Introduction
Taylor Guitars has long been renowned for crafting some of the finest acoustic guitars in the world. Based in California, the company was founded in 1974 and quickly gained a reputation for innovation, quality, and attention to detail. Over the decades, Taylor has pioneered numerous design advancements that have shaped the evolution of the modern acoustic guitar.
In recent years, Taylor introduced its Builder’s Edition line as a showcase for the company’s most premium offerings. Utilizing the finest tonewoods and appointments, along with cutting-edge bracing and electronics, the Builder’s Edition guitars represent the pinnacle of Taylor’s expertise. They are built to be stunning instruments that produce phenomenal tone and exemplify masterful craftsmanship.
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 517 is the focus of this review. As part of the Grand Pacific body style series, it combines a rounded-shoulder dreadnought design with Taylor’s latest innovations, including the groundbreaking V-Class bracing. With its torrefied spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and Wild Honey Burst finish, the 517 is both a visual stunner and an acoustic powerhouse. Over the following sections, we’ll take an in-depth look at what makes this exceptional guitar one of Taylor’s finest creations.
The Grand Pacific Body Shape
The Builder’s Edition 517 features Taylor’s Grand Pacific body shape, representing a fresh take on the traditional dreadnought design that Taylor Guitars helped popularize. Rather than the square shoulders found on most dreadnoughts, the Grand Pacific has a rounded shoulder profile that provides a number of benefits.
Firstly, the contoured shoulders improve playing comfort by allowing easier access to the upper frets. The rounded edges fit more naturally against the player’s body compared to a standard boxy dreadnought shape. This enhanced ergonomic design reduces fatigue during long practice or performance sessions.
Additionally, the Grand Pacific shape retains the enhanced bass response that dreadnought guitars are known for, while improving overall balance across the tonal spectrum. The rounded shoulders optimize internal air volume and vibration patterns for a clear and projecting sound. There’s plenty of punch in the low end, nicely balanced by sparkling highs and strong mids.
Finally, the Grand Pacific’s smooth contours serve to focus and amplify sound projection. The guitar resonates freely without the truncated vibrations caused by traditional dreadnought square shoulders. Notes sustain longer, with added clarity and harmonic richness. Strumming benefits from the Grand Pacific’s excellent rhythmic motion, while fingerstyle playing is enhanced by the clear note separation and articulation.
Overall, the Grand Pacific body shape represents an evolution beyond the traditional dreadnought design. It provides superior ergonomics and playing comfort without sacrificing the commanding bass and projection for which dreadnoughts are known. The Builder’s Edition 517 leverages the tonal benefits of this innovative shape to deliver outstanding sound quality and musicality.
Premium Tonewoods
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 517 utilizes premium tonewoods selected for their exceptional acoustic properties and stunning visual appeal. The torrefied Sitka spruce top is a game-changer, produced using a specialized torrefaction process to enhance its stability, stiffness, and vibrancy. This results in a top with increased volume, sensitivity, and harmonic richness perfect for strumming or fingerpicking.
The guitar’s back and sides are constructed from gorgeous neo-tropical mahogany, prized for its beauty and balanced tone. This mahogany adds warmth and punch to the midrange, complementing the crisp highs of the Sitka spruce top. Visually, the mahogany has an appealing reddish hue that works beautifully with the Wild Honey Burst finish. Overall, these premium tonewoods provide the ideal sonic foundation for the Builder’s Edition 517.
V-Class Bracing: A Game-Changer
Taylor’s innovative V-Class bracing system represents a major advancement in acoustic guitar design. Rather than using the traditional X-pattern bracing, V-Class utilizes an asymmetrical pattern with braces fanning out diagonally from the guitar’s center.
This optimized bracing architecture provides several key benefits compared to traditional X-bracing:
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Enhanced volume and projection – The fanned pattern and asymmetry allow the top to vibrate more freely, resulting in louder and more powerful acoustic output.
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Improved sustain and resonance – V-Class bracing enables the top to ring out longer, with notes that decay gracefully. This adds richness and complexity to the guitar’s natural resonance.
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Better intonation across the neck – By reducing stiffness in the upper bout, V-Class allows the top to vibrate in a more balanced way across the guitar’s range. This results in excellent intonation up and down the fretboard.
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More balanced and harmonically rich tone – The asymmetrical braces and optimized energy transfer provide a more balanced tonal response across the frequency spectrum, from tight lows to clear, open highs.
In short, V-Class bracing represents a paradigm shift in acoustic guitar design. By re-engineering bracing patterns that have been used for over a century, Taylor has developed a better mousetrap – one that allows Builder’s Edition guitars like the 517 to reach new heights of acoustic performance.
Aesthetics and Appointments
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 517 is a visual stunner, showcasing the finest aesthetic details that complement its world-class tonewoods and construction. The guitar features a gorgeous Wild Honey Burst finish, with amber center fading to caramel edges. This finish allows the 517’s figured maple binding, ivoroid purfling, and multi-ring Italian acrylic rosette to pop in an elegant style.
The fretboard and bridge are crafted from rich ebony, while the headstock sports a West African crelicam ebony overlay for a premium look. Small flourishes like the paua and maple Ascension inlays on the fretboard and the paua-outline Builder’s Edition logo on the headstock demonstrate Taylor’s attention to fine detail. Even the chrome tuning machines have a vintage-style aesthetic.
Overall, the look and appointments of the Builder’s Edition 517 reflect Taylor’s mission to build more than just an excellent acoustic guitar – they sought to create a stunning work of visual art. From its exquisite finish to its ornate rosette, the 517 achieves this goal in spades.
