment of the neck angle.
New Headstock Design
With an ‘angled back’ cut and a newly designed Taylor headstock logo.
Pickguard
A new pickguard shape and design.
Fretboard Inlay
The new ‘Continental’ inlay motif on the fingerboard.
Curve Wing Bridge
A Honduran rosewood Curve Wing bridge with bone bridge pins.
How Does The Taylor Gold Label Sound?
As one of the first shops in Europe, we were allowed to take delivery of a Gold Label 814ce. This gave Maico and Milo the unique opportunity to play and discuss it in detail. Watch and listen to our review here.
Taylor 517e & 717e Gold Label
517e & 717e Gold Label
Taylor's Gold Label Collection expands with a powerful new Grand Pacific, featuring a deeper body and fuller sound.
In addition to the 814e, Andy Powers is now adding the 517e and 717e to Taylor's Gold Label Collection. While these additions are priced slightly more friendly than the 814e, they retain many of the innovations that that model introduced within the Taylor range.
Compared to the Gold Label Super Auditorium, the Grand Pacific's curves and extra depth provide even more volume and tonal richness. The new headstock, Taylor logo, Curve Wing bridge and unique Long-Tenon Neck Joint are also present on these models.
The extra depth gives the guitar more "lung capacity" and a deeper resonant frequency, so to speak. This translates into a more powerful low end, more projection and a sonic push toward the audience or microphone, while maintaining musical clarity.
Taylor 517e Gold Label vs Gibson J45
As one of the first stores in Europe, we were allowed to take delivery of a Gold Label 517e. This gave Milo the unique opportunity to test it against a comparable guitar. Watch and listen to our review here!