The Exceptional Taylor GS

The Taylor GS was created by Bob Taylor. Like all the other Taylor guitars, for example, the Super Jumbo, Dreadnought and the Grand Concert, the GS has an individual look of its own.

The GS design was the result of the strong team work of Bob Taylor and the best of his development team.

The GS Design

The guitar came in four configurations. These are:

1. redwood/spruce

2. rosewood/cedar

3. mahogany/cedar

4. maple/spruce.

The instrument had a broadened lower bout and the waist was widened by 3/8". Because of the alterations made to this product, it became known as the "Grand Symphony".

Materials Used

This exceptional Taylor guitar has an abalone soundhole ring. It also had ivoroid binding which bordered the gloss finished cedar, which in turn had a fine straight grain. The dot inlays of this guitar were also made from the shell of abalones.

The fretboard, the ivoroid bindings and the bridge were made of ebony. The headstock overlay was made of rosewood. The scalloped X-bracing and Tusq nut and bridge were placed in a position that is not so noticeable. The neck of the Taylor GS was done either in satin or mahogany. The mahogany neck had Taylor's bolts with NT design on it.

Notable Features of the GS

The design of the neck made it easier for it to be adjusted, as with time, the guitar would warp or be affected by the climate. The easy access to the trussrod nut beneath the rosewood cover made minor adjustments easier to carry out. There was even a combination tool supplied to do adjustments.

The Expression System pickup and the onboard preamp were used on the GS.

The Expression System works in this manner. It receives the signal from two magnetic diaphragm pickups and mixes them with a signal from a magnetic string sensor. The vibrational patterns of the instrument is measured by the use of complex laser analysis.

All of this was done to help amplify and better the guitar sound. With all the electrical gadgets fitted on to it, the GS did not show much electronic presence. Its pickups were well hidden and the preamp was very simple. It had a two band active EQ and also a volume control. Rubber coated knobs helped to change sounds on the fly, and the center dent made it easy to get to the flat setting.

The Rich Guitar Tone

The ring from the guitar is rich and full giving out a deep rich rounded tone. Compared to the Dreadnough, it had the same bottom and low mid bite but minus the boominess of other makes. The GS had an airy mid-range between the low end and its high end. It also has a certain sizzle on every note which gives greater dimension and smooths the tone. The bass tones are rich and tight and has a good response with speed picking.

Specs of the Taylor GS

*The neck had a width of 1 3/4" at the nut

*Fully adjustable "C" profile mahogany neck

*The fretboard was about 25 1/2" made of ebony

*The top was made of red cedar, the sides and back made of mahogany 16 1/4"for the lower bout and 4 5/8 deep at the heel.

*It had X-bracing.

*The bridge was of ebony

*The tuners were Gold plated

*The pickups were of the Expression System type and an onboard preamp.

*The Strings used were the "Elixir Nanoweb lights" It weighed about 4.9 lbs.

Although a bit pricey, this Taylor guitar is comfortable to hold and easy to play. It has a nice neck and gives a distinctive classic brilliant tone.

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