Taylor T5z Custom Koa Shaded Edgeburst

SOLD!

t5z-03

Electric guitar or acoustic guitar, the Taylor T5z Custom has you covered for both. The T5z Custom is a newer version based on Taylor’s T5 Thinline acoustic-electric. With the T5z Custom which is fully hollow, Taylor gives you even more features that will make you feel right at home if you’re coming from a solidbody electric. They’ve thinned out the body even more, and sped’d the buttery ebony fingerboard with a 12″ radius and jumbo frets to make string bending even easier. And the range of available sounds? Far beyond what we’ve come to expect from traditional acoustic or electric guitars.

t5z-02

t5z-01

t5z-04

t5z-05

t5z-06

t5z-07

Taylor T5z Custom features a figured koa top with a shaded edgeburst evokes the exotic beauty of Hawaii on the T5z Custom. Distinctive features compared to the original T5 include a more compact body, a 12-inch fretboard radius, and jumbo frets, which together deliver a familiar size and setup for electric players. Like the T5, the T5z is equipped with a three-pickup configuration of an acoustic body sensor, a concealed neck humbucker, and a visible bridge humbucker, plus five-way switching and onboard tone controls, giving players an incredibly versatile electric/acoustic guitar. Additional appointments include white binding, gold hardware and Taylor’s progressive Spires inlay scheme.

t5z-08

t5z-09

t5z-10

t5z-11

t5z-12

The Taylor T5z main differences from the groundbreaking Taylor T5 is that the T5z has a bit smaller body, radius is 12″ as compared to the 15″ for the T5. The T5z has jumbo frets. Feels a bit like my Les Paul Custom or PRS 245. Bothy the T5 and the T5z have the same 24.875″ scale lengths. Both have the same electronics. Taylor catered more to acoustic players when it introduced the T5 and more toward solid body electric players with the T5z.

Taylor T5z Controls

The T5z has three pickups and a versatile switching and EQ allowing for lush acoustic sounds, Strat-like, Tele-Like, Gretsch-like and some heavier sounds. The one visible pickup looks like a and Dano lipstick pickup, but it is actually a stacked coil humbucker. There is a second humbucker pickup under the 20th fret and a body sensor under the top below the bridge. Pickups are active and there is a 9-volt battery compartment on back.

Position 1:
Uses Neck Humbucker under the 20th Fret and the Acoustic Body Sensor

Will give you the cleanest acoustic voice, especially when plugged into a good acoustic amp or direct to PA.

Position 2:
Uses just Neck Humbucker

Warm and round. Rolling off the treble and you get a darker and jazzy sound. Roll off the bass for more vintage solid body neck pickup sound.

Position 3:
Uses just Bridge Humbucker

Very versatile and depending on amp can go to retro twang to crunch. Add over drive and you have a harder rock sound.

Position 4:
Uses Neck and Bridge Humbuckers in Parallel

Sounds a bit like and old 50s Gretsch hollowbody.

Postion 5:
Uses Neck and Bridge Humbuckers in Series

This fat and adds punch, a bit like a 60s hollowbody. Great fro thicker lead lines and blues.

It can be played without any amp and is actually quite nice for quiet practice this way, but it is designed to be amplified. Can be used with a acoustic amp or a regular guitar amp. Using a A/B switcher so you can switch between amps is a ver cool way to use this terrific guitar. One guitar to play most anything.

Taylor T5z guitars

The T5z comes in several top wood choices. The Koa and the Spruce top versions are slightly better for acoustic sounds. I love the look and the richness of the Koa and why I choose this one. The Custom Koa is a bit more expensive. I first tried one of these at a guitar show I was attending. Always liked Taylors for their quality and playability. The T5z plays great and sounds are amazing diverse.

t5z-13

t5z-14

t5z-15

t5z-16

t5z-17

t5z-18

Acoustic or Electric?
Actually both. The Taylor T5z Custom allows you to get fully acoustic sounds and fully electric sounds from the same guitar. Seamlessly. It’s designed to be used with both acoustic and electric amps using a standard guitar cable or a balanced cable. Think about what an amazing advantage that is when you’re performing! If you’re primarily a solidbody slinger, you’ll particularly appreciate the T5z’s fast sapele neck. If you’re in the mood for shredding, the shortened scale length and jumbo frets ensure a fingerboard (ebony) that is endlessly pleasureable to play with either electric or acoustic strings.

Next-generation electronics
The Taylor T5z Custom features a whole new generation of electronics. Tones are selected via the easy access 5-way switch located on the side of the guitar . Two pickups – a concealed neck humbucker and a visible bridge humbucker – produce a truly impressive range of electric guitar tone, while the an acoustic body sensor system delivers breathtaking acoustic sounds. Inspired by the research on the Expression System, the T5z body sensors are overwound to produce the sparkling highs and shimmer for the most acoustic-like switch position. The T5z Custom’s preamp was designed to deliver a wide range of tones in every switch position. Controls include Volume, Bass and Treble.

Sleek, comfortable, resonant body
Inspired by the Taylor Grand Auditorium silhouette, the T5z Custom features a sleek and comfortable-to-hold carved hollowbody of sapele. Like all Taylor guitars, a custom-voiced soundboard is the heart of the T5z tone; the AA Hawaiian koa top creates a strong, colorful voice with prodigious sustain. Finally, stylized f-holes command the eye and enhance the resonance of the body chamber, allowing the top to breathe and capture the dynamics your performances.

Features at a Glance: