Taylor Guitars JKSM Jewel Signature Model

Beautiful Grand Auditorium Bodied Guitar,complimented with the use of excellent quality woods,especially the Nigerian Satin Wood sides and back.Lovely Tortoise Shell Bindings,Spruce Top,and my favourite Yellowheart Wood Inlays on the fretboard with Jewels Signature.
Gold Grover Machine Heads,and Fishman electronics.Stunning !!!

This JKSM model has got a beautiful sound whether unplugged or hooked up to an amp,but i play generally unplugged which suits this guitar perfectly.
It has a lovely rich,crisp tone,hard to fault to be honest,ideal for finger-picking especially,or for strumming,extremely versatile indeed.

I bought this JKSM in 2006,so it's now 6,nearly 7 years old.The previous owner has certainly looked after it,the general finnish is still like new,showing only a small dent in the Gloss Top,but only visible from cartain angles.No other signs of wear,all fittings and finnishes are of an excellent standard and seem to be wearing very well.
I will baby this guitar from now on to maintain it's general current condition.

I don't gig at all,but i am sure this guitar would stand up to anything that was asked of it.
The quality of the build and the woods and fittings used will ensure a long happy relationship with any lucky owner i'm sure.

Necer had to use Taylor Customer Support.

I honestly adore my JKSM,it's Serial number 667,and i have wanted one for many years,but never thought i would be lucky enough to actually own one,but i do now,and i will never ever part with it,it's mine forever!
Had to have it shipped from the USA to Glasgow,Scotland,but worth every penny.
I'm a massive Jewel fan,and i reckon that a JKSM is the ultimate item that a fan could hope to own.
In addition to being a fan,i instantly loved the look of the guitar,i absolutely drool over it every day,it's my pride and joy.
I don't dislike anything about it at all,apart from wishing that i had been the first owner from new,then it may not have picked up the unfortunate dent,i'm a bit of a perfectionist.
Still,guitars are there to be used,so these things will happen from time to time.
If you can afford one,i would highly recommend it,i am sure it will be a good investment also,as Signature models will always attract a cult following ensuring that when they rarely come up second hand,they will be in demand.
Stunning,beautiful model,just like 'Jewel' herself,Taylor excelled themselves with the quality,style and sound of the JKSM,it's got the whole package,superb overall value for money!!!

My Babe My Jewel #666 of 1000, clever ah!

Love my guitar, clear, reliable, best looking guitar in any gig meet!

All the features I need.

Great, Clear great sustain.

Low action

Never a problem

Have bought other stuff from Taylor, never needed to "Fix"
the guitar, did get a pick guard faux tortois, ebony tuners and a very nice Taylor strap

I'm in love!

Taylor JKSM (Jewel) signature model. Serial number in the mid-500's. All solid wood,, Nigerian satinwood side/back,,, solid spruce top with gold Grover tuners,, fishman piezo pickup. Grand auditorium body, without cutaway, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard. Looks like all the others I saw in Austin (3). Looked for the lowest serial number.

I am a finger style player. I also play slide with many alternate tunings. It is very responsive to high and low end. I typically play in an open "G" tuning. Slide as well. I also use a thumb and index finger pick for fast stuff. Great response with all variations. Killer sound.

I have had great luck with my guitar. I did raise the saddle a bit for the slide. Other than that, the setup was great. No buzz at all, no bent neck. No trussrod adjusting. Killer off the shelf.

I baby this guitar so abuse is not in my blood. I have had it at the deer lease in very humid South Texas weather. No problems at all.

Never dealt with Taylor. I never needed to. Nuff said.

I feel honored to own this guitar. For the price and the quality, you cannot beat it. I really was moving more to the acoustic style of music. I played electrics for years, and had a few cheap acoustics. I sold my G&L ASAT (built before Leo died) to buy this guitar. I have no regrets at all. My LKSM will go with me to the grave.

Well I love my Jewel! It's #16 I got her when she was 3 weeks old. Mine has the onboard blender and most I've seen do not. Does anyone know how many were fit w/ the blender?? Have you heard of the Taylor employee (maybe Zack?) who's main guitar of choice is his Jewel! He could have any Taylor available and picks a JKSM..

