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Taylor Guitars 618E Grand Orchestra

Description

618e

The largest body size in the Taylor line yet plays like butter. Revoiced for the modern age and offering the unrivalled articulation and tonal nuance of solid Maple, the 618e Grand Orchestra has a huge lung capacity that together with levels of sustain and intonation is bolstered further by V-Class bracing technology, with a rich solid Sitka spruce top aiding excellent projection and a huge dynamic response, framed in a striking Antique Blonde finish. Big doesn’t mean difficult to play – with a smooth, low profile neck playing in tune right the way along to the upper reaches of the fretboard, and 618e also offers a wealth of tasteful aesthetic appointments such as maple binding, Koa purfling, deluxe Western floral hardcase and mother of pearl inlays, to complete an overall classy and sophisticated image. Offering a unique, transparent and focused sound with bucket loads of headroom, this big bold strummer sports high quality ES2 electronics and with its sheer size can really dish out the dBs - yet remains touch sensitive and delicate when needed, its dynamic and tonal range as wide as that of number of the playing styles you can deploy one on.

Grand Orchestra

Taylor’s biggest, boldest sound in the largest format possible. With a resounding low-end response brought further to the forefront by revolutionary V-Class bracing, specially adapted to harness the soaring overtones whilst developing a longer sustain and even more dB output – the Grand Orchestra is incredibly balanced for being such a big-bodied guitar. With a rich and complex voice that is also balanced and responsive to a soft touch, you need not have an aggressive attack to get the top moving. The articulate Grand Orchestra is as subtle and nuanced as it is bold and brass. Supremely responsive, expressive and versatile – it perhaps the perfect guitar for the solo performer looking to hold a whole audience in the palm of their hand.

Maple

For centuries, maple has been revered in the world of bowed instruments for its linear, transparent tonal response. Supremely responsive to the player, maple is traditionally known in the guitar world for having a bright, focused tone with a quick attack and fast decay. Revoiced for the Taylor 600 Series in 2015 to provide greater warmth, complexity, volume, sustain and responsiveness, Taylor's maple guitars retain naturally clear and linear qualities while offering the player even more tonal possibilities.

Sitka Spruce

Sitka Spruce is the most commonly used wood for guitar tops. Sitka generates a broad dynamic range and accommodates numerous playing styles from aggressive strumming to fingerpicking. As a guitar soundboard, Sitka spruce is the tonewood standard of the modern era. It’s used on 85-90 percent of the guitars that Taylor makes. Its combination of strength and elasticity translates into a broad dynamic range, yielding crisp articulation and allowing for everything from aggressive strumming and flatpicking to fingerpicking.

ES-2 Pickup

If you need to amplify your sound, you'll love the revolutionary onboard ES2 pickup system. The 3 individual sensors located behind the saddle combine with the pro-grade preamp to deliver an unmatched dynamics, perfect for live or studio.

V-class Bracing

Bracing is the internal framework of an acoustic guitar that plays a vital role in the way the instrument shapes the sound. Although X-bracing has been standard in acoustic guitars for over a century, it creates an innate conflict between two key elements of a guitar's sound: volume and sustain. The guitar's top (its soundboard) contributes significantly to both. The flexibility of the top generates volume (projection), while its stiffness generates sustain. And with X-braced guitar tops, here's where the trade-off comes in: when something is made stiffer, its flexibility is reduced (and vice versa). V-Class bracing changes all that. With Taylor's V-Class bracing, an acoustic guitar top can be both stiff and flexible — for more volume and sustain. V-Class bracing provides stiffness parallel to the strings for more rigidity and hence sustain. Flexibility on either side generates the air movement necessary for robust projection - so it's the best of both worlds. This groundbreaking innovation also improves intonation, not only producing notes that are louder and with longer sustain — but more in tune with each other. V-Class bracing also boosts volume evenly across the tonal spectrum, increases sustain, and improves the natural intonation of the instrument by creating a more synergistic response from the soundboard. This fosters a more harmonious relationship between the notes you play, helping chords to ring out in cohesive splendor. Pick up a Taylor with V-Class bracing and experience it for yourself.

Body

  • Binding Edge Treatment : Rock Maple
  • Back Config : 2-piece No Wedge
  • Rosette Size : Single Ring
  • Back/Side Finish : Gloss 6.0
  • Stain/Sunburst : Antique Blond
  • Top Finish : Gloss
  • Rosette Material : Paua

Neck

  • Neck Width : 1-3/4"
  • Fretboard Binding/Edge Treatment : West African Crelicam Ebony
  • Type of Neck Joint : Scarf
  • Fretboard Wood : West African Crelicam Ebony
  • Heel Length : 3-1/2"
  • Fretboard Inlay : Mission
  • Heel Cap Binding : West African Crelicam Ebony
  • Neck/Heel : Hard Rock Maple
  • Neck Finish : Satin

Peghead

  • Peghead Finish : Gloss
  • Peghead Type : Standard
  • Headstock Overlay : West African Crelicam Ebony
  • Peghead Logo : Taylor Mother of Pearl
  • Peghead Binding : West African Crelicam Ebony
  • Peghead Inlay : Mission, Celluloid/Shell, Grained Ivoroid/Mother of Pearl

Other

  • Bridge Pins : West African Ebony with Green Abalone Dots
  • Edge Trim : Black/Koa/Ivoroid/Black
  • Scale Length : 25-1/2"
  • Bracing : V-Class Bracing
  • Pickguard : Dark Stained Maple
  • Tuners : Taylor Nickel
  • Strings : Phosphor Bronze Medium
  • Body Width : 16 3/4"
  • Nut & Saddle : Black Tusq Nut, Micarta Saddle
  • Truss Rod Cover : West African Crelicam Ebony
  • Number of Frets : 18
  • Case : Taylor Deluxe Hardshell-Western Floral
  • Body Length : 20 5/8"
  • Body Depth : 5"
Brand reference number: A603023011000060262

Testimony

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Excellent guitar! Power and precision, a certain versatility for a Jumbo... the arpeggios remain very respectable, even if it is in strumming that it will give its best. The sound is very defined, rich in details and it has an incredible sustain. I find this guitar highly qualitative, it is a very very beautiful instrument, with impeccable finishes and impressive playing comfort. Everything is quality, the finishes are ultra neat, everything is wood, no crappy plastic, only beauty at every level. And on top of that, the brand is ethical, both from an environmental and social point of view... I who had always been reluctant about Taylor, this guitar totally (and irrevocably?) changes my mind! Infinitely convinced, I can only recommend this incredible instrument to anyone looking for a Jumbo :)... (Show more)
Certified
Posted on 22/07/2024
By Grégoire C.

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