Taylor’s chief designer and CEO Andy Powers has been working his way through each of the company’s acoustic guitar ranges, upgrading and modernising them to the latest specs. This has included the launch of new body styles, such as the Grand Pacific shape featured in the American Dream Series and on the 417e we see here, adding the groundbreaking V-Class bracing system along the way, and sourcing alternative timbers such as urban ironbark, and some less outrageously figured koa.
The 417’s longer scale on its 14-fret neck join feels as spacious and welcoming as the cutaway 412ce
The 400 Series represents “the most accessible presentation of solid rosewood/ spruce guitars in the Taylor line”, we’re told: a pairing of Indian rosewood and Sitka spruce. There are three instruments in the series, the two we have on review, plus the Taylor classic shape, the Grand Auditorium 414ce, which sits in the middle, size-wise, of the trio. All three are priced identically and, other than the obvious differences in outline, share identical specifications.
So, what we get is dark and straightgrained East Indian rosewood on the bodies, solid Sitka spruce tops with tobacco sunburst finish, neo-tropical mahogany necks and Crelicam ebony fingerboards. Taylor’s evergreen Expression System 2 powers all three, the shoulder-mounted volume, bass and treble controls there to tailor your tone with the minimum of fuss.
Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Guitarist.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Guitarist.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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BASIC INSTINCTS
The sophisticated range of Swedish-designed guitars made by .strandberg* has lured thousands of players over to the headless side. But the company's new stripped-back Boden Essential model is its strongest play yet for the hearts and minds of mainstream players
Second String
As PRS's more affordable USA-made S2 line moves into its second decade, the series gets a revamp with - at last - USA-made pickups and electronics. What took so long?
PABLO VAN DE POEL
When a band from The Netherlands describes themselves as 'raw, psychedelic Southern rock', it may take a little cognitive processing to work out what that might mean. One listen to DeWolff, however, and you will be duly transported to the 60s for some fuzzed-out rock 'n' roll
THE BERNIE MARSDEN COLLECTION
With a fabulous collection of the late Bernie Marsden's guitars, amps and other highly collectable music gear going under the auctioneer's hammer on 11 June, we were thrilled to have the chance of a sneak preview
LENNY KRAVITZ
Some 35 years since the release of his debut LP, for his 12th record, Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz is back again with equal doses of vigour and vibes, using vintage guitars and the purest valve amps
GEORGE VJESTICA
You may not know him at first glance, but the work of Stoke-on-Trent native George Vjestica has probably impacted some of your favourite albums and movies
DICKEY BETTS
Emerging from the shadow of Duane to write signature hit Ramblin' Man, the Allman Brothers guitarist was a hard-living pioneer of Southern rock
NICK GUPPY
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our highly valued amplifier guru, who died suddenly in April
Lucky Break
Alex Bishop blends old wood with new in an attempt to fix a severely damaged guitar headstock
Tones Behind The Tracks
Cedric Burnside learnt at the knee of his fabled grandfather, but his latest album is a hill country blues masterclass on his own terms