Anaheim, CA (January 24, 2019) -- Yamaha today unveiled the CSF-TA TransAcoustic parlor guitar, taking the affordability, portability and premium sound and construction of the Yamaha CSF line of parlor guitars and adding the company’s groundbreaking TransAcoustic technology.
The CSF-TA is among the newest additions to the Yamaha Hybrid Guitar category, joining the CG-TA, LL-TA, FG-TA and Silent Guitars. The CSF-TA incorporates an actuator (or small switch) installed on the inner surface of the guitar back, a concept in acoustic guitar technology unique to Yamaha. When the instrument’s strings are played, they cause the actuator to vibrate, which is then conveyed to the guitar body and the air in and around the guitar. This movement creates authentic reverb and chorus effects from inside the body without needing any external amplification or effects.This unique technology gives a player’s music a spacious, concert-hall feel in any practice or performance space.
The CSF-TA comes one year after Yamaha launched the enhanced CSF series with scalloped bracing to boost tone and projection. It has a solid Sitka spruce top mated to laminated mahogany back and sides, nato neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, abalone rosette, and the Yamaha SYSTEM70 TransAcoustic + SRT Piezo pickup system. The guitar is available in a gloss natural finish.
The 20-fret fingerboard sports a 600mm (23.7")scale length to offer an easy playing platform without compromising the instrument’s range. Each guitar comes with a new hard bag, making the CSF-TA ready to go wherever the music takes you.
“Whether you call them ’parlor,’ ‘travel’ or ‘mini’ guitars, players recognize compact acoustic guitars as serious instruments,” said Dennis Webster, product marketing manager, Yamaha Guitars. “Adding our TransAcoustic technology to the CSF parlor guitar doesn’t just let us offer the quality of an upscale instrument in a portable, affordable package. It transforms the CSF into an entirely new kind of instrument, encouraging musicians to play longer, more often and with even greater creativity, with all the benefits that come with an outstanding parlor guitar. It’s not often that a player gets such an expansive sound in such a small package.”
Yamaha today unveiled the CG-TA TransAcoustic nylon-string classical guitar, bringing the company’s groundbreaking TransAcoustic technology together with the rich tone, superior playability, and classic design of its top-selling CG series guitars.
The CG-TA is among the newest additions to the family of Yamaha hybrid guitars, joining the CSF-TA, LL-TA/LS-TA, FG-TA/FS-TA and SILENT Guitars™. The CG-TA incorporates an actuator completely hidden inside the guitar, a unique Yamaha technology. When the instrument’s strings are played, the actuator senses the vibrations, enhances them, and conveys them back to the guitar body and the air in and around the guitar to create authentic reverb and chorus effects from inside the body, with no need for external amplification or effects. This unique technology gives a player’s music a spacious, concert-hall feel in any practice or performance space.
Incorporating the craftsmanship that has led Yamaha to become the best-selling nylon-string guitar maker in the United States, the CG-TA is based on the company’s popular, mid-priced CG162 model. It features an Engelmann spruce top and a body of ovankol, an attractive rosewood relative with excellent tonal properties. It incorporates the refined CG series bracing pattern, delivering superior response and resonance, and a thinner bridge plate that efficiently transfers string vibration across the guitar top. Three knobs on the guitar’s side offer easy adjustment of the level of the TransAcoustic effects, and a SYSTEM70 TransAcoustic +SRT piezo pickup provides amplification, with a line-out volume level, an on/off control, and a redesigned battery box integrated with the guitar's endpin. The expert construction of the CG-TA produces a sound with smooth, rich, full tones that helps players enhance the depth of their music.
“Guitarists have been inspired by how our TransAcoustic technology broadens the range of their art; many of them have asked us to make it available in a nylon-string model as well,”said Dennis Webster, product marketing manager, Yamaha Guitars.“With the CG-TA, players can enjoy the raw, natural and beautiful sound of the finest classical guitar, with innovative hybrid technology that encourages them to play longer, more often, and with even greater creativity.”
