Taylor Guitars 355 Jumbo 12-String

2002 Taylor 355 acoustic dreadnaught jumbo body 12-string... satin finish mahogany back and sides, with solid spruce top, ebony bridge, and 1-15/16 nut width. Twenty fret neck. No nonsense pretty... Standard Taylor tuners; very low action with no buzz. No electronics; plays dreamlike...

I'm a real 12-string fan and this is one of seven 12s in my acoustic armada. 'Jimbo' is one of my very favorites. Warm, mellow sound as you would expect from mahogony. Great rich highs and impressive sustain.

Bought it as a consignment sale from Elderly instruments. It was set up perfectly. No flaws; I wouldn't change a thing...

Very reliable in that it rarely needs tuning. It will easily withstand live playing In terms of durability, I would rank it very highly, slightly behind Guild which are built like tanks (dual 12-string model truss rods). At the same time, I prefer the lighter feel vs. one of my jumbo Guild 12s; the Taylor although not as loud, is easier to play; the neck is easy to fret low to high.

One of three previously owned Taylors in the fleet. I hear a lot of good stuff concerning Taylor customer service, but have not personally experienced it.

I've played at it for three decades. Other 12s in the fleet include two Martins; three Guilds; an Epiphone 12 and this Taylor. Would I buy another? Yes; in fact I purchased another 355ce-12 from ebay just this week; hopefully it will live up to this one's impressive characteristics...

Comfortable guitar to play with low action. Tunes easily and stays there. Very little neck movement just requires the occasional tweak. Nice sound with Elixir strings which last for ages. Only gripe is poor finishing on end of frets otherwise superb

Gorgeous sound and just cries out to be played, both fingerstyle and pick sound great. Put a capo on and it sings up the fretboard Try a capo at 9th fret and play Here comes the sun. Fantastic! Full sound with rich bass even at concert pitch. I hate messing with guitars and just want to take it out the case and play it. Only 2 manufacturers let you do that. Yamaha and Taylor. Mine has had a couple of knocks. One required returning to Taylor for a refinish as it couldn't be done in the UK. They did it free and I only had to pay shipping. They also fitted me a second strap button. Mine is a 2001 model and sounds as good as the day I bought it for a bargain. RRP of ??1395 got it ??900 cash new! Only changed strings once although now needs new set. Fret wear minimal.

Well set up and apart from previously mentioned fret finishing no complaints although there were some minor blemishes on lower bout. You never will find a perfect guitar without some minor flaws. What do you want to just look at it or play it! Look at the state of pro players guitars!

Totally reliable will withstand the test of time easily. Mine is a pure acoustic- never felt right putting a battery in a guitar! Have used mine constantly.

Taylor are fantastic for after sales support as was Sound Technology UK who were most helpful when I had to get mine returned to the States

Been playing guitar since 1963!! god! This is the best sounding guitar I have ever owned. Have had Rickenbackers which produce one sound only and their finioshing leaves a lot to be desired.

2001 Taylor 355 acoustic jumbo body 12-string...I put this guitar on lay-away in late 2001. It's the older mahogany back and sides, with spruce top, ebony bridge, and 1-15/16 nut width. The neck has 20 frets. It has a rather plain brown binding around the body and neck. That's cool, I was looking for a good meat and potatoes 12-string. I had a "Martin Gold" active pickup added a few weeks after I bought it, so I could take it out gigging. The top is a high gloss finish, and the sides and back are a satin finish. It came with the truss rod wrench, and info on care and maintenance.

I generally use no effects. I either run it straight into a small Marshall practice amp's clean channel or a PA, if I'm out playing. Since I added the pickup, it has no controls. I plug the guitar into a Baggs preamp that clips to my guitar strap.
I was in love with this guitar when I first layed my hands on it. It has a shimmering sound. Played acoustically, it sometimes sounds like it's plugged into a chorus unit. It's somewhat bright. When I play plugged in, I've noticed that it can be a little top-heavy. When using a flat-pick I'll pick closer to the neck...If I'm playing fingerstyle, I'll play closer to the bridge. I've never ever played a 12-string that I thought was this easy to play, finger style. Actually, this 12-string plays easier than some 6-strings I've owned. I also tend to bang out chords when I'm playing a rocker. It stands up very well to aggressively strummed chording. I sometimes wish it had more bottom when strumming with a pick. With a pre-amp, I do have a little control over that. My rating of 8 is ONLY because I think the sound leans a bit to the treble side. I wish it were a bit more balanced in sound. Someone who prefers that sound would give it a 10 no doubt.

