can’ t. The Super Auditorium is longer and wider than the Grand Auditorium body shape that the company’ s founder Bob Taylor developed.
The Gold Label series is the brainchild of Taylor Guitars CEO, President and Master Guitar designer Andy Powers. Being a musician and a luthier, Powers always enjoys pushing innovations in the instruments he designs and builds. But in the Gold Label line of instruments, he is providing a definite nod to pre-war style instruments. This can be seen in the Continental inlays in the fretboard, redesigned headstock, and retro script style Taylor logo. Combining a gloss finished body with a satin finished neck is a smart player touch also. The antique chrome 510 Gotoh tuners look vintage but behave like modern machine heads should with exact and stable accuracy.
Unplugged the Gold Label 814e Koa Sunburst guitar was warm and even with less middle range frequencies than I expected from a
Taylor. With the increased body size of the Super Auditorium I expected the bass notes and strings to be over expressed. But they weren’ t. The guitar was tonally even with no compressed highs and mids unless you dig in.
I took the Gold Label 814e to play with the Praise team at my church and the LR Baggs Element VTC preamp dialed in for the mix immediately. With the sound hole volume and tone adjustments I just set them once and left them. The Baggs system delivers a very accurate representation of your acoustic tone without the squawkiness or treble bite of some acoustic pickup systems. Before and after the church service other musicians came up to strum and see the new instrument in person and it did impress in sound and visually.
The Gold Label series currently offers four models of the Taylor 814e with natural top or Sunburst with Honduran Rosewood back and sides or natural or Sunburst with Hawaiian Koa back and sides. The model as reviewed by Worship Musician was the Taylor Gold Label 814e Koa Sunburst priced at $ 4,999. The Rosewood natural starts at $ 4,449. A deluxe Taylor hardshell case is included.
The Gold Label instruments are designed for professionals and collectors that want something more from their guitars than the standard options. Powers has merged vintage aesthetics with cutting edge playability and sound to take Taylor guitars in a new direction. Compared to other top acoustics brands with similar features, the Gold Label instruments are not overpriced for what they deliver.
$ 4,999 www. TaylorGuitars. com
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