The Taylor Builder's Edition 652ce packs a serious 12-string punch

(Image credit: Taylor)

Blending high-fidelity, shimmering 12-string tone with a comfortable frame and ergonomic enhancements, the Builder's Edition 652ce adds an entirely new acoustic flavor to the Taylor Guitars family. Featuring a compact Grand Concert body style with maple back and sides paired with a torrefied spruce top, this 12-string is outfitted with V-Class bracing, which ensures near-perfect intonation down the neck along with greater volume and longer sustain. Player-focused design elements include a beveled armrest and cutaway, along with a body finished in Silent Satin for reduced incidental noise. But the most notable feature of the Builder's Edition 652ce may be its reverse-strung setup, in which the fundamental string is placed above the octave string—similar to some electric 12-string guitars. This change produces a heftier, warmer acoustic tone. Each pair of strings is anchored by one bridge pin, limited tonal interference with the soundboard.

Demoing the Taylor Guitars Builder's Edition 652ce 12-string, solo player Nathaniel Murphy was struck by the power coming from its smaller frame, along with the tunefulness fostered by V-Class bracing. "The smaller body packs a huge 12-string sound," Nathaniel says. "And it stays in tune! Highly recommended."

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