Taylor 717 Grand Pacific Builder’s Edition with V-Class Bracing – Wild Honey Burst Taylor

The Grand Pacific is a new Taylor shape (introduced in 2019) that delivers a new Taylor sound. Built on the innovative V-Class bracing platform, the Grand Pacific is a fully realized example of how body shapes and tonewoods can be sculpted to create distinct and highly desirable tonal palettes. The Builder’s Edition 717 Grand Pacific acoustic guitar, further showcases Taylor’s pursuits to create the most player-friendly guitars in both sound and feel: a compound carve neck profile, rolled fretboard edges, chamfered body edges, and new Curve Wing bridge shape. The Grand Pacific is a unique entry to the dreadnought category, possessing clear low-end power, tonal consistency and sweeping versatility. The Builder’s Edition 717 Grand Pacific acoustic guitar ships in a luxurious hardshell case with Western floral pattern, made by Taylor for optimal fit and protection.

Tonewood Pairing
V-Class bracing helps create an even clearer delineation between the tonal character of each wood. Sitka Spruce is the most prevalent guitar top wood of the modern era. It blends stiffness and elasticity in just the right proportions which translates into broad dynamic range with crisp articulation. The Sitka spruce top on this 717 Grand Pacific features a special seasoning process called “torrefaction”, a method of roasting the wood to produce an aged tonal character with greater acoustic resonance and responsiveness. Rosewood, as a general rule, imparts a sound that can be described as “wet” and lives near the other end of the spectrum from mahogany. Rosewood produces a unique harmonic complexity because it doesn’t damp or mute any of the string’s own harmonic content, and even adds some of its own. So every note played has a thick, rich, luxurious character. It almost feels as if there’s a little bit of reverb in it.

V-Class Bracing
Taylor’s V-Class bracing is a fundamental innovation in acoustic guitar design. It marks an important evolution beyond traditional X-bracing, introducing an entirely new platform for acoustic performance. It is essentially a “sonic engine” that optimizes the response of an acoustic guitar in three key ways: by boosting volume, sustain, and by largely resolving the intonation (in-tune-ness) issues that have long plagued acoustic guitars. V-Class bracing creates purer, more orderly notes that don’t cancel each other out or sound “off”. They have clearer, more consistent response, and the whole fretboard is brought into greater sonic alignment for a more musical playing/listening experience. Guitars with V-Class bracing are easier to tune; the pitch sounds purer and more solid, and electronic tuners can more easily locate notes for quick, precise tuning. Other benefits: harmonics ring more uniformly down the neck, notes are louder with more projection and sustain, and notes are more consistent, i.e., upper register notes don’t get choked out or swallowed. Fewer “sour” sonic qualities exist with chords; a more agreeable relationship is created between notes as they ripen, bloom and decay.

The Taylor Difference
What sets Taylor Guitars apart? Unmatched build quality, the most stable and playable necks, a vast array of tonal options, eco-conscious and ethically-sourced raw materials, and a lifetime of service and support.

Taylor 717 Grand Pacific Builder’s Edition Acoustic Guitar Features:

• Indian rosewood body, torrefied Sitka spruce top with V-Class Bracing; Silent Satin finish
• Wood binding; black sapele/maple single-ring rosette
• Compound Carve tropical mahogany neck with satin finish
• 15″-radius West African ebony fingerboard with 20 frets, mother-of-pearl Arrowhead inlays, and wood binding
• 5″ scale length
• West African ebony bridge, pins; Micarta saddle

Features

• New for 2019 exclusive round shoulder dreadnought created by Master Luthier Andy Powers
• V-Class bracing for better in-tuneness, sustain, projection
• Beveled body edges
• Mother-of-pearl peghead and fretboard inlays
• Special “Country Western” deluxe hardshell case

Specifications

Body

• Body type: Round Shoulder drednought
• Cutaway: No
• Top wood: Solid torrified Sitka spruce
• Back and sides: Solid Indian rosewood
• Bracing pattern: V-Class
• Body finish: Satin
• Orientation: Right handed

Neck

• Neck shape: Taylor Grand Pacific Compound Carve
• Nut width: 1.75″ (44.45 mm)
• Fingerboard: Genuine West African ebony
• Neck wood: Tropical mahogany
• Scale length: 25.5″
• Number of frets: 20
• Neck finish: Satin

Electronics

• Pickup/preamp: No

Other

• Headstock overlay: Genuine West African ebony
• Tuning machines: Nickel tuners with nickel buttons
• Bridge: Genuine West African ebony
• Saddle and nut: Micarta “wave”/Graphite nut
• Number of strings: 6
• Special features:
• Case: Taylor Deluxe hardshell “Country Western” case
• Accessories: None
• Country of origin: United States

Tech Specs

• String Type: Steel
• Number of Strings: 6
• Body Shape: Round Shoulder Dreadnought
• Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
• Color: Wild Honey Burst
• Finish: Satin
• Top Wood: Torrified Sitka Spruce
• Back & Sides Wood: Indian Rosewood
• Body Bracing: V-Class
• Binding: Sapele
• Neck Wood: Tropical Mahogany
• Neck Shape: Compound Carve
• Radius: 15″
• Fingerboard Material: West African Ebony
• Fingerboard Inlay: Mother-of-pearl Arrowheads
• Number of Frets: 20
• Scale Length: 5″
• Tuning Machines: Taylor Nickel
• Bridge Material: West African Ebony
• Nut/Saddle Material: Black Graphite/Micarta
• Nut Width: 75″
• Strings: Elixir Phosphor Bronze Medium
• Case Included: Hardshell Case