Born from adversity and built for value, the American Dream series was designed for the time where premium performance meets utility. Named after the shop that birthed Taylor Guitars in 1974, these guitars go back to the basics; back to a time when Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug had a dream to purse their passion of building quality acoustic guitars that would inspire musicians to play and create music.

At the heart and soul of these Taylor American Dream guitars, is a desire to build the finest acoustic guitars that would redefine sound, body shapes and the playability of the acoustic guitar. At the very core of this philosophy, is an inner drive to push the boundaries and explore the endless possibilities, and the American Dream Series continues to embodied these principles of innovation. Facing an unprecedented global crisis, Taylor turned to what they know best, designing and building quality guitars. It was during this crisis that Andy Powers and Bob Taylor decided to push themselves to create a new series of U.S.-made, solid-wood guitars that are distilled into the essential elements of premium musical performance, and deliver these instruments at an affordable price.

The AD12e Grand Concert Blacktop features Taylor's Grand Concert body shape, a favorite among musicians for its unique sound and comfortable shape. V-Class bracing, all-solid-wood construction, chamfered body edges, genuine West African ebony fingerboard/bridge/peghead, a super thin matte finish, single-ring wood rosette and ES2 electronics create an instrument that will be suitable for any type of musical situation. The AD12e Grand Concert Blacktop ships in a Taylor AeroCase for maximum protection and portability.

Body Shape
Taylor's Grand Concert is slightly smaller that its Grand Auditorium and yields controlled overtones, which is often a key consideration when other instruments are in the mix, such as in a live performance or recording environment. Its intimate size makes it lap/couch-friendly, and a great fit for players who find smaller instruments more physically comfortable. It's compact shape, blending with the slightly condensed fret spacing of the 24-7/8" scale length creates a slinky "handfeel" for easier fretting. With the bridge's position near the center of the lower bout, Taylor's Grand Concert guitars are easy to play and have a surprising amount of tonal power and midrange warmth.

Tonewood
Pairing a guitar's top is the primary filter and distributor of vibrating string energy through the guitar, which means it has a huge impact on its sound. Spruce is the most prevalent guitar top wood used in the modern era of acoustic guitar construction. It blends the right amount of stiffness and elasticity to create a broad dynamic range with crisp articulation. Tonally, genuine West African ebony has incredible character and is famous for its punchy midrange and shimmery articulate top end. Its pleasing depth and responsive bass range produce a broad, balanced tone with a lot of punch. Pairing spruce with the genuine West African ebony gives you a tone that is articulate, punchy and responsive to the touch.

Electronics
Taylor's ES2 is a revolutionary pickup design that delivers the latest in Taylor’s ongoing innovation in acoustic guitar amplification. The heart of the Expression System 2 is Taylor’s patented behind-the-saddle pickup, which features three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated pickup sensors. Because the pickup doesn't sit under the saddle, the bottom of the saddle comes in full contact with the bridge, allowing all the nuance of the guitar's tone to come through clearly whether playing acoustically or plugged-in. The location of the sensors enables a more dynamic range of acoustic sound to be captured than ever before while playing plugged-in. Together with Taylor’s custom-designed "professional audio"-grade preamp, this system produces exceptional amplified tone and responsiveness. On stage through a PA, plugged into your favorite acoustic amplifier, or direct into recording software, the Expression System 2 faithfully conveys the voice of your Taylor guitar. The Taylor Expression System 2 operates through a proprietary 9-volt battery compartment and easy-to-use volume, and active bass and treble controls.

V-Class Bracing
Taylor's V-Class bracing is a fundamental innovation in acoustic guitar design. It marks an important evolution beyond traditional X-bracing, introducing an entirely new platform for acoustic performance. It is essentially a "sonic engine" that optimizes the response of an acoustic guitar in three key ways: by boosting volume, sustain, and by largely resolving the intonation (in-tune-ness) issues that have long plagued acoustic guitars. V-Class bracing creates purer, more orderly notes that don't cancel each other out or sound "off."They have clearer, more consistent response, and the whole fretboard is brought into greater sonic alignment for a more musical playing/listening experience. Guitars with V-Class bracing are easier to tune; the pitch sounds purer and more solid, and electronic tuners can more easily locate notes for quick, precise tuning.

Other benefits: harmonics ring more uniformly down the neck, notes are louder with more projection and sustain, and notes are more consistent, i.e., upper register notes don't get choked out or swallowed. Fewer "sour" sonic qualities exist with chords; a more agreeable relationship is created between notes as they ripen, bloom and decay.

The Taylor Difference
What sets Taylor Guitars apart? Unmatched build quality, the most stable and playable necks, a vast array of tonal options, eco-conscious and ethically-sourced raw materials, and a lifetime of service and support.