Taylor T5-S

I use my Taylor t5 for; direct recording; through a Bose T1 PA with Behringer zenyx 1622 mixer or through my Fender Rumble bass amp (don't laugh, it really has a nice warm sound).
I love Taylor guitars and this one is a very nice, well made guitar that is easy to play and takes on the characteristics of whatever its plugged into.
I like the light action of the neck on Taylor guitars and I like the slightly bright sound they tend to have. I had a Gretsch Tennessee Rose that a I sold to get this and I don't regret it.
Taylor really tries to focus on the versatility of this guitar. I don't find this guitar be quite as versatile as the manufacturer boasted but, it is a nice guitar that sits perfectly between an electric guitar and acoustic guitar. I like the neck and ability to set the action really low without buzzing strings. This guitar exceeds in playability. It can be set to a very light, electric touch or a bit higher for the acoustic feel. The neck on this has a slightly more acoustic feel to it then electric, though not by much.
I use this for recording and it has a very nice warm, mellow, electric/acoustic guitar sound. It does bridge the electric-acoustic thing using it directy into DAW or standalone recorder, more so than any other guitar I've used.
Taylor really pumped this guitar up as the perfect cross over. I watched the demos, YouTube ads and what I didnt find out about this guitar is that different amplifiers and effects are used to get the versatile sounds of acoustic vs electric that you see/hear on the Taylor website and ads. (Going to the Taylor website to check on specs I see they have changed the description to reflect this. Not so when I bought it.)
I bought this guitar expecting to change the sound with the flip of a switch. That is not an accurate description. This guitar reflects the sound properties of whatever you have it plugged into. The different pickups do not give you an acoustic sound using the piezo/body sensor pickups then an electric sound using the humbucker pickups BUT, they do take on the true sound of what ever amp/PA it is plugged into. I use it through my PA system (Bose T1, Behringer zenyx 1622) and the differences in pickups are not very obvious. I tend to lean towards acoustic guitars and this fits my venue and equipment very well.
After seeing Marc Seal demo a BOSS GT-100 with this guitar I bought one (another review I will do) and the BOSS GT100 really does change the sound quite a bit.
I've used the T5 through a Fishman Loudbox and it sounds very acoustic not electric. I've used it through a Fender Reverb and it is very electric, not acoustic. On my Bose T1 the sound is slightly more electric than acoustic but a very nice, ringing, acoustic/electric flavor that fits well with the soft rock/country that I do.
The sound of this guitar is dramatically changed, ACCORDNG to what it's plugged into.
I love the Ebony fretboard. I play acoustic guitar and this is a good cross-over for me.
Very well made, high quality, beautiful guitar with a nice blend of pickups made obvious with different amp setups. This guitar is a joy to play, very easy to play and it sits well and is comfortable while playing. The quality and craftsmanship of this instrument and materials used to build it are very apparent with both the sound and ease of playing.
I would buy this again and I would recommend it to anyone looking at cross over guitfars. This is one of the best.

Mine has spruce top, not maple!

But I chose the most similar category!

USE

I use it live as part of an acoustic duo!

SOUND

It's the best compromise for live gigs!

OVERALL OPINION



My main guitar is/was a 612C and I also have a Baby Taylor, which I take with me on the road or for weekends to play around the fire. I bought this one together with my singer to perform as an acoustic duo (http://www.myspace.com/nathanzia).

The first pictures right out of the box:

We had had a lot of issues trying to have our music rightly amplified onstage and the results varied a lot from venue to venue, depending on the sound system and the engineer in charge.

Now I don't have any issues capturing the sound of my acoustic guitar. And it stays at home! I use the T5 onstage and don't have to make any compromises. I use an L.R. BAGGS DI to go directly into the PA and the sound is awesome, ranging from a really electric sound to a jazzy or hybrid one — an interesting option to explore — depending on the chosen setup!

It's incredible from a comfort point of view! The neck is better than that of my 612C and even my Strat! And it's easier to play fast passages with it than with an acoustic guitar. It comes with ELIXIR electric strings, which makes it more versatile and allows you to play the solo on The Wall with an acoustic sound, for instance! A W E S O M E !

In terms of feeling, it's somewhere between an acoustic and a semi-hollow body. The guitar is lighter than my 612C and doesn't require as much concentration to play!

Unplugged, it sounds comfortable and velvety, allowing you to play late at night without disturbing the neighbors!

It's a truly new guitar! I'm under the impression of finally having found THE SOLUTION to playing acoustic-electric LIVE.

P.S.: It was a real pain to get it in this color for a good price (it would go up to 400 euros in some stores!). We finally ordered it from a French store, which had a better price than the German and English stores.
It's truly a new guitar to explore and it will certainly provide many years of delight!
Just what I needed!

Here are some excerpts from the DVD that comes with it, to give you an idea.

Signed: A happy duo that can finally concentrate on making music, bringing out an album and playing live gigs.