Flame ON! My vintage Taylor 12-strin...

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Author Message   Chazmo Username: Chazmo Registered: 3-2007 Posted on Saturday, August 18, 2007 - 11:48 am:    I just wanted to share my good fortune with my ICW buds... After much discussion of maple beauties in other threads, I decided to get my own 1984 Taylor 655 12-string jumbo to add to my brood. This sweet axe joins my 1982 M-310 6-string as the second maple in my collection. So, FLAMAGE... Or, more accurately, QUILTAGE! Holy moly, batman. Check this 3-piece back out!: Taylor used mahogany for the neck (yeah, yeah, Jchester... I know you think the neck should be rock maple. ): Just tell me something. Does it get any better than this?: Check this vintage rosewood bridge and pins!: And, the whole package...: Did I mention she sounds *really* sweet with my new Elixirs on there? Life is good.   Jchester Username: Jchester Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 1:43 pm:    She's a beauty, Chaz! (We need a 'drool' smiley) I'm sure "she sounds *really* sweet", at 23 yrs old... but I'm just as sure that she's no shy gal... I'm betting that she's *really* LOUD too! Are those Schaller tuners? Nice jewelry! Well, Chaz, I'm starting to get my head around mahogany necks on blondies... and this example certainly makes a HUGE argument for rethinking that old 'carpet matching the drapes' thing. With flame/quilt like that, I wouldn't care if the neck was purple!   Chazmo Username: Chazmo Registered: 3-2007 Posted on Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 9:09 pm:    J, She's got a great, shimmery sound, but honestly she's not much louder than my AW-75 dread. Of course, that dread is no slouch! The bass notes resonate better though on the Taylor. She plays like butter! I don't know about the tuners. They don't have any markings on them, but I'm pretty sure they're the stock tuners from Taylor. It's possible they used Schallers in that era. They seem to work pretty well! The gold plating is a nice touch. After rubbing them gently with a towel for a while, they shined up nicely. The previous (original) owner didn't use this guitar a lot. Zero fretwear! The bridge saddle may need replacing though... I have to admit, the quilted maple is amazing. I called Taylor last week and asked them about the three-piece back. The customer service rep. I spoke to told me that this was not unusual (i.e, not a limited editoin or anything), but they did this when they had an exceptional piece of wood which just wasn't big enough to bookmatch in two pieces. Anyway, it's lovely to behold, including the sides. "carpet matching the drapes..." LOL!!! Speaking of purple, J, Prince got a 1984 555 from Taylor (in purple) -- very much like mine, except 555s are mahogany-bodied. In some sense, the purple rain guitar put Taylor on the map. So, purple rocks!   Lofapco Username: Lofapco Registered: 7-2007 Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 4:23 pm:    Taylor pretty much used Schallers up until the late 1990's or early 2000 when they started using Taylor Tuners. I have Schallers on my 1993 612C. My maple back is flamed more than quilted. I still can't decide which I like better.   Chazmo Username: Chazmo Registered: 3-2007 Posted on Thursday, October 04, 2007 - 7:31 pm:    I just bought a new 2006 Taylor Grand Symphony with a 3-piece maple back *and* maple neck! I'll take some pictures soon, but the carpet finally matches the drapes.   Lofapco Username: Lofapco Registered: 7-2007 Posted on Thursday, October 04, 2007 - 8:09 pm:    Nice score Chaz... Maple is probably my favorite tone wood! Your GS should be beautiful. Did you get the expression system and cut-away? Cant wait to see the girls!   Chazmo Username: Chazmo Registered: 3-2007 Posted on Thursday, October 04, 2007 - 8:37 pm:    Nope, neither, Lofapco! I'm a purist, I guess. Yeah, I'll get pictures of my two maple Taylors and my maple Ibanez tomorrow. I guess I'm hooked.   Lofapco Username: Lofapco Registered: 7-2007 Posted on Friday, October 05, 2007 - 10:00 am:    Someday, maybe I will be as "pure". I love my cut aways for the kind of finger-style playing I do but a nice maple parlor style guitar with no electronics or cut away would be fun to have in the stable. For now since my only gig is playing at church, electronics for my acoustics is a must.

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