Taylor Gold Label

Gold Label starts from a different bracing decision than the rest of Taylor's line, and that choice defines everything else about how these guitars behave. Instead of the parallel V-Class struts found on Taylor's 200 through 900 Series guitars, Gold Label uses a fanned V-Class pattern paired with a tonal rout carved into the underside of the top, a combination built specifically to loosen up the fundamental and let the top move more freely at lower playing volumes.

Two Taylor Gold Label guitars leaning against a wood plank wall

Paired with a lineup built almost entirely around mahogany and rosewood back and sides instead of Taylor's more common sapele and koa pairings, the result is a voice that leans toward the warmer, more vintage-adjacent end of the Taylor catalog: rounder attack, quicker note decay, and a compression that responds to a lighter touch than the brighter, headroom-forward V-Class guitars that built Taylor's modern reputation.

2 products

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Taylor Trey Hensley Gold Label 510e Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric #6028

$2,999.00

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Taylor Gold Label 710e #6056 — actual unit

Taylor Gold Label 710e Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Natural #6056

$2,999.00

That distinction plays out across five different body shapes in the Gold Label line, and each one earns its place. The Gold Label 514e uses a Super Auditorium body, a slightly narrower waist and deeper chamber than a standard Grand Auditorium, paired with a Sitka spruce top over neo-tropical mahogany back and sides for a focused midrange with real low-end weight behind it. The Gold Label 710e and the Trey Hensley Gold Label 510e both sit on a Deep Body Dreadnought, where the added depth under the lower bout pushes more air and stretches out the dreadnought's traditional low-end punch into longer sustain. The Gold Label 717e moves to a Grand Pacific deep body, Taylor's round-shouldered dreadnought silhouette, matched with Indian rosewood for a fuller, more complex overtone series stacked under the fundamental. The Ben Harper Gold Label 512e runs the smallest footprint in the group, a deep-body Grand Concert that trades low-end mass for immediacy and articulation, a shape built for a player who works close to a microphone.

The two artist models carry that tonal philosophy into specific playing styles. The Ben Harper 512e pairs its Grand Concert deep body with mahogany back and sides for a woody, compressed voice built for fingerstyle phrasing and vocal accompaniment, finished in Harper's own Shaded Edge Burst that's unique to this model. The Trey Hensley 510e takes the opposite approach: a Deep Body Dreadnought in mahogany, voiced for the flatpicking attack and stage volume Hensley's bluegrass and roots playing demands, finished in Antique Blonde. Electronics vary by model rather than following one standard: the 514e, 710e, and 717e all carry an L.R. Baggs Element VTC pickup system, the Trey Hensley 510e ships with an LR Baggs Anthem SL Tru-Mic system, and the Ben Harper 512e uses Taylor's new Claria Acoustic Pickup System. All five models still share the same 1-3/4-inch nut width, so the whole series keeps a consistent, wider-string-spacing feel no matter which body shape or pickup system you land on.

Every Gold Label model that leaves The Acoustic Shoppe ships under the Dread-Not Guarantee — a 30-day in-home trial and a full year to trade it in for 90% of your purchase price toward anything else in the store, an advantage no other Taylor dealer in the country offers. It's backed by our 23-Point Professional Inspection and a free humidity monitoring kit to help the mahogany and rosewood bodies in this line stay stable. Gold Label buyers also qualify for Taylor's promotional financing plans through Synchrony, programs available exclusively through Taylor's authorized dealer network, including The Acoustic Shoppe as a Premier Dealer.

Browse the full Taylor lineup in our Taylor Guitars collection, or go straight to a specific model: the Trey Hensley Gold Label 510e, the Ben Harper Gold Label 512e, the Gold Label 514e, the Gold Label 710e, and the Gold Label 717e.

The Acoustic Shoppe is an Authorized Taylor Premier Dealer and Gold Label Advantage Dealer. Every instrument ships after a full 23-point professional inspection by our in-house repair tech. As a nine-time consecutive NAMM Top 100 Dealer, we handle warranty concerns directly on your behalf.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Gold Label different from Taylor's standard V-Class guitars?

Standard V-Class models (Taylor's 200 through 900 Series) use a parallel V-Class bracing pattern built for headroom and projection. Gold Label switches to a fanned V-Class pattern combined with a tonal rout carved into the underside of the top, a change that loosens up the fundamental and lets the top respond at lower playing volumes. Combined with a lineup built mostly around mahogany and rosewood instead of sapele and koa, Gold Label lands on a warmer, more vintage-adjacent voice than the rest of the V-Class catalog.

Which Gold Label body shape is right for me?

It depends on how you play. The Gold Label 514e uses a Super Auditorium body for a focused midrange with real low-end weight. The Gold Label 710e and Trey Hensley 510e sit on a Deep Body Dreadnought, built for players who want more air and longer sustain out of a traditional dreadnought punch. The Gold Label 717e uses a Grand Pacific deep body for a fuller, more complex overtone series. The Ben Harper 512e runs the smallest footprint, a deep-body Grand Concert built for fingerstyle players working close to a microphone.

Are the Ben Harper and Trey Hensley models different from the standard Gold Label guitars?

Yes. The Ben Harper 512e pairs a Grand Concert deep body with mahogany back and sides for a woody, compressed voice suited to fingerstyle phrasing and vocal accompaniment, finished in a Shaded Edge Burst unique to the model, and ships with Taylor's new Claria Acoustic Pickup System rather than Expression System 2. The Trey Hensley 510e is voiced in the opposite direction: a Deep Body Dreadnought in mahogany built for flatpicking attack and stage volume, finished in Antique Blonde, and equipped with an LR Baggs Anthem SL Tru-Mic system instead of Expression System 2. Both still carry the same fanned V-Class bracing and 1-3/4-inch nut width as the standard 514e, 710e, and 717e — only the electronics differ on these two signature builds.

Does Gold Label qualify for special financing?

Gold Label guitars purchased through The Acoustic Shoppe may qualify for Taylor's promotional financing plans through Synchrony, offered exclusively through Taylor's authorized dealer network. As a Taylor Premier Dealer, we can walk you through which plan applies to a specific Gold Label model — reach out to our team before you check out to confirm current terms.

What tonewoods does Taylor use across the Gold Label line?

Gold Label breaks from Taylor's more common sapele and koa pairings in favor of mahogany and rosewood back and sides across nearly the whole line, paired with Sitka spruce tops. That wood pairing is a deliberate part of the Gold Label voice — it's what pushes the tone toward a rounder attack and quicker note decay than Taylor's brighter, headroom-forward V-Class guitars.

Four people sit around a wooden table with microphones, laughing and talking in a cozy, rustic studio. Musical instruments and vintage decor are visible in the background, including a large sign that reads TAS.