"We have no details other than to say that Vox acoustics are back. These prototypes were showcased without specs, pricing or availability at the show."
Following the successful launch of itsGold Label Collection in January 2025, Taylor Guitars, a leading global builder of premium acoustic guitars, today announces the expansion of the collection with a suite of new Gold Label Grand Pacific models. The new models mark the second wave of guitar models in Taylor's exploration of warm, heritage-inspired acoustic flavors, featuring Taylor master builder Andy Powers' reimagined Grand Pacific body shape, a round-shoulder dreadnought, now with a deeper body design that delivers enhanced sonic fullness and low-end expansiveness.
Gold Label Grand Pacific: Deeper Body, Deeper Sound
The new Gold Label models feature a Grand Pacific body that's 3/8-inch deeper than Taylor’s standard Grand Pacific design, giving these guitars extra "lung capacity" and a deeper resonant frequency. This translates into more low-end power and projection — providing greater sonic push toward an audience or microphone while maintaining pleasing musical clarity. Even the treble notes have enhanced warmth and depth.
The Grand Pacific bodies are voiced with Taylor’s proprietary Fanned V-ClassTM bracing architecture — exclusive to the Gold Label Collection — a new variant of its award-winning V-Class bracing platform that here adds midrange richness, enhances the sonic depth, and creates the pitch accuracy that V-Class is known for. While Fanned V-Class is also used to voice the Super Auditorium body style that made its debut as part of the original Gold Label launch in January, the Gold Label Grand Pacific leans even more toward a warm, powerful sound.
"Compared to the Super Auditorium body, the curves and depth of the Grand Pacific produce even more volume and tonal dimension," says Andy Powers, Taylor's Chief Guitar Designer, President and CEO. "Its voice is earthy, honest and uncomplicated. It’s a reliable acoustic workhorse — both seasoned and soulful."
The mahogany/torrefied spruce pairing produces a woody, warm voice with focused midrange character. The Indian rosewood/torrefied spruce combination delivers lush rosewood depth and complexity with enhanced warmth from the torrefied top. All models feature gloss-finish bodies.
Distinctive Gold Label Aesthetic
Fitting into the distinctive design aesthetic of the Gold Label Collection, all Grand Pacific models feature Andy Powers' modified headstock shape with an angled back cut and script-style Taylor logo inlay, a different pickguard shape, and a Honduran rosewood Curve Wing bridge. Clean, understated appointments reflect a down-to-earth, workhorse spirit, including:
"Crest" inlay motif in cream featuring simple dot/diamond position markers in the fretboard crowned with a new headstock inlay
Cream binding with simple black/white top purfling and a single-ring rosette in cream and black with black/white purfling
Taylor Deluxe Hardshell Case with "British Cocoa" vinyl exterior
Revolutionary Action Control Neck™ Technology
All Gold Label Grand Pacific models feature Taylor's patented Action Control Neck™, which combines the tonal benefits of a long-tenon neck joint with unprecedented ease of instant string height adjustment. The long tenon extends deeper into the guitar body and, together with the heel structure, enhances the wood coupling to produce greater low-end resonance and a sound comparable to traditional neck designs.
Unlike Taylor's existing neck design that incorporates tapered shims to calibrate the neck angle, the Action Control Neck™ is shimless. The string height can be adjusted in seconds by using a quarter-inch nut driver (or standard truss rod wrench) on a bolt in the neck block, accessible inside the soundhole. Neither the neck nor the strings need to be removed to make adjustments.
"The design serves players by allowing them to adjust their string height for different playing styles, applications or climate conditions as often as they like," added Powers.
Street pricing for the new Gold Label models are as follows:
Gold Label 517e - $2,599
Gold Label 517e Blacktop - $2,799
Gold Label 517e SB - $2,799
Gold Label 717e - $2,799
Gold Label 717e SB - $2,999
Gold Label 717e Blacktop - $2,999
For more information on the Gold Label Collection and more, visit taylorguitars.com.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram's highly-anticipated new album, Hard Road, is set to be released on September 26. The album will be available in various formats, including limited-edition vinyl. Kingfish will embark on a North American tour followed by shows in the EU and UK. Don't miss out on this epic "Hard Road Tour" experience!