I tried this guitar and another one just like it, in the store. This one sang to me...then spoke my name. Both were set up perfectly, I assume from the factory. I think the frets are medium...perhaps medium jumbo. Frets were filed down so smoothly. The binding was perfect. There were no defects on this guitar. Perfect!

This instrument has withstood playing live for several years. It stays in tune for days! I play some private parties, open mic nights, and an occasional gig. I usually take a 6-string along with me to a gig. Not everything lends itself to a 12-string. I've had this guitar now for nearly 4 years. It's rock solid, dependable. It has a few dings from playing live...my fault. I knew I wanted another Taylor within weeks after I bought it. Matter of fact, I just bought a T-5. I'll write a review on that, after I've hand time to digest.

No repairs have been necessary. The pickup was professionally installed locally. Questions I've had have been answered promptly by the guys in the store, where I bought it, or by email from Taylor. I've had no serious issues.

I started playing in 1968...or was it '69? I have a '65 Gibson ES-125 that I learned to play on. Epiphone Les Paul, Alvarez acoustic 12-string, and I just purchased a Taylor T-5. This Taylor 355 12-string was immediately my favorite guitar. The sustain lasts forever, the overtones are amazing. It stays in tune for days. What's not to love?I do wish I'd waited for the Taylor Expression System to come along. The one thing I wish were different is the somewhat top-heavy sound. Though, I watch where I strum, to adapt to that. If stolen, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

1998 model with Fishman bridge pickup installed (no eq). Solid wood like all Taylors. Found it on consignment at an out-of-the-way bluegrass shop. Appears never to have been played - no scratches at all on the pickguard and no fret wear. Molded case. I told my wife "I had no choice". Nothing fancy on the 355, just great tone and playability.

I play fingerstyle most of the time, and the tone is sweet even with a very light tough. Most fingerstyle strokes are up (except thumb) so you can miss the octave string sometimes with a ligth touch, but this is true for any 12. With a pick, this thing jumps! I am re-discovering picking techniques. As other have said, this guitar has tons of tone - The only thing in this league would be another Taylor IMHO. My main guitar is a 1994 Taylor 420 (maple) and I have a '72 Guild (mahogany), and a solid wood EPI (rosewood). They all are excellent, but the Taylors have such great string balance - every string is right up front, nothing muddied or muted. I

Even sitting under someone's bed for 7 years, all this guitar needed was a new set of strings and a new battery for the pickup. Action is just right for me. The back, sides, and neck are all perfect and the top looks like the same piece of spruce (not all Taylors do). The ebony fretboard has a few streaks of "character" in it, but I do not mind such stuff. The only "flaw" in this guitar is what is almost certainly a small fingerprint underneath the finish near an edge on the top. It can be seen clearly when the light hits the top just so. To be truthful, this annoys me a little because the rest of the guitar is dead mint (unless it turns out to be Bob Taylor's fingerprint!). Oh well, it gets a 9 cause it came from El Cajon that way. The machineheads are mini-rovers 16:1 and really packed close together. With my big fingers, it is easy to de-tune an adjacent string accidently. The Larrivee has 18:1 machines (a bit more precision) and a little more spacing, but I was buying tone not design.

I've had my Taylor 420 for ten years and it is holding up great. The 355 will, too. I'd gig without a backup, but then again the 12 is not the main refrain anyway. This one apparantly did just fine in its case for almost 7 years. I'd guess this next 7 will go just as well.

Never dealt with them. No warranty on used guitar, but the fact that they offer a lifetime warranty to original owners says something I think.