Pricing and Availability
Pricing and shipping for the Yamaha CSF-TA and CG-TA are to be determined. For more information, visit the Yamaha Booth at the 2019 NAMM Show in the Anaheim Marriott Hotel, Marquis Ballroom, January 24-27, 2019
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Last year, Taylor Guitars capped its 50th Anniversary by introducing a new guitar collection celebrating the contributions of co-founders Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug to the guitar world. The Legacy Collection revives five of Bob Taylor’s classic acoustic models, curated by the legendary luthier and innovator himself. “To imagine that we’re doing guitars that harken to our past, our present and our future all at the same time,” Bob says, “I really like that.”
In developing the collection, Bob preserved the essence of his originals while integrating performance and playability upgrades introduced during his tenure as designer-in-chief. “It’s an up-to-date version of what those guitars would be,” Bob explains, “but with the same sound.”
Visually, these guitars feel classic—clean, understated and unmistakably Taylor. While Bob’s original aesthetic preferences are showcased in his Legacy models, the nod to the past runs deeper than trade dress.
From his earliest builds, Bob favored slim-profile necks because he found them easier to play. That preference set a design precedent that established Taylor’s reputation for smooth-playing, comfortable necks. Legacy models feature slim mahogany necks built with Taylor's patented New Technology (NT) design. “My first neck was a bolted-on neck but not an NT neck,” Bob says. “These are NT necks because it’s a better neck.” Introduced in 1999, the NT neck allowed for unprecedented micro-adjustability while offering a consistent, hand-friendly Taylor playing experience.
What makes this collection unique within the Taylor line is Bob’s use of his X-bracing architecture, favoring his time-tested internal voicing framework over more recent Taylor bracing innovations to evoke a distinctive tone profile. Since Andy Powers—Taylor’s current Chief Guitar Designer, President and CEO—debuted his patented V-Class bracing in 2018, V-Class has become a staple in Taylor’s premium-performance guitars. Still, Bob’s X-bracing pattern produces a richly textured sound with pleasing volume, balance and clarity that long defined the Taylor voice. All Legacy models feature LR Baggs VTC Element electronics, which Bob says “harkens back to those days.”
The team at Taylor thought the best way to demonstrate the sound of the Legacy guitars was to ask Andy Powers, Bob’s successor, to play them. A world-class luthier and musician, Andy has spent the past 14 years leading Taylor’s guitar innovation. In addition to V-Class bracing, his contributions include the Grand Pacific body style, the ultra-refined Builder’s Edition Collection, and most recently, the stunning Gold Label Collection.
Below you’ll find a series of videos that feature Powers playing each Legacy model along with information about the guitars.
Legacy 800 Series Models
First launched in 1975, the 800 Series was Taylor’s first official guitar series. Today, it remains home to some of the brand’s most acclaimed instruments, including the flagship 814ce, Builder’s Edition 814ce and new Gold Label 814e.
The Legacy 800 Series features the 810e Dreadnought and two Jumbos: the 6-string 815e and 12-string 855e. Each model serves up a refined version of the Dreadnought and Jumbo body shapes Bob inherited from Sam Radding—the original owner of the American Dream music shop where Bob and Kurt first met. “I was making my guitars in the molds that Sam had made at American Dream,” Bob recalls. “There was a Jumbo and a Dreadnought. That’s all we had.”
All three Legacy 800 Series guitars feature one of Bob’s favorite tonewood combos. Solid Indian rosewood back and sides are paired with a Sitka spruce top, yielding warm lows, clear trebles and a scooped midrange.
Aesthetic appointments include a three-ring abalone rosette, mother-of-pearl Large Diamond inlays, white binding around the body and fretboard, and Bob’s “straight-ear” peghead design. Both Jumbo models also showcase a mustache-style ebony bridge—a nod to Bob’s early Jumbo builds.