Also back to the buzz problem written to this forum a while back, I think I may have a solution for you. Sometimes the truss rod wants to rattle against the inside wall of the neck creating a buzz. A friend just had his Larrivee's neck buzz repaired by injecting glue through two tiny holes under the nut into the truss rod cavity. I hope this helps.

I purchased my Taylor JKSM (Jewel) signature model acoustic two years ago. All solid wood,, Nigerian satinwood side/back,,, solid spruce top with gold Grover tuners,, fishman piezo pickup. Grand auditorium body, without cutaway, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard. I'm sure most of you guys who own this guitar know the rest of the details. Wonderful guitar, but I have an issue and wonder if anyone else out there has had the same problem.

I really enjoy this guitar more unplugged than through the P.A. It has a nice full balanced sound. Probably leans more towards the high/mid range, but there's just enough low to even things out. This guitar sounds better for fingerpicking than heavy strumming. I'm finding this out after 2 1/2 years of playing on it.

The guitar had a decent set up right from the factory, but I noticed a strange buzz the more I played it. Most of us like our action low and of course that's one of the things Taylors are known for, but I noticed this buzz when unplugged, and it sounded even worse through the P.A. I took the guitar to two different luthiers thinking maybe it needed a set up,, but they couldn't do anything about it. The buzz seemed internal and not from the strings hitting the neck. I had been working at a Guitar Center for two years and never heard something like this before. Here we are in 2002 and I'm finally sending this guitar back to Taylor to fix. They are very polite and return my guitar within a couple of weeks. They replaced the bridge-saddle, body-buff & wax, cleaned neck frets, action adjusted, intonated, pickup re-installed, eq'd,, new strings,,, and didn't charge me a penny but they also DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. They even didn't set the bridge in properly so the low E string does sound when plugged in. Got to love that. Someone mentioned an internal woodbuzz in the other reviews. I wonder.

I'm sure this guitar will hold up as long as I'm taking care of it. I didn't see the need to add a pickguard since you're supposed to hit the strings and not the body of the guitar. I've used this guitar on many gigs and it's never let me down,, well, except for the internal buzz.

Taylor seems to take care of it's customers in general, but since I work for a local guitar shop they might have speeded things along when I sent my Jewel back to be fixed. They were very polite and called to let my know the guitar was received and also that it was finished and would be arriving back to me in a couple days. They neglected to fix the main problem and didn't have the nerve to tell me over the phone that it would be returned in almost the same condition they received it. They also did't put the bridge saddle in properly cause the low E string not to be heard when plugged in. I have to take the guitar to a luthier to get that fixed now. Honestly, I can't say that this is a common thing and I absolutely love their guitars,, I just think I bought a flawed guitar and am a bit upset that they couldn't get it right once I sent it back.

I've been playing for 13 years now and also teach lessons. As far as other gear, I have another Taylor 312ce, Guild D4, electric gear such as a Rivera Rake Head/412 Cab, Gibson Les Paul Studio..... If it were stolen, I would not replace it,, even if I could,, I'd take the insurance money and put it towards a Taylor 914CE. I did look at many guitars since I was working at a guitar shop and the Jewel really stood out, as far as it's look, beautiful,, it's sound (until the internal buzz) and price,, nothing else could touch it in that price range. This is a wonderful guitar,,, I simply think I purchased one that didn't make the cut. I'll probably sell it once I get the 914CE.

I have no : 370 made 6th October 2000 and it's the most expensive guitar tuner I've ever bought. I was doing a show in Des Moines, Iowa (someone's got to!) and I forgot my tuner. I walked into Last Chance Guitars and there she was amidst a wall of Martins. I'd been looking for a good 00028 for about 18 months and written Taylor out because of the cost. Needless to say she was deflowered that night. I love plain guitars, I don't like inlay and I don't like gloss, for me an acoustic just has to sound great and feel like an old pair of shoes, this one fits the bill exactly, I also have a 415 but it's glossy.....ah well......give it ten years.

It's bright and even, I normally use bronze 13's but I've gone a gauge lighter on this one, it just felt awkward. I have a home HD recording system and the fishman can buzz in front of a computer monitor, I always mike it up and it sounds great but if you want to put down a 'rough' through the bug, it can be a pain. My 415(with fishman) doesn't buzz at all.

