Academy Series 12e-N

first play
19
NOVEMBER 2017 GuitaRist
TAYLOR ACADEMY 12E-N & LA PATRIE ARENA CW Q1T
with more tapered shoulders it feels less bulky
and more steel-string-like.
Both necks follow the classical protocol of
joining the body at the 12th fret. This does
limit high fret access compared to a 14-fret,
especially on the non-cut Taylor, which also
has its strap button on the heel with a sharp
boatlike bow that affects the upper fret feel.
The thicker but lower tension strings are
high off the ’board compared to a steel string
too. The Taylor is set a shade under 3mm on
the trebles and bang on 3mm on the bass side.
The Godin goes higher, approx. 3.5mm on the
treble side and 4mm on the bass. Along with
thicker diameter treble strings these subtleties
all add up to a tougher feel on the La Patrie.
Playing acoustically the thinner bodied La
Patrie holds its own. Yes, there’s a little more
low-end colour and a slightly crisper high
end on the Taylor compared to the La Patrie’s
more fundamental character with slightly less
attack to the high end. The Taylor’s voice is
more classical with a more open midrange; hit
hard it has an almost flamenco-like character
yet played in a more relaxed Latin-style its
voicing allows clear representation of the often
complex jazzier chords of that genre. A hard
pick attack seems to work best for the strong
more fundamental voice of the La Patrie; in
contrast the Taylor offers a little more snap.
4
1. The Taylor’s petite body
size, slightly cambered
neck and position
markers move it away
from the traditional
classical design
2. Typically for a
‘crossover’ style nylon
string the nut width is
smaller than a concert
classical guitar. That
said, the string spacing
maximises the width and
is virtually identical to
the string spacing of the
La Patrie which comes
with a wider neck
3. An armrest on a guitar
at this price is a bit
unusual, but it certainly
adds some comfort for
your right forearm when
playing the Taylor
4. The elegant soundhole
of the La Patrie is
overhung by the
fretboard, which
may make fi tting a
feedback-suppressing
bung diffi cult. The
thinline body is superbly
comfortable though
Video demo http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT426.rev_taylor.indd 19 05/10/2017 14:18