No matter what level of experience you have, you always want the best quality guitar to strum your sweet tunes on. Many brands do an excellent job of producing high-quality sounding guitars, both electric and acoustic, so you may be a little gun shy at making an ultimate decision.
One guitarist may tell you Fender is the best! You may hear Ibanez is the best! Alternatively, you may hear a name that you are unfamiliar with (unless of course, you are a guitar aficionado), and that name is Taylor.
In this guide, we are looking at this company and just what makes their guitars a cut above the rest. So, get excited, and let us introduce you to the best Taylor guitars on the market today, as well as the company itself.
If you are looking for a Japanese Yamaha guitar or a famous Gibson guitar, we got you covered too!
our best taylor guitar picks
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Brand
Model
Our Rating
Our Rating
Taylor
Taylor Swift Signature Baby Taylor Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural
Taylor T5 Classic
Classic: When it comes to Taylor you can be rest assured of the looks. The Taylor T5 has a mahogany top with Sapele neck and heels. Back and sides of the guitar are also made of beautiful satin finish which adds to the aesthetics of the guitar. But one thing which truly sets the T apart is the three-way pickup system which is installed in the neck humbucker. There us a visibly stacked humbucker and a hidden body sensor which can be mounted just behind the bridge. There is s 5-way selector added into the guitar which gives it its name.
Pros
- Well designed
- good looking
Pros
- Price
Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar
Recent buyers love this Taylor-made instrument and the quality you get for a more budget-friendly price. With great action and compact size, this model has everything they want. There is, of course, some issues with the table quality and the upkeep schedule needed to maintain this, but overall this is a 5-star guitar on a 2-star budget.
If you are a young player and want a high-quality guitar, you often don’t have the budget for the ones everyone tells you that you should get. Taylor has helped you out with that, and that is what we noticed first off. The high-quality sound for a budget-friendly price makes this an excellent choice for any guitarist.
This guitar is perfect for young guitarists just getting into the field. Die to its small size and easy portability, and they will be able to take it with them everywhere they go. This means they get more practice in, and that will lead to faster learning.
Pros
- Design leads to a pretty good action.
- Significant investment to performance ratio.
- Materials used in construction makes for beautiful low tones.
- Included in the box is a backpack carrying case for easier portability.
- Great size for smaller players or children looking to begin their guitar journey.
Pros
- Issues with the response when using fingerstyle playing.
- Some issues with overall treble quality being a little subpar.
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany GS Mini Acoustic Guitar
The Taylor GS Mini may be scaled down, but it’s one of the top Taylor guitars based on quality. While it is not a full sized guitar, the GS offers excellent sounds that rival the more expensive ones in the market.
Its scale length is 23 1/2 inches, which makes it easy to form chords. The guitar also comes with lots of tuning stability and snap.
Playing the Mini GS is a lot of fun even for beginners. The electronics are state of the art and give you full control over the sounds.
The mahogany top does a good job of distributing and filtering the strings’ vibration throughout the GS. This gives the GS a rich, full sound that’s fully natural.
The GS generates a natural compression that makes the guitar sound more alive. The sides and back are solidly built and provide stability.
The back and sides also serve as a receptors to the energy being sent by the vibrating string. The top wood design is durable and not vulnerable to fluctuations in humidity and temperature.
The durable built of the GS means it is most apt for guitarists who travel a lot. These are also suitable for any guitarist who wants a durable guitar.
Like other Taylor guitars the GS underwent rigid testing to ensure its quality. The matte finish looks great and the audio is exceptionally good.
As a mini guitar the GS is more comfortable to play. The neck is smooth and the no cutaway style makes it easy to tune the guitar.
The Genuine African Ebony, layered sapele and mahogany body gives the guitar a smooth, easy feel. The GS tuning machines work like they’re supposed to, but what’s even better is the guitar doesn’t need a lot of tuning.
The Mini GS may be small but packs a lot of tone and range, perfect for novices and touring musicians.
The Taylor GS offers an excellent mix of portability and music versatility. It is not too large, not too small, just right.
The GS design means it is suitable for serious music and yet casual enough for beginners learning to play guitar at home.
Pros
- Solid mahogany top
- Solidly built
- Layered sapele sides
- Beautiful matte finish
- Taylor New Technology Neck System
- Chrome GS tuning machines
Pros
- issues with some string buzz due to the smaller fretboard.
