Taylor GS-Ke-12-L Koa/Spruce Grand Symphony 12 String Left-Handed Acoustic-Electric Guitar

The Taylor 2012 GS-Ke-12-L Koa/Spruce Grand Symphony 12 String Left-Handed Acoustic-Electric Guitar features Hawaiian koa, a wood whose captivating beauty is matched by a tone that blossoms over time, especially in the midrange. Its voice is bright and focused, with warm overtones that slowly emerge, adding sweetness and depth. Premium all-wood appointments, led by the Tropical Vine fretboard inlay, celebrate the wood’s natural appeal.

Grand Symphony (GS)
Body Length: 20" / Body Width: 16 1/4" / Body Depth: 4 5/8"
The ultimate Taylor strummer.

The Grand Symphony shape joined the line in 2006 and delivers Taylor’s boldest, richest acoustic voice. Think of it as a Grand Auditorium with a turbo boost, thanks to expanded physical dimensions, including a slightly wider waist and a bigger lower bout. Strummers and pickers with a driving attack will love the fullness, volume and sustain. Yet for such a robust voice, the GS is also clear and responsive to fast picking runs or a light fingerstyle touch, so if you’re a dynamic player, this shape is a true contender. And the big voice doesn’t come at the expense of balance. The piano-like bass, meaty midrange, and thick, shimmering highs blend seamlessly. These traits also make the GS a great vehicle for 12-Strings. If you like a lush, potent guitar tone that has the horsepower to compete with other acoustic cannons out there, the GS shape is a worthy choice.

Hawaiian Koa
Origin: The Big Island of Hawaii

A tropical hardwood, koa's tone blends the midrange of mahogany with the top end of maple. Due to its density, a new koa guitar tends to start out sounding a little bright and tight, somewhat like maple. But the more a koa guitar is played, the more the sound opens up, expanding the midrange and rewarding the player with a richer, sweeter, more resonant tone. A common mistake is when a bright player buys a koa guitar in part for its visual beauty, finds it to be too bright, and doesn't play it enough to allow the wood to warm up.

Goes Well With: Fingerstylists who play more with the pads of their fingers and tend to have a meatier touch. Bright players need to be careful because of koa's existing brightness (one might try experimenting with different pick materials).

The Expression System
A high-performance preamp incorporates discrete circuitry and is voiced to shape tone without adding noise. Three tone knobs make it easy to control the volume, bass and treble, while a switch on the preamp circuit board turns off the body sensor, allowing for voicing flexibility. Proprietary magnetic body and neck sensors work like a microphone to produce a clean, clear signal without feedback.