Earlier this year, Taylor Guitars announced it's Spring Limited
Editions to
the world. One of which included an 600 series made of African
Ebony. We were excited about them and we ordered one. As it turned out, however, an
African Ebony limited edition turned out to not be in the cards for us at
Portland Music Company. Unfortunately (or fortunately as we see it) the number of wood sets that were expected to be
yielded for this edition came up short.....by about 100 sets.
We were called and informed of this and then given a choice.....we could either cancel our order or
have
one built using Macassar Ebony instead....and get this....at the SAME
price! Now if you've ever spec'd out a Taylor Build to Order (aka BTO)
guitar, you might know that Macassar Ebony carries a pretty hefty
upcharge. We didn't even have to think twice about it. It was a
no-brainer.....Our limited was going to be made of Macassar.
When this guitar arrived many months later (far past the Spring, in fact) we immediately knew that this guitar had been worth the wait. Our first impression, upon gazing at this treasure, was how incredible it looks. Taylor did a great job of highlighting the natural beauty of the wood.
Macassar Ebony Back
The ebony is strikingly rich in its coloring, alternating between reddish brown and dark chocolate brown stripes. The simple yet elegant inlays and binding of Koa and Ivoroid perfectly enhance it's beauty.
Engraved Koa Ovals w/Progressive Arrowhead-like Ivoroid Triangles
The Koa
and Ivoroid theme is continued for the trim, binding and in the rosette. The gold
Gotoh 510 tuners add the perfect finishing touch of class to this instrument.
European Spruce top w/Koa Rosette and Ivoroid Binding
The Gold Gotoh Tuners add a nice finishing touch
Sonically,
this guitar is very special. The rich low end of Macassar combined
with the European Spruce top and Adirondack braces is something to
behold. European spruce loves a good strong attack and can completely
handle it as it has plenty of headroom. When paired with Macassar ebony, the
results are a guitar with notes that are thick and saturated.
European Spruce top
Played
softly, this is a mellow, sweet sounding guitar that would be a
wonderful match for someone who plays full fingerstyle. This particular instrument also
shines with a slow flat picking style which produces a rich, lush tone with
a surprisingly good clarity. This guitar is like a glass of really good wine. You
sip it and watch the legs slowly slide back down your glass. It's
savory, it's rich and it pairs well with chocolate....cause really, who doesn't love chocolate?
Box of Chocolates
If you'd like to know more about this guitar, give us a call at
503-228-8437 or, better yet, come down to 2502 NE Broadway in Portland
and ask one of us for a test drive of this beautiful instrument.
Photo's and text by Carrie Warlaumont
