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500 Series 2014 526e Grand Symphony Acoustic-Electric Guitar

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Overview

Strong lower midrange with the perfect blend of power and articulation.

Taylor's bold-voiced Grand Symphony projects a strong lower midrange emphasis and pairs well with mahogany's strong, focused tone in the 500 Series 2014 526e Grand Symphony Acoustic-Electric Guitar. Rootsy strummers and pickers will love the blend of power and articulation. A black pickguard, ivoroid binding, and a Century fretboard inlay tastefully convey mahogany's time-honored heritage. Taylor's Expression System 2 pickup.

Grand Symphony (GS)
Body Length: 20" / Body Width: 16-1/4" / Body Depth: 4-5/8"
The ultimate Taylor strummer.

The Grand Symphony shape joined the Taylor line in 2006 and delivers a rich, powerful acoustic voice. Think of it as a Grand Auditorium with a turbo boost, thanks to expanded physical dimensions, including a slightly wider waist and a bigger lower bout. Strummers and pickers with a driving attack will love the fullness, volume and sustain. Yet for such a robust voice, the GS is also clear and responsive to fast picking runs or a light fingerstyle touch, so if you're a dynamic player, this shape is a true contender. And the big voice doesn't come at the expense of balance. The piano-like bass, meaty midrange, and thick, shimmering highs blend seamlessly. If you like a lush, potent guitar tone that has the horsepower to compete with other acoustic cannons out there, the GS shape is a worthy choice.

Tropical Mahogany
Origin: Central and South America
Mahogany is a good wood to anchor a discussion of tones, as a lot of other wood tones can be described in relation to it. Its essential sonic profile is well represented in the midrange frequencies. Acoustic guitars in general tend to live in the midrange portion of the sound spectrum, but mahogany in particular displays a lot of midrange character. That thick, present midrange sound is sometimes described in guitar circles as meaty, organic or even "chewy" - wherever a player digs in on the fretboard, they're tapping into the core of the harmonic content of what a guitar produces. Those great midrange frequencies produce overtones that stack up and produce bloom, giving the sound extra girth. When one hears the resulting harmonics, the "chewy" tone serves up a big mouthful of midrange. As a popular tonewood for many decades, mahogany has been used on scads of old school acoustic recordings, and that sonic heritage carries across various strains of roots music, from blues to folk to slack key.

Expression System 2
The Taylor Expression System 2 (ES2) is a revolutionary pickup design that delivers the latest in Taylor's ongoing innovation in acoustic guitar amplification. The heart of the Expression System 2 is Taylor's proprietary behind-the-saddle pickup (patent pending), which features three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated pickup sensors. The location of the sensors enables a more dynamic range of acoustic sound to be captured than ever before. Together with Taylor's custom-designed "professional audio"-grade preamp, this system produces exceptional amplified tone and responsiveness. On stage through a PA, plugged into your favorite acoustic amplifier, or direct into recording software, the Expression System 2 faithfully conveys the voice of your Taylor guitar.

Behind the ES2 Design: Rethinking the Piezo Pickup
For decades, piezo-electric transducers have been positioned under the saddle of a guitar based on the long-held belief that the string and top vibration cause the saddle to "bounce" up and down. But Taylor's electronics team, led by developer David Hosler, discovered that the vertical movement is actually heavily restricted, and that the saddle gets "locked down" due to the string tension's downward pressure. That's why a traditional under-saddle pickup with piezo-electric crystals often responds with a sound often characterized as thin, brittle, brash or synthetic, especially with more aggressive playing.

The saddle's natural range of movement as the guitar is being played is actually back and forth like a pendulum. That revelation led Taylor's design team to relocate the crystals from under the saddle to behind it. The new positioning enables the crystals to respond more naturally to the guitar's energy as it is transferred through the saddle. Three pickup sensors are installed behind the saddle, through the bridge, with three tiny Allen screws that calibrate the position of the sensors in relation to the saddle.

Like the original Expression System, the ES2 features the same volume and tone control knobs. The preamp is similar but with a slightly different gain structure. As a result it will be about 25 percent hotter, which is more in line with other pickups. This makes it plug-and-play friendly both for artists and live sound mixers.

Features

  • Tropical mahogany body and top
  • Tropical mahogany neck and heel
  • Ebony fingerboard and distinctive appointments
  • Taylor Expression 2 electronics
  • Includes case

Enjoy improved Taylor tone with ES2 electronics. Order today.

Specs

500 Series 2014 526e Grand Symphony Acoustic-Electric Guitar Specifications:

  • Shape: Grand Symphony
  • Back/Side Wood: Tropical Mahogany
  • Scale length: 25-1/2"
  • Top Wood: Tropical Mahogany
  • Body Length: 20"
  • Electronics: Expression System 2
  • Body Width: 16-1/4"
  • Cutaway: None
  • Body Depth: 4-5/8"
  • Nut & Saddle: Tusq Nut/Micarta Saddle
  • Neck Width: 1-3/4"
  • Neck/Heel: Tropical Mahogany
  • Bracing: Forward Shifted Pattern with Relief Rout
  • Fretboard Wood: Ebony
  • Fretboard Inlay: Century
  • Headstock Overlay: Ebony
  • Binding: Ivoroid
  • Bridge Inlay: None
  • Bridge Pins: Ebony
  • Tuners: Taylor Nickel
  • Truss Rod Cover: Ebony
  • Back/Side Finish: Gloss
  • Top Finish: Gloss
  • Neck Finish: Satin
  • Pickguard: Black
  • Case: Taylor Deluxe Hardshell Brown
  • Number of Frets: 20
  • Armrest Binding: None
  • Back Config: 2-piece No Wedge
  • Backstrap Wood: None
  • Backstrap Finish: None
  • Brand of Strings: Elixir Phosphor Bronze Medium
  • Buttons: Nickel
  • Edge Trim: None
  • Fingerboard Ext: None
  • Fretboard Binding: Ivoroid
  • Heel Cap Binding: Ivoroid
  • Heel length: 3-1/2"
  • Peghead Finish: Satin
  • Peghead Inlay: None
  • Peghead Binding: Ivoroid
  • Peghead Logo: Ivoroid
  • Peghead Type: Standard
  • Rosette Mat.: Ivoroid
  • Rosette Size: Single Ring
  • Stain/Sunburst: Medium Brown Stain
  • Type of Neck Joint: Scarf
  • Wedge: None
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