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Academy Series Academy 12 Grand Concert Acoustic Guitar
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An enhanced entry-level guitar designed to be your go-to even after you've matured as a player.
Most newcomers to the instrument — and parents buying for their kids — are understandably reluctant to pony up for a more expensive, “nice” brand of guitar without knowing whether the interest will last. So the approach tends to be: start with an inexpensive, “good-enough” guitar, and if things progress, upgrade to something better. But all too often this ends in hand-wringing frustration, where would-be music-makers walk away from the instrument blaming themselves for not having enough musical talent or physical dexterity, when, in fact, the real culprit all along was the guitar.
The Playing Experience
The Academy Series, which includes this Academy 12 Grand Concert, was designed to offer enough immediate gratification to encourage a new player to keep playing. To do so, the playing experience was Taylor’s priority:
• Easy to hold and play: The body is comfortable and lightweight, and easy to strum and fret
• Rewarding sound: Yields a good sound easily in the hands of a newer player
• Not too precious: Durable, minimal, so it's not intimidating for a novice to play and care for
• Broad appeal: Covers a broad range of music preferences
Function and Form
The Academy Series 12 Grand Concert is intended as a fingerstyle guitar with the added benefit of a more compact body size for extra playing comfort. The wood pairing is a solid spruce top with layered sapele back and sides. Genuine African ebony – not man-made substitutes - is used for the fingerboard and bridge, just as with all other Taylor models.
The neck is a fully engineered version of Taylor’s patented design, allowing for precise calibration of the neck angle and smooth serviceability throughout the guitar’s life. To enhance the handfeel and overall playability for entry-level players, Taylor chose a 24-7/8-in. scale length with a 1-11/16-in. nut width. The guitar’s top bracing and other internal architecture were optimized for volume and projection. It has full-size guitar dimensions. It has the right depth and width for the right internal architecture, with a seriously straight and true neck on it. These things were meant to go together as a whole without compromising musical function.
Although an armrest is normally reserved as an ultra-premium feature of Taylor’s top-end models, Taylor’s Andy Powers developed a greatly simplified version, produced with function in mind. “It’s important to give a beginning player the most comfortable, gratifying experience to make a welcoming first impression,” he says. “If the guitar is comfortable, plays well, and has a pleasing sound, then a player will have an easier time staying with the instrument.”

The Taylor Difference
The Academy Series also introduces players to the best of what Taylor Guitars brings to the guitar market. Unmatched build quality, the most stable and playable necks, a vast array of tonal options, eco- conscious and ethically-sourced raw materials, and a lifetime of service and support.
Features
Body- Body type: Taylor Deep Grand Concert
- Cutaway: No
- Top wood: Solid Sitka Spruce
- Back & sides: Layered Sapele
- Bracing pattern: Academy Series
- Body finish: Matte 2.0 Varnish
- Orientation: Right handed
- Neck shape: Standard Taylor Profile
- Nut width: 1-11/16 in. (42.8 mm)
- Fingerboard: Genuine African Ebony
- Neck wood: Sapele
- Scale length: 24.87 in.
- Number of frets: 20
- Neck finish: Matte 2.0 Varnish
- Pickup/preamp: No
- Brand: Not applicable
- Configuration: Not applicable
- Preamp EQ: Not applicable
- Feedback filter: Not applicable
- Tuner: Not applicable
- Headstock overlay: Lexan
- Tuning machines: Chrome Tuners with Chrome Buttons
- Bridge: Genuine African Ebony
- Saddle & nut: Micarta/NuBone
- Number of strings: 6-string
- Special features: Armrest
- Case: Deluxe Gig Bag
- Accessories: None
- Country of origin: Mexico
Join the Academy. Order this Taylor for your aspiring player.
- Free Standard Ground shipping (48 contiguous states, some overweight and Used/Vintage items excluded).
- Orders placed before 3 p.m. ET usually ship the same business day.
Every guitar or bass you purchase from Musician's Friend (electric or acoustic, New or Open Box) includes two years of protection from manufacturer defects.
Our Gear Advisers are available to guide you through your entire shopping experience. Call or Chat for expert advice and to hear the latest deals.