Taylor Guitars Big Baby

Made in 2002 in the USA, 20 frets, satin-finished solid spruce top (nice!) and sapele sides which have a very nice grain. The neck is mahogany, and is bolted in through the fretboard at the 16th fret - I have never seen an acoustic made this way. Another good feature is the ebony fretboard - I'm impressed by that. Chrome tuners, nothing special but they have seemed to get the job done so far. As you probably know, the guitar is 15/16ths scale, just a tad bit smaller. This guitar doesn't have a fancy finish or inlays, but it has a simple, quality look and features, plus good woods for the price.

I am an electric player, but wanted an acoustic to play around with. Personally, I don't like huge acoustics with big boomy sounds, I find them unwieldy and am not a big fan of that kind of tone. I prefer a more defined sound. Those two factors make this guitar really appeal to me. It's nice and compact, easy to play and hold, and it has a very energetic and articulate sound. Very vibrant. I have played more expensive acoustics with tone that doesn't come close. For the price, this thing sounds damn good. People have commented on how good this sounds.

It was set up well when I got it and was easy to play, though my friend has one which has lower action than mine. But it's still good. There are no construction flaws, seems to be in perfect shape. The wood on it is very nice. Also, the guitar is very lightweight.

This guitar is very light, it does not have much of a finish on it, and it is also very thin. It's well made but I would think these factors would make it a little vulnerable. I would say with normal use it will be fine, but if there was to be an unfortunate accident it might take more damage than other guitars.

Didn't deal with them, but I think it's a lifetime warrantly, which is good. I hear Taylor is very helpful.

I have two electrics, an Ibanez RG3120 Prestige and a customized strat. I wanted an acoustic for playing at home and songwriting, and have always felt many acoustics are a pain to play - huge necks, and high action. Probably because I'm used to electrics, but anyway. This guitar feels alot closer to an electric, is very light, and for $300, sounds very impressive. Plus, it's backed up by a quality company that makes some really expensive stuff! The features they've put into this are impressive. I reccommend it.

I've now owned my bib baby for about 2 years. It came with a nifty truss rod wrench and a nice padded gig bag. It's a solid sitka spruced topped 20 fret 15/16 size body. The big baby has a very nice satin top and nice rosette as well. But there are some problems folks., The tuners are TERRIBLE. I bought the big baby expecting all Taylors to come equipped w/ Grovers, but they're no name crappy tuners. If you're a strummer, have fun re-tuning every minute. The action also is way too high. No bracing on the back whatsoever-probably how they kept the price so low, and maybe why the guitar doesn't sing that well.

The baby sounds very rich.....with new strings on it, that is. The elixirs that come with it dont show what sound they actually make with normal strings (cause most of us cant afford 13 bucks a pop for elixirs). When you string on a fresh set, they'll sound great for a few days and then get very dull. The high's are great, but don't expect any bottom end. The bass is very unsatisfying, but what do you expect from such a small guitar with no bracing?

This guitar is great to look at. Very simple. The sitka spruce top dents easily, but is nice. The set up is not great at all. The action when i got it was way to high. I thought a simple truss rod turn would do the trick, but then the strings buzzed. There's no happy medium with a fast action without string buzz. The top bracing inside was not sanded cleanly. Strap buttons are very nice and strong. Not many obvious flaws out of the box. The back wood is sapele, which is pretty sweet looking.

The area where the baby shines-durability. I wouldn't have a problem taking it to the beach or throwing it in the back of a car for a gig. Its cool to have the Taylor logo on your headstock. The strap buttons are very solid. Finish is a little chippy, but looks nice.

Very helpful-just call em up and they'll help you out. Lifetiime warranty.

I've been playing for 14 years. I own a Les Paul Custom, a Clapton Fender Strat, a taylor 714ce cedar top, and an Ibanez Artwood 500. I dont regret buying this guitar b/c its fun to dink around on sometimes, but for the cash, I would have rather gotten an Artwood-that is one INCREDIBLE line of acoustics. If you dont mind retuning a lot, and dont mind an insanely high action, then this guitar is not a bad buy. Just play it carefully before buying.