It plays well and is finished beautifully. The only problem is intonation, I am blessed (or should I say cursed!) with almost perfect pitch. No guitar is in tune all the way up the neck, mine is no exception.

I've only done a few shows with it so far, but it's been great. The jack socket seems to come loose very quickly though.

Those nice people at O'Hare in Chicago decided that my headstock and my neck were a little too close and should part company. My guitar arrived in London in two pieces! The UK distributor ordered me a new neck, which was made, shipped and fitted in less than a month. The only difference being that they couldn't do the "Jewel" logo on the fretboard, in truth that was the only thing I didn't like about the guitar anyway. Now I have one of one!Awsome!

This is a Jewel signature model made in May, 2000 and is #123 of a published 1000 made - but here's an interesting side note: their customer service dept. advised they ran out of Nigerian Silkwood, so only made a bit over 700!. Beautiful satin finished sides and back made of solid satin wood; solid gloss-finished top made of spruce. Mahagony neck, ebony fretboard and bridge, gold hardware(grover tuners), yellow heartwood inlays on fretboard. Body style is a grand auditorium. Price includes standard Taylor case. It also comes with an on board fishman piezo pickup under the saddle activated by plugging in to the endpin jack. Pretty standard features.

I've been playing acoustics since 1966 (I was born in 1958 - yee gads!), and have owned many over the years (Gibson, Guild, Martin, and Ovation are a few of the brands). This is my first Taylor, and it was EXACTLY what I was looking for - a finger picking guitar with beautiful highs and mid-range, but with decent low end as well. I am getting into Celtic music, and this guitar fits like a glove for that style. Have not done much amp work, so can't say alot from that perspective, but this may be the best over-all sounding guitar I have ever owned.

I cannot find one flaw on the guitar - not ONE. Finish is perfect, action low with no buzz, no flaws that I could see to date, and I have had the guitar for almost one year now.

I take care of this guitar, use a hydrometer to try and keep the case air around 45-50% by using one of those inside the guitar dampit things. And I use common sense - never leaving the guitar near a hot radiator, etc... Taylor's repuation in this dept. is beyond reproach.

Can't say enough - EVERY time I call the factory, either I get someone live then and there, or they call back within 2 hours. Unbelievable.

As I said, I've been playing for over 35 years (good god, has it been that long?), and have owned many other guitars. While there are better sounding strumming guitars out there (strictly from a low end and volume perspective), that's not why I bought this one. I'm a fingerpicker (classical guitarist as well) and this is a fingerpicker's dream come true. Plus I think it will be worth a bunch of money in 10 years or so

2000 Jewel Kilcher signature model. Fishman matrix pickup. Grand auditorium style. Nigerian satinwood sides and back, sitka spruce top. Gold grover tuners. Some controls for the pickup would be nice, but not a big deal.

The sound is bright. Its an excellent sounding guitar, but I would say primarily for finger picking. I've only had it a couple months so it may open up but as far as for strumming it is a bit tinny sounding when strumming anything more than lightly. Dont get me wrong it is an excellent sounding guitar, but not as versatile as other Taylors. I own a 810CE and it is much better sounding all around. The Jewel is a great sounding guitar, where as the 810 is a studio sounding guitar. Anybody who tries telling you there is not much difference between a 300 series Taylor and a 700 and up series does not know what they are talking about, there is a big sound difference. With all that said though, this Jewel still sounds much better than any other brand I found in the same price range. I have a feeling it will mellow out and sound better as time passes.

Everything is perfect here. The action is very low as on all taylors, and the neck is thin and easy to play. This guitar looks excellent, the satinwood on it just looks extrordinary. I looked over the guitar thouroughly and did not find one flaw. Taylor is easily the best mass producer of guitars out there, and maybe the best period.

Its like any other Taylor, of course it will hold up if you take care of it. Make sure you motitor the humidity and its all good. Like I said, they sound better with age, so this thing will only get better and better.

Unmatched customer support, everytime I've called I got an answering machine and they called me back within 2 hours everytime and answered every question I had. Their products are excellent as is their support for them.

