Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top 

Comments about Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top:

First, I'd like to say that I really wanted to like this guitar and I took 3 different T5s home. The build quality is superb - exactly what you'd expect from Taylor. Conceptually this is a home run, but not so much in the real world. Here's why...

The amplified 'acoustic' tones lack both sizzle and bottom. I have inexpensive, no-name, plywood acoustics here at the shop that sound considerably better through the PA than the T5 did. It reminded me a LOT of my Tele with piezo saddles, except the Tele has more punch and much more definition in the lower frequencies when using it as an 'acoustic'. I tried it through a Fishman Loudbox, BOSE PAS and 3 different, high quality PA systems, all to no avail.

As an electric it didn't fare any better. Bridge position tones were kind of Squier Stratty - thin, nasally and with no bottom. Neck tones were muted and bassy. I tried a myriad of amps (Fender, Marshall, Boogie) and just never found anything I liked.

Sort of the same thing is going on with the playability aspects of this instrument as well. While it has a slender neck profile and low string height, the action is so soft that there is no 'feel' to the guitar. The strings feel almost floppy on your fingers. It is also EXTREMELY prone to feedback even at lower volumes.

I really wish they had thought this one out a little better before they decided to produce it. A good solidbody electric with a piezo may be a marginal acoustic substitute, but it will always be a good electric. The T5 is barely marginal at being either.

Comments about Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top:

Without a doubt the best guitar Ive ever played in my 20+ years of playing.. Period! The binding, finish, wood selection and case are above what I expected! Its two personalities blow me away. With a fresh set of medium electric strings unplugged it sounds great as an acoustic guitar, that can be played at apartment volumes at 3am. Plugged in on acoustic setting (#1) sounds exactly the same just amplified. Thru my 57 Champ R.I this thing growls on the hollow body electric settings (#4+5) without feed back at all!!! Even thru a microcube its sounds fanatastic. I find it hard to put this thing down. I will say the lack of pickguard is frustrating when u look at the sexy finish your picking away at & im not a fan of pick up selection #3... besides that I really have nothing else negative I could say.

Comments about Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top:

Actually I gave it a "4" only because there is an outside chance that I didn't do enough to make this thing sound better.
Lacks onboard tuner and feedback control, poor EQ/bass (treble-bass tone controls only) Switch provides a variety of unique tones, but no better than my latest Squier Vibes with 4-way switch installed. You absolutely cannot get a well balanced acoustic tone and the thing doesn't stay in tune.It is absolutely frustrating!

I should have expected that it was going to be less than it should be when I saw so many for sale on ebay. .
The first T-5 received was DOA despite new battery ... no output at all!

Second guitar was promptly received after UPS acknowledge the intial return. To their credit M-F handles returns very well !
These guitars are way overpriced. I have twenty other guitars acoustic, acoustic-electric and solid body electrics. This thing has a switching mechanism that provides several unque tones, no true acoustic sounds and I have tried with several amps ... Evans, Crate, Fender, etc...

Sounds no better than the Squier Vibes I've purchased and installed 4-way switching

I have played various Taylor guitars and all are over priced for what they are. I heard that Taylor was being bought out ... I hope it goes to someone who understands what a good guitar should be today.

Comments about Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top:

I have several different guitars and amps, both acoustic and electric, I simply can't make this thing sound good as good as the others, so it just sits in it's case.I took it out again today before writing this review.

I don't like the battery, pick-ups which cannot be adjusted, the fact that you need a special socket wrench to adjust the neck (which was not provided), and the lack of a built in tuner.

I should have suspected something when so many of these were listed on eBay.
It looks good and is light weight but, otherwise not too different from many electric guitars on the market. I don't like the fact that it chews 9v batteries, pickups are not adjustable, special wrench not provided is required to adjust neck tension, no built in tuner, no feedback control.
Appears to be well constructed, but doesn't really sound like either a quality acoustic or electric guitar. I have several of both that this thing can't hold a candle to.Set up was crappy and it wouldn't stay in tune.

Pricey-looking case was included.
Way over-priced for what it is ... must be paying for the overblown Taylor name.

Comments about Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top:

I have had my T5 for a few months after picking one up at a Taylor road show. Mine is a gold top and one of only 50 made when the Taylor guys found some paint in the factory and wondered what it would look like on a T5. It is beautiful. All I can say is that this guitar changed my perspective quite a bit on live music performance. I bought it to replace my acoustic-electric and now use only this guitar and a couple strats at gigs. The neck is flat, thin and fast. The guitar is versatile with the pickup combinations. I can't get true acoustic tone like I would with a Taylor 814, but the T5 tones are awesome nonetheless. This guitar has the ability to play and sound as well as a high end electric guitar. I play both acoustic and rock lead on this guitar, but it's main use is for worship music. The quality is top notch Taylor, and the harshell case is the best I have ever got with any guitar purchase. One complaint is that this guitar is not balanced properly. The neck is heavy and it immediately dips when you take your hand off the neck. This can be annoying, expecially when it bangs into a mic stand or feels like it may fall out of your grasp.

