Taylor Guitars GS7

2006 Taylor GS-7; Solid Western Red Cedar top, Solid Rosewood back/sides, MOP dot inlays on neck, ebony fretboard, ivoroid grained binding, gloss finish, gold Taylor tuners, 1 3/4" neck width, deluxe hardshell case. No pickup. USA made. Comfortable neck--not too fat or thin.

Beautiful balanced tone---almost reminds me of a high end spruce/rosewood Breedlove.
The combination of Red Cedar and Rosewood is really nice. I'm glad I got this one---I think a spruce top would be too bright for me. I feel that the cedar top models are truly the unsung heroes of the Taylor line, and the best. I was originally looking for the GS with the mahoghany back/sides, but glad I searched longer and found the Rosewood model.
The comments about piano-style tone is true, right down to the bass side, which is pleasant but not overly so. Has that bell-like Taylor quality but not a thin sound as some of their lower-end models are. Excellent for fingerpicking and strumming with a thumb, which I do alot. No pickup, but I am going to have a K&K pure western mini installed right way.
I've got medium strings on it--lights do not bring out the sound as well.

Nut slots had to be deepened for better action, which is understandable and just a normal thing to do from your favorite luthier.
Action is great, as Taylors are known as the most comfortable guitars to play. Intonation right on all the way up the neck. They hit a homerun in my opinion with the GS Models. Had to tighten the tuners, as they were loose; just another thing to check when buying used.
Guitar is also very lightweight compared to their dreadnoughts.
Beautifully bookmatched top and back...visually striking to look at on the stand!
Taylors to me are right on the mark in consistency in quality.

This would surely withstand live playing; hardware is solid. UV finish is thin(a good thing) so the first ding will be tough. I could gig w/o a backup, but I don't, no matter what(except an open mic).
I purposely sought one without the ES system. The ES sounds good, but I just don't trust it's durability--even the upgraded systems. They have much more 'hiss' at high volumes--at least that's my experience. Seems a bit overrated, so that's why I'm getting the K&K mini.

Taylor Customer Support is among the best in the industry(with the exception being their ES system headaches). No complaints.

Been playing since the late '70's'. Own most of the major brands(Gibson, Martin, Taylor, Breedlove) and like them all! If this were lost or stolen, I would definitely replace it. The Cedar/Rosewood combo has a wonderful sound. If you can find it used, it's even a better deal.

Ah, what a week. In the past 7 days, I've purchased 3 guitars and 1 amp, returned the amp and one of the guitars, and am about to return another, leaving me with just one new guitar at the end of it all. I am going to review each of the three guitars I've purchased, in comparison to each other, so that others prospective buyers will have a frame of reference. I will also compare them to the guitar I've been playing for the last 13 years or so, a Korean-made Goya G-120 classical. The three new guitars I am reviewing are the 2008 La Patrie Hybrid CW, a 2008 Takamine EG523SC12, and a 2008 Taylor GS7 A/E. (The preceding paragraph will be included with each review.)

Ok, now my final review. I saved the best for last. The 2008 Taylor GS7. I will do my best to not inflate the ratings or praise it unjustifiably highly, but man, what a guitar!

High-gloss proprietary finish, solid cedar-top, solid rosewood sides and bookmatched back. Very thin, but attractive, joint-strip along the bookmatch seam. Matte-finish neck, 20 frets, joined at the 14th, abalone dot inlays, black plastic dot side markers, ribbed cream platic binding al around except the headstock, abalone 'Taylor' logo, gold-palted tuners, abalone inlayed plastic bridge-pins, ebony tailpiece- all very attractive. 'Expression' electronics, which sound nice- translates the guitar's great sound faithfully to the amp. No onboard tuner. BVT controls, no true EQ, typical Taylor stuff as far as the elctronics go. No pickguard either, which is fine, because I don't use a pick. Cedar is a soft wood, so if you use a pick, put a pickguard on this or get a guitar that comes with one.

Taylors cut out the bells and whistles and put that cost into american craftsmanship, with fancy stuff only on their higher end models. This model is getting up there, but is actually probably a mid-level Taylor, at approx. $2000. I'm glad it has the abalone though, really pulls it all together and makes the cedar top 'pop' visually. Beautiful guitar visually.

Comes with a really sharp-looking faux alligator? skin (aka vinyl) brown case lined with brown crushed velvet. The case has a lock, which is actually very junky, and doesn't belong with a product of such quality. Locks on guitar cases are silly anyway, because if someone wanted to steal it, they could just take the whole case. The case also advertises the fact that there is a Taylor inside, which seems to invite theft to me. I'll probably use a different, basic black case when I'm gigging for that reason.

Holy cow. Sounds great. Best sounding guitar I've ever played, bar none. I'm sure there are guitars in the world that sound better, but I haven't played them yet. Deep crisp bass/lows, filling mids, and clear, but not brash trebles/highs. Sounds like a high-end Taylor should, I say that because I've played high-end Taylors that didn't sound this good. In fact, there was another Taylor in the store that retailed for $1500 more, and it didn't sound nearly as good as this one (GS7). The moral of this story is each guitar is different, even of the same model, so play before you buy, and compare to others. I'd advise against buying a guitar online sight unseen (or sound unheard in this case).

I'm giving it a 9, because the best sounding guitar in the world is a 10, and I don't think this is that guitar yet. Maybe after it ages. Amazing sounding guitar though.

Great craftsmanship. Even the inside bracing is sanded to probably around 400 grit or so, which I've never seen in another guitar. If they put that kind of craftsmanship into parts one can't easily see, it goes without saying that the rest of the guitar is darn-near flawless. Having a woodworking background myself, I found some very minor flaws, but it would be really nitpicky to list them here. This guitar was put together very well, and I'm glad for it. Neck is true, soundboard is flat, no bubbles or scratches in the finish, it's so smooth and nice.