The Big Baby Taylor is put up against older Martin/Gibson/Gretsch acoustics daily...it keeps right in there. I am a record producer, and am VERY picky about starting with the right instrument before mic 1 is placed. The Baby through KM84/Coles Ribbon into a Neve 1272 is one of the coolest gtr sounds I have EVER gotten...it is not a huge sounding guitar, but that really helps out when recording...it just tracks well...and plays great...I have 3 of them now...

Played great out of the box. While at Guitar Center...I tried all the guitars, and a few high $$$ Taylors and one Martin surpassed it...but these were all in the $2000.00 range...nothing can touch this guitar at this price or even under $1000.00

Been using the Big Baby in the studio for 6+ months, and it gets played everyday, and unfortunately banged around alot...taken a few dings, due to the lack of clear coat finish..but still is ok...even fell over a bass drum and hit the base of an Atlas stand...still ok.

Taylor is VERY cool...just call em, and they will help you...I have had a 514 in the past with problems, and they were always immediately addressed.

I have been playing gtr for 5 years, and producing music for about 3...I have a lot of high end gear, matchless, soldano, fender, jerry jones, Lakeland, Vox, Neve, SSL, Studer, Telefunken, etc...the big Baby fits right in the mix. Don't believe that there is a better acoustic out there for less than $1000.00.

2002 Big baby. Nice tuners, lively top, and great sound.
I added a Fishman Natural one pickup system with endpin pre-amp.

Sounds great unamplified. Awesome amplified.
I play it unamplified and also through the fishman pickup system, through a Carvin ag100-D acoustic amp.
Lively top produces great bass and clear mids and highs.

Setup was typical factory setup, which I changed to suit my needs. I have a very low action which is great for fingestyle playing.
Guitar was made properly with no flaws that I could find.

I have used it in a couple live situations and see no problems, although the way the back is constructed worries me, but I have put electronics in five of these for other people and have never heard of a problem.

Taylor has been great when ever I had a need or question.

best bang for the buck for a solid top low end guitar.
Predictable Taylor neck feel and setup.

This is a followup review of my Big Baby I have had for about 7 months. The sound is improving and I have fallen in love with this simple yet extrordinarily elegant guitar. I have added the features I felt it needed for less than $100. Under saddle p/u, bone saddle, ebony bridge pins(free from Taylor, just call em), and ebony tuner buttons.

The sound had improved over the 7 months. I added the bone saddle, and now the guitar had much more sustain. It simply adds to the already great sound.

I added the saddle and subsequently lowered the action-a simple fix to lower the action. I also don't recommend putting mediums on this guitar. The intonation will suffer. The playability is as great as it was , or better, as the day I bought it.

I will play live with it if given the opportunity. It sounds great with the pickup. I know its not as road worthy as a all gloss finished guitar, but hey for the price of one of those that sound this good, you can buy 3 Big Babies. It is a solid guitar for what it is. It has a couple of dings in it, one on the joint of the back and side as I pulled it out of the bag and one is on the top thanks to my 2 year old and my car keys. Structurally it is quite sound though.

Taylor is a great company and will help you with anything if you ask. They treat us low end owners the same as those who buy their $3500 models. Try that with Gibson's $300 models (epiphone).

Bottom line- I have gone through a lot of guitars in the last five years since I first started and I have never kept one this long. I don't think I will ever part with this one. I love the Big Baby and think it is one of the greatest values in the guitar world today. I highly recommend it.

Ebony fretboard ??!!! need I say more !!!! Oh yeah !! Solid Top!!

I first strummed one of these "Babies" about 1 year ago and swore I'd own one "some day". I ended up buying the smaller "Baby Taylor" for my 5yr old son. I actually have found myself playing that Baby Taylor quite often just for the novelty. It lacks bottom end...but what do you expect. I found myself in the music store recently and saw the "Big Baby" hanging on the wall....picked it up and strummed it and once again was blown away by it's sonic characteristics. Very balanced tone with good volume. Sound for the price ??? I HAVE to give it a 10.

No adjustments necessary on this guitar yet. Nice smooth action, polished frets. Ebony fretboard was a bonus!!! No complaints at ALL !! The bolt on neck is a nice feature allowing the user to change the neck angle if desired.

