Taylor

TAYLOR AD27E FLAMETOP
102
GUITARIST APRIL 2022
PROS A well-built, workmanlike
dreadnought with an unusual edge
and lot of tone and personality
CONS The price – and that maple
top might deter the traditionalists
TAYLOR AD27E
FLAMETOP
PRICE: £2,495 (inc gigbag)
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Grand Paci c dreadnought
TOP: Flame big leaf maple
BACK/SIDES: Big leaf maple
MAX RIM DEPTH: 117.5mm
MAX BODY WIDTH: 406mm
NECK: Hard rock maple
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
TUNERS: Taylor nickel
NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech Tusq/
44.5mm
FINGERBOARD: Eucalyptus
FRETS: 20
BRIDGE/SPACING:
Eucalyptus/56mm
ELECTRICS: Taylor Expression
System 2
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 1.83/4.04
OPTIONS: The AD27 is available
with a mahogany top (£1,619) and
as the AD27e (£1,835). There’s also
the smaller-bodied mahogany/
sapele Grand Concert AD22e
(£1,955)
RANGE OPTIONS: Other
instruments in Taylor’s American
Dream Series include the Natural
top AD17 (£1,715) and AD17e
(£1,835) and the Blacktop AD17
(£1,715) and AD17e (£1,919)
LEFT-HANDERS: Yes
FINISH: Satin
This is where the mud usually resides with
the lower mids cloying into a thick, cloudy
stew. But that’s decidedly not the case with
the AD27e. We don’t know if this is down
to the choice of string, the maple top or the
V-Class bracing (although the latter is the
chief suspect), but everything rings clean
and clear in this region.
In fact, playability overall is very, very
good, with a very even response across
the whole range, the various frequencies
playing nicely together wherever you find
yourself on the fretboard. It would be true
to say that it might not have quite the girth
of a D-28 in the basses, but we didn’t detect
anything lacking during our tests.
How do we sum up the sound? Well, if
you put the sound of a Martin at one end of
the spectrum and, say, a Gibson J-45 at the
other, the AD27e leans more towards the
Gibson end. There’s a delightful dryness
to the sound; it’s woody and earthy and
we very quickly found ourselves running
through all our acoustic blues licks
and favourite singer-songwriter chord
progressions. No complaints here at all.
The AD27e is fitted with Taylor’s tried
and trusted Expression System 2 pickup and
preamp set, should your playing ambitions
include performing on stage, but is available
pickup free at a lower cost. This is a system
we’ve met many times in the past and is an
absolute doddle to set up live and offers a
no-fuss way of playing out there in the world.
8
Verdict
This is undoubtedly a very bold move from
Taylor, but thanks to Andy Powers’ skills
as a designer and luthier we think it’s paid
off in full. As a standalone instrument,
the AD27e is a very good acoustic guitar
with a personality all its own. As part of
the American Dream Series it’s a perfect
fit, too. Of course, there’s very scant
information as to how a maple top matures.
We know that spruce opens up in time and
so we can always leave a little room in our
expectations accordingly when faced with
a new spruce-topped instrument. Maple
remains a bit of a mystery in this respect,
but we suspect that the good sound already
present here can only be built upon and
enhanced in the future.
At just shy of £2.5k this acoustic is in a
highly competitive market, but if you’re
looking for something that leaves the path
well trod you’d be well advised to seek out
the AD27e – we’re pretty sure you’ll be in
for a pleasant surprise.
If you put a Martin at one
end of the spectrum and
a Gibson J-45 at the other,
the AD27e leans more
towards the Gibson end
Volume, treble and bass
controls sit discreetly on
the guitar’s upper bout
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/g uitaristextra
GIT483.rev_taylor.indd 102GIT483.rev_taylor.indd 102 17/02/2022 16:4917/02/2022 16:49