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GRAMMY® Award-winning blues, rock ‘n’ roll, soul, and R&B musician Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has unveiled his much-anticipated new album, Hard Road, arriving via his own Red Zero Records on Friday, September 26. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available now. Hard Road will be offered in a wide range of formats, including digital, standard Green & White Swirl vinyl, and limited-edition of 500 Purple & Gold Swirl vinyl, available exclusively via the official Christone “Kingfish” Ingramwebstore, 100 of these will include a special Golden Ticket insert that will give winners a pair of tickets to a Kingfish show of their choice.
Kingfish’s fourth collection and first new studio album since 2021’s GRAMMY® Award-winning 662, Hard Road is heralded by today’s premiere of the fiery first single, “Voodoo Charm,” available everywhere now.
“I’m definitely excited to drop the first track from Hard Road. ‘Voodoo Charm’ is a high-tempo one that I look forward to playing live, and I also think it will set the stage for what’s to come with my third studio album,” said Ingram. “I hope people dig it and have some real anticipation for what’s in store.”
Widely regarded as one of contemporary blues’ most dynamic live performers, Kingfish will celebrate Hard Road on an epic North American tour that includes headline dates, top-billed festival performances, and more with dates currently underway and then continuing through October. From there, Ingram will take “The Hard Road Tour” across the Atlantic for eagerly awaited shows in the EU and the UK, set to visit Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom through November. 2026 will then see Kingfish making headline appearances on both the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise #44: Eastern Caribbean (January 24-31, 2026) and Jam Cruise 22 (February 7-12, 2026). For complete details and ticket information, please visitwww.christonekingfishingram.com/kingfish-tour.
A native son of Clarksdale, Mississippi — a city steeped in blues history — Christone “Kingfish” Ingram stands at the crossroads of legacy and innovation, channeling the spirit of the Delta while fearlessly reshaping its future. His mastery of the guitar, steeped in the tones of B.B. King, Albert King, and Buddy Guy, first turned heads when he was still a teenager. But what sets Ingram apart is how he’s expanded the form, blending in funk, soul, hip-hop, pop, and jazz to create a modern blues fusion that resonates across generations and genres. 2019’s debut album, Kingfish, topped Billboard’s “Blues Albums” for an incredible 91 weeks and earned him his first GRAMMY® Award nomination, plus three Blues Music Awards, including “Album of the Year.” Kingfish followed up with 2021’s 662, titled after his Mississippi area code, which won both the GRAMMY® Award and Blues Music Award for “Best Contemporary Blues Album.” In 2023, the incendiary Live In London received yet another GRAMMY® Award nomination as well as his second Blues Music Award for “Album of the Year” and third consecutive triumph in the “Best Contemporary Blues Album.”
Now, with Hard Road, Kingfish reflects on a journey that’s taken him from local prodigy to global torchbearer for a new era of blues. Executive Produced by Ingram and Ric Whitney for Red Zero Records with production support from Patrick “Guitar Boy” Hayes, Nick Goldston, and Tom Hambridge, the album marks Kingfish’s most introspective and ambitious project thus far, lyrically, emotionally, sonically, and thematically. Songs such as “Bad Like Me” and “Nothin’ But Your Love” explore love, loss, identity, perseverance, and personal growth, but with a harder, emotionally rich edge to Ingram’s signature sound. As always, Kingfish’s renowned guitar work is both explosive and tender, a fusion of rock and R&B sensibilities with vulnerable, honest, resilient blues at its heart. A true statement of purpose from an artist who has already made history and is only getting started, Hard Road is infused with the wisdom of someone who’s lived through transformation, seen the world, and returned home changed.
“This record comes from real-life reflection,” says Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. “I’ve been balancing fame, heartbreak, love, and relationships while trying to stay grounded, touring, creating, and maturing. These songs are about owning my story. They’re about learning to see myself clearly and seeing others with more compassion. That’s changed the way I write, the way I play, and the way I live.”
