Acoustic Shapes
A guitar’s overall shape defines how big the soundboard is, and a bigger shape tends to translate into more tone because there’s more surface area vibrating with the strings. Each Taylor shape features a refined design that helps establish a distinctive sound for that guitar. Here’s a rundown of Taylor Guitar’s five standard shapes and their accompanying sounds.
Grand Auditorium (GA)
The medium-sized GA gave the world an identity-defining Taylor shape and sound. It was big enough to compete with the bigger, traditional dreadnought shape, long established in the acoustic world, yet the GA offered more sonic balance instead of a bass-dominant tone. The slightly tapered waist helps create an even blend between the bass, midrange and treble notes.
That tonal balance comes through for strummers, the clarity suits fingerstyle playing, and the overall presence sits well in a studio mix with other instruments. The GA is a superb all-purpose guitar shape that rewards players with versatility and incredible range.
Grand Symphony (GS)
If you crave acoustic horsepower — if you’re a strummer or picker who likes to drive a guitar and get full-bodied tone and robust volume, yet without compromising balance — the GS is your shape. It’s Taylor’s boldest, richest acoustic voice, and, like a good sports car, blends power with responsiveness, which means players can drive the GS hard without sacrificing clarity.
Grand Concert (GC)
Taylor’s smallest body shape (apart from the 3/4 adn 15/16 size Baby Taylor models) features a slender waist that helps curb the overtones. As a result, the GC tends to occupy less sonic space, which helps it blend well with other instruments both on stage and in a recording mix.
Because of its tonal clarity, the GC is well suited for fingerstyle and for pickers who play lead lines. With the availability of the Expression System® acoustic pickup or studio microphones, acoustic volume is not an issue.
The GC also features a shorter 24 7/8-inch scale length, which, together with the more compact size, offers physical comfort and playability that may appeal to players with smaller hands.
Dreadnought (DN)
Bob Taylor chose to honor the large, traditional guitar shape he inherited by refining it, taking a potent tone known for its strong bass response and adding a balanced midrange and clear notes to give flatpickers and strummers the ability to be both aggressive and articulate across the tonal spectrum.
Strong pickers are bound to love the blend of power and fidelity, which adds a new tonal dimension to roots-flavored music.
Jumbo (JM)
Taylor’s biggest shape delivers a big, full sound without the bottom-heavy boominess. The curvy dimensions present a lot of soundboard real estate, yet the contoured waist helps tighten the midrange, keeping the overtones in check.
Jumbos are great as big, full strummers, especially for solo artists who want a robust acoustic voice without sacrificing balance. Taylor Jumbos particularly shine as 12-strings, yielding a rich, lush tone with lots of signature Taylor clarity and balance.
