Taylor

TAYLOR AD27E FLAMETOP
100
GUITARIST APRIL 2022
have become known. In addition, the
more they listened to what they had been
able to produce, the more it seemed like
a missing piece in the company’s sonic
portfolio. A husky, earthy sound that might
just appeal to those players looking for an
instrument that would embrace their roots,
Americana or country blues ambitions. It
also seemed to be a perfect fit for Taylor’s
slightly more leftfield American Dream
series, which has been loudly applauded in
these pages in the past.
And so, in short, what we have before us
today is a brand-new Taylor with a slightly
maverick topwood and the potential
for a big surprise awaiting us in the tone
department. Let’s dive in…
Feel & Sounds
The whole ethos behind Taylor’s American
Dream Series is to provide pro-level
instruments that are more accessible to
the working musician than, say, a top-
of-range guitar festooned with bunting,
whistles and bells. Stripped back and 100
per cent functional is the order of the
day, and that’s exactly what we find upon
opening the AD27e’s case. If your idea of
flamed maple is framed by furniture finish
tops, think again. Here, we find a darkish
smokey sunburst that all but obscures the
flame in the wood, the satin finish giving
the impression of an instrument that has
already travelled around the block a few
times and is thoroughly street savvied. It’s
a workmanlike look, for sure, and we’re
already wondering if the AD27e has been
dressed to suit the job it’s expected to do.
As the use of maple is the elephant in
the room here, it’s worth taking a quick
look at the sonic properties we can expect
from it. In its more familiar guise as a back
and sides tonewood, maple is known for
its brightness and articulation with good
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THE RIVALS
If you have set aside £2.5k to buy an
acoustic guitar, the world is pretty
much your oyster. Looking at the other
contenders in the big-league makers,
both Gibson and Martin serve up some
stiff competition. We were impressed by
Gibson’s Generation range, all of which
clock in at well below the AD27e’s price
point, but a standard J-45 costs around
£2,399, with a Hummingbird Studio at
the same price. If Martin is more your
cup of tea, look no further than a D-18 for
£2,499 or a souped-up D-28 Reimagined
for slightly more at £2,999. If it has to be
a Taylor, there is a whole stable of dreads
on offer, a V-Class 327e Grand Pacific
retailing at £1,929, for instance. Going
bespoke, it’s worth looking at makers such
as Atkin, whose Essential D dreadnought
can be found for £2,899. But if you’re set
on a flame maple top then your choices are
going to be very limited indeed…
The ethos behind this
series is to provide
more accessible pro-
level instruments to
the working musician
2. The fingerboard is
eucalyptus, an ecologically
sound, hard working
timber and an able
substitute for rosewood
3. It’s flame maple for the
back, sides and top of
the AD27e, which, along
with the V-Class bracing,
gives it an earthier voice
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VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/g uitaristextra
GIT483.rev_taylor.indd 100GIT483.rev_taylor.indd 100 17/02/2022 16:4817/02/2022 16:48