TAYLOR

review
TAYLOR AMERICAN DREAM AD17 BLACKTOP & AD27
88
GUITARIST OCTOBER 2020
creations of a distinct voice. So, while the
Gibson and Martin characters are pretty
recognisable, the same can’t always be said
of Taylor – or indeed many other top-flight
modern acoustic brands.
Taylor’s talented guru, master guitar
designer and acoustical engineer Andy
Powers, has gradually been addressing this
situation, bringing in the V-Class bracing
system and essentially rethinking the
instruments from the ground up. While
Powers is keen to retain everything for
which Taylor is rightly praised, he’s not
afraid – with Bob Taylor’s active blessing –
to radically re-examine things.
TAYLOR AMERICAN DREAM AD17
BLACKTOP & AD27
£1,715 & £1,619
CONTACT Taylor Guitars PHONE [phone] WEB www.taylorguitars.com
Simplicity is the order
of the day with the new
American Dream range,
albeit with Taylor’s ever
impeccable build quality
A
nyone who’s played a variety
of acoustic guitars will have an
opinion on where the various
brands excel and where each one falls
down. This might, of course, not always be
accurate but, as they say, perception is the
new reality. So, while Taylor has a brilliant
reputation for building top-quality, highly
playable, reliable and technically advanced
instruments, people don’t usually talk about
the ‘Taylor sound’. That’s perhaps because,
historically, the company has created clear-
toned, beautifully balanced instruments,
but in ironing out the idiosyncrasies of past
designs, it has arguably robbed its own
What You Need To Know
So, what is the American Dream?
This is Taylor’s response to COVID-
19’s effect on people’s desire to
play great guitars but with perhaps
compromised financial situations.
Hence, it’s a stripped-down range
using different timbers, and few
cosmetic appointments. It also means
the guitars, which ship with Taylor’s
AeroCase, cost £300 to £400 less
than their 300 series equivalents.
What are some of these woods?
Ovangkol is a hardwood from West
Africa. It’s related to bubinga and
looks a bit like walnut. Mahogany
relative sapele is often used in place of
it due to similar appearance and tone,
while Australian timber eucalyptus is
something of a chameleon, with many
different grain styles and colours.
Grand Pacific? That’s a new one…
This is Taylor’s take on the round-
shouldered acoustics of yore. Fitted
with Andy Powers’ V-Class bracing,
it’s the company’s attempt to evoke
the look and sounds of classic
acoustic recordings. With a broad
waist and treble and bass bouts not
hugely different in size to one another,
there’s something of the nylon-string
classical guitar look to it.
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GIT464.rev_taylor.indd 88 02/09/2020 15:32