Taylor Koa Grades

[TaylorFan]

Hello,

I am thinking of buying an all Koa Taylor.  Some of the Koa guitars I have seen look fantastic, but some look dull.

Taylor offers three grades of Koa: A, AA, and Master.

I have decided on an upgrade, but not if I should go all the way to a Master Grade (it would almost double the cost of the guitar).

How difeferent is a Taylor Master Koa from a Taylor AA Koa?

If anyone has pictures to illustrate it, it will be wonderful.

Thank you,

[Fire]

Grade AA










Taylor Koa grades are based on aesthetics. At twice the cost of grade AA, I think Master Grade Koa is overpriced.

[BigSkyTaylorPlayer]

Beautiful guitar Fire.  My K66 has AA grade on top and it's very nice.  I wouldn't pay for the master grade at such a high price unless money is no object.

[TaylorFan]

TaylorPlayer516,

Would you mind posting a picture of your K66?

Thanks.

[Louis]

Well I seen one on eBay for almost $x. It didn't look dull at and I had to look twice at the price.


edited to remove price

[theguitarguru]

Well I seen one on eBay for almost $x. It didn't look dull at and I had to look twice at the price.

Master Koas are for high rollers... unless you are an expert analizer of wood's grain... I don't think you can tell the difference from an AA vs Master


edited to remove price from quote

[Strumming Fool]

It's always important to remember that grade is relative. What might be master grade today could be AA tomorrow if better wood is found, and vice versa. If you can see the wood, you can decide foryourself if it's pretty enough for your taste. I traded what was considered rare AAAA koa (a 1999 Larrivee OM10K) for what might be considered lower grade koa (a 1995 Taylor GA-KS) because the guitar sounded much better, and I actually thought that the Taylor's koa was prettier. Here's a shot:



Whether it's master grade (in this limited run of 100 of the first koa GAs ever produced) or whether it's merely AA, doesn't matter to me. I think it's pretty, and that's all the counts, isn't it?

[BigSkyTaylorPlayer]

Beautiful koa SF.  Here is a link to my NGD-12, a few new photos of the 12-string and a pic of the back of my 516 are below.

http://www.unofficialtaylorguitarforum.com/index.php?topic=2421.msg23937#msg23937

I tried to get close ups and don't know why that one uploads sideways - it shows up normal on my desktop.

[Strumming Fool]

Classic koa, 516 - that back is very pretty!

[TaylorFan]

Beautiful koa SF.  Here is a link to my NGD-12, a few new photos of the 12-string and a pic of the back of my 516 are below.

http://www.unofficialtaylorguitarforum.com/index.php?topic=2421.msg23937#msg23937

I tried to get close ups and don't know why that one uploads sideways - it shows up normal on my desktop.

What grades are these?

Thanks,

[BigSkyTaylorPlayer]

The grade on the K66 is AA.  Not sure what grade is on the 516, it's really nice tho' - the pic I posted has it in the sun so it's very flamey but when I put is next to the K66 is sure holds it's own. 

Here is a shot of a terz guitar I picked up last summer - scroll down for pics.  Pretty sure the koa is a lower grade and you can see the differences.

http://www.unofficialtaylorguitarforum.com/index.php?topic=1950.0

[BigSkyTaylorPlayer]

Here is another thread with some very nice koa guitars.

http://www.unofficialtaylorguitarforum.com/index.php?topic=1064.msg8826#msg8826

[TaylorFan]

That's an astonishing collection! Thanks for pointing me to the thread.

Regards,

[michaelw]

i think it is dependent on wood availability at the time a guitar is being built &
that the grading is relative to the supply on-hand (varies batch-to-batch)

here's a few links (older models)
98 PS14ce
98 K22
99 k14c

[TaylorFan]

Michaelw,

Those are beautiful pieces.  Thank you for sharing them with us.

Regards,