Taylor Guitars GT 811

Experience the Grand Theater

All the world's a stage and anyone can be a player when they wield the brand-new Taylor Grand Theater! This brand-new body shape is the latest in a long line of Taylor's game-changing acoustic guitar designs. Landing somewhere between the Grand Concert and GS Mini in size, the Grand Theater body size is incredibly comfortable. But, don't let its small size fool you--it speaks with a powerful voice thanks to Andy Powers's latest revolutionary idea: C-Class bracing. It also plays like Crisco-coated butter thanks to its short-scale length; in fact, it's almost like the acoustic equivalent of a little red sports car! Using the sonic refinements and premium tonewoods of the 800 series, the 811 delivers a truly magical playing experience.

Whether you're a seasoned pro or a brand-new beginner, you'll find lots to love in the GT 811, so let's dive deeper and see what makes these powerful parlor guitars so exciting!

Andy's Dilemna

Though his title at Taylor is technically Master Product Designer, Andy Powers is really more of a master problem solver. For instance, V-Class bracing solved the problem of finding an equilibrium between flexibility and rigidity in acoustic guitar design. This time, Andy went to work on another problem that has plagued luthiers for centuries: how do you build a small-bodied guitar that caters to the player's comfort without sacrificing fullness of tone and depth of bass response? The Grand Theater is the answer.

More specifically, the Grand Theater's innovative C-Class bracing is the answer. Though it shares DNA with its V-Class counterpart, C-Class bracing is its own animal entirely. Like V-Class bracing, it accentuates the GT 811's volume and sustain, but it shapes the frequency response in an interesting way thanks to its asymmetrical architecture. Whereas V-Class bracing seeks to achieve ultimate tonal balance, C-Class bracing tries to do the opposite. Its cantilevered design emphasizes bass frequencies to make up for the GT 811's smaller size. As a result, the GT 811 has a shockingly robust bass response that matches its strong treble and midrange response. Because of Andy's brilliant design, we have no doubt that the GT 811 will shock you with its robust frequency response across the board.

Built For Comfort and Speed

But, the GT 811's surprisingly powerful voice isn't the only thing it has going for it. It also provides one of the most delightful playing experiences out of any guitar to grace Wildwood's shelves. For starters, the body shape is, well, to put it in technical scientific terms, juuuuuuuuuuuuuuust right. It's the perfect size for lazy couch picking sessions, and it plays quite easily regardless of your posture. And, it works great for young or fun-sized people who might struggle to get their arm over a bigger guitar.

But, the GT 811 isn't just built for comfort--it's built for speed, too. It has a 24 1/8-inch scale, which gives it gloriously slinky handfeel. To get an idea of how wonderful these guitars feel, imagine a typical 25.5" scale length acoustic with a capo on the first fret. There's less tension on the strings, so you don't have to work as hard, but you don't lose any punching power. Ultimately, it makes you feel like the strings are a gauge lighter than they actually are, but without any of the accompanying plinkiness you might associate with such light strings. Finally, the 24 1/8" scale length also makes the distances between frets shorter, allowing you to make big stretches and fret complex chords with ease.