Taylor Acoustic Guitars Are Now at The Acoustic Shoppe

Taylor acoustic guitars are now at The Acoustic Shoppe, and we know what some of you are thinking: "Aren't you a bluegrass store? Why would you do that?" When we were growing up, you were either Taylor or you were traditional. If you joined a bluegrass jam with a Taylor, you might get told to leave. We talked through why we became Taylor dealers on our podcast, and this is the short version: we never hated Taylor, we've always admired what they do, and the timing is finally right for our players.

Why did The Acoustic Shoppe add Taylor acoustic guitars?

Because we already knew them. John sold Taylor guitars for years at a music store before The Acoustic Shoppe, and he played the late-'80s and early-'90s Taylor dreadnoughts, the 810, 710 and 510. We've known Bob Taylor for a long time, and we had a candid sit-down with him at Fretboard Summit two years ago, long before we were dealers. Everything came down to the right time and the right place.

Jump to: Bob Taylor and playability at 17:34 · the Gold Label story at 38:01 · the Dread-Not Guarantee at 56:36.

There's a business reason too, and we said it plainly on the podcast. No matter how many different guitars we bring in, we get called a bluegrass shop. Two of the markets that are hardest for us to reach, worship players and the acoustic rock and pop crowd, live in the Taylor world. One of our core values is building community around acoustic music, and we couldn't live up to that and leave Taylor to the side.

"It's so naive to think that there's only one guitar buyer and one use case for guitars."

What makes Taylor acoustic guitars different?

Playability first. The long-running knock on traditional guitars, the one Chris Martin repeated on our podcast, was that they were big, boomy and had action that was too high. Bob Taylor broke that mold better than any other brand. John's first real Taylor experience came as a young player, from a flatpicker friend who was working with Bob on new ideas. His advice was simple: "Feel this neck. It's something unique." When those guitars came out, electric players said it felt like playing a Tele, and a lot of them crossed over to acoustic because of it.

Here's what we pointed to on the podcast as Taylor's real contributions:

• Consistency. Taylor pioneered the automation that builds guitars in a replicable, accessible, consistent way, using CNC machines for the basic parts a person doesn't need to touch. For a shop that ships guitars across the country, a consistent build is a big deal.
• A neck you can adjust yourself. Taylor's newer neck system lets the player change the neck angle, not just the truss rod. If you travel from a dry climate to a humid one, one turn of a wrench gets it back.
• Pickups. Taylor took the feedback on its electronics and redid its pickup system on the newer guitars. A whole generation grew up hearing that plugged-in acoustic sound.
• Sustainability. Bob was on wood sourcing before most people paid attention: the urban wood project, and Taylor's own ebony and koa forestry.

That distinct design created two camps. The Gibson and Martin traditionalist doesn't love a Taylor because it is that different, and the Taylor player who is used to that feel and the built-in electronics tries a Martin or a Gibson and finds it isn't what they're looking for. We were part of that ourselves. What changed us was years of playing everything that came through the shop, and figuring out that these are different tools for different jobs.

Gold Label is where Taylor acoustic guitars meet our players

The late-'80s and early-'90s Taylor dreadnoughts were full and rich by themselves, with a bright top end nothing else had. Every bluegrass player John knew enjoyed them alone in a room. The problem came in a band. Put one in a bluegrass group under a heavy right hand, and it got drowned out. Taylor stepped back from that space and built the Grand Auditorium into its own market, the way the dreadnought is Martin's.

The Taylor Gold Label series is Taylor coming back toward vintage tone. Here's how we described the sequence:

1. The first Gold Labels were slope-shoulder dreadnoughts. To us they leaned Gibson, not Martin, and we're glad they weren't a Martin copy. For the first time, vintage nerds like us heard Taylor really speak to vintage tone.
2. The Legacy series brought back Taylor's X-brace sound, the fullness and richness John remembered from learning on those older Taylors.
3. The square-shoulder Gold Labels and the Trey Hensley 510e followed. People walked into the store for the first time asking if we had one of the new Trey Hensley models. Our Trey Hensley Gold Label 510e review covers that guitar in detail.
4. The Ben Harper deep-body concert size is the next one we're excited to show you.

Our Taylor Gold Label series guide compares five of the models side by side, and our Taylor Fretboard Summit 2026 recap covers what's new in the line this year.

Which Taylor acoustic guitars should you play first?

We stocked the line from the GS Mini up to the Builder's Edition. These are in stock as we write this, at our Shopify prices:

If bluegrass is your world, start with the Gold Label dreadnoughts and the Trey Hensley 510e. If you want the Grand Auditorium Taylor built its name on, play the 414ce and 814ce side by side. Stock moves fast, so the full Taylor guitars collection is always the current list.

Are Taylor acoustic guitars right for you?

We said this straight to the camera: not all of you are going to love these guitars, and we don't expect you to. We don't think Taylor builds the iconic bluegrass guitar. Martin's D-18 and D-28 are that. But Taylor builds a guitar that sure as heck should be in the conversation, and now we can line them up next to the Martins, Bourgeois, Eastmans and the rest and let you hear the difference for yourself.

If you lead worship, play acoustic rock and pop, or come over from electric, Taylor acoustic guitars are built around what you care about. If you're a die-hard traditionalist, come play one anyway. Comparison videos are coming, and the first question we want to answer is how a Taylor stands against a Martin. If you want our earlier take on that rivalry, read Martin vs Taylor: why Martin struggles when they innovate.

Related reading

• Taylor Builder's Edition 914ce: modern flagship tone

Buying Taylor acoustic guitars from The Acoustic Shoppe

Every guitar we ship goes through our 23-Point Professional Inspection first. Every Taylor over $1,000 is also covered by our Dread-Not Guarantee: a trade-in credit of up to 90% for a full year (pre-tax, less round-trip shipping), plus a 30-day in-home trial. If you're coming from the other camp, that's the point. You get a year to find out whether a Taylor fits the way you play, and if it doesn't, you trade it toward something that does.

Start with the full Taylor guitars collection, browse every guitar in stock, or check our Dread-Not Certified Used guitars for pre-owned Taylors. Financing through Synchrony is available too.

The Acoustic Shoppe is an Authorized Taylor Premier Dealer and Gold Label Advantage Dealer.