Taylor Guitars GT6 6 String Baritone Grand Symphony Acoustic Electric Guitar Review
Taylor Guitars GT6 6 String Baritone Grand Symphony Acoustic Electric Guitar Feature
- Grand Symphony
- Solid Sitka Spruce Top
- Solid Indian Rosewood Back/Sides
- Cutaway; ES
- Hardshell Case Included
Tuned from B to B, Taylor's 6-string baritone GS yields a deep, potent tonal voice that will appeal to singer-songwriters and other players who favor playing in a lower register. The baritone also blends well with other instruments, adding a different sonic texture to create a rich, ensemble sound.
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 Has a deeper tone with its 27-inch scale Grand Symphony body. |
Taylor's Grand Symphony Shape
The Grand Symphony (GS) is the first original shape from Bob Taylor since he unveiled the Grand Auditorium (GA) in 1995. Though you might see similarities to a GA, the GS is unique in both sound and design. Significant changes in its geometry yield a deeper, more piano-like bass. The waist is moved a bit higher, and is 3/8 of an inch wider. The result is a reduction in the "pinching" of the waist, which releases more tonal output from the guitar. Finally, the lower bout is expanded, making it feel slightly rounder. They're subtle changes that yield a far-from-subtle change in tone. Complementing the robust bass from the GS body, volume and low-end sustain are full, rich mids and clear, balanced highs. The GS is a unique sound and a new dimension in Taylor tone.
A Venitian cutaway in the Grand Auditorium body allows better access to the upper frets. In the past, many players moving to acoustic guitars grew accustomed to the cutaways on their electric guitars, while others simply like the freedom of movement into the upper register that a cutaway allows. Now, cutaways are favored as much for their decorative appeal as for their function.
Crisp and Bold Tone
The top is made from sitka spruce, a dense, straight-grained wood that has the highest strength and elasticity-to-weight ratio among available tonewoods. It's these attributes that make sitka spruce an ideal material not only for soundboards, but also for internal bracing. The sitka top will produce a tone slightly brighter tone than engelmann spruce.
The back and sides are made from Indian rosewood, which is coveted by players and guitar builders alike for its dark, luxurious coloration that ranges from brown to purple to rose to black, and for tonal characteristics that include a strong bass response and long sustain. It remains the most popular tonewood used in the making of high-quality acoustic guitars.
 A sitka spruce top adds a touch of crispness to the big, bold tones of the Indian rosewood back and sides. |
Pure Reproduction of An Acoustic Sound
In the past, Taylor had relied on after-market pickups that employed traditional piezo technology. But the result was a distorted tone that failed to capture the natural acoustic richness and dynamics of a Taylor for live performance. After several years of research, Taylor designed their own groundbreaking pickup system that uses magnetics much like a microphone. The result is an exceptionally pure reproduction of an acoustic guitars natural sound. The Taylor Expression System delivers an amplified tone that will satisfy the most demanding pro player, yet makes it simple for anyone to plug in and sound great.
The Expression System incorporates three different magnetic sensors. Two strategically placed Dynamic Body Sensors affixed to the underside of the soundboard capture the complex nuances of the tops vibration, while a Dynamic String Sensor mounted beneath the fretboard extension registers string and neck vibration. The preamp boosts the pickup signal cleanly, without the need for artificial EQ "coloration. The balanced, low-impedance signal the Expression System produces can run direct into a mixer or PA in most situations, and is free of distortion at almost any volume.
 The Taylor Expression System gives you a natural acoustic sound. |
Three simple, unintrusive onboard control knobs preserve the aesthetic beauty of your Taylor, yet allow you to easily adjust the volume, bass, and treble to suit your personal preferences and performance environment. When set flat, the tone controls add no color and produce the most natural sound. Or, add bass or treble (or subtract) to adjust for the room or personal tastes. The payoff is in the purity of high-fidelity amplified tone, unprecedented dynamic range, and extraordinary resistance to feedback and distortion. It enables all of the expressive subtleties of your playing to come through, just the way you intended.
Construction
Taylor takes pride in using the finest quality woods for their guitars, like ebony for every fretboard they make. The tone woods for the GT6 were quartersawn and carefully book-matched before being sorted, dried, and prepared by Bob Taylor and his experienced team of luthiers. The GT6 pearl and abalone inlay and binding work was also done by hand, providing care and "touch" that no machine can give. Taylor believes that precision matters, which is why they rely on laser cutters and computer-aided milling machines to consistently hit minute tolerances that were impossible a decade ago.
Balance and Bracing
A balanced tone is critical to a quality recorded sound. Guitars that are too heavily weighted towards a particular end of the tonal spectrum (too "bassy," for example) tend to be tougher to record. While the Dreadnought shape has more volume or bass than other shapes, the overall balance on the GT6 is not compromised.
Straight Necks Matter
Don't all guitars have straight necks? The answer is usually yes, but the real question is will they stay that way? Since its inception, the acoustic guitar had a major design flaw. The fretboard lacked sufficient support to remain truly straight because of top movement caused by changes in humidity. All guitars experience this phenomenon--often resulting in a slight bump at the 14th fret--but not all guitars respond to it in the same way.
Introduced in 1999 and a standard feature since 2001, the patented New Technology (NT) neck was designed by Bob Taylor and his team to accomplish the primary goal of building a straighter, more stable guitar neck. While some necks may bend in the face of humidity and other factors, the NT Neck stays stable and straight.
 Features pearl diamond inlays. |
Adjustability is another major NT advantage. Since the NT Neck angle is created by spacers and requires no glue, adjustment simply requires a repair person with a new set of spacers and about five spare minutes. Altering the neck angle of a traditional neck assembly could require invasive surgery to remove wood and relocate the bridge.
The bottom line: The NT Neck on the GT6 means a stable, easy-to-adjust neck that stands up to the pressures all acoustic guitars face.
Tuners
Precise, gleaming tuners add appealing form to an important function, while the type of strings used can alter the feel and the tone of your guitar. Taylor pays careful attention to both, using tuners and strings that are optimized for the GT6 guitar. Together, they are among the keys to an easy-playing, incredible-sounding Taylor.