Mine is brand new so I don't know. The "Little Baby" I purchased last year had to go back to the factory because the back and side glue joint became separated. (Of course my son had NOTHING to do with that!!!!) The Big Baby holds a tune perfectly even after a hard workout. I plan on beating this guitar to death...that's why I bought it. Yes...I will install a bridge pickup and use it live...I will record with it...and when I'm done, I'll buy another...WHY ?? 'cause this thing sounds FREAKING AWESOME !!!

Taylor didn't bat an eye when I had to send back my "other" baby...no questions asked (wheww). I really appreciate the Taylor website as well.

I have been playing for ~25 years. I own a Martin 000-1R, a Fender Strat, Gibson ES-335, several homemade Warmoth guitars, Two Taylors, an Epiphone "Chet", and a cheapo Yamaha... This BIG BABY has delivered the biggest "Bang for the Buck" of any guitar I have ever purchased. My only complaint is that the frets (not on mine but on other's) pop out of the top and bottom due to wood "shrinkage". Someone could lose a finger if they were not careful.

Same as the rest of the reviews - solid sitka spruce top, sapele laminate sides and back. The back is also bowed out - no bracing there. It has a mahogany neck and tortoise pickgard. The only real "design" feature is a laser etched soundhole - quite striking. I guess depending on your sense of style and taste in guitar design, this could either be quite boring, or just plain elegant. I love it. Nothing unexpected or really surprising here.

oooh, creamy. very balanced from top to bottom. Solid projection and volume - especially for a smaller dread. I wouldn't call the sound "bright," - I think it leans toward warm. The supplied elixer strings may have something to do with that. But I love the sound- thats why you buy a guitar right? I do however tend to get pretty heavy handed while strumming and the low E does tend to buzz just a bit in standard tuning, I just hope it doesnt buzz too much when I drop it down (tuning). I mainly play rock/indie rock/madeup-makebelieve-superstarrock. It just sounds waay better than I can play right now - feel kind of bad about my skills. I also listened to top of the line Martins, Taylors, and Takamines back to back against the baby. I was amazed. Of course the $2000 guitars sounded "better," but it wasn't as if they made the baby sound bad. Just different.

No real build flaws. It's a "players" guitar, not at all a show type piece. I looked at 4 different babys - I ended picking the most "irregular" bookmatched one. It just seemed like it had the most individuality. It also played the nicest (actually, they all played just about the same - but i did have to pick one). Finish was perfect except for the very bottom of the neck (nearest the body), it wasnt sanded as smooth as the rest of the neck, but I cant feel it while I'm playing. Action was fairly low, very easy to play (I mostly play electrics). That is probably the largest factor of why this guitar seems so addictive to play.

No idea. Only had it for a few weeks. Everything seems really solid though. Good tuners, strap buttons, etc.

no idea

Been playing for about ten years. I recently sold an Ibanez aw100 in search of another "cheap" guitar. I hated the Ibanez, weak projection, muted bass and the action was horrible. Went in to GC for some strings, bought the strings and on the way out picked up the baby, and that was it. I have never played a guitar that just felt perect in my hands - and this is as close to that feeling as I can imagine. I wouldn't hesitate at all, if I were somehow forced to buy another acoustic, to buy this again. I do wish it had a pickup in it, but I can go get one later. I also own an Gibson SG and a Hamer electric, and a Beringer amp. It doesnt exactly exceed in any one area, but put it all toghether. . . .

This is a 2002 Big Baby made in the usual place, Solid top laminated back and sides. No extras. The real feature is the Taylor quality, good tuners, and decent construction it has the soft bag et al. It's a travel instrument I keep it in the truck and don't expect a lot, or really need a lot for that. I knew what I was buying.

It has an adequate sound, respectable intonation. It isn't as good as my Simon and Patrick Pro, or really as good a full sized guitars of decent quality, but adequate for my needs. Something to strum while traveling.

Action is excellent, everything is as it should be. Taylor even goes out of the way on the back laminate to layer it so it's atractive even though it's not bound. The only real ding on this is I'd rather they'd used a clear pickguard, and wouldn't use elixers but that's personal preference.

This particular one has some scars in the wood itself. Most of them had pretty clear tops, nice straight grain, but this one just has something in the sound vs the others, so I chose it.

It's very light wait, and where it will take a whack on the sides, and even the top, the back is a bit light weight and will flex if ya whack it, so there's a bit of concern on that front.

