For over 40 years, Taylor acoustic guitars have made a name among players of all genres as a unique-sounding instrument with truly special tonal signatures. The Taylor 412ce Grand Convert V-Class acoustic-electric guitar is a continuation of that stellar tradition and represents the midpoint between Taylor’s lower-end models and its highest-priced guitars. The 412ce features a signature Sitka spruce top with V-Class bracing, which optimizes volume, sustain, and tonal balance. As with Taylor’s other Grand Concerts, the 412ce has a broad dynamic range — even when picked aggressively, notes and chords ring out clearly. A driving attack really highlights the 412ce’s fullness and projection. This guitar comes equipped with Taylor ES2 electronics for natural tone and dynamics in a stage-friendly direct out.
V-Class bracing: a sonic revelation
Bracing is the internal framework of an acoustic guitar that helps shape its sound. Although X-bracing has been standard in acoustic guitars for over a century, it creates an innate conflict between two key elements of a guitar’s sound: volume and sustain. The guitar’s top (its soundboard) contributes to both. The flexibility of the top generates volume (projection), while its stiffness generates sustain. And with X-braced guitar tops, here’s where the trade-off comes in: when something is made stiffer, its flexibility is reduced (and vice versa). V-Class bracing changes all that.