Guitars represent a rich musical legacy and hold a special place in our hearts. The new Marcus King ES-345 is a beautiful example of that tradition—a recreation inspired by his main guitar, “Big Red,” the 1962 ES-345 handed down from his grandfather to his father and finally to him.
This modern version captures the look and soul of the original, with only the features that Marcus finds essential, including mono wiring, a pair of Custombucker humbucking pickups, a fixed Vibrola tailpiece for improved tuning stability, and a stud anchor cover customized specifically for Marcus. All the hallmark features of the ES-345 are still here, just refined through the lens of a legacy that spans generations and stages around the world.
With features including Pro Twin Six humbucking pickups, String-thru Bigsby B7GP vibrato tailpiece, and Adjusto-Matic bridge. The Broadkaster LX Center Block with String-Thru Bigsby and Gold Hardware (24.6” scale length) is available in Cadillac Green and Black. Additionally, the Broadkaster Jr. LX Center Block with String-Thru Bigsby and Gold Hardware (25.5” scale length) is available in midnight sapphire and blackberry.
Professional Collection Broadkaster® LX Center Block guitars provide modern Gretsch tone with exceptional performance. Featuring the powerful Pro Twin Six™ humbucking pickups, a redesigned Channel Core™ center block, and deeper cutaways for improved upper fret access, the Broadkaster® LX guitars are designed for full-spectrum sound at high volume, providing the flexibility and control you need to explore new sonic territories.FEATURES:
Refined body design with deeper cutaways for improved access to the upper frets
Redesigned Channel Core™ center block features a combination of maple and spruce for faster attack and enhanced midrange punch
Standard "U"-shaped maple neck with 24.6" scale length
12"-radius ebony fingerboard with rolled edges, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearloid Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays and Luminlay® side dots
Pro Twin Six™ humbucking pickups
Three-position pickup toggle switch, individual volume controls for neck and bridge pickups, master volume control with treble bleed circuit and master no-load tone control with "Squeezebox" capacitor
String-thru Bigsby® B7GP vibrato tailpiece
Adjusto-Matic™ bridge
Graph Tech® TUSQ® XL nut
Gotoh® locking tuners
Grover® strap locks
Gold hardware
G6267 Gretsch® deluxe hardshell case included
Available in Cadillac Green and Black
Redesigned Channel Core™ Center Block
Combining a maple top layer and spruce bottom layer with a more focused chambering design, the redesigned Channel Core™ center block provides faster note attack and enhanced midrange punch that takes the Broadkaster LX guitars to a whole new level.
Refined Body Design with Deeper Cutaways
The Broadkaster LX features a refined body design with deeper cutaways that greatly improves access to the upper frets resulting in better playability and a more effortless experience.
Pro Twin Six™ Pickups
The Pro Twin Six™ pickups are some of our most modern and powerful pickups to date. The Neck pickup features an Alnico 5 magnet with a DCR rating around 5.5k and provides a tone that is warm, clear, and throaty without being muddy or overly compressed. The Bridge pickup features an Alnico 4 magnet with a DCR rating around 12k and provides a tone that is bright and clear, with enhanced midrange punch, tight focused lows, and sparkling highs that never get spiky or shrill.
Together these pickups provide exceptional power, fidelity, and versatility that allows you to explore new sonic territories.
Maple Neck with Rolled Fingerboard
A 12"-radius ebony fingerboard with rolled edges and 22 medium jumbo frets tops a 24.6"-scale maple neck with a comfortably familiar standard "U"-shaped profile for smooth playability, while the glow in the dark Luminlay® side dots offer precision fretting in low-light settings.
Jackson is launching theX Series Surfcaster SC HT6 and SC HT7, and the JS Series Surfcaster JS22 HT: blending vintage appeal with thoroughly modern appointments for the ultimate modern metal machines. Featuring an Offset poplar body, High-output Jacksonhumbucker, and Jackson’s robust hardtail bridge to keep tuning stable and setup perfect.
X Series Surfcaster SC HT6
JS Series Surfcaster JS22 HT is available in Gloss Black and Snow White.
X Series Surfcaster SC HT7 is a 7-string model available in Metallic Black while the SC HT6 is a 6 string model available in Satin Black.