As I said, this guitar is primarily a fingerpicking or light strumming guitar which is what I wanted. I am looking forward to it settling down a bit when strumming, which I am sure it will. It is a beautiful guitar with great highs. If it were lost, stolen or broken I'd be very upset, because I dont think I'd be able to find another since they only made about 700 of them. Definitely a collectors item and will be more than worth the investment. Please email me with any questions about this guitar or the 810.

Grover machines are great-use of fishman matrix w/preamp works very well although no controls on the guitar battery placement is poor since you have to put your hand way inside and have to loosen the strings too much(not good for the structure of the instrument. Nice wood used through-out and fine workmanship however there was quit a lot of glue leakage from the center back brace and some inside surface damage to it(the brace) as well very disappointing! Finish was excellent everywhere but the top is in satin but the top, I would prefer to have the whole instrument in gloss, but I guess that would drive up the price. The hard case is pretty good but I wouldn't like to put it in the storage area of an aircraft, I think the outer plastic material is too thin and soft but I,m not sure

The sounded is nice with lots of high overtones BUT after only four days of mild strumming the main top brace by the bridge came loose!Woodbuzz inside when playing the low open e Unbeleivable!! I dont play that hard. Very unhappy bout that taking it back tomorrow,dont think I should get it fixed afterall but somehow think I would like to keep the guitar cause it plays real nice. Havn't decided yet.

Glue on the inside wasnt wiped off and the back brace has surface damage

Fragile I guess

Gotta take it back to the store and make a desicison on what to do get my money back or get it fixed I dunno? Guess I'll keep my old homemade standby for now.

I chose this guitar because of the way it played and originally sounded I thought it'd be great.

This is a Jewel signature model made in May, 2000 and is #17 of 1000 made. Beautiful satin finished sides and back made of solid satin wood; solid gloss-finished top made of spruce. Mahagony neck, ebony fretboard and bridge, gold hardware(grover tuners), yellow heartwood inlays on fretboard. Body style is a grand auditorium which means that the lower bout is the same as a dreadnought but it has a narrower waist. Price includes standard Taylor case. It also comes with an on board fishman piezo pickup under the saddle activated by plugging in to the endpin jack. Pretty standard features.

I primarily play electric with occasional forays into the acoustic realm. I usually use a pick; sometimes I fingerpick. The sound is on the bright side but it doesn't lack low end. Due to the body style, the sound isn't as big as with a dreadnought -- I wish it were bigger. I can sometimes get pretty agressive on an acoustic and this can handle it quite well but I just wish it had a bigger sound/with the good looks and comfort this body style offers. It sounds great plugged into the PA and is easily Eq'd to reduce the piezo clickiness. It has some brilliant overtones but I really would like it to project more acoustically.

The guitar needed a few tweaks by the local luthier to get some mild buzz out of the high e and b strings. Other than that, everything was ship-shape. Although I did notice that a few other Taylors at the dealership had the same problem - one I checked out had the neck backbowed so much that all the strings were pulled tight against the frets and you couldn't play a note. I don't know if this is a problem from the factory or what (I'm guessing that it is since so many of the Taylors had some sort of fret buzz going on). Oh, one note to Taylor - DITCH THE ELIXIR STRINGS!! They shred all over and they just don't resonate like Marquis' or something like that.

This guitar has and I imagine will continue to survive live playing but I take care of it and watch it. I can and do use it to gig w/o a backup because I can't afford one. Some guys plan on putting the clear pickguard on but I'm not; I don't see the need - a few wear marks give a guitar character. Oh, I have had to tighten the trussrod after a couple of months to straighten the neck back out(it was starting to bow slightly).

Haven't dealt with them.

Been playing...well, let's just say quite a while. I've got the usual gear accumulations but this is the best quality acoustic I've ever owned. It's a solid and unique guitar that will hopefully age well - I look forward to it.

Taylor JKSM Jewel Kilcher Model. This guitar was made from a really nice choice of woods. The back and sides are made of satinwood, which is a golden-honey color. When I saw the guitar among all the other Taylors, I was exclusively drawn to it. The color of the wood and deep grain is exquisite to say the least. The use of yellowheart inlays on the fretboard is a nice touch. Especually Jewels signature.
I have serial # 52 , JKSM purchased at Stutzman Guitars , Rochester NY.

