Fall 2013 Edition 456ce 12-String, Grand Symphony Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar

The 12-string inclusion in Taylor's 400 2013 Series Fall Limiteds pairs rosewood with a Sitka spruce top, producing a lush, shimmering double-course tone with signature Taylor balance and clarity. Chords ring out with rich sustain and produce a thick low-end rumble when tuned down. The wood pairing especially rewards players with a lighter touch. One of the qualities fingerstyle players will love is that the overall tone is rich and dynamic right out of the case, without requiring the longer play-in time a spruce-top guitar typically needs. Rosewood™s broad tonal spectrum and clear, high-fidelity sound match nicely with cedar™s strong overtones, yielding a voice that™s sparkly, woody and complex.

A Venetian cutaway provides access to the upper register, while Taylor™s Expression System electronics deliver a great plug-and-play experience. Appointments include mother-of-pearl dot fretboard inlays and white binding, forward shifted bracing with relief rout, and the guitar ships in a Taylor standard hardshell case.

Grand Symphony (GS)
Body Length: 20"/Body Width: 16-1/4"/Body Depth: 4-5/8"
Taylor's Grand Symphony shape joined the 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'e 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. These traits also make the GS a great vehicle for 12-strings. 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.

Indian Rosewood
One of the most popular and traditional guitar woods of all time, rosewood takes the basic sonic thumbprint of mahogany (which has a strong midrange) and expands it in both directions. Rosewood sounds deeper in the low end and brighter on the top end (one might describe the treble notes as zesty, sparkly or sizzly, with more articulation). If you look at its frequency range visually, rosewood would appear to be more scooped in the middle, yielding less midrange bloom than mahogany. Like mahogany, rosewood™s vintage heritage has helped firmly establish its acoustic legacy. It™s a great sound in part because we know that sound. In some music circles in which preserving the traditional sound helps bring a sense of authenticity to the music ” certain strains of Americana, for example ” rosewood has an iconic status. Also like mahogany, rosewood is a versatile tonewood, which has contributed to its popularity. One can fingerpick it, strum it and flatpick it. It™s very consistent, so players can usually rely on it to deliver.

The Taylor Relief Rout
Taylor's patented relief rout is a tone-enhancing voicing technique in which a groove is carved along the inside edges of the top. This groove is similar in function to the re-curve on a violin ” it œloosens up the edges of the top, generating extra flexibility without sacrificing structural integrity. Taylor first began using this groove in 2002. The result is increased bass and volume with a balanced tone.

Expression System Electronics
Natural Sound Made Simple
Taylor™s ground-breaking Expression System (ES) was designed to naturally amplify the warm acoustic sound of your guitar. The ES is an all-magnetic acoustic guitar pickup system that works like a microphone to produce a pure signal and a warm, natural acoustic sound. When you plug in, you'll hear the sound of your guitar, not the sound of the pickup. No complicated controls. No tone simulators. Just a clean amplified acoustic guitar sound supported by three simple controls ” volume, bass and treble.

Breakthrough Technology
Years of research brought Taylor to a simple realization: Nothing sounds as true and musical as a microphone. With that as a starting point, Taylor™s David Hosler led the team responsible for the Expression System's breakthrough technology. Utilizing a unique Dynamic Body Sensor mounted to the soundboard, a Dynamic String Sensor embedded beneath the fretboard, and a discrete preamp, the advanced ES technology is unlike any other guitar pickup system.

Integrated Design
The ES was designed in-house, alongside Taylor's acoustic guitars, which allowed Taylor to build the ES seamlessly into the design of the guitar, for an integrated pickup system unlike any other. From the design and location of the body and string sensors to the voicing of the preamp, the ES is fully optimized for the Taylor sound. The elegant design, including the non-intrusive control knobs, also preserves the aesthetic of a Taylor guitar.