2014 Taylor Fall Limiteds are IN!

Taylor Guitars never cease to amaze me, with all their fancy innovation and wild building techniques that redefine what an acoustic guitar is supposed to like. 
Take for instance, this new 2014 Fall Ltd 714ce that we just got in the store.

 

Sassafras! They used Blackheart Sassafras for the back and sides. I've never seen (or heard of) a guitar made out of Sassafras but here it is and after playing, I wonder why it isn't used more for a tone wood. To me, it has a similar look to Myrtle but with a honey cream color. At first look of this instrument, the ebb and flow of the variations in the grain are mesmerizing and beautiful. The high gloss finish really brings out how gorgeous this wood really is. 

 

But it's not all about looks. What I get out the tone of this guitar is that Sassafras has a quality similar to a maple but with more balls. It has clear tonal highs, though unlike maple, the low-mids and lows are very present even while finger picking the guitar. It has a fairly quick decay which might make it perfect for a fast lead or when you don't want your chords to bleed into one another. One cool spec for the 700 limited is that it has Taylor's Advanced Performance Bracing in which a protein glue is used. Protein glue is a better bonding agent because, I've heard, it actually fuses the glue and wood into one. They trim this instrument out in in Rosewood for the binding, edge trim, backstrip, heel cap and around the abalone rosette. 

 

This is, by far, absolutely one of the most beautiful guitars we've had in the store in a while. If you're at all interested in checking out what's new and fun in Acoustic Guitar Land, you have to come down and play this. It's awesome.

Major Score

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

Blown Away....our pick of the week.

Many of you may not realize that we are more than an acoustic guitar shop. In fact, Portland Music Company began it's life in 1927 as The Saxophone Shop. The original owner, Bob Christiansen was himself, an amazing saxophonist who could sit in with any band around.

 Bob Christiansen and his Saxophone

Fast forward some 86 years and we could probably call ourselves "The Acoustic Cellar". However, we haven't forgotten our roots and are still committed to providing a fine selection of Brass and Woodwind instruments. In this day and age, with the plethora of no name, cheap instruments that have flooded the marketplace, this has become quite a challenge. We are constantly on the look out for instruments that we can provide at a reasonable price, but that we can also stand behind as there is nothing more frustrating than finding out that your pretty new instrument will never play in tune.

On that note, we are excited to present to you.....our pick of the week....

The P. Mauriat PMXT-66RDK Tenor Saxophone.

 P. Mauriat PMXT-66RDK

This is a handcrafted saxophone with drawn and rolled tone holes that are created in a way that is truly unique to P. Mauriat as they use no soldering. The result is a beautifully resonant horn that has an incredible response across it's full range.

Rolled tone holes 

This horn also features a large, elegantly engraved bell, over-sized nickel-silver keys, richly colored abalone key touches and a gorgeous dark lacquer finish.  The fit and finish on this saxophone are fantastic. It has both a metal thumb hook and thumb rest adding to it's sturdy feel in your hands.

 Large bell with a peek at the engraving

Beautiful Abalone key touches

Now....for the sound.

This baby blows!   And, when I say it blows, I mean it in all the good ways.

It's a very free-blowing horn that is amazingly rich and warm in it's tone. The enlarged bell just seems to add to it's fatness. It's extremely responsive and can go from a smooth, sultry sound to the thick, luscious tones that are reminiscent of a vintage horn.


What else can we say? Some horns just have that extra special something and this is one that definitely qualifies.

If you'd like to know more about this horn, 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 outstanding instrument.

Don't forget to bring your mouthpiece and reed!

Photo's and text by Carrie Warlaumont (Except for vintage photo of Bob Christiansen. Photographer unknown) .