The Next Evolution of the Grand Auditorium
Taylor’s Next Generation Grand Auditorium guitars mark a thoughtful evolution of one of the most influential acoustic body shapes of the modern era. Known for its balance, comfort, and versatility, the Grand Auditorium has long been a go-to for players across styles—and now, Taylor has refined that familiar platform with a series of meaningful updates designed to enhance sound, feel, and performance.
In a recent conversation, Andy Powers, Taylor’s designer-in-chief, sits down with Aaron Dablow to walk through the latest refinements to this flagship design. The discussion highlights three key innovations that work together to deliver a more responsive and inspiring playing experience, while staying true to what has always made the Grand Auditorium special.
Scalloped V-Class Bracing
At the heart of the Next Generation Grand Auditorium is the latest evolution of Taylor’s award-winning V-Class voicing architecture. The newly scalloped V-Class bracing enhances top movement and responsiveness, resulting in greater warmth, increased power, and a richer open-string response. Importantly, these tonal gains come without sacrificing the pitch accuracy that V-Class is known for, maintaining clarity and balance across the fretboard.
Action Control Neck
Taylor’s new Action Control Neck is a player-focused innovation that addresses both tone and playability. A long-tenon neck joint improves the transfer of vibration between the neck and body, contributing to added warmth and sustain. At the same time, the shimless action control design allows for fast, precise string-height adjustments. With a simple turn of a bolt through the soundhole, players can dial in their preferred setup more easily than ever—no neck removal required.
Claria™ Pickup System
Designed with input from performing artists and live sound engineers, the Claria™ pickup system brings a new level of flexibility to amplified acoustic tone. It pairs a reimagined undersaddle piezo pickup with a proprietary preamp to deliver a clear, natural sound that performs reliably in any setting. Using soundhole-mounted Volume, Mid-Contour, and Tone controls, players can shape their tone from lo-fi warmth to modern, detailed clarity with ease.
A Familiar Shape, Refined
Together, these three innovations build on the trusted Grand Auditorium foundation while pushing its capabilities forward. The result is a guitar that feels familiar in the hands but offers greater responsiveness, improved tonal depth, and modern performance-ready features—whether played acoustically or plugged in.
Taylor’s Next Generation Grand Auditorium guitars don’t redefine the shape that players already love; they refine it, bringing thoughtful engineering and player-driven design into the next chapter of an iconic acoustic platform.