Legacy 810e
The 810 Dreadnought holds a special place in Bob Taylor’s heart. “My first 810, the one I made for myself, was a thrilling guitar for me to make,” he says. “It’s the one and only guitar I played. It didn’t matter how many guitars we made at Taylor, that’s the one I took out and played.” The Legacy 810e brings back that bold, room-filling Dreadnought voice along with the easy playability expected from a Taylor.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 810e | Playthrough Demo
Legacy 855e
Taylor’s first 12-strings found an audience in 1970s Los Angeles. “I was making guitars that would find their way to McCabe’s in Santa Monica and Westwood Music,” Bob says, “and these guitars were easy to play. Twelve-strings were a popular sound in that music. It was a modern country/folk/rock music genre that was accepting our guitars because they were easy to play. They also liked the sound of them because our guitars were easier to record.” The Legacy 855e, with its resonant Jumbo body, slim neck and gorgeous octave sparkle, carries that tradition forward.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 855e | Playthrough Demo
Legacy 815e
The Legacy 815e revives Taylor’s original Jumbo 6-string, delivering a big, lush sound with beautifully blooming overtones.
Legacy Grand Auditoriums
In the early 1990s, Bob Taylor heard a consistent refrain from dealers: “Not everybody wants a dreadnought guitar anymore.” Players were asking for something with comparable volume but different proportions—something more comfortable, yet still powerful. This feedback inspired Bob to design a new body style with more elegant curves, more accommodating proportions and a balanced tonal response. The result was the Grand Auditorium, which Taylor introduced in 1994 to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Thanks to its musical versatility and easy playability, Bob’s Grand Auditorium attracted a wide variety of players. “We came into our own with our Grand Auditorium,” he says. “People were describing it as ‘all around.’ It’s a good strummer and good for fingerstyle, but it’s not totally geared toward strumming or totally geared toward fingerstyle.” Also referred to as the “Swiss-Army Knife” of guitars or the “Goldilocks” guitar, the GA quickly became a favorite among guitarists across playing styles, musical genres and different playing applications including recording and live performance. “That guitar made studio work successful,” Bob says. It gained a wider fanbase with the debut of the “ce” version, which introduced a Venetian cutaway and onboard electronics. “That became one of our hallmarks,” says Bob. “If you want to plug in your guitar, buy a Taylor.”
Today, the Grand Auditorium is Taylor’s best-selling body shape.
The Legacy Collection features two cedar-top Grand Auditoriums inspired by past favorites: the mahogany/cedar 514ce and rosewood/cedar 714ce. Both models incorporate Bob’s original X-bracing pattern for a tonal character reminiscent of their 1990s and 2000s counterparts. Shared aesthetic details include a green abalone three-ring rosette, ebony bridge pins with green abalone dots, a faux-tortoiseshell pickguard and Taylor gold tuning machines.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 815e | Playthrough Demo
Legacy 514ce
The Legacy 514ce features solid mahogany back and sides paired with a Western Red cedar top, yielding a punchy midrange and dry, woody sonic personality that pairs beautifully with cedar’s soft-touch sensitivity and warmth. It’s a standout choice for fingerstyle players and light strummers who crave nuance and depth. Distinct visual details include faux-tortoise body and fretboard binding, black-and-white top trim, and mother-of-pearl small diamond fretboard inlays.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 514ce | Playthrough Demo
Legacy 714ce
The Legacy 714ce also features a cedar top, this time matched with solid Indian rosewood back and sides. The result is a richly textured sound with deep lows, clear trebles and a warm, mellow response. Inspiring as it is, this specific wood pairing isn’t currently offered in any other standard Taylor model. Additional aesthetic details include green abalone dot fretboard inlays, black body and fretboard binding, and black-and-white “pinstripe” body purfling.
While the Legacy Collection spotlights Taylor’s past, newer models from the Gold Label, Builder’s Edition and Somos Collections show the company’s legacy is always evolving. Explore the Legacy Collection at taylorguitars.com or visit your local authorized Taylor dealer.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 714ce | Playthrough Demo
“Earthwood Bell Bronze strings are a giant leap forward in tone, playability, and durability. They’re great in any musical setting but really shine when played solo. There’s an orchestral quality to them.” -John Mayer
Product Features:
- Developed in collaboration with John Mayer
- Big, bold sound
- Inspired by alloys used for bells and cymbals
- Increased resonance with improved projection and sustain
- Patent-pending alloy unique to Ernie Ball stringsHow is Bell Bronze different?
- Richer and fuller sound than 80/20 and Phosphor Bronze without sounding dark
- Similar top end to 80/20 Bronze with richer low end than Phosphor Bronze
