NAMM 2023 – Taylor Builder’s Edition 814ce

by one manApril 13, 2023April 13, 20230

Latest Builder’s Edition in their Flagship Size

Grand Auditorium with a Cutaway and Four-Piece Top

The latest edition in the Taylor Builder’s Edition series has elegant styling and ergonomic features like the beveled arm rest on the bass side of the lower bout, and a bevel built into the cutaway. The Builder’s Edition 914ce has 800 Series specs including an East Indian back has an attractive burst shading and no center seam, wood bindings and wood fiber purling, and a pearl sound hole rosette.

The soundboard on the Taylor Builder’s Edition 914ce made with four panels of Adirondack spruce. This seems to take a page from Chris Martin’s playbook of putting non-traditional woods or construction techniques on a showcase special edition guitar, as if to say, “Would we put this on such an important, expensive instrument if there was something wrong with it?” Mr.s Taylor and Martin are passionate about responsible management of natural resources and this new Builder’s Edition furthers that cause by showing how four-piece soundboards can look lovely and help create beautiful music.

More information at:

Taylor Builder’s Edition 814ce

Martin 000-16 StreetMaster Review

by one manOctober 9, 2022March 9, 20232

The 000-16 StreetMaster brings Adirondack spruce to the 16 Series

First use of VTS on an “affordable” Martin guitar

Specs of the 000-16 StreetMaster include: Auditorium 000 size; all-solid tonewoods including Indian rosewood back and sides, Adirondack spruce soundboard with Vintage Tone System torrefaction, and 5/16″ scalloped braces; short-scale High Performance neck with Modified Low Oval profile; Indian rosewood fingerboard with 1-3/4″ width at nut, 2-1/8th at 12th fret, short pattern Diamond and Squares position markers; Indian rosewood bridge with 2-5/32″ string spacing at the bone saddle; StreetMaster distressed satin finish; open gear Golden Age Relic tuning machines with cream buttons; soft shell case.

“The VTS Adirondack spruce helps make the 000-16 StreetMaster sound bright and expressive to the point of effervescent, yet it has a warm heart, thanks to the rosewood back and sides.”

Read the full review with video HERE

Bourgeois Guitars Winter NAMM Collection

by one manJanuary 24, 2021February 9, 20210

Dana Bourgeois and His Stunning Guitars

A Sampling of What 2021 Has to Offer

Keeping busy the best way he knows how, Dana Bourgeois and his small company of dedicated craftspeople are putting out some stunning one of a kind instruments. Here is a small sampling.

Click on Photos to Enlarge

Bourgeois Nova

Made with “Panama Red” rosewood and aged Adirondack spruce

Bourgeois D Nova full onemanz

Bourgeois D Nova Panama Rosewood b and s onemanz

Bourgeois OMS Style 42

Slothead 12-fretter in master grade koa

Visit Bourgeois Guitars to See Many More

* Update on Bourgeois – Eastman Joint Venture*

It has been over a year ago that Eastman announced a joint venture partnership with luthier Dana Bourgeois, (link to jan 2020 post) to create a line of guitars more affordable than the high-end boutique guitars made by Bourgeois in Lewiston, Maine. The global pandemic has disrupted the timing of that new business arrangement, just like everything else. But I do look forward to seeing one of those instruments eventually.

The arrangement will create guitars similar to Martin’s old Shenandoah Series, which had the guitar parts made in Asia, before being assembled and finished in Nazareth, PA. In this case, much of the woodworking is done in Maine, before the guitars are assembled and finished in China, and then given their final setup in the USA.

This isn’t the first time Bourgeois partnered with outsiders to make a play for wider market presence. But it resulted in him being unable to market guitars under his own name for some years.

This time, he retains greater control over the quality of the final product, while gaining a serious overseas presence, and offering a line of guitars considerably more affordable than the $4K – $10K guitars currently available from Bourgeois Guitars.

