On the left is my 2006 Taylor GS-MC (Mahogany Back and Sides / Cedar Top) and on the right is my 2006 R. Taylor Style 1 (East Indian Rosewood Back and Sides / Engelmann Spruce Top.) Although the body shapes are the same, there is a night and day difference in the tone of these two guitars.
It could be argued that the differences in the woods is what is causing a change in the sound, but it's more than just that. This is the third GS guitar I've owned and each one was different. But none of them compared to the richness of tone from the R. Taylor.
The GS-MC (now called the GS5 for 2007) is a warmer sounding guitar than my GS-MS (Maple / Sitka Spruce, currently known as a GS6) or GS8 (Rosewood / Sitka Spruce.) I think it's a great guitar for fingerstyle playing, but it holds its own when strummed as well. Like all GS guitars, the bass response is much better than on other Taylor guitars.
But the R. Taylor - Style 1 guitar is a totally different guitar! It may look similar outside, but it's made differently inside! The bracing is different, the wood quality is higher and from what I've been told by Taylor Guitars, the wood is thinner as well. This guitar projects a lot louder, the mid-frequencies are the best I've ever heard and it has incredible overtones, sustain and string separation! As for bass, well, there's no comparing the quality of the bass to a standard Taylor. The R. Taylor blows them all away! Deep, rich and powerful.
R. Taylor guitars are made by five of Taylor Guitar's top luthiers. Less than five hundred guitars are made each year from this group of artisans and each guitar is hand built. Although a lot of technologies are shared between the regular Taylor line and the new R. Taylors, the limited production R. Taylors get special treatment. The best woods are used on these guitars and hand construction techniques are used to make them as well. This all adds up to guitars that sound different from the main production guitars.
Both guitars have K&K Pure Western Mini pickups installed. The GS-MC has Gotoh 510 Delta 1:21 tuners retrofitted as well. These come standard on the R. Taylor guitars. Both guitars are keepers! At least for now...
It could be argued that the differences in the woods is what is causing a change in the sound, but it's more than just that. This is the third GS guitar I've owned and each one was different. But none of them compared to the richness of tone from the R. Taylor.
The GS-MC (now called the GS5 for 2007) is a warmer sounding guitar than my GS-MS (Maple / Sitka Spruce, currently known as a GS6) or GS8 (Rosewood / Sitka Spruce.) I think it's a great guitar for fingerstyle playing, but it holds its own when strummed as well. Like all GS guitars, the bass response is much better than on other Taylor guitars.
But the R. Taylor - Style 1 guitar is a totally different guitar! It may look similar outside, but it's made differently inside! The bracing is different, the wood quality is higher and from what I've been told by Taylor Guitars, the wood is thinner as well. This guitar projects a lot louder, the mid-frequencies are the best I've ever heard and it has incredible overtones, sustain and string separation! As for bass, well, there's no comparing the quality of the bass to a standard Taylor. The R. Taylor blows them all away! Deep, rich and powerful.
R. Taylor guitars are made by five of Taylor Guitar's top luthiers. Less than five hundred guitars are made each year from this group of artisans and each guitar is hand built. Although a lot of technologies are shared between the regular Taylor line and the new R. Taylors, the limited production R. Taylors get special treatment. The best woods are used on these guitars and hand construction techniques are used to make them as well. This all adds up to guitars that sound different from the main production guitars.
Both guitars have K&K Pure Western Mini pickups installed. The GS-MC has Gotoh 510 Delta 1:21 tuners retrofitted as well. These come standard on the R. Taylor guitars. Both guitars are keepers! At least for now...
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