Description

Nylon | Lutz Spruce Top | Walnut Back and Sides | Mahogany Neck | West African Crelicam Ebony Fretboard | ES-B Electronics | Non-cutaway | Gig Bag Case

Designed to offer a comfortable, affordable option for players seeking the nylon-string sound with player-friendly features, the Academy 12e-N serves up snappy neo-classical tone with a feel that’s perfect for new learners and experienced players alike. A solid torrefied spruce top treated with a special roasting process adds extra depth and warmth to its bold projection and clarity. This compact Grand Concert acoustic-electric also sports a 1-7/8″ nut width, providing ample string spacing for fingerstyle play without putting undue strain on your fretting hand. And with built-in ES-N electronics and a lightweight gig bag for protection, the Academy 12e-N has everything a budding player could need.

• Nylon strings with warm, snappy classical tone
• Solid torrefied spruce top for clarity and warmth
• Carved armrest makes for a more comfortable feel
• Built-in ES-N pickup designed for nylon strings
• Includes lightweight gig bag for transportation

FEATURES

Warm Nylon Tones, Player-Friendly Features

The Academy 12e-N combines signature Taylor playability with warm, snappy nylon-string tone.

Grand Concert Body: The small-body Grand Concert debuted in 1984 to meet the needs of a new wave of adventurous acoustic fingerstyle players. In contrast to the traditionally darker, boomier voices of bigger body styles like dreadnoughts and jumbos, the GCs compact size and tapered waist kept the overtones in check. It was also more comfortable to play while sitting down, and the guitars slightly wider neck gave players more room for complex fingerings. The GCs smaller sonic footprint also fit cleanly in a mix with other instruments when tracking in the studio and with a band on stage, making it a useful tool for professional session and side players. Taylor’s current generation of GC models continues to accommodate fingerstylists with finger-friendly traits like a shorter 24 7/8-inch scale length, which makes fretting easier and adds a slightly slinkier feel on the strings due to the lighter string tension. If you feel more comfortable with a small body or favor controlled overtones, a Grand Concert is a great option.

The smallest of Taylors full-size body shapes. Its compact dimensions make for a physically comfortable guitar with an intimate feel and sound. The smaller footprint keeps the overtones in check, contributing to a focused, articulate sound thats well-suited for recording and stage work.

Grand Concert Body Specifications: Body Length: 19 1/2″ / Body Width: 15″ / Body Depth: 4 3/8″

Walnut Body Wood: Like koa, walnuts density and stiffness yield bright treble notes, but with a more present midrange that splits the difference between rosewood and mahogany. The bass tones initially produce a woody character that will grow richer with time and extended play.

Origin: USA

Sound: Another beautiful hardwood, walnut has a similar density and stiffness to koa, with a similar tightness initially. Like koa, it tends to have a bright top end, but with a more present midrange, somewhere between mahogany and rosewood. Walnut also starts off a little deeper on the low end, initially giving it a slightly woodier sound than koa. The low end will continue to fill out after being played in.

Goes Well With: Players who like a blend of brightness, projection and warm overtones. A smaller-bodied walnut guitar with a cedar top would likely appeal to fingerstyle players, while flatpickers and strummers on a larger body with a spruce top will find ample horsepower, low end and crisp highs to support an aggressive attack.

Lutz Spruce Top Wood: A naturally occurring hybrid of Sitka and White spruce, Lutz grows in climate zones between where Sitka and White spruce are found. (Sitka grows in more coastal areas, while White spruce thrives in interior regions.) Lutz has is considered very adaptive within those microclimates, which can yield properties that are superior to either species alone.

In terms of acoustic response, Lutz blends the positive characteristics of Sitka and White spruce and its close cousin, Engelmann spruce. The Lutz that Taylor uses for the 500 Series tends to exhibit characteristics of Adirondack spruce. The result is powerful sonic horsepower that translates into strong volume, projection and tonal richness.

Origin: Canada

Goes Well With: Most playing styles. Players with a lively attack will enjoy the tonal output and headroom.

ES-B Electronics: This version of Taylor’s ES-B electronics incorporates Taylors Expression System 2 piezo design elements and features a multifunctional onboard preamp with a built-in digital chromatic tuner and active tone-shaping EQ control. The preamp/tuner unit features an LED display for tuning and low battery indication, along with a Volume control and 3-band EQ. The preamp/tuner is powered by a 9v battery. With an alkaline battery, battery life expectancy when using the preamp only is over 500 hours, and when using the tuner is over 50 hours. Plugging in the guitar will activate the battery. A low battery indicator on the LED display (located on the preamp circuit board) will light up when the battery reaches 4.5 volts.

SPECIFICATIONS

General

• Orientation: Right Handed
• Cutaway: Non-cutaway
• Electronics: ES-B
• Case/Bag: Gig Bag

Body

• Top Wood: Lutz Spruce
• Back/Side: Wood Layered Walnut
• Back Configuration: Layered
• Body Binding: None
• Armrest: Yes
• Top Finish: Varnish
• Back/Side Finish: Varnish

Neck

• Neck Wood: Mahogany
• Fretboard Wood: West African Crelicam Ebony
• Fretboard Inlay: 4mm Dots
• Fretboard Binding: None
• Neck Finish: Varnish

Peghead

• Scale Length: 25-1/2″
• Peghead Inlay: None
• Peghead Type: Slot Head
• Peghead Binding: None

Other

• Bridge: West African Crelicam Ebony
• Nut & Saddle: Nubone Nut, Micarta Saddle
• Bridge Pins: None
• Strings: D’Addario Pro Arte Carbon (.024 – .046)
• Pickguard: None
• Tuners: Classical Nickel