It's been a long time since I wrote one of these, but about 6 months ago, I wrote a review of my Taylor GC8 guitar. Just in case anyone is interested, here goes:
Ok, first of all, I mean no offense with this disclaimer, BUT I think that it’s sort of silly when folks write a full review of a guitar, bass, mandolin, drum set, etc. within a few days of receiving an instrument. To me, this would be like writing an entire book on marriage while on your honeymoon. I realize that folks may be excited, but the enthusiasm may seem to hide any sort of shortcomings, and rightly so. I mean, who wants to dog a new guitar, right? This is why I have chosen to wait almost a year to write my review so I’m not afraid to write about the good, the bad, and the ugly in addition to anything else I can think of.
Granted it’s been almost a year, but I can still remember the excitement I felt as the big brown truck pulled up to my door on Christmas Eve 2010. It was bitterly cold outside that I knew better than to pop open the box immediately, so I waited a few hours before opening the box. I took out the case and set it on the couch for several more hours. I was finally brave enough to crack it open occasionally and look at it. Long story short, I will have to say that the build was flawless. I couldn’t find anything wrong with it anywhere. It was simple and yet stunning.
When I picked it up and started to play, I was first struck as to how comfortable this little guitar was. I had played one other GC8, and it was just as comfortable as I remember the first one being. Smaller body + a shorter scale make for effortless playing.
When it came to the sound, initially, I was a little less than impressed and somewhat disappointed to be totally honest. So, I just chalked it up to the guitar still being a little cool to the touch, put it back in the case and let it warm up to room temperature before playing again. The warmer it got the better it sounded. Even still, it sounded a little muttled and wasn’t what I was looking for, and the set up wasn’t that great. I had heard multiple times how great Taylors are right out of the box. I’ve played many new Taylors in music stores that I’m sure had nothing but the factory set-up which were great. Mine was just “meh.” So, a word to the wise: If you aren’t terribly impressed with the Taylor factory set-up, it’s ok; I wasn’t either. I just hated that I had to wait until after Christmas to take it to the shop to have it set up. Patience isn’t my strong suit.
The next week I had the action lowered, intonation worked on, and a new set of Elixer Nano PB lights installed. One strum and I knew I had found “the one.” I spent the next few months sitting around the house playing my GC8, either on the couch, in various chairs, etc. I will have to say that comfortable isn’t the word! It sits so nicely in my lap and is a dream to play.
The sound: If I had to describe the way that this sounds, the best word I can come up with is “even.” Across the tonal spectrum, it’s as “even” as a guitar can get in my opinion. There’s a level of clarity that comes with the tone that each string harmonizes extremely well with the next. No strings or frequencies override or overwhelm each other. No duds, no dead spots. It sounds like it came pre-eq’ed! I’ve heard that much of this is due to the new bracing techniques Taylor is using on their GC models. I don’t know what it is, but works for me.
After having my guitar for 3-4 months, it was time to start laying down tracks for my next record. This was going to be the real test. The whole reason I got a GC8 was for recording purposes, and I heard that Taylor GCs were THE guitar to use to record. I’m here to say that recording this guitar was the easiest process that I’ve ever had with ANY guitar. Ever. It sounds remarkably well up against an acoustic bass and a hammered dulcimer. In the mixes you will hear, there is very little (if any) EQ’ing or reverb added. Take a listen to the sound samples. All of these songs feature my GC8.
Yet another note about comfort: If you are a studio player who ends up having to hold his/her guitar for hours at a time, this size will not nearly be as uncomfortable as a dreadnought or probably even a grand auditorium-size instrument. I’m used to having to hold a dred for hours, and eventually, I have to put my dred down in between every take while I mix, make adjustments, etc. because eventually, holding a dred gets uncomfortable and my arm starts to ache. With a GC, I was able to record a little, stop and turn towards my laptop to make adjustments and then turn back for another take for the entire project. Probably for the duration of my last project, I’ll be it saved me at least an hour of time being able to do this – in addition, it seems that every time I end up in a situation where I’m taking my guitar off and putting it on the stand, then getting it off the stand to put it on, dings seem to be unavoidable. Granted if you are swinging back and forth between a desk and mikes, you still have to be careful. Nonetheless, no arm aches. Also, the shorter scale allows for lower string tension; therefore, it’s much easier on the fingers over time. I no longer fear barre chords.
I’ve played live a few times with my GC8. The first couple of times I played live, I was at my church; I played for my wife as she sang solo. The first time, I was mic’ed. It sounded really nice coming through the PA system. The second time I played in our small chapel. I strummed my GC while my wife sang without a mic. Neither her voice nor my guitar over-powered each other. When I’ve played in this type of situation with my Takamine dred, the guitar always seems to overpower the vocalist. But not this one.
This past Christmas, I actually played with a bluegrass band for a concert with my GC8. During rehearsals (non-mic’ed), my guitar did not seem to overpower anything; it just seemed to blend in. I wasn’t strumming incredibly hard or anything, but it did project remarkably well. Other instruments included fiddle, upright bass, mandolin, and another acoustic guitar player (playing a sloped-shouldered Larrivee). I never took any lead breaks or anything, but I did strum along when the other guitar player did. I thought that it sounded great! With that said, if I found myself playing with a bluegrass group on a more-regular basis, I would probably opt for something larger bodied to play. But for a one-off gig, it did well. Please pardon the analogy, but you know how they say that front-wheel-drive cars do ok in the snow? But, if one was to have to drive through the snow all of the time, then one would need to look at getting a 4WD? This is the way that I see my GC. If I played with a full band A LOT, then I’d probably get something larger. But if I’m only playing with 2-3 others in an acoustic setting, then the GC will do well and you don’t have to feel like you are killing it when you are strumming.
While playing live with these folks, I think everyone was plugged in except me; I was mic’ed. Granted, I only played guitar on about 2-3 tunes (I played other instruments on the other songs). I could hear my guitar just fine with everyone else playing. I think that the frequencies of this guitar lend themselves to being heard through many situations without having to be the loudest, and yet, the tones were not shrill in any way. I’m glad I have the stick-on pickguard after this past weekend.
I let a couple of the other guys in the band give the Taylor a try either before or after the concert. They absolutely LOVED my guitar. They could not put it down once they picked it up. The first thing they talked about was how they loved the slotted headstock. After playing it a while, they loved the neck, comfort, and sound. One said he was going to start saving his money to get himself one.
This guitar seems to blend in well with other instruments without over-riding anything. It’s no banjo killer, but it has a much sweeter sound than a lot of banjo-killers out there. I have a mountain dulcimer student, and when we play together, the instruments blend nicely.
Conclusion: If I were to change anything, well, I don’t know if I would. It fits the bill for everything, so far. It records amazingly easy, it strums well, and it is a stellar finger-picker. It’s not as loud as larger-bodied guitars, but it can hold its own if needed. The only gripe I have is the case. This is Taylor’s top-of-the-line case, and for some reason it doesn’t line up just right when it closes. Part of the bottom “lip” sticks out further than it should on the top side of the lower bout. It closes shut nicely after the clasp is engaged, but it doesn’t shut all the way until the clasp has been closed. With that said, the case is a nice tight fit. I’ve heard that Taylor will ship me a new case if I would like, but I sorta like the road wear mine’s getting on it. This past year, I’ve had the opportunity to record my guitar in addition to playing in a variety of situations. I know that this is not the cheapest guitar in the world, but to me, the money I spent was well-worth it to have my recording project move as easily as it did. I didn’t have to fight to get a good recorded sound. Playing live was better than expected, and the guitar just blends well with other instruments as well as being a strong solo instrument as well.
Click to enlarge pics.