Taylor has flawless cooperative and friendly support, couple that with a decent website, and they are as good as any and better then most.

Been playing guitar a couple years, mando a bit longer though not as much of late. Overall this is a good travel guitar, much better the any of the various asian ones I've tried at up to twice the price.

If it gets stolen I'll get another. I have never found a Taylor I didn't like, and hope tis is just the first of a few for me.

Features don't vary much. I will say that the earliest ones
came without pickguards (a bad move on a satin-top instrument.)
Mine has the pickguard, so it's good to see that Taylor figured
this out early on. Otherwise, bare-bones and utilitarian -- form
follows function.

I wanted an acoustic that would sit in a mix. My other acoustic
is a big boxy Guild, which throws off too many overtones, and
clutters the midrange. I was going to buy a Fender for about
the same price (possibly a DG23?) but the Fender sounded like
a damp fart next to this. Very clear, a slight sacrifice in
true bass, but enough to outclass other small-bodied guitars.
Very balanced sound. I record it with a Shure KSM32 for rhythm,
and a Rode NT1 for lead. The NT1 brings out all of the liveliness
of the Big Baby. Projects very well, with no boom.

Very playable, right from the store. Over a couple of months, the
action pulled up. I took the opportunity to divorce myself
permanently from the factory installed Elixirs (slippery rubber
puke-inducers) and replace them with D'Addario EXP's. The EXP's
are coated, but have a much more "bare metal" feel and tone. I
use .011's -- the Big Baby doesn't like heavier strings, as it's
a slightly fragile beast. The guitar really comes alive without
the Elixirs deadening the sound.
The neck plays like an electric, and the build quality is fine.
The inside bracing has some loose fibers hanging from it -- this
is not a Collings, after all. But short of buying some piece
of crap built be slaves in Indonesia, I'll settle for some loose
shavings, especially when the guitar sounds this good.

It's well-built, but I wonder about that neck joint. It has a
slightly "temporary" feel overall, but I think that if you
treat it a bit more gently than more robust designs, you'll
do well. I'd be very careful not to let it fall over face-first --
check those case hinges! The pickguard (not present on the
original design) is a big plus for the longevity of the satin
top. Be nice to it, and it should last well.

My regular guitar tech was a Taylor authorized
repairman, and he loves to work on Taylors, because they're
repair-friendly. As for Taylor itself, I've not dealt with
them.

I may buy a second, and set it up for DADGAD. Taylor necks are
supposed to be slightly prone to adjusting themselves (as mine
did) so subjecting one guitar to multiple tuning tensions seems
like asking for trouble. Next time I have $325 burning a hole in
my pocket, I just might grab another Big Baby, and change the
string gauges for the dropped tuning.
p.s. -- this thing sounds very nice as a slide guitar -- very
responsive and alive.

2002 - made in July. Shipped to my dealer and into my hands 3 days later.

You know the features. If not read on below...

Sounds is incredible. Lots of bass, well balanced, bright and very defined sound. I played 5 of them and they were all consistent in tone. Except the one I bought... it jumped out at me.

Well made. Taylor are the best at making consistent quality acoustic guitars.

The lack of back bracing worried me but with the warranty and the level of care I give my instruments, I have no worries.

Some say this guitar is not for performing. I say put a pickup an preamp in this baby and watch those who have spent $2000 on a high end acoustic cry.

No yet needed.

Have been playing 20 + years. Have owned Fender, Gibson, Yamaha and Ibanez. Currently have a Godin electric (best electric guitar makers in my opinion) and my 25 yearl old trusty Yamaha acoustic.

I had a 2000 Martin D-28 which sounds great. The problem was I was too afraid to bring it anywhere thus I could not enjoy it. I say an ad in the local paper for a guy looking for a Martin. I showed it and was still on the fence about selling it. I went to a local music store to get some strings and while waiting for the sales guy to get freed up, I picked up this plain looking Taylor. An hour later my wife was calling me on the cell phone wondering where I was. I was really blown away with the sound. This is by far the best $500 acoustic guitar you can buy and it blows away a significant amount of guitars over twice that! I sold the Martin and bought the Big Baby. I have much more enjoyment playing this.