Playing 25 years or so. I have Fender tex-mex strat, Fender Jazz bass, Ovation 6 string, Takamine 6 string, Epi P350SR, Guild D-25, Taylor 420, and the Taylor 355. If stolen, I might not get another 12-string, but if I did it would be this one. Can't beat the price.

My Pamela (Ser. 990803063) was started on Sept. 3, 1999. I bought it in October of that year.
Details are available in previous posts.
No electronics, no fancy bindings, soundhole or headstock decorations.

This is the kind of sound you can get lost in. Many incredible players have commented on the voice of this guitar. This is my main guitar, and I've been playing the hell out of it for five years now. The sound just keeps getting better.
One old Troubador from E. Tennessee (T-Bone) said, "Yore guitar sounds like bells a-ringin'."

Action came low from the factory. I made it a little bit lower. No flaws. I do love the 12-String jingle-jangle, so I use brass bridge pins from D'Addario. Two sets at $15 each cost me $30.
Sustain goes on for about 11 seconds.
This guitar defies the myth that 12-strings are harder to play.

Everything on the guitar is solid. I'm not a professional musician, but yes, I would use it to gig without backup. Although I must confess, when there are drastic changes in altitude and humidity, it sometimes pitches a fit and is difficult for me to tune. But hell, I have difficulty tuning anyway, so I rely on a korg tuner.
I hope one of my grandchildren will be playing this guitar. Lifetime warranty is good, if you're going to keep it forever.
I am a fanatic about monitoring the humidity and using a DampIt in the dry climate where I live.

I've already worn out one case, because I carry it with me nearly everywhere I go, including work, camping and the Rainbow Gathering. Taylor gave me a luggage case to replace the SKB. Gotta love those guys, they are dedicated to customer service.
Apart from the flimsy handles that have broken on both of my cases (which I repaired), I am totally satisfied.
If you're travelling a lot, avoid the luggage case...it's too damn heavy.

I've been playing seriously since the moment I bought this guitar five years ago.
I own a 26-year old Yamaha dreadnaught that was given to me when I was 11. It was a handkiller, with terribly high action, which has been remedied. I would have been playing seriously for 26 years, if it hadn't been for that awful action.
There is no replacing a guitar you've carried and played everywhere for 5 years. But I would try.
I actually get high off of that pungent glue smell in the case. It still makes me smile after all this time.
I tried Guild 12s, Larrivee 12s, Martin 12s, and owned a Yamaha 12 previously. No other guitar can touch this sound.
(Although the best-sounding guitar I every heard was a 1974 Guild 6...I'll still tip my hat to it, no offense to Pamela)
If you think you're 12-string sounds better than mine, I'll drive a thousand miles to let you hear my Pamela!
I chose this guitar because it sang to me the very first time I touched the strings.
Some guitars are magic. This is one of them.

Mine is a 2003 model..I believe the last model before Taylor went with Mahoghany sides/back.

It's very full sounding. I'd say it leans toward bright sounding. I mainly play fingerstyle guitar...Kottke, Fahey, Hedges, me...When I got it--it was the best sounding guitar for the money, probably still is. I have played guitars that sounded and played better--Taylor 855 But for the $$, it's clearly the best.

Factory set up is good. I tune down a couple of 1/2 steps and use the factory string gauge. The guitar is beautiful, very well made..Smells good too. The action may need to come down a tad but it is kind of a personal choice.

Acoustics are not Les Pauls, you have to take a little care..But she's solid. Plus it's a Taylor warranty

I have not had the pleasure

If I had the money, I'd probably take the Taylor 855 12 string but that cost like $2,700 or so. So for the $$, it's a great guitar.

Taylor 355 made in May of 2003; new neck design, no pickup, gloss top, satin back/sides, jumbo style, nickel grover tuners, simple appointments: dot inlays, black binding; came with case. Back/sides are sapele, which looks like the wood that was on the old Yamahas from the 1960's and 70's. Nothing fancy, henceforth the '8' rating.

