Photo courtesy of Taylor Guitars. Scalloping the bracing is a method often used to strategically lighten the braces just enough. The Taylor has similar volume and sustain which tells me that V-bracing has accomplished its primary goals. The new guitar is magnitudes better than the previous guitar, and that is no small feat! Because of the uniformity of the notes, the tone will amplify well. But most players are going to become addicted to the unplugged virtues of the 914ce. Yes, Mr.Powers' sales schtick does tend to raise eyebrows. There are no hot spots to contend with. The Taylor V-brace, like an x-braced guitar, is designed to take the rotational force on the bridge as the strings are mounted with pins under the bridge. In truth those chords were often just out of tune, but on a V-class guitar, warble is replaced with stunning sustain and overtones that respond in a linear fashion to the note creating a ring like a seven foot grand piano. V-Class bracing changes that. Taylor Guitars Builder's Edition 912ce Grand Concert with V-Class Bracing V-Class bracing is a natural partner with Indian rosewood, helping that wood's naturally textured overtones to bloom and resonate with greater sustain while adding overall volume and musicality. It surprises me that the intonation would be so greatly improved over something that seems (to me) unrelated to what's in play for intonation. "The more we learn, the less we know.". Other patterns may achieve other goals, but V-Class bracing is the only design that resolves the tension between sustain and volume while also improving a guitars intonation. Its great on the grand pacifics, cant say anything about the others as I was never a Taylor fan until the grand pacifics. R. Filomeno Coelho. The new V-Class sound is matched by ergonomic body contours that make this the most player-friendly guitar weve ever built. You typically dont press the low strings harder than top ones; you only press a string down until its clear. Some also resulted in a radical redesign of the acoustic guitar, changing the established shape to accommodate the bracing, for better or worse. Moving through various prototype Andy Powers developed the V-class bracing pattern. Furthermore, Taylor Builders Edition K14ce comes with a body cutaway which is Grand Auditorium shape, V-class bracing with torrefied Sitka spruce top, koa back and sides, West African ebony binding with fiber/koa/paua inlay, top, back, and rosette. The 714ce is the epitome of Taylor and is known for its clear, articulate voice with generous but rarely boomy lows, crisp contemporary highs and a Its a high-quality instrument. Each guitar bracing pattern will have a different set of characteristics and is designed to achieve a different result. Still curious about Taylor's new V-Class Bracing? Average Electric Bill In Burbank, Ca, The 314e sounded much better over the first year of opening up the wood. With an X-braced guitar top, increasing one comes at the expense of the other. (Watch him talk about it here. This all mahogany beauty delivers the warmth, projection and volume one would expect from Taylor. Developed by master guitar designer Andy Powers, it marks a bold departure from traditional X-bracing, producing notes that are louder, longer sustaining, and more in tune with each other. X-Bracing V-Bracing X-Class Bracing Strummed with a pick, it produces a huge voice that would be especially suited to solo performers. Amazing sonic possibilities, and intonation like you've never heard are what brings your tone to the V-Class! No matter where you play on the neck, the notes ring out clearly without any variation of timbre or volume. When a guitar string is plucked the vibration of that string produces a note that will ring out and decay. Now an acoustic guitar top can be both stiff and flexible in ways that produce more volume and sustain. To me, the 700 series are Taylors best sounding linecan handle strumming and finger picking extremely well. V-class bracing on an acoustic guitar helps to improve sustain, intonation and increase the volume compared to X-class bracing. For this reason, builders have always tried to strike a balance between how rigid the top is, too support the tension of the strings, and how much it is allowed to move. Our patented V-Class bracing is a revolutionary new pattern a new sonic engine that marks a major shift away from traditional steel-string bracing patterns. Subscribe now for emails with guitar giveaways and prizes, cool deals, guitar news and more from Taylor Guitars! The V bracing also improves intonation. It's clear that the way V-Class bracing operates is very different. It would be tempting to judge this Grand Pacific model on the difference that V-Class bracing has brought to the party, but it would be wrong to do so. Builders will often attempt to compensate for these tuning idiosyncrasies with changes to the nut or saddle to help resolve the dissonance or warble from an out of tune chord. The new bracing profile is the result of Andy Power's question to create more sustain and greater volume, two fundamentals that are at odds with one another when it comes to an acoustic guitar. No. To my ears, v-class instruments are more balanced and musical at all points on the neck. Flexibility equals The V-Class bracing was first introduced on some of Taylors higher-end models, like the 914ce, K24ce and the new Builders Edition K14ce. I have a 317 with no frills and it's really quite amazing. They didn't treat him quite as if he'd rolled out a square wheel. I both sampled a V-Class guitar for a month and discussed the innovation with Taylor. Perhaps the most