I have been getting more into the acoustic textures lately. Honestly I picked up this guitar and played it for at least a 1/2 hr before I realized it was Jewels guitar model. The fact that it was Jewels model played little factor in my actual decision to buy the guitar. The guitar on its own merits alone could sell itself. The guitar sounds very well balanced from top to bottom. When you strike a chord on it, it just has that classic "Taylor" sound improved 10-fold. I really believe that the choice of woods has given this guitar a really specific sound compared to a model 314, (I think its prettier)

The only thing I will say in this catagory, is that the guitar from top to bottom, is made very nicely. Worth every dollar I paid. I am surprised that a guitar of this caliber, is not more expensive. Taylor could have asked $3000 for the guitar and still got it. it is that nice.

I have used this guitar out live and it works quite well. The only thing is that in its set-up, it has a fishman pickup that is wired straight from the input Jack to the pick-up. No tone controls in between. Some people wouldnt like that, but I will tell you this; Because it is wired direct, thier isnt a lot of electronics to get in the way to "color" the tone. What you hear is real wood and strings vibrating. A difference you can really hear when playing live or recording. The sound is innocently acoustical. This guitar will last a very long time if taken care of.

Taylor Guitars are professional. They are a standard to which other companies should look to as an example of how to treat customers.

If you have the rare opportunity to play or buy this guitar, do so.
You wont be sorry. My next purchase will be a Taylor Model 514-CE.

2000 model, Nigerian Satinwood(or Ayal wood), solid spruce top, Golden Heart wood inlays, gold tuners, simple Fishman pickup system, mahogany neck, rosewood headstock, pearl Taylor inlay, grand auditorium, neck medium/thin, price paid is sans case. Bought top of line hardwood Taylor case. It is what it is, a great blues machine for finger style or flatpicking.

I have been shopping for a high quality solid wood accoustic for about 6 years now. Played everything imaginable, including Santa Barbara, Goddall, Martin, other Taylors, Guild, ect. I got rug burns on my chin for draging it around on the floor for an hour after playing this tone monster. I like brighter sounding accoustics, and was going to try and find a used Taylor 420 series maple which Taylor, bless there hearts, decided to drop, which had become my fav for tone. All the 600 series had cutaways which if you need to be told folks, cuts into the tone. Then I picked this bad assed chick's piece of work up and promtly fell over. Not as harsh as maple, deeper bottom than maple, and even more complex. And the body resonates like maple doesn't! Doesn't boom like a lot of deadnaughts.Way better than KOA or anything else. If I can't hold Jewel, I can at least hold her ax, which might be even better.

Everthing perfect. Just like every Taylor I have picked up.

The only guitars I see being made better are Goodalls and Santa Barbara guitars if only slightly. And even those are specific to each guitar. Taylor is the best large scale maker of all. Quality control is second to none.

Taylor put a clear pickguard on at no cost to me. Drove down on Wed aft, day before Thanksgiving, on my way to Phoenix for the holiday, and they had it done in on hour. And they even put new Elixirs on and fine tuned the action. Only complaint is that they gave me my guitar back in someone else's case. Had to do a UPS trade of cases. No big to me.

The dealer forced me to buy the case extra. And they have a price guaratee. And then I found it on Jewels web site for less when you include the case. Tried to complain and sent emails, but never got a response back. Not sure I will ever buy a big ticket item there again. This is not Taylors fault.

Grand Auditorium, solid sitka spruce top, nigerian mahogany back and sides, 1 3/4 width nut, fishman matrix pickup, glossy top - mat back and sides. It came with an SKB taylor case and the tools necessary for adjusting the trus rod. The guitar is fairly plain but that's the look I like on an acoustic.

I previuosly owned a taylor 810, being primarily a finger picker and having large hands I found the 810 to be very cramped. The Jewel model fit my hands very well, the guitar comes with a fishman matrix pickup installed with preamp, the sound is very well balanced throughout it's range, the guitar sounds equally good strummed but not as much bottom end as on a full size dreadnought. I very much like the mat finish on the back and sides and the overall sound of the guitar, I would have preferred to have purchased the guitar with a clear pickguard already applied (I will be taking it to taylor to have one installed) and I would have paid an extra $100.00 or so to have some simple volume and tone controls built into the guitar, the pickup is straight through so any desired controls will have to be on an outboard processor. The best think was the price, I couldn't find one other guitar that sounded this good for the money.

