The Taylor Acoustic Guitar That Sounds Like a Dream

I’ve never owned a Taylor guitar — when I started playing in college, I could only afford a Yamaha — so when I stumbled onto a huge collection of them at Wakefield Music (Rhode Island) last August, I didn’t realize I’d get hooked. 

While I love the Taylor Academy 22e — a solid walnut-top model with a warm, lived-in sound — nothing quite took my breath away like the Taylor GT 811e, an acoustic guitar made of a solid Sitka top wood, and solid Indian rosewood back and sides. As you can tell from this video, it sounds amazing — just the right amount of resonance (making the walnut-top 22e guitar sound brassy, by comparison). 

So what else makes this $3,695 instrument worthy of ownership? 

For starters, size! Like most of the Taylor GT series guitars, this model is easy to play for a small-handed guitarist (like me — as you can see from the video in this post.) Its scaled-down GT acoustic body is designed to “blend portability, playability and solid-wood tone,” according to Taylor Guitars. An added bonus: iI’s made in America. 

Also according to Taylor, the guitar’s C-Class bracing adds more volume and sustain “to give this smaller model a full-size sonic punch” in addition to lovely visual details such as an abalone rosette and Element fretboard inlays. 

While there are multiple Taylor guitars that sound beautiful, I’m putting it out there that this one is on my short list if I win the lottery. 

Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the founder and editor of Rockmommy.