The new 700 Series from Taylor is evidence of Taylor’s ongoing commitment to sustainable woods.
Taylor has always been a forward-looking company, and in recent years, has invested in finding sustainable sources of existing tonewood, as well as to identify new types of wood that can be used for guitars. The new Taylor 724ce, part of Taylor’s refreshed 700 Series, is a result of these efforts. Though Taylor has been using Koa on their Koa Series guitars for years, the Koa on the new 700 Series is different. Read on for more info on the new-look Taylor Koa, and our review of the Taylor 724ce.
A New Kind of Koa
Allow me to clarify straight away: The difference in the 700 Series Koa isn’t the wood itself—it’s the same species as what is used in Taylor’s renowned Koa Series, which sits at the top tier of Taylor’s production guitars. The Koa used in these new 700 Series designs is the result of a Taylor’s partnership with Pacific Rim Tonewoods, in a venture named Siglo.
In doing so, Taylor has demonstrated how instrument makers can partner with landowners and timber companies for mutual benefit. Long story short, the agreement allowed Siglo to harvest a select number of trees from an already compromised forest area, in return for investments in forest improvement projects in Hawaii, where Koa is harvested.
An Inspiration
Taylor found that this agreement allowed them to harvest more Koa logs than usual, and really get to know the wood firsthand. In contrast to the highly figured Koa that most timber sawyers would sell to them, they found a large amount of Koa that was less figured, but still very good tonewood. And, the wood tended to have beautiful natural variation in color and grain that wasn’t often seen on guitar-quality Koa.
This new Koa inspired Andy Powers, Chief Guitar Designer at Taylor, to depart from the Koa Series design, modifying the voicing, finish, and other aspects of the new 700 series. The result is a win for guitar players, and Koa trees.
724ce Design Highlights
One of the most notable aspects of the Taylor 724ce is that it is constructed entirely of Koa. Since Koa is a hardwood, an all Koa guitar will sound different from a Koa guitar built with a Spruce top. Hardwood tops, in contrast with a softwood top like Spruce, have a more direct sound that is evident in the 724ce.
The Taylor 700 series includes three body shapes: 724ce (Grand Auditorium), 722ce (Grand Concert), and 700 Builder’s Edition. The 724ce includes the following notable design features:
- Thinner, ultra-thin matte finish
- Different back bracing for V-Class
- Back thicknesses are slightly different
Body
The 724ce is Taylor’s versatile, “do it all” Grand Auditorium body shape, with a Venetian cutaway. The body wood of the 724ce is long grained, displaying attractive stripes and streaking, ranging from dark chocolate browns to lighter sapwood.
Aside from the body wood itself, the most noticeable feature of the 724ce’s design is the ultra-thin matte finish. Taylor is known to be a proponent of thin finishes, but they assure us that the finish on the new 700 Series is among the thinnest they’ve ever used. Taylor feels that the super thin finish compliments the design aesthetic of the 700 Series.
Additionally, they believe it results in a guitar that will “play in” at a faster rate than usual. I have no doubt that this decision was made in part because of the nature of Koa’s tone. Koa can start off bright, but develops more midrange openness and sweetness as it ages. It makes sense that Taylor would seek to speed up this improvement process.
Top Wood and Bracing
The 724ce boasts a beautiful Koa top. Taylor calls the Koa on the new 700 Series “Select Grade”, and it certainly is. Although it isn’t typically the highly figured Koa seen on the more expensive Koa Series guitars, the natural beauty of this more varied, charismatic Koa is arguably more visually interesting. Taylor carefully selects for grain length and density when choosing Koa wood for the 700 Series. And, the Koa you see on the 724ce is the result of the natural beauty of the wood, as no additional color stain is used.
The 724ce features Taylor’s innovative V-Class bracing system, which enhances the volume and sustain of the guitar. V-Class also lends a consonant sound to Taylor’s guitars, and many feel that V-Class results in superior intonation.
The single ring rosette is constructed of Wood and Shell: Indian Rosewood and Paua Field. The pickguard is made of dark-stained maple.
Neck
The neck shape is a standard Taylor profile, which is comfortable and familiar for most guitarists. The best way to describe the Taylor neck shape is that it is slim, but still substantial enough where you don’t feel you are playing an overly thin neck. The fretwork was excellent.
Fretboard
The West African Crelicam Ebony fretboard is beautiful, and has a 15 inch radius. The scale length is 25 ½ inches with a nut width of 1 ¾” inches. Our test guitar’s fretboard was a rich, dark brown, and didn’t have the lighter streaks of color that Taylor has made popular with their Ebony Project. I like both types of Ebony—solid and streaked—and I suspect that a fretboard that includes lighter streaking would match well with Koa’s grain patterns and colors. I’ll be interested to see if Taylor starts using streaked Koa on the 700 Series in the future.
