Taylor Guitars 355 30th Commemorative

2004 solid bodied African Mahogany Jumbo 12 string with a satin finish on the back and sides, no cutaway and no ES pick up system on board. The top is solid sitka with a koa rosette around the sound hole. The fretboard is ebony with leaf inlays up the neck topped off by a 30th Commemorative inlay above the truss rod cover. Also comes with a nice, heavy duty Taylor made case (a significant improvement over the old SKB cases available for the 300 series.)

My only dissapointment, and it is a minor one, is that the cut of wood used for the top is a little lower grade then I would have preferred on a guitar celebrating the 30th anniversary. Overall though the upgrades offered on this commemorative guitar is significant and justify the slight difference in price over a standard 300 series.

I have played 12 strings for a lot of years and I can honestly say that this guitar is in my top two of all time as far as sound goes. Years ago I played a Breedlove that really stuck in my memory as having the holy grail of sound for a 12 string but this 355 really stands out as the only other guitar that comes close to my memory of that guitar. The sustain and overtones on this 355 are incredible. I seriously have to often mute the strings to end a song at a reasonable point because they just keep ringing out long after I have strummed the last time. The tone is very rich but maybe not as heavy on the bottom as one would expect. I currently have it tuned at concert pitch but during my next string change will drop to a heavier string and tune down a whole step. I really expect the bottom end show up with this slight change. Overall, considering that the guitar is only a week old, I would have to say that the tone is very, very good. Not too many guitars stop people in their tracks or grab a non musicians attention but this one certainly does.

Taylor is known for their excellant fit and finish as well as their factory set up. This guitar is no exception. Out of the box it required minor tuning and was ready to play. I have since used it in two performance settings and it played great. As mentioned above, the top is bookmatched nicely but maybe not as high of grade of spruce as I would have used for a special guitar.

I have played Taylors live for the last 3 years and never had one fail me nor do I expect it to occur. I buy this brand because they are easy to perform with, are durable for live playing, are stable for a solid wood guitar and they sound great live. I will admit to being a little skeptical of Taylor changing tuner brands but the new ones seem pretty comprable to my Grovers on my other 2 Taylors. I never like to gig without a back up but if I had to, I would grab one of my Taylors.

There is a saying in the business world that tells you to under promise and over deliver. That is exactly what Taylors service department does. I have only had to deal with them once in my 5 years as a Taylor owner but they not only took care of the problem I had but performed some set up work free of charge and sent me a new humidifier free of charge. In talking with other Taylor owners, their experiences have been similar. Again, this is one of the reasons I buy this brand. I know if I have a problem, they will take care of me.

I have played acoustic for 25 years now and consider myself and accomplished guitarist. I can honestly say if this guitar was stolen I would immediately order another one. Some guitars aspire while others inspire. This one totally inspires me when I play.