Grand symphony acoustic guitar with Sitka-spruce top, Soundport cutaway and pickup.
- Extra large grand symphony body
- Spruce top and mahogany body for a bright, clear tone
- Easy access to high registers and higher volume with soundport cutaway
- Built-in pickup for stage and studio
- Paua and mother-of-pearl inlays
- Includes Case for safe transport
Taylor Custom at a glance.
With the Custom GS, Taylor presents a professional, high-quality acoustic guitar in the in-house Grand Symphony design. The instrument convinces with numerous advantageous characteristics, which have a positive effect on its sound and handling. The Expression System 2 makes the guitar suitable for stage use, and a case is included to ensure safe transport to the gig or session. The guitar is rounded off by a noble look with eye-catching optical highlights that create an attractive appearance.
Sound and construction
The Grand Symphony build has a slightly larger body than Grand Auditorium guitars, which is reflected in its sound. Thus, due to its more voluminous soundbox, it gives the Custom GS an assertive sound with stronger basses and mids. An increased volume is also produced by the soundport cutaway specially developed by Taylor, which has an additional sound hole. Therefore, it not only simplifies the playability of the guitar, but also makes it an ideal choice for the stage. The tonal qualities are complemented by a spruce top and a bright, clear nuance. The sound characteristics are supported by the patented Taylor V-Class bracing. This special bracing results in clear, clean and dynamic tones.
Handling and electronics
Thanks to its well-thought-out construction, the guitar impresses not only with its excellent performance, but also with high playing comfort. This is ensured by the 44.5 mm wide neck, which fits well in the hand and whose dimensions are ideal for flatpicking and strumming. In addition, even the higher registers are easily accessible, as the body’s cutaway does not present an obstacle when gripping. Tone stability is ensured by the Gotoh 510 techniques, which guarantee a high tuning stability. This is an important criterion especially for performances. A successful performance is also made possible by the in-house Taylor Expression System 2. The pickup system ensures an undistorted, loud signal transmission and preserves the natural characteristics of the guitar.
Design
Rounding out the Custom GS is its black high-gloss finish with intricate details. The guitar features elegant paua and mother-of-pearl inlays that extend across the fretboard in the form of a floral pattern. The top binding, bridge and rosette are also adorned with this intricate design, which makes the entire guitar decorative and premium. In its entirety, this results in an instrument that, in addition to its great performance and playability, greatly enhances the visual appearance of the stage set.
Taylor – The epitome of fine quality
As one of the largest guitar manufacturers, Taylor is truly an authority in the production of first-class instruments. Thus, professional manufacturing by skilled crafts men results in the very finest products for life, whose value is always maintained – or even increased! This is due in equal part to exquisite tonewoods, which do not warp due to long storage and selected quality and as a result can hardly be surpassed in terms of high quality. Only spruce, mahogany, cedar or Koa of proven quality are used for the tops. By the way, careful production in combination with the best materials does not only apply to guitars. Guitar bags and all accessories are also of first-class quality. Finally, a conscientious final inspection does not let even the smallest defects pass and ensures absolutely flawless guitars even before shipment.
And that’s not all: Taylor also attaches great importance to environmentally conscious actions.
Ebony & Koa: Sustainability at Taylor Guitars
Uncontrolled clearing of forests and overexploitation lead to massively endangered wood species, which can no longer regenerate due to the high pace of mining. These include ebony and koa in particular, whose dwindling stocks and the resulting ecological problems have prompted a rethink at Taylor Guitars.
Sustainable ebony cultivation in Cameroon
Because ebony ‘s hard, supple texture makes it particularly finger-friendly, it has long been the preferred choice for making fingerboards. Its attractive appearance is also extremely popular for bridges, headstock rests, bridge Pins and Bindings. However, high demand and a thriving black market outstripped stocks, landing Ebony on the Red List of Endangered Species in 1994. Moreover, only the jet-black heartwood, which makes up only a fraction of the tree, was used, resulting in a disproportionately large amount of waste in production. In order to protect the forests, Taylor has therefore been working since 2011 with the Crelicam Wood Mill in Yaoundé in Cameroon to promote controlled consumption by processing waste products. Thus, not only black ebony elements are found in Taylor guitars, but also the different colored, more clearly grained parts of the tree. This complete recycling is an effective method of preserving stocks and successfully counteracts their dramatic decline and the negative ecological effects that accompany it.
Siglo Tonewoods Project
Koa acacia populations have also suffered severe losses over the last 20 years. Unsustainable forestry as well as overexploitation led to a decline that can only be stopped by proactive action and reforestation. Therefore, Taylor Guitars together with Pacific Rim Tonewoods founded the Siglo Tonewoods project, which aims to rebuild the Hawaiian virgin forest. This is a large cultivation area for koa acacia and other species, which allows the use of koa wood on a controlled scale.
Features:
- Manufacturer: Taylor
- Series: Custom Shop
- Design: Grand Symphony
- Cutaway: Yes
- Top: Sitka Spruce
- Solid Top: Yes
- Finish Top: High-Gloss
- Bracing: V-Class Bracing
- Back & Sides: Mahogany
- Solid back & sides: Yes
- Finish Back & Sides: High-Gloss
- Binding: Ebony
- Neck: Mahogany
- Neck Profile: Standard Carve
- Fretboard: Ebony
- Inlays: Paua Nouveau
- Number of Frets: 20
- Nut type: Graph Tech Black TUSQ
- Nut width in mm: 44.45
- Scale in mm: 632
- Bridge: Ebony
- Bridge Inlay: Micarta
- Tuners: Gotoh
- Hardware: Antique Gold
- Number of Strings: 6
- Manufacturer pickups: Taylor
- Pickup System: Expression System 2
- Tuner: No
- Rosette: Single Ring
- Pickguard: No
- Bridge Pins: Ebony, Abalone Dots
- Colour: Translucent Black
- Case included: Yes
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