Electronics & Plugged-In Performance
Taylor’s proprietary Expression System 2 electronics are seamlessly integrated into the Builder’s Edition 517, allowing players to amplify the guitar’s exceptional natural acoustic tone with ease. This advanced undersaddle pickup system utilizes three uniquely positioned and calibrated sensors to capture the guitar’s dynamic range, overtones, and subtle nuances.
When plugging in the 517, you can expect the same balanced, articulate tone that projects so purely unamplified. The EQ curve of the Expression System 2 electronics is designed to be transparent rather than coloring the sound. There’s plenty of volume on tap to hold your own on a crowded stage, with crystal clear note definition even at high gain settings. Feedback is also impressively well controlled thanks to the directional nature of the undersaddle sensors.
The guitar’s preamp includes simple but effective tone shaping controls for volume, bass, mid, and treble that allow dialing in your ideal amplified tone. Whether you’re playing a coffee shop gig or a large concert hall, the Builder’s Edition 517 truly excels as an acoustic-electric, amplifying the guitar’s lush tone with stunning accuracy.
Playability and Feel
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 517 is designed for optimal playability and comfort. It features a slim taper neck profile that provides smooth access to higher frets while maintaining vintage feel and playability. The neck has a silky satin finish that glides effortlessly under the hand.
The action on the 517 is set low and even, allowing for fast runs and wide, expressive vibrato. String height can be easily adjusted thanks to the ebony bridge pins. The low action and slim neck make the 517 a joy to play for long periods without fatigue.
The 517’s comfort doesn’t end with the neck. Its Grand Pacific body shape features a soft cutaway for easy upper fret access. The back of the body also utilizes Taylor’s trademark rounded profile that fits nicely against the player.
The Builder’s Edition 517 utilizes Taylor’s Silent Satin finish on its top. This ultra-thin finish allows the top to vibrate freely, enhancing resonance and volume. It also provides a smooth, natural feel, avoiding the sticky drag that many heavy poly finishes create. Players who value resonance over gloss will appreciate the 517’s tactile finish.
In summary, with its fast neck, low action, and comfortable body shape, the Builder’s Edition 517 offers exceptional playability. The smooth satin finish adds to the overall playing experience. It’s clear Taylor designed this guitar for serious players who demand the very best in comfort and feel.
Sound and Tonal Characteristics
The Builder’s Edition 517 produces a wonderfully balanced and nuanced unplugged tone, with sparkling highs, rich low-end, and an overall warmth and complexity that Taylor acoustics are renowned for. The torrefied Sitka spruce top provides crisp articulation and shimmer, while the mahogany back and sides add vintage-style depth and resonance.
When fingerpicking, the 517 showcases impressive note separation and definition. Each string rings out with clarity, allowing complex chords and melodic lines to be articulated cleanly. The notes bloom with a piano-like sustain, rather than choking out or muddying together. For flatpicking and strumming, there is plenty of volume and projection to handle energetic rhythms. The mids have an addictive woody character, while the bass frequencies remain tight and focused.
The V-Class bracing allows the 517 to excel across various musical styles. The enhanced sustain and harmonics give it the ability to let notes hang in the air during slower, spacious ballads. Yet it also packs the punch to cut through a mix when digging into some dynamic bluegrass runs. From jazz comping to rock riffing, the 517 Grand Pacific handles it all with class. Its tonal spectrum is extremely well-rounded, making the 517 at home in any musical setting.
Price and Value
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 517 comes with a premium price tag, typically retailing for around $4,500. For many guitarists, this places the 517 solidly in high-end acoustic territory. However, when you consider the quality of materials, innovative design features, and exceptional tone and playability, the price starts to make more sense.
Taylor has positioned the Builder’s Edition line as their top-tier offering, surpassing their already excellent 800 and 900 series guitars. Everything from the torrefied spruce top to the stunning visual appointments exudes first-class craftsmanship and attention to detail. For the serious guitarist looking for a lifetime instrument, the 517 represents an investment in uncompromising quality.
The use of premium tonewoods like torrefied Sitka spruce and tropical mahogany impact the tone and resonance well beyond what is capable with more ordinary materials. Taylor’s V-Class bracing also provides tangible improvements in volume, sustain, intonation, and harmonic richness compared to traditional bracing patterns. When you experience these tonal enhancements first-hand, it becomes easier to justify the expense.
For seasoned players and collectors seeking the pinnacle of Taylor’s acoustic engineering, the Builder’s Edition 517 delivers. Its unique combination of woods, innovative bracing, and elegant aesthetics come together to create a truly world-class instrument. For those with the means and desire, the 517 will provide decades of inspiration and enjoyment well worth the investment.
Comparison to Other High-End Acoustics
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 517 stands up well when compared to other high-end acoustic guitars in the $3,000 – $4,000 price range. Models like the Martin D-45 and Gibson Hummingbird are comparable in terms of build quality, materials and attention to detail. However, the 517 has a few unique features that help set it apart in the ultra-premium acoustic market.
One key differentiator is the proprietary V-Class bracing system. No other major acoustic brand uses this type of bracing, which allows the 517 to produce superior volume, sustain and intonation across the tonal spectrum. The V-Class system is a true innovation in acoustic guitar design.
The Grand Pacific body shape is also unique to Taylor’s lineup. It provides an ideal blend of playing comfort, balanced tone and projection that discerning players will appreciate. This modern take on the classic dreadnought theme helps the 517 stand out.
The Wild Honey Burst finish and appointments like the Koa binding and Ebony fretboard overlay give the 517 an elegant, high-end aesthetic. Attention to visual details help justify the premium price tag. While competitors match the quality, the 517 offers its own sense of refined, understated beauty.
For players seeking more than just a traditional, vintage-inspired acoustic, the Taylor Builder’s Edition 517 provides a compelling alternative. With its blend of innovation, premium tonewoods and impeccable craftsmanship, the 517 can hold its own against the most prestigious acoustic guitar models.