Download - Downbeat

Taylor T3 Semi-Hollowbody Guitar: Innovation That InspiresThe T3 semi-hollowbody electric is the newest addition to the Taylorline of guitars. Combining innovation, versatility and playability, thisaxe is definitely worth a closer look.Starting in 1974, Taylor built its reputation producing fineacoustic guitars. In fact, it was the first company to use a bolt-onneck design on steel string acoustics. With the company’s successin the acoustic market, co-owner Bob Taylor had no intentions ofbuilding an electric until he heard a new pickup invented by hisdesign department. “I knew right then, we’re in the electric guitarbusiness,” Taylor said. In 2007 the SolidBody model wasintroduced but was preceded by the electric/ acoustic hybrid T5in 2005.The T3 was the next logical step for Taylor, according toMarketing VP Brian Swerdfeger. “At Taylor, we are not boundby tradition,” he said. “We are always innovating and improvingon design, and the T3 is a testimony to this.” The T3 usesmany of the same design elements found in the full hollowbodyT5 but has a wood center block inside thechamber. Like the T5, the back and sides are constructedfrom a single carved-out piece of sapelewood with a beautiful book-matched quiltedmaple laminate top trimmed with a tasty whitebinding. Featuring chrome-plated hardware anda flawless high-gloss finish, this is an extremelyattractive guitar.The 21-fret neck of the T3 is also madefrom sapele and has a comfortablemedium profile and nice hefty frets.One of the guitar’s unique features isTaylor’s patented T-Lock system,which uses a single bolt to attach theneck to a milled pocket in the bodywith exacting precision. This results ingreater stability and a precise neck angle,not to mention a dream come true for yourrepairman.There are two humbucker pickups mounted into theguitar’s top along with a six-way adjustable roller bridgeand stop tailpiece. The T3 is also available as the T3/B withan optional Bigsby vibrato tailpiece installed, a first for thecompany. A three-way switch toggles between neck, bridgeor combined pickup settings, and a master volume and toneknob complete the picture. At first glance, the T3’s electronicsappear to be fairly standard, but there is much more here thanmeets the eye.Taylor’s Style 2 HD (high-definition) pickups are custom made inhouse.“They are built to deliver the sweet tones of vintage humbuckerswith the high output and versatility of modern design,”Swerdfeger said. There is no doubt that the HD pickups do deliver thegoods, providing tons of gain while retaining warmth and smoothness.Working with the three-way toggle and control knobs, the T3 iscapable of a wide array of great sounds, but the fun really beginswhen you access the guitar’s innovative electronic wiring.Both the volume and control knobs have a pull switch built intothem that greatly expands the T3’s versatility. A simple pull on thevolume knob activates a coil splitter, delivering single coil capabilitiesto both pickups along with a host of additional tones. The toneknob pull switch is even more interesting: It places a secondcapacitor into the tone stack, resulting in completely newpalette of lush warm tones.This guitar plays extremely well, and the intonation is excellent.Its tonal capabilities are incredible and suitable for jazz,blues, rock, fusion or country. The pull knobs are definitely oneof the T3’s strengths—I found myself using them frequentlyon the gig. As Taylor’s Swerdfeger said, “The T3 does notpush you in any one direction, but you can go there if youneed to.”Taylor’s T3 exhibits the true versatility that many claim butfew actually deliver. With a street price of around $2,400 forthe stop tail model, it is an excellent value. —Keith Baumann»Ordering info: taylorguitars.comToca Freestyle Djembe: Full-Bodied SatisfactionToca Percussion has retooled its award-winning Freestyledjembe—a chaliced-shaped, single-headed hand drum withroots in the West African countries ofGuinea and Mali.Instead of employing the traditionalmethod of carving the instrument fromthe trunk of a tree, Toca uses a patentedshell made from synthetic PVC materialfor these djembes. This makes theFreestyle djembe among the lightest andmost durable models on the market. ThePVC shell produces a bright resonance thatallows for easy tone production and makes thedrum an excellent choice for school programsand drum circles.Toca puts hand-selected goat skin heads on theFreestyle djembes, providing an important organicelement often lacking in all-synthetic models.The skins on the four djembes I played all hadexcellent quality heads with even thicknessesand no blemishes.The new Freestyle djembes feature a lowmass bolt tuning system, unlike traditionaldjembes that use a somewhat complex ropetuning system. The Freestyle djembes areeasily tuned with a small wrench that comeswith the drums. The tuning mechanism providesfor quick, practically effortless tuning ofa wide range of tensions. The bolts on theFreestyle djembes have protective rubbersleeves on them, which protect the player’s legsand enhance the look of the drum. A non-slip protectiverubber collar is located on the bottom of theinstruments.The new Freestyle djembes are available in two newhand-painted finishes—anitique gold and antique silver—togive them a distinctive, North African look.They come with a choice of four different head sizes: 9-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch and 14-inch. The heights of thedrums are relative to the head sizes, making the 12-inch and 14-inch verisons more of a traditional djembesize and the smaller drums much like a NorthAfrican dumbek. All sizes produce full-bodied soundswith sharp high-end slaps and satisfying bass tones. —Doug Brush»Ordering info: tocapercussion.comAugust 2009 DOWNBEAT 63