El Cajon, CA (January 19, 2021) -- Today, Taylor Guitars is excited to broaden the presence of its popular new body shape — the Grand Theater. Two new premium-edition models — the rosewood and spruce GT 811e, which joins Taylor’s flagship 800 Series, and the all-koa GT K21e, a new voice within the Koa Series — will round out the GT lineup, joining the original, award-winning GT Urban Ash model that recently launched the new body shape in October 2020.
More and more players crave the comfort of smaller acoustic guitars but don’t want to sacrifice tone. This idea spurred Taylor master builder Andy Powers to design a new guitar that delivers on both fronts — combining the inviting playability of a compact instrument with the rich voice of a full-size, solid-wood guitar. The GT introduces a new category of acoustic guitar in size, feel and sound. Made in Taylor’s California factory, the GT’s uniquely modern proportions — both in body dimensions and scale length — sit between the size of Taylor’s compact GS Mini and its Grand Concert, the smallest of Taylor’s full-size body shapes. With its 24-1/8-inch scale length, it’s a guitar that’s fun and easy to play, with a surprisingly big sonic personality worthy of any pro player’s toolbox.
The GT 811e combines rich rosewood tone with the nimble handling and response of a small-body guitar, bringing a unique musical personality — one that sonically punches above its weight class — to Taylor’s popular 800 Series.
“You’ll hear that familiar spruce and rosewood flattop guitar sound, but with the GT’s fresh form and structure, the listening and playing experiences deliver a distinctly new dimension,” says Powers. “This model retains the slinky, ultra-easy handling and string feel, but the voice has been shaped into a denser, harmonically saturated sound. The top responds quickly to even the most delicate articulation, and it’s buoyed by the deep and supportive sound rosewood is known for.”
In addition to its solid Indian rosewood back and sides and solid Sitka spruce top, the new GT 811e features a Crelicam smoky ebony fretboard, mother-of-pearl “Element” inlays, an abalone rosette, maple binding with rosewood top purfling, a rosewood pickguard, gloss-finish (4.5-mil) body, Taylor Mini smoked nickel tuners, and onboard ES2 acoustic electronics. U.S. Street Price: $2,999
The all-koa GT K21e introduces a unique harmony of aesthetic beauty, playing comfort and sonic expression. The guitar’s svelte proportions, together with its light string tension profile, make the playing experience fast and fun.
“Tonally, this guitar is the perfect illustration of the midrange balance and sweetness koa is known for,” continued Powers. “It has a vibrantly focused sound, with a smoothly rounded attack. The balanced response is broadly useful for a player who will use it as a rhythm instrument and fingerstyle guitar, or an acoustic blues instrument.”
The GT K21e boasts solid, figured koa top, back and sides, with a shaded edgeburst around the entire guitar. Additional appointments include maple binding and top purfling, an elegant maple Spring Vine inlay scheme, full-gloss body, Gotoh Mini 510 tuners in antique gold, and ES2 electronics. U.S. Street Price: $4,699.
All GT models are voiced with Taylor’s new C-Class™ bracing architecture, a derivative of the company’s V-Class® bracing, and adapted in a way that accentuates the low end to give the small body a surprisingly warm and powerful bass response. Each GT guitar also includes Taylor’s lightweight yet super-sturdy AeroCase™ for the perfect balance of portability and protection.
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