Taylor 324ce Blackwood - shaded edge burst top

The TAYLOR 324ce V-Class is an Auditorium-style steel-string acoustic guitar with cutaway, solid tropical mahogany top, Tasmanian Blackwood back and sides, and Expression System 2 pre-amp. Australian Tasmanian Blackwood is an Acacia that offers an intermediate sound between Hawaiian Koa, Mahogany and, to a lesser extent, Indian Rosewood (for subtle brilliance). Its clear, dynamic and warm mid-range gives the instrument a remarkable presence, and this species also has the virtue of being harvested in protected forests. V-Class bracing represents a milestone in acoustic guitar design. These innovative bracings, developed by master luthier Andy Powers, give the instrument better projection, tonal balance, intonation and incredible sustain. The Grand Auditorium or 000 size is the consensus. A hybrid between the Grand Concert (00 Classic Classical style) and the indispensable Dreadnought, it is considerably more compact than the latter, which obviously makes for more pleasant ergonomics. Its acoustic amplitude is logically less pronounced, but on the other hand, amplification is easier, with fewer feedback problems. The Taylor Expression System 2 preamp is the fruit of many months of research, but the end result is remarkable. Few pre-amps convey the intrinsic temperament and subtlety of an acoustic guitar with such rigor and finesse. The ES-2 is composed of three elements combining a dynamic sensor on the soundboard, another sensor located under the fingerboard, and finally a pre-amp whose voicing has been meticulously calibrated.

A top-of-the-range instrument that's unstoppable, irreproachable and utterly seductive, the 324ce has a lot going for it: top-flight lutherie, obvious playing comfort, high acoustic performance with balanced frequencies and character, a preamp that's at ease in any situation and very easy to handle, and last but not least, insane class.