Comments about Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top:

If you approach the T5 as a new type of guitar and not as an electrified acoustic or a semi-hollow bodied guitar, you will discover, as I did, that the T5 is a flawless guitar. Once I moved away from the Fender Acoustisonic amp and went straight for my preamp rack I discovered that this is a different instrument, not a hybrid or a replacement for acoustics or electrics. It's like the difference between a mandolin and a balalaika. If you approach the T5 as a different classification of guitar you will be as happy with it as I am because it will cause you to play differently, expanding your style. I recommend you try a preamp setting with modest boosts in lows and mids and cuts in the high end and try harmonic tapping with your favorite tunings. Much more controllable then an acoustic with pick-ups...IMHO

Comments about Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top:

There is a volume reduction on the first string present when pick-up combinations with the neck fretboard pick-up are used. It is annoying straight from the factory. A licensed Taylor repair man put the modified pick-up taylor made to alleviate this problem, but it is only slightly better. These are the facts of life when purchasing this instrument. NOWThe sounds on this guitar are fantastic. This is a gigging persons guitar and if you are only buying to play in your room then you cannot comment on any aspect of how it does or does not sound like x or y guitar. The acoustic setting do what they say nicely and the electric settings are in league with any fine electric in the price range. The playability is amazing!I feel this is a very honest review and I wish Taylor would fix this first string issue and produce a better neck pick-up for the T5

Comments about Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top:

This is one amazing guitar. But don't expect it to do everything that a really good acoustic will do. And don't expect it to do everything that a really good electric will do. It reminds me a little of Bill Clinton's approach to politics: it offers lots to people in the middle of the spectrum, and not much to folks on the ends.The fretboard is low action and the neck is very thin. It allows you to play fast and easy. It's easier and more versatile to play than any other guitar I've ever picked up - period. The frets are relatively low profile and I get more buzzing notes on acoustic mode than with other acoustic guitars. It components and construction are all the quality you would expect from a Taylor product. If you are in tune, your A string will give you a true A both played open and played on the 12th fret. The guitar stays in tune and does not seem to suffer from being moved between warm/cold/humid/dry environments. The electronics and the tuning pegs all have a solid, quality feel. The acoustic sound is focused and crisp, a product of a thin body. There is not much acoustic volume. Its excellent for playing in a small room to a small audience or by yourself. (I often practice with mine after hours when the family is asleep.) If you play along with someone who uses a conventional acoustic, the T5 acoustic gets lost sometimes. The electric sound is generally excellent. But its harder to switch on the fly from a treble-dominant lead tone to a mellower rythm tone than with conventional electrics like my Stratocaster. Relocation of the switches in future generation uits might improve things. (Are you listening, Taylor?) Also, the much-hyped five-way switch is not really that amazing. While there is some variance between settings on the five-way switch, it is rather subtle when compared to the differences in the settings on the five-way switch on my Stratocaster. On a conventional electric, you can easily play up/near the 20th fret. Not so with the T5. Also, in electric mode, feedback can be a problem at even moderate volume. I love my T5. Since I got it 18 months ago, it is the only guitar I play regularly out of my collection of 4 guitars. It has quickly become my favorite. With the limitations described above, I highly recommend it.

Comments about Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top:

An excellent guitar for the worship leader. For me, this guitar is best suited for onstage acoustic work (leading a band or for songwriting showcases). It will 'dirty up' nicely with a tube amp (start with the detentes at '0') but has more in common with a full electric hollowbody than any solidbody.

Comments about Taylor T5 Standard Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Spruce Top:

I've spent a lot of time behind this guitar and I'm going to shoot you straight. As far as build quality goes, this guitar is top notch. It's extremely well made. But unless you're 100% sold on the T5 I would advise against it. This is definately a niche guitar. The best application for this I can think of is for the person who needs switch back and forth between mediocre acoustic and electric tones, but doesn't want or isn't able to have an acoustic guitar and an electric. Frankly, there are plenty of acoustic guitars out there that sound better than the acoustic sounds the T5 makes, and plenty of electrics out there that sound better than the T5's electric sounds. When a guitar tries to be everything to everybody, it ends up being average at everything. Consider also the number of these things available used on Ebay, and also the fact that many guitar stores are cutting back their stock and refusing to accept T5s as trade-ins. You need to play the T5 for yourself and compare it to a couple of Taylor and Martin acoustics, and then a Strat, a Les Paul, and an ES-335. If you really like the tones, go for it, but don't buy it because you're too impatient to save for a good acoustic AND an electric. It's a very nice guitar, but you really need to be honest about what you're looking for before dropping the dough for this one, that's all.