My second twelve-string; the first one I bought was a Washburn from the 1980's about six month ago to get the feel of a '12'. The Taylor has a nice full sound with piano-like quality of tones, no doubt the characteristics of solid wood, the jumbo shape and their style of bracing. Since it has no pickup, I will probably start with a Seymour/Duncan soundhole pickup(since I have one on the Washburn---they sound pretty good on twelve string guitars). I use DAddario EJ38's instead of Elixirs--I can buy almost 3 packs of them for the price of one set of Elixirs. It has good volume, yet can be fingerpicked easily as the strings aren't too close together, like the Washburn 12. The neck is slim, characteristic of Taylors, and not chunky like the 12's of old...

The Taylor 12's are very easy to play; the one thing that had kept me from even being remotely interested in 12's in the past was their punishing action---not the case here. The top is nicely figured and bookmatched 'bearclaw' spruce; the tuners keep well in tune and the frets are comfortable. Nice intonation right up the neck. My only beef is that the case had two holes that had been plugged up after someone at the factory goofed up and drilled the wrong ones; not a big deal but I am surprised that Taylor QControl let it out of the factory. I didn't complain because I got a good price from the dealer for the guitar. Who cares---can't get sound out of a case anyway!

I am sure it will withstand live playing; if you believe the Taylor hype, it would seem that every major performer has one in their arsenal(not a 12, but some kind of Taylor)! The hardware is solid, the gloss top is a plus(satin tops can be noisy from your fingers)and I would use it without a backup no problem. One thing about Taylors---they are very consistent in their quality and tone, no matter what model you play.

They have a high reputation for customer service; I am confident in their warranty that the company is going to be around for awhile. The warranty is limited lifetime(at least with their new necks they are easy to take off and reset). We have a great store/repair facility for them(Dusty Strings/Seattle) so if I have a problem, they can handle it.

Been playing for 25+years; own Martins, Taylors, Gibsons. I wish they would have given me another set of Elixirs when I bought the guitar(those sets are $25!) If it were lost or stolen, I would look for another. I love the easy playability and the rich tone; I wish it had a pickup installed in it from the factory. Compared to the other higher priced Taylor 12's, I think this is the best Taylor 12 for the money. I compared it over several years to Guilds, Seagulls, Washburns, Breedloves, Epiphone's,and Ovation 12's---the Taylor 355 beat them all in ease of playability and tone. Bob Taylor started in the 70's making 12's, and he has learned how to do it right. Alot of 12's in stores just sit there because people are intimidated by them(the one I bought had a missing string and had sat there for six months); as a result, they don't stock a lot of them.
This one felt right, sounded great, played great, so I went for it.

This is a 2003 355 made in El Cajun, CA. It is a 14 fret solid wood guitar without electronics. I prefer to not plug in unless I begin playing out and feel that guitars sound better without the electronics hanging off them. This guitar has a excellent neck with perfect finish. The 355 is a simple guitar without a lot of flash but a ton of substance.

The first Taylor I ever played was in 1990 and it was a 550. I didn't know that mahaghony could sound so great. When I bought this 355, they didn't have 12 strings in the 5,6,7,8,9, categories from Taylor, so I used the 14's as the standard for sound. Personnaly, I beleive that the Taylor 3&5 series are their best sounding guitars. I must be partial to mahaghony. The rosewood are muddier and the maples too bright for my taste. They're probably great plugged in though. I love the clean bass response of the 355 and the tonal and volume changes possible through changing your attack. What's not to like. I traded a Ovation Custom Elite for this guitar.

I tried to 355 and thought the one I bought was perfect. The other one had a higher action. All finishing on the guitar is exceptional for this price point. Flawlessly bookmatched with no cosmetic issues.

Very solid feeling. I also have a Yairi DY74C that I love and is really the only reason I don't have a Taylor 6 string. The Yairi feels much ligher weight and I'm very careful about ensuring it's not abused. The Taylor feels like you could throw it around.

