Taylor T5z

dindude

Anyone tried one yet? was never interested in the regular T5, but the z has me GASing just a bit.

And whilst we are at it this is one of the best you tube demos I've seen for any guitar.

Richardj

Slightly smaller body, wider radius board and bigger frets.  The rest is the same as the regular T5.

I had a T5s and it was 'OK'.  Of course beautifully made and finished but it really didn't know what it was.  It was a passable acoustic and a passable electric but not great at either thing.  You can't split the outputs to acoustic and electric amps onboard, you have to rely on an ABY and it is just too clumsy. Too many compromises compared to a good electric/piezo equipped hybrid.

A great idea but surprisingly for Taylor just not thought out well enough for real world use.

richardhomer

The T5 concept really appeals to me - and I really like Taylor guitars - I have an NS32ce nylon and a GS Mini e. They are both great. My beef with the T5s I've played is always the neck - just too skinny - even compared to most main-stream electrics.

If they've changed that, I may well be interested. The smaller body looks really good. I'd be interested in your feedback if you manage to get to play one.

ICBM

I also found the necks on the ones I've tried far too skinny - it seemed to feel exaggerated by the too-large, too-thin body, so it's possible that if they've made it smaller it will feel better even if the neck isn't any bigger.

The main problems for me are that I just didn't like any of the sounds - I wasn't even wanting an 'acoustic sound' or an 'electric sound', I was actually looking for something sort-of in between but neither… the problem is that all the sounds were too thin-sounding and artificial, there was nothing naturally warm of full about it at all - and that I have a deep suspicion about the reliability of the electronics, given experience with other Taylor ES products, and in fact electro-acoustic guitars in general. I particularly don't want anything that uses unique proprietary technology which cannot be easily repaired or replaced with something more standard.

I know that sounds regressive because without new technology it's difficult to move forwards, but that's not entirely true - you could still have a system based on magnetic transducers or a mix of magnetic and piezo which didn't use such very manufacturer-specific, hard to repair electronics. Essentially if your ES or T5 fails, it's go to a Taylor dealer or forget it. All very well while they're still being produced...

RaymondLin

I have a T5s, I actually really like it, and no, it's not even as loud as my GS min but I like the thin body, makes it easy to play. The proprietary system don't concern me, I don't play professionally so I'll get it fixed if it happens.

ThePrettyDamned

There is a Godin Acousticaster (IIRC) in my local shop that looks lovely.  No idea how it sounds or plays but I tried a Taylor and really didn't like it. 

http://rguitars.co.uk/products/godin-acousticaster-40th-anniversary-koa-extreme?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=cpc?utm_source=googlepla&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KEQjwn4iiBRDFh76wlfCVuYABEiQAwWJ1Intf-Y6yRI5jNDH0eENmO68epzgkveolV4OetgYdtuIaAkkx8P8HAQ

welltasty.

Richardj

I didn't say it was a bad guitar per se, it was very nice to play indeed. I was hoping that it might be a better mix of true electric and true acoustic, something of a Holy Grail for me. It just somehow fell short of both. To me anyway.

ICBM

The Acousticaster is far more conventional. Essentially it's a piezo-equipped electro-acoustic the size and shape of a Telecaster - it has an acoustic resonator inside the body which makes it sound bigger and more acoustic-y than you might expect from the size. Some of them also have a magnetic neck pickup, like that one. The sounds are much more like a standard electro, or like a jazzy semi-acoustic.

I briefly had one of the older models with a spruce top and no neck pickup to try, which I was selling for a friend - I still didn't like it, really - it didn't sound 'bad' for a piezo electro, but it didn't have any real character. The neck was also fairly wide and thin, although not as much as the A6s seem to be.

They don't sell for much second hand if you want to try one - so be very wary about buying one at a high price if there's any chance you might not keep it. I only got £400 for the older model, and not that quickly.

ThePrettyDamned

ICBM said:

The Acousticaster is far more conventional. Essentially it's a piezo-equipped electro-acoustic the size and shape of a Telecaster - it has an acoustic resonator inside the body which makes it sound bigger and more acoustic-y than you might expect from the size. Some of them also have a magnetic neck pickup, like that one. The sounds are much more like a standard electro, or like a jazzy semi-acoustic.

I briefly had one of the older models with a spruce top and no neck pickup to try, which I was selling for a friend - I still didn't like it, really - it didn't sound 'bad' for a piezo electro, but it didn't have any real character. The neck was also fairly wide and thin, although not as much as the A6s seem to be.

They don't sell for much second hand if you want to try one - so be very wary about buying one at a high price if there's any chance you might not keep it. I only got £400 for the older model, and not that quickly.

Ah that's interesting. I like the resonator idea - it's actually quite smart.  

Pity about the rest.  The pickup is a good looking one, but I'd rather it was a more common shape - like P90 or humbucker.  Easier upgrade. 

ICBM

The best-sounding of all this sort of hybrid thing I've tried is the old Fender HMT Telecaster, surprisingly! It has a standard piezo bridge pickup and a Lace Sensor at the neck, and a simple preamp with just volume/pan/tone controls. The problem was that - and this seems to be some sort of odd trend - it had a very wide, flat neck. It also had rails for frets, so with my hamfisted technique it always sounded slightly out of tune when I played it hard.

I did consider replacing the neck, but it was one of those 'Deluxe' neck fittings with the fourth screw offset - not insurmountable, but annoying - and the body was also very slightly oversized compared to a standard Tele (sound familiar also?) which irritated me for some reason. I do miss it though, and I'd possibly consider buying another one. Not hurt by one of my favourite musicians ever - Heather Nova - using one in her early career… although she's also used a Godin A6 and now a Taylor T5 too.

dindude

I always thought the T5 was slightly confused but the smaller body and different fretboard radius of the T5z just makes it seem a little more comfortable in its own skin.

The thing with these things, people expect them to be an acoustic and an electric, and as @ICBM ;said in his first post I want it to have its own sound, and in the clips I think it does, enough for me to want to try one anyhow.

4 of the 5 sounds in the T5 remember don't use the body sensor, but regular magnetic pickups, and the clips usually put these 4 sounds through an electric amp. Anyone thinking this is an easier to handle acoustic is missing the point.