This guitar did require a neck adjustment after I bought it, several strings had an annoying buzz when played open, at first I thought maybe the nut was cut to low but further examination showed the neck had a little to much tension on it. The nice thing is taylor includes very comprehensive instructions on adjusting the guitar truss rod, I had the proper measuring ruler (in 64ths of an inch) and was able to adjust the neck myself. The resulting adjustment raised the action slightly but cleared up the buzz problem.

Other than the adjustment everything else is flawless, even the frets are polished to a mirror finish. Becuase of the need for me to adjust the neck I'm knocking the rating a little (also keep in mind I bought the guitar at Guitar Center and I'm sure they didn't check anything when they received it so it could very well have been due to thier negligence).

Taylors are incredibly reliable and age very well, as a matter of fact the older they get the better they sound. I gig with guitar and find it's the only one I own (including my electrics) that will stay in tune throughout the evening, having the satin finish means I don't have to worry about wearing off a glossy coat, the grover tuners are bomb proof.

I haven't had to call taylor on this guitar, on the 810 I owned I called to ask them how best to install a fishman natural pickup, Steve at taylor told me to call him back when I was ready to do it and he would walk me through it!!!!! I did, he did and the results were perfect (even filing the bridge down to make up for the extra height of the pickup was perfect). I think that speaks for itself!

I've been playing guitar for quite a few years (I got into it watching the partridge family before they were reruns), I've owned many acoustics and electrics and can honestly say you cannot go wrong buying a taylor. If it were stolen or lost I would be depressed for a month and then I would buy another one, without hesitation. The neck, fit, sound and mechanics are top notch - nothing cheap or overlooked! Some don't like the satin finish but I think it really makes the guitar, the wood is deeply flamed and I get comments on it whenever I play a gig. When I bought this I really wasn't in the market for a Jewel, I really wanted a cut away (which I wish this had) and was ready to spend signigicantly more money than I did, it sounds great. The only things I wish it had for practicality sakes is a clear pickguard and some onboard controls for the pickup.

What a JEWEL!!!!!! I just bought #327. I play a lot and have many guitars. I needed a good fingerpicker and I found it. It's funny though---the salesman in the guitar store said "are you sure you want a chicks guitar?" I didn't know that guitars had gender.

I mostly play jazz and swing, but I wanted a guitar that worked well finger picking delta blues. This guitar does a great job. I like it much better than most Taylor's because of the 1' 3/4" nut width, and that it is not overly resonant and crashy sound like many of the higher priced Taylor's. The satin wood is much like maple but with a little better bass response.

Excellant--and it mics well too.

PERFECT

Going to have Taylor put on a clear Taylor shaped pick guard for those times that I want to use a flat pick.

Excellant!! Had questions. I e-mailed them and got as response back in just a couple of hours. Once from Bob Taylor!

The acoustic-electric Grand Auditorium 6-string features back and sides made of satinwood with an amber-esque, satin-finished stain, a gloss Sitka spruce top, 1-3/4-inch neck, faux-tortoiseshell binding, stylized "diamond" fret markers made of yellowheart wood, and special wood inlays of her name in yellowheart script on the fingerboard, and the "Jewel" symbol, in koa, on the upper back of the guitar. The guitar came with the hardshell Taylor Case

Because it is a Grand Auditorium it has a brighter sound.

This guitar is definately a Taylor..the fit finish, and sound quality are excellent. The action is excellent, no flaws whatsoever.

It's a Taylor, need I say more

Compared this guitar to a larrivee in the similar price range, and it seemed a bit more solid to me. For the quality, sound, and collectability the guitar is excellent.

Jewel Kilcher Signature Model made in 2000-a limited edition of 1000 guitars.Spruce Top,Nigerian Satinwood Back and Sides,Ebony Fingerboard and Bridge,Gild Hardware and Fishman Matrix pickup

Typical bright and balanced Taylor tone-very much like a maple guitar-lot of presence and less depth

Fantastic construction,clean great fretwork

Solid guitar though I wish the back and sides had a gloss finish

Would buy again and would spend the extra $100 for the Taylor Luggage Case