- Satin finish makes scratches and damages stand out more.
- Price is a little steep for some, especially in comparison to similar models.
Taylor Guitars Big Baby Taylor
You can’t go wrong with this if you’re buying for a kid or a shorthanded acoustic player who performs on the stage. The Big Baby is a beautiful echoing body design great for fingerpicking, flat-picking, picking style, and folk playing. Though this may not be as warm as a Martin model would be, nevertheless for soft mid-tones and sweet highs and lows. It falls into the category of the crispy sounding acoustic whilst serving the needs for dreadnought and orchestra. What’s great? This baby here won’t cost you more than your $800 budget. Yes, that’s how inexpensive a Taylor can get. But the quality remains Taylor.
Here’s my take on it though. For a large scale player who’s really obsessed with playing 26” or 36”, this is a no-no. Otherwise, if you’re just getting into the cycle and want a straight learning curve with an entry-level acoustic 6-stringer, the light weightiness, short scale, portability, and the natural full voice of this model will keep you busy for long.
Pros
- Easy portability
- Highly light in weight for comfort in a stage performance
- The best thing for the shorthanded guitarists
- Crispy, natural-sounding
Pros
- No electric and no cutaway
Taylor Swift Signature Baby Taylor Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural
It was only natural for Taylor, the guitar brand, to create an instrument with Taylor Swift, the singer. Taylor Swift is known for her abilities to play the guitar and even if her songs are more toward the pop area these days, she began by playing country-pop songs. So, all the Taylor Swift fans out there should know that they can get a special Taylor guitar with the signature of the singer on it.
This is a Baby Taylor guitar, which means that it will be smaller than the rest, which is great in the case of small players, as they will enjoy a better grip on the instrument. The truth is that this particular guitar was created with young players in mind, so it is the best option if you want to give your child the first guitar of his or her life.
It has a classic design, which is sweetened by particular details and Swift’s signature, and it is an instrument more than capable of accustoming a child with the sounds of a guitar.
In fact, Taylor Swift remembers using a Baby Taylor in her early years of touring, as the size of this instrument was more than appropriate for a developing artist.
Taylor GS Mini-e Solid Koa Top ESB w/Gig Bag with case
If you’re looking for the best Taylor guitar for the money, the Mini e-Koa is a good bet. Think of this as an acoustic electric guitar that combines portability with great audio.
With its stunning looks and balanced resonance, the mini e-Koa is for all guitarists who want quality and endurance. The guitar is beautifully designed too with its layered koa sides and back and koa top.
The strings are well-made and respond well to your fingers. With just a few strums you’ll hear the difference with its clear tones.
The guitar’s compact body makes it more comfortable to play even for hours on end. The
Mini e-Koa comes with the ES-8 pickup device for better audio results.
There is an indicator telling you if the battery is running low so you’ll never run out of power in the middle of a show. The Mini Koa also includes a tuner and tone controls so the guitar comes out sounding the way you want it.
The Mini Koa isn’t just style though as it also sounds good. The Mini Koa design is based off the classic Grand Symphony (GS), scaling down the size without sacrificing quality.
Play the Mini Koa and it’s evident the tonal quality is superior to ordinary guitars. Part of the reason for this is its tonewood.
Koa is only found in the Hawaiian islands, and using it on the back and sides gives the Mini Koa the mid-range performance of a maple. With this built you’ll find the guitar is more responsive and has a warmer tone.
The multilayered device means the guitar is better able to withstand weather fluctuations. Changes in the weather and humidity are among the biggest enemies of guitars, so durable construction is a must.
Under-saddle piezo transducers is used by a majority of acoustic electric guitars, but the Mini Koa takes different route. It comes with the Expression System-B that relies on a patented pickup at the back of the saddle.
The pickup comes with 3 accurate positioned and calibrated piezo sensors that react to the energy as it goes in the saddle. This works with the Taylor preamp, providing a rich acoustic sound.
Pros
- Beautiful natural finish
- Hawaiian koa Back and side
- 2-band<BR
- Ebony wood fingerboard
- Sapele neck wood
- Acrylic dots fingerboard inlay
Taylor Academy Series Academy 12e Grand Concert Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Recent buyers love this guitar. In fact, you will be hard-pressed to find a negative statement about it. The sound quality, the price, and the overall construction seem to have struck the right chord with most of the people who own one of these guitars.