noticeable attribute of the new guitars is the increase in sustain and overall responsiveness. They have multiple locations which is nice one in Taylor and one is South Austin." Powers also had to contend with his own "Eureka!" The results were quickly successful, but also intimidating. V-Class bracing is the product of Taylors tradition of ingenuity, a new development that breaks away from the traditional X-bracing pattern to change the way the acoustic guitar sounds. The Taylor V-brace, like an x-braced guitar, is designed to take the rotational force on the bridge as the strings are mounted with pins under the bridge. I recommend taking a look around the countryside and seeing what others are doing, said Taylor. It was inspired by patterns used by classical guitar builders. All my buddies play Martin, Santa Cruz & Collings. You dont have to press hard for sustain or vibrato. The scale of the guitar, accuracy of the fretwork and changes made to these design aspects to improve intonation are the most common discussions. JavaScript is disabled. The 414ce-R V-class bracing is a fully capable instrument. You must log in or register to reply here. X-bracing results in a warmer and fuller tone with more bass and mid-range frequency emphasis whilst V-braced guitars sound thinner but brighter with clearer note separation. A New Platform to Solve an Age-Old Problem. Built with fig Taylor Guitar NT Neck differs from other guitar necks by using one continuous piece of wood all the way to the 19th fret to support the standard ebony fingerboard.. Martin HD-28 Review. We have an inherent need to tell stories and make music. Consequently, the left and right sides of the top resonate in a less chaotic fashion than the traditional X brace. I had my family help me downselect based on tone. Some guitarists will even adjust strings slightly for the chord they are playing in a particular key; compromising in one area to fix another. Taylor's flagship Grand Auditorium now boasts even more sonic delights with the addition of our groundbreaking V-Class bracing architecture. These guitars produce some impressive sound at the lightest touch and yet they can be played aggressively without breaking up. How is v bracing a new idea? Bracing. Registered Member. The 914ce I checked out has a Sitka Spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides, and a West African ebony fretboard. They have a pretty flexible build to order program (Im not sure what the current name is). The details are glorious, with a graphite nut, Micarta saddle, very solid Gotoh 510 tuners in a sort of mellow brass, and the onboard Expression amp system, complete with a jack in the strap button. Saves a lot of wear and tear on my hands. If you want a Les Paul or an SG, which one? If you look at an X-braced top compared to Taylors V-braced top, one of the things you notice is how the upper portion of the V borders the right and left (bass and treble) sides of the soundhole, after going underneath the larger horizontal brace just below the soundhole. An octave and fifth will often be in tune up and down the neck but the third of the chord is usually a bit off. It has all the time-honored Martin tones of a dreadnought we have grown to love. Several years of development followed, during which Powers would concoct a design, test it, figure out if something was a fluke, and then get control of a feature so that it could be replicated. I can dig in with a pick and its volume is comparable to a dreadnought, yet it has the sensitivity to allow finger-style playing. That rigidity keeps the strings in motion, producing notes that resonate longer before fading out. Year: 2019 - 2023. We're constantly dealing with problems that result when a guitar's soundboard just can't withstand the strain of a set of steel strings pulling on the bridge (a set of light gauge strings exerts over 150 lbs of "pull" on a pin bridge). Because those waves have the strength of multiples, they can travel farther.. Refined sonic and aesthetic details abound on Taylors rosewood/spruce 900 Series, whose tone receives a major upgrade from newly added V-Class bracing. / ACTUAL PRICES ARE SET BY GLOBAL DEALERS. Previously, I found them very one dimensional and cardboardy is the best way to describe it. The V-bracing to my ears adds volume, a chestier middle, sustain and sensitivity. one with X bracing and one with V bracing. Taylor Reimagines Acoustic Guitar Construction with New V-Class Bracing Concept. As the top moves, vibrations travel through it and the body of the guitar and produce sound waves. Then, while observing the ocean Andy Powers had an epiphany. Picked up this baby for $1999 on Reverb. The amplified sound is consistent up the neck. The improved intonation afforded to players by V-Class bracing is not related to altered scale length, fret spacing, or compensation to create a different tuning temperament. Then I made a mistake and played a 717e Grand Pacific. Andy Powers explains why: Each note has a clearer identity and the notes have more harmonic coherence. The Builders Edition 614ce is all of that plus the sound of the V bracing. So the way the V class is braced, it "should" limit the top moving due to humidity, giving you a guitar with better intonation. With a design that brings the guitars strings in tune with the top and body, V-Class bracing also puts the guitar in tune with the surrounding musical landscape. Stay up to date with what you want to know. V-Class guitar bracing controls the tops flexibility, creating a more orderly rocking motion across both sides of the top. 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