Don't know yet, but the reputations great. Lifetime warranty

Been playing about 25 years. I had a 12 string Ovation a while back but the action was exhausting. After playing the 555, I've always wanted a Taylor 12 if the budget ever allowed. I personally believe the mahaoghany Taylors are the best sounding but that people buy the looks of the higher end models. I tend to buy things for lifetime and would definately replace if stolen, etc.

2001 Jumbo body 12 string manufactured in El Cajon, CA. Gloss sitka spruce solid top, with satin finish solid mahogany sides and back. It has black plastic binding. The incredible thin Taylor neck is a satin finish mahogany. Fret board and bridge are ebony, with large perle dot inlays. Tuners are chrome Grovers. It came with a Taylor luggage-style case, which is a work of art, itself. No frills. Just the basic elements of a fine instrument.

I'm a strummer, and this guitar, like most 12 stings, was made for strumming. The sound is rich and bright, with minimal buzzing. I can take barre chords all the way up the neck on this one with very minimal loss of clarity.

I had my wife pick this one up without ever playing it. This can be risky, but I already have three other Taylors, and felt confident in the factory set-up. I was not disappointed. The action is low and quick, especially when combined with the very thin neck. I don't consider myself to be a great(or even good) guitarist, but these Taylors seem to play themselves and make a mediocre player look good. I have noted no structural or cosmetic flaws on any of my Taylors.

No guitar is gorilla-proof. I just got it two days ago, and it seems solid. I just play for personal enjoyment, and am well beyond the smashing guitars on stage phase of my life.

Fortunately, I have not had problems with any of my Taylors. I have heard good things about their customer support, but hopefully will never need to put it to the test. They sure do stay in touch with their newsletters and clinic invitations.

I took lessons as a kid, then stopped playing for about 25 years. I now regret the loss of those many years of playing time. In addition to the 355, I have an old Epiphone Jumb 6-string, Taylor 310-K, Baby Taylor, Taylor W14ce, Ovation Adamas 6-string, Seagull 12-string cedar, Martin Backpacker, Simon & Patrick SP6 Spruce, Ibanez Classical, Peavy Predator plus, and an Epiphone LP Limited. My wife complains at times, but I remind her that the combined cost does not come close to her grand piano, and I think the guitars are played more. Compared to the Seagull, the Taylor 12-string is easier to play (lower action), sounds richer, and has much less "buzz". I've looked at Takamines and Fenders, and there is no comparison in finish, sound, or playability. It costs much more than most, but you get what you pay for. This is a great 12-string, and I would quickly replace it if lost or stolen.

It's a year 2000 model with the old neck design. I was a little hesitant to get it at first because it didn't have the new neck design but so far I have had absoultely no problems with the neck. It doesn't have many "frills" but that is what it is known for. It's as good as the more expensive Taylors it just doesn't have the "frills" such as abalone inlays or fancy bindings.

Sounds awesome just as it is. It's pretty loud and the jumbo body really helps balance out the extra treble that goes with a 12 string guitar. I decided to have the L.R. Baggs Dual Sorce installed into it so I could use it to lead worship at church. When I plug it in through the church soundsystem it sounds absolutely awesome without any added effects or preamps. It is great for songs that really heavily on strumming. It is also great for doing fingerpicking. It has a very nice sound because of the extra strings. It sounds very full and complete.

I can not complain at all here. It was set up awesome from the factory. It is easier to play than many other six string acoustics. The top is beautiful with a good amount of bear claw figuring.

It's a Taylor and built to last a lifetime or two or three as long as it is properly maintained. I use it to lead worship with at church without a backup. So far I have had absolutely no problems at all except for the occasional broken string and this is just because I tend to strum somewhat hard at times.

Haven't really been able to deal with them with regards to this guitar. I did however request a catalog and a video from them and it was at my house within days. The warranty is a lifetime one.

I love this guitar. It sounds great simply acoustic for jamming in my room. It also sounds awesome plugged in at church. It actually sounds like a louder acoustic guitar rather than an electrified acoustic. I have no regrets in buying this guitar. If it were lost or stolen I would save up and buy another one. Feel free to ask me any questions.