Once again, the investment you make when purchasing a new guitar is quite essential. You want your money to go the furthest possible, and that is what sticks out with their model; to us, the quality of this guitar is on par with much higher-end guitars from both Taylor and other brands. So, if you want a sweet sound on a budget, then this guitar is a fantastic choice.
This guitar is a solid option for any guitarist, no matter their hand size or experience. Still, if we had to say who might get the most out of this model, we would say the beginning to intermediate player. To one who is not taking it on the road, it is just a basic guitar with no pizazz whatsoever.
If you want a guitar that will give you great sound at an excellent price for your studio work or your guitar lessons, we think this may be the best choice for you. It lacks the frills and style of many of Taylor’s other models, but its functionality is beyond reproach.
Pros
- Produces patent sweet Taylor tones.
- Built with a spectacular ES-B pickup system.
- Excellent investment for a competitive price point.
- Enhanced playability through its sleek design and attention to detail.
- Ergonomically designed for more comfort when playing for extended times.
Pros
- Issues with finish and damage.
- Doesn't come with many built-in extras.
- Not as sleek and stylish as other models.
How Do Taylor Guitars Compare to the Competition?
There is a lot of competition in the musical instrument industry, and many may ask, why Taylor? What makes them so much better than brands like Ibanez or Fender? Well, in the end, that decision boils down to the player’s needs and style; that said, Taylor guitars have a few things that make them stand out above the rest.
Built for Players
Every aspect of these guitars is built for the player. From the materials they are crafted with to the design of the guitars themselves, these well-crafted guitars are an excellent option for any player who wants to invest in a guitar that will stand the test of time and sound great doing it.
Gets Better With Age
The process that Taylor uses to finish their guitars takes those high-quality tonewoods used in the construction of each guitar and makes it that much better. They take the time to let the wood dry out just a bit, which helps improve the sound quality.
It's All in the Woods
Taylor takes their time choosing their tonewoods for both the sound quality and look. They often use high-quality tonewood from afar like African Ebony or Indian Rosewood to craft their masterpieces. By paying close attention to the starting material, they ensure a quality product every time.
These are just a few of the reasons that Taylor is in the upper class of guitar brands across the globe.
What Makes a Great Taylor Guitar?
Taylor produces guitars in all styles, shapes, and sizes, and it may be hard to determine how to decide which one is the right one for you. So, to help you be able to discern which one is the right one for you, we have analyzed several of the core features you should look at to find the best Taylor guitar (or any guitar for that matter).
Shape
There are several body shapes to choose from when you are looking for a Taylor. Each will feel different in your hands, and each design has a different sonic profile. Here is a brief idea of some of the shapes:
Grand Concert: This one doesn’t have a lot of low-end rumbles and focuses the sonic profile by pushing the notes.
Grand Auditorium: This guitar shape pushes the notes with a very even tonal spectrum. It is a more compact design, which makes it one of the most popular options.
Dreadnought: It is a large design, but extremely comfortable to handle and has a punchy sound profile.
There is also the Grand Orchestra and the Grand Symphony to choose from as well.
Tonewoods Used
When researching the right choice for your musical needs, you will want to pay close attention to what tonewoods are used in the overall construction. From the neck to the fret to the back material, the quality and wood used in construction will make a significant difference in your overall sound quality.
Length
The length of your guitar needs to be perfect so that you have smooth playability. So, making sure it fits your build and age makes a big difference in your overall performance.
Conclusion- Choose Your Best taylor Guitar
The Taylor Guitar brand is well known for its distinctive audio quality–glowing and brilliant, with a sharp clarity to the top register that other guitar brands can be hard-pressed to achieve.
The consequences of the tonal quality across the brand’s many versions and layouts would be perhaps the most striking aspect of Taylor’s building procedure.
If you are on the market for a brand new acoustic guitar and you are not sure which brand to go for, simply purchase a Taylor guitar because you can’t ever fail with them.
They have all kinds of guitars for every budget, so finding something you enjoy from their products is quite easy.
I hope this guide was useful for you, and you discovered that the best Taylor guitar to your requirements.