Dana Bourgeois “voicing” a new guitar

John Mayer NAMM Set 2021

by one manJanuary 22, 2021February 2, 20210

John Mayer plays Martin guitars with Engelmann spruce tops

Winter NAMM Mini Set for Martin’s Jam in Place Series

Here’s a decent opportunity to hear what Engelmann spruce sounds like after it has some time to mature and get played in. It is paired with East Indian rosewood on the OM-28JM, the original John Mayer signature model from 2002 (released January 2003,) and it can be heard matched with Guatemalan rosewood on his 2016 D-45JM later in the set. In between the two can be heard Sitka spruce, backed by cocobolo rosewood on the 12-fret 00-42SC Stagecoach model released on 2013.

Breedlove New and Different for 2021

by one manJanuary 21, 2021February 9, 20210

Breedlove 2021Guitars Debut

A breed apart, Breelove continues to impress

Saddened they could not do this in person, I am sure, Breedlove releases their 30th Anniversary model, the

30th Anniversary Northwest Classic Concert CE.

Handcrafted and hand voiced from clear-cut free, sustainable master grade Sitka spruce and highly figured Oregon myrtle, this versatile new Breedlove has figured walnut binding and myrtle appointments, this “Sound Optimized® Masterclass limited edition” is an acoustic-electric guitar has a maple neck, and a fingerboard and winged bridge made of ebony. LR Baggs Anthem electronics and a custom Ameritage case come standard with this anything but standard guitar.

New Breelove Premiere Series Instruments for Winter NAMM 2021

Made from East Indian rosewood and Sitka spruce, these high-end Breelove acoustic guitars are available in their three standardized sizes, the Concertina, Concert, and Concerto.

Jeff Bridges Charity Signature

jeff-bridges-signature-breedlove-acoustic-guitar color onemanz

Breedlove is now offering the new Jeff Bridges Oregon Concerto Bourbon CE signature model, made with Oregon myrtle and an LR Baggs Anthem TRU-Mic pickup system.

“Powerful and responsive like a dreadnought, tonally the acoustic electric Breedlove Jeff Bridges’ Signature Model emphasizes the unique qualities of myrtle, with a deep rosewood-like bass, the fundamental clarity of mahogany and the enchanting shimmer of koa… co-designed by Breedlove, Bridges and Jeff Bridges & The Abiders’ lead guitarist Chris Pelonis, is fitted with a signature gigbag and furnished with an inside label and certificate of authenticity signed by Jeff Bridges, who reminds us we are “All in this Together.”

The Breedlove Jeff Bridges signature “All in this Together” project benefits Amazon Conservation Team, which works in partnership with indigenous colleagues to protect rain forests and traditional culture.

Visit Breedlove Guitars

Taylor Guitars at Winter NAMM

by one manJanuary 20, 2021May 10, 20210

Optimistic Travel Guitars from Taylor for 2021

Two new Taylor models made in their recently-invented Grand Theater size

Taylor’s Grand Theater size sounds gigantic and yet it designed to create a more compact instrument with a 24.5” string scale and a 1-23/32” nut width, and body shape similar to their largest models, only smaller. These “travel guitars” come with a lightweight but protective Aerocase, and their asymmetrical C Class bracing, which is designed to increase bass response in guitar designs that need it.

Both instruments are larger than ukulele size guitars out there, while still satisfying those who want a petite instrument that is easily portable and and easy to play.

The GT K21e features all-koa construction, while the GT 811e features solid Indian rosewood back and sides and solid Sitka spruce top. Each model has the C Class bracing, ES2 pickup system, and an ebony fretboard and bridge, with wood from environmentally-friendly sustainable forests in Africa.

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The rosewood 811e has 800 Series appointments that include an abalone rosette, and the GT811e has burst edge finish to the koa top, a maple rosette and decorative vine fretboard art. Taylor-GT811e-frl-2020 onemanz

Taylor-GT811e-bkl-2020 onemanz

Visit Taylor Guitars

Other 2021 Acoustic Guitar News to Come…

Tag: rosewood