Hardware & Electronics
The 724ce is equipped with The Taylor Expression System® 2 (ES2), Taylor’s patented behind-the-saddle pickup. This system’s innovative design is known for its more natural rendition of a guitar’s tone than traditional piezo pickups.
The 724ce hardware includes polished bronze tuning machines that match particularly well with Koa’s natural colors.
Playability
Taylor guitars are always very playable, and the 724ce’s Mahogany neck is no exception. I have developed a liking for chunkier necks as of late, but I still love Taylor’s neck design. It’s a slim design that still feels substantial in your hand.
The finish on the neck is a smooth matte, like the body. It was fast and smooth, as is typical of satin finishes.
Sounds
In an interview with CEO Andy Powers, he calls the 724ce “player reflective”, and “organic.”
My first thought when playing the 724ce was that it doesn’t sound like a typical Spruce-topped guitar (because, of course, it’s not!). The Koa top resulted in a different type of response, as do all hardwood tops when compared to Spruce. For one, it was pleasingly direct, and focused.
The Grand Auditorium body shape is Taylor’s most versatile body design, creating a balanced sound that can be both powerful and nuanced, depending on how you play it. True to form, I enjoyed how the 724ce responded to strumming: it was vibrant and organic, with an airy quality.
Bass Response
The bass was clear, with good note definition and volume. No muddy tones here!
Midrange
The midrange sound was lively, and I could hear the sweetness that fans of Koa guitars are always talking about. The pick attack was softer than a Spruce-topped guitar, and there was a silky delicacy to the tone when I played single notes gently. Fingerstyle lines popped with juiciness. When picking single-notes more aggressively, there’s a pleasing, warm, “plumminess” to the notes, especially in the midrange.
Treble
As for the treble response, Taylor warns that many players find Koa guitars to be bright, and don’t “…play it enough to allow the wood to develop its resonant tone.” This may be part of the reason that Taylor elected to accelerate that process with an ultra-thin finish.
Yet, this wasn’t my experience with the 724ce. In fact, I didn’t find it particularly bright at all. Perhaps the finish has something to do with this? It’s not that the treble response wasn’t there; it was, but to my ears, it was a warm brightness. The attack was softer, with a natural compression, and single notes had a mellow roundness. Of course, I have no doubt that the 724ce will “play in”, but it’s good to know that even if it didn’t, the tone is still plenty warm.
Comparison with the Taylor K24ce Koa Series Guitar
The question many players will ask is how the 724ce compares to other Taylor Koa guitars, such the Taylor GS Mini Koa, as well as the higher-priced Koa Series guitars (the Taylor 214ce Koa has a Spruce top, so we’re not including it in this comparison).
GS Mini Koa Comparison
With its solid Koa top, the GS Mini offers an introduction to the sound of Koa. While the GS Mini Koa is a great guitar in its own right, the 724ce does everything in a “bigger” way offering basically more of everything. Given the price difference, this is not unexpected, and in no way diminishes the value of the GS Mini Koa. For more info, check out our review of the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa.
K24ce Comparison
A more appropriate comparison for the 724ce is the K24ce from Taylor’s Koa Series, which is also a Grand Auditorium body shape. Disclaimer: I hesitate to wade too far into these waters though, because these are both Koa extremely nice Koa guitars, and both display the beauty of Koa, albeit in different ways. However, the comparison is inevitable, so here goes.
To my ears, the 724ce is voiced a little bit differently from the K24ce. The K24ce had a little more sheen on the high notes, and perhaps the bass response was a shade deeper. The overall response of the K24ce was more focused, while the 724ce was more open. Keep in mind that these are subtle distinctions, and your preference will depend on the individual guitar, and the kind of tone you’re looking for.
.One thing I will say is that the decision to purchase a K24ce may very well be more about appearance than tone. The K24ce, with its vine fretboard inlay, knockout-level figured Koa, and glossy finish, is a more luxurious looking guitar. In comparison, with its matte finish and less figured wood, the 724ce exudes a more organic, straightforward look.
Conclusion
Taylor’s philosophy is that “everything matters” in guitar design. In other words, the mix of all of the design decisions, big and small, add up to how a guitar ultimately sounds. The 724ce’s differences in the finish, bracing, and thickness of the back combine to create a different flavor of Koa tone.
There’s no doubt that the select grade Koa plays a big part in it, however. Time will tell if the ultra-thin finish speeds up Koa’s natural sweetening process, but for 724ce owners, this is the definition of “enjoying the ride.”
In summary, the Taylor 724ce has a rich, warm tone that showcases Koa’s visual and sonic qualities. And, due to the amount of grain variation and the natural colors of the Koa sourced from the Siglo project, each 700 Series guitar will have its own unique look. This is a cool guitar from Taylor that sounds and looks great—and you can feel good about where it comes from.