The action is great, plays like a dream. Fretted chords ring clear and true, even though I'm used to nylon strings (this uses steel strings). I do experience some fatigue after playing, though that's most likely due to my posture. I should work on my technique a little and get rid of some of my bad habits. This thing plays great though.

I've only had it a few days, but I can't speak of reliabilty or durability. I can assure you i will take very good care of it though, as it is the nicest thing I own. Taylor includes 'tech sheets' that desribe how humidity can affect your guitar, and what to do if it does. These tech sheets are available online, and I highly suggest you read them, whatever guitar you are thinking of acquiring. Ceratianly seems like it's built to last, with proper care. All of my friend's Taylors are still in great shape after years, though I know they baby theirs, too.

Haven't dealt with them, though their policies seem reasonable. Limited Lifetime warranty, which I think is transferable if it's registered with the new owner. I registered mine, and it's the first thing I've ever bought that I registered besides my car. It's not the most expensive thing I own, but it sure is the coolest.

Been playing 13 years or so, I'm not bad, I'm not great either. I certainly don't deeserve a guitar this nice, but I'm keeping it anyway. I'm hoping it elevates my playing, and it has already a little bit in the 3 dyas since I purchased it.

I would prefer wood-binding over plastic, and an onboard tuner would be nice, though the sleek, unobtrusive controls are sharp in their own right. I love the cedar top, gives a great tone, and was a prerequisite for any guitar I purchased. I don't like the sound of spruce. I compared it with many other guitars, Martins, Gibsons, other Taylors, Takamines, Yamahas, Breedloves, you name it. This was the best sounding guitar I played regardless of price. Thankfully it wasn't the most expensive. It sounded better than guitars that were 2x the price or more. It even sounded better than the same exact model (GS7) in a different store. That may be due to room acoustics, but all guitars are different, you really should play before buying. I advise against buying a guitar online.

I highly recommend this guitar if you can afford it, and even if it's at the upper end of your budget, I'd try to swing it, it is that good of a guitar. I learned to stay away from mid-level guitars through this week-long process, those in the $400- $1200 range. Cheap guitars with decent tone can be great companions that you won't have to be too concerned with caring for, and high-end guitars can be great tools to improve and expand your playing with proper care. Mid-level guitars however, have too many compromises in quality for the price, are almost always made in Asia (Buy American if you can), and will just leave you wishing you bought a better guitar in the first place.

I still have my 30 year old beater, korean-made, pawn-shop special Goya G-120, and the only thing that pleases my ears better is this 2008 Taylor GS7. I'll give it a 10, because I honestly believe it is a good value at $2000. Only with guitars can you get such a good product at that price. Imagine if you played piano and you wanted a high-quality one. You'd pay a lot more than that.

I bought this guitar brand new in 2007. It's the GS7 so it has rosewood sides and back and a cedar top. The woods are absolutely gorgeous. The deep color of the rosewood has me staring at the thing almost as much as I play it. The ebony fretboard is a dream. The small dot inlays are simple but the Abalone make it stand out from the unfortunate norm of synthetic inlays. The rosette of the same is also quite colorful.

There were a few upgrades that were ordered with this guitar so it's not the norm. The store that I bought it from custom orders all their Taylors so they had Taylor install an upgraded bone saddle and nut. It also has the expression pickup system installed in it. it's very subtle so I love it. If I had to get nit-picky I'd have to say I would have like the inlays on the fretboard to be a bit more ornate than just the standard 'dot' but it fits the guitar. I also prefer the "old school" taylor ebony knobs as opposed the gold that are on this guitar's gears but $5 and two minutes later I can achieve that look if I really want.

Another Plus It the case. It's probably the nicest guitar case I've ever seen. It has a combination lock, plush interior and even a removable "pillow" for the head stock.

I learned to play guitar on a pre-world war II Martin dreadnought (Brazilian Rosewood... ooooo) so needles to say I'm a little 'tone spoiled'. I've played and owned a lot of acoustic guitars in my short 10 years of playing and this is the prettiest sounding thing I've ever played. And that is no exaggeration. I was skeptical at first to play the new Taylor shape but after the first time I played one it was only two weeks before I bought one. I'm sure the 'Elixir' strings don't hurt but the highs are very present but at the same time the low end booms out. You can literally feel the sound in your chest when you play this guitar.

When it comes to the Expression system, I recently owned a Taylor 410ce and the same system was in it. It was good but not phenomenal. However with guitar the expression system has almost a flawless representation with everything at 12 o'clock. I was blown away. When I played it through an acoustic amp the first time I keep turning it up because I thought all I could hear was the guitar. It's that dead on. Congrats Taylor!

I really enjoyed the factory setup. The action had a very happy medium; it was low enough to play wall but not 'metal low' causing the string to buzz. Everything else was spotless, obviously taken care of at the store as well as the factory. A friend of mine is a luthier and he said the craftsmanship on the guitar is remarkable for a 'factory guitar'.

I can't really rate this one yet, I've only had it for a little while so I'm not sure. But with my history of playing out a lot with previous Taylor the only thing I suspect I will have to worry about are batteries and strings.

Never dealt with them (best kind of customer support there is in my opinion)

I've been playing for 10 years, and while my styles have ranged my belief in owning quality gear has never changed. To get this guitar for $2000 is ridiculous. It blew away the other guitars in the room twice it's price. If someone stole this guitar I wouldn't be able to replace it because i'd be in jail for hunting down and beating the snot out of the person that stole it. Since I've only owned it for a short while if it holds up as good as it sounds I won't be buying another acoustic for a very very very long time.