A responsive nylon-string guitar made of Ovangkol and solid Sitka spruce with Taylor ES-N electronics.
The Taylor 2012 414ce-N Ovangkol/Spruce Nylon String Grand Auditorium Acoustic-Electric Guitar features Ovangkol for the body and Sitka spruce for the top. Players continue to discover solid African ovangkol’s responsive, rosewood-like tone, which pairs well with Sitka spruce and can accommodate a range of playing styles. White binding applies a crisp counterpoint against the gloss top and mottled brown hues of ovangkol, while the Expression System wires this guitar for high-fidelity amplified acoustic sound.
Grand Auditorium (GA)
Body Width: 16" / Body Depth: 4-5/8" / Body Length: 20"
Taylor’s signature shape embodies the ultimate all purpose acoustic.
Taylor's most popular and versatile body shape, the mid-size Grand Auditorium arrived in 1994 bearing refined proportions that fell between a Dreadnought and Grand Concert. While the bigger Dreadnought was traditionally considered a flatpicker’s guitar and the smaller Grand Concert catered to fingerstylists, the GA was designed to deliver on both fronts. The shape produced an original acoustic voice that was big enough to handle medium-strength picking and strumming, yet with impressive balance across the tonal spectrum, especially in the midrange, producing clear, well-defined notes that suited both strumming and fingerstyle playing. The GA’s overall presence tracks well with other instruments both in a studio mix and on stage, and singer-songwriters have embraced its utility both for composing and traveling with one guitar. Many people want a single guitar that can cover a variety of styles, which is why the GA continues to be a bestselling shape. If you want a great all-purpose guitar, the multi-dimensional GA won’t let you down.
Ovangkol
Origin: Tropical West Africa
Over a decade ago, Taylor introduced the guitar world to a sustainable tonewood known as ovangkol. An African relative of rosewood, it's a great sounding wood that shares many of rosewood's tonal properties, with a slightly fuller midrange and a top end that's not quite as bright as maple. Being lesser known than rosewood, ovangkol has been a sleeper hit over the years, asserting itself as an instant contender among unsuspecting players who test-drive a variety of Taylor models.
Goes Well With: Most applications. Players who perhaps don't have predefined tonal preferences, who may be generalists in their style of play, and who are looking for a well-rounded, all-purpose solid wood guitar. It works well with different body shapes.
ES-N®
Like the the ES-T, The ES-N is a single-source, under-saddle transducer, but the preamp design and tone controls were customized to complement the nylon-string voice. Taylor standard ES control knobs enable plenty of tone-shaping and preserve the natural design aesthetic. Installed on nylon-string models.
