Taylor Builder's Edition 717e Grand Pacific Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural

Use this with and without amplifier, sounds great either way.

My own entertainment.

I love Taylor guitars; they're sound is distinctly bright and cheery, and they're quality is always apparent. This Taylor, however, has it's own distinct sound, more mellow but very full and satisfying. The construction quality is fantastic; I love the rounded edges of the body and the overall comfortable feeling of this guitar when I play it. I currently have two other Taylor's but this one is hard to put down. I got the honey colored one and love the way it looks, but I played the natural finish one too and found them identical. I do a lot of fingerpicking and this guitar is perfect for it. The neck shape is great and easy to get up the fretboard, even without a cutout. Great guitar!!! As always, the staff at my Johnson City, NY GC were great to deal with. Special thanks to Andy, Dan and to Nick for helping me with this purchase as they have helped me so many times. Great crew and a great store!

I've played a Lowden O10c and an Avalon L10 for years, which are virtually identical playing-wise and sound wise. Cedar and mahogany. But I made the mistake of playing a friend's Martin dreadnought a few years ago and suddenly remembered how much I missed the sound I cut my teeth on. I planned to buy the 314e, but the spruce/ rosewood sound brought me back to my youth. The more I play this 717e, the more I love it! It's my first Taylor, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

I love this guitar. When I decided to buy my dream acoustic, I had Taylor and Martin in mind. Most of the Taylors I played (GA's from 100 series up to 800 series) sounded just a bit tinny to me, while most of the Martins sounded too muddy to my ear. Those impressions were exacerbated when I played them back to back. Switching from, say, a Martin D-28 to a Taylor 814ce, I'd think, "Yuck, so tinny!" But when I switched back to the Martin, I'd say, "Ah, where's that treble zing?" This Taylor 717 hits the sweet spot for me. It sounds rich and full and thick at the same time as shimmery and clear. It's a very versatile guitar. I use it for fingerpicking both hard and soft (works nicely with a thumbick). I strum it. I pick it. I play soft, I play loud. It does it all wonderfully. I also really like the aesthetics and the feel. I love the all wood construction, even down to the rosette and the edge binding. I prefer that over plastic or faux tortoise. And the silent satin finish is really nice. It feels great and looks classy. The softened edges on the body and the fingerboard are a nice touch, too. It's really comfortable to hold and play. I'm not sure yet how I feel about the compound carve on the neck profile. It's got a slight V shape toward the headstock, which is great for your open chords where you wrap your hand around the neck, but I'm finding my low barre chords (e.g. Bm, Cm) feel just a little awkward. Once I get to the fourth fret, it feels more natural to me. I've had the guitar for 2.5 months and I'm still not completely used to it. I imagine I'll get there with a little more practice - I have had about fifteen years of getting used to slim electric guitar necks. The intonation and playability are fantastic, and it sounds wonderfully balanced across the strings and up the fretboard. Every time I play this guitar it inspires me, and every time I put it away, I think, "Man, I love this guitar!"

I set out to buy one really nice acoustic and after a thorough amount of research and trying many guitars, I finally settled on the Taylor 717e. It looks fantastic! It feels like "wooden-silk" and it's a joy to play. And the tone from this guitar just satisfies my every need. But, with that last sentence, therein is the problem and the ONE major flaw with this guitar. I am fortunate enough to have a few really nice electric guitars that I've bonded with over the years. My issue with the 717e is; I can't seem to put it down long enough to play those really nice guitars! And if I plug this one in? It's over for the evening I just can't tear myself away from it! Yeah,it's THAT good!