The Academy Series, which includes the Academy 12e Grand Concert, represents Taylor’s effort to support the development of the entry-level guitar player. Taylor believes that in many respects a player who is just beginning deserves the best-playing guitar. The Academy Series Grand Concert is intended as a fingerstyle guitar with the added benefit of a more compact body size for extra playing comfort. The wood pairing is a solid torrefied spruce top with layered walnutback and sides. Genuine African ebony – not man-made substitutes – is used for the fingerboard and bridge, just as with all other Taylor models.

The neck is a fully engineered version of Taylor’s patented design, allowing for precise calibration of the neck angle and smooth serviceability throughout the guitar’s life. To enhance the handfeel and overall playability for entry-level players, Taylor chose a 24-7/8-in. scale length with a 1-11/16-in. nut width. The guitar’s top bracing and other internal architecture were optimized for volume and projection. It has full-size guitar dimensions. It has the right depth and width for the right internal architecture, with a seriously straight and true neck on it. These things were meant to go together as a whole without compromising musical function.

Although an armrest is normally reserved as an ultra-premium feature of Taylor’s top-end models, Taylor’s Andy Powers developed a greatly simplified version, produced with function in mind. “It’s important to give a beginning player the most comfortable, gratifying experience to make a welcoming first impression,” he says. “If the guitar is comfortable, plays well, and has a pleasing sound, then a player will have an easier time staying with the instrument.”