https://photos.app.goo.gl/nD437KjWwvL1zU6j8
I recently acquired this 2011 Taylor GS-6 from a private seller in Idaho who rarely played it. The guitar is in mint or near-new condition. The build specs are shown among the linked photographs.
It has a beautiful sitka spruce top with abundant siking found throughout. The back and sides of the GS model are comprised of highly figured (in this case, flamed) maple. The flames, or “tiger stripes”, are relatively wide and well defined and the two piece back is bookmatched perfectly, making for an extremely elegant looking guitar.
While not as common as rosewood or mahogany, maple is considered to be an exceptional tone-wood. Though, as a general rule, it is a bit brighter sounding with “janglier” highs and lows (bass notes) having less depth. However, these are general rules governing the dozens of different tone-woods which can be used in the construction of an acoustic guitar. Like the various species of rosewood (cocobolo, Indian, the famed Brazilian, et al) woods that have a stiffer, denser composition tend to yield more cross-sectional strength per sample weight and this is what tends to make a guitar with a wider tonal spectrum with high highs and low lows. Maple is known for its broad and flavorful midrange. But the tonal characteristics of a given guitar are more complicated than when looking from a “materials only” perspective. Internal bracing technique, the overall size and shape of the guitar, and even the type of finish used are all contributors to the tone of any specific guitar. When ordering a custom build, many players choose old-fashioned hide glue over a more modern adhesive type.
I had never even played a maple back and sides guitar but have had it as “an itch to scratch” for many years. I had read what few reviews and listened to as many video clips as I could find on the GS-6 and determined that this make and model (a rather large guitar) wasn’t thought of as too bright. Different from what I was accustomed to, yes, but in only the best of ways. I probably have twenty hours of play time on the guitar and could not be more pleased with the tone or the playability. I can see it as having a place in my collection for many years to come. In terms of raw sex appeal, the GS-6 is one drop-dead-gorgeous guitar, the kind of guitar that says “pick me up” every time you walk by!
For more photos of the newest addition to my collection, click on the link inserted at the beginning. Located at Lonesome Dove, Texas, on the escarpment leading up to Texas’s famed Hill Country and the world renowned mecca for roots, blues, folk, country, and blues-blues rock music, Austin.
