Looking to add some sparkle and shimmer to your guitar collection this holiday season? There’s no better way to expand your tonal horizons than exploring the sonic possibilities a 12-string acoustic guitar will add to your tonal palette. Taylor 12 string guitar, which have been famous since Neil Young played one in Rust Never Sleeps, come in a variety of tonewoods and body shapes, and there’s never been a more impressive lineup of Taylor 12-strings than there is right now.
A Taylor 12-string can be identified with the numbers “5” or “6” as the second digit in the model name (such as an 856ce or 562ce).
Related: A Guide To Taylor Acoustic Guitar Model Numbers
150e – 12 String Guitar
The best-selling acoustic 12-string in the guitar industry, 150e is a great and affordable way to get your hands on a Taylor 12-string. The classic Dreadnought body features layered Sapele back and sides paired with a solid Sitka spruce top, projecting a strong low end that anchors the double-course shimmer. Strummers can count on plenty of dynamic range with the clear articulation that Taylor guitars are known for. The 150e has a 1 7/8” width neck and comes with ES2 electronics and a Taylor soft bag.
254ce-DLX – 12 String Guitar
If you’re a 12-string lover or gigging musician in search of pro features and great tone in an affordable package, the 254ce-DLX is the guitar for you. The Grand Auditorium body makes this guitar comfortable to hold, and equally comfortable as a studio guitar thanks to its balanced response across the tonal spectrum. It features a solid Sitka spruce top, layered Indian rosewood back and sides, and all-gloss finish. The cutaway allows you to reach the upper register with ease, and Taylor’s ES2 electronics will faithfully reproduce your sound on stage. It even comes with a Deluxe Taylor hardshell case.
360e – 12 String Guitar
The 360e is a great way to add an all-solid-wood 12-string to your guitar arsenal. Long favored by singer-songwriters, the Dreadnought body, matched with the tonewood pairing of a solid mahogany top with blackwood back and sides, responds with a warm, bold and balanced sound. The guitar’s midrange power under the octave shimmer makes this a lively strummer. The shaded edgeburst top, black pickguard, and black binding tastefully evoke vintage style.
Related: 8 Tips for Trying Out and Choosing an Acoustic Guitar
562ce – 12 String Guitar
This amazing all-mahogany 12-fret 12-string comes in a lap-friendly Grand Concert size, making it remarkably comfortable to play. It helps that the 24 7/8” scale length yields a slinky feel that makes fretting strings easy, while the more compact neck-to-body relationship of the 12-fret design adds to the physical intimacy when you hold the guitar. If you’ve been intrigued by the 12-string sound but find the bigger size of most models a bit cumbersome, this is the one to try. It’s also a great choice for recording with other instruments, as the smaller body produces a voice that mixes easily with tracks without dominating. Visually, the shaded edgeburst body, faux tortoise shell binding, and grained ivoroid inlays and rosette complement mahogany’s dark, rich character.
656ce – 12 String Guitar
Mmmm…maple. Long a favorite tonewood on classic 12-string guitars because of maple’s crisp articulation, maple has been given a new life with recent design refinements by Taylor master builder Andy Powers. Custom bracing gives this Grand Symphony body more low-end girth, the octave courses respond with high-fidelity clarity, and a torrefied spruce top adds an aged tonal character for greater responsiveness. Along with the tonal improvements come a host of aesthetic ones, including a beautiful hand-rubbed “Brown Sugar” stain to highlight the figure of the back and sides, grained ivoroid fretboard inlays, an inlaid ebony backstrap, ebony binding with ivoroid purfling, an ebony/ivoroid rosette, and a striped ebony pickguard.
856ce – 12 String Guitar
The glorious power and tonal range of rosewood are on full display with this flagship Taylor 12-string. Taylor’s Advanced Performance bracing helps bring out the unique strengths of each body style, and this spruce/rosewood Grand Symphony serves up rich tonal warmth and robust low-end punch, with glimmering, bell-like highs. Other tone-enhancing refinements, including thin-gloss finish and the use of protein glues, help chords sing out with pleasing sustain. Elegant appointments include a rosewood pickguard, smoky ebony fingerboard, pearl Element fretboard inlays, and maple binding with a matching backstrip.
K66ce – 12 String Guitar
They say the best things come to those who wait. Hawaiian koa gives you the best of both worlds. Its seductive beauty stuns from first sight, especially on this all-koa Grand Symphony 12-string, and its tonal virtues only get better with time. Koa’s natural midrange focus is complemented with top-end chime, and especially with the octave strings, the voice takes on an extra crystalline sheen. As the guitar gets played in and ages, its voice will grow warmer, sweeter and deeper. Visually the wood’s stunning variegation and figure are enhanced by a vintage-look shaded edgeburst top, and the all-wood appointments, including the fluid Island Vine fretboard inlay, gently amplify the natural appeal of this stunning tonewood.
Now it’s time find an authorized Taylor dealer near you and go shopping!
Written by: Gabriel O’Brien
