Review quickie: Taylor Academy 12

I seldom appraise acoustic stuff. It's namely because of my love / hate relationship with them. Being a small-framed person, the standard-sized acoustics are a put off for me, regardless of the boutique & revered tone fanfare; they are a struggle to handle. The Academy 12 (made in Mexico) on scrutiny here is one of the Academy stalwarts which are, according to Taylor, accessible price-wise, highly playable with tone to die for. Before my take on this supposedly inspirational instrument, these are the essential details you should know:

• Solid spruce top + layered back & sides
• 24.87" scale length
• Ebony fretboard
• Scaled down grand concert body outline
• Braceless back design

Likes

• Tone
• Overall construction
• Volume projection
• Neck profile
• Elbow relief / rest
• Comfort fit

Dislike

• Generic tuners
• Bright sounding

My take on this instrument

I seldom hold acoustic guitars in high regard because I'm biased towards the solid body electric due to my small frame; the instrument is a struggle to handle, they are equipped with thick, difficult to play string gauge & majority of them came with an awful action. The Academy Series is Taylor's take on the standard-sized guitars on a budget. This Academy 12 isn't exactly 'standard' in size as it is scaled down width-wise but not a 3/4 version either. After a thorough inspection, Taylor is perhaps the only manufacturer to be meticulous with QC on a budget guitar as they are on their higher end instruments. This is the consistency that I discovered. The tone here is wonderful, both single notes & chords sound rich, it's literally hearing the wood quality singing to you with utmost impression. On that note (no pun intended), the volume projection here is one of the best I've come across - loud & proud!

To me, the most outstanding aspect of the Academy 12 has to be its playability. Being someone who is always dismissive of acoustic playability, the Academy 12 impressed with its neck profile. It feels like handling an electric guitar to begin with only to realize it's an acoustic after hearing the strummed notes. The scaled down body size plus that elbow rest, added much joy to playing. More importantly, this guitar did not come with a rubbish action, it's not low-profile like an electric solid body but very playable, something that won't kill the newbie enthusiasm. The Academy 12 is a little bright sounding, if you wish for a deeper voicing, do consider the Academy 10 instead.

Last but not least, the price of the Academy 12 (and all other Academy instruments for that matter) is not a dream appeal for the beginner. It's nearly $850 brand new, edging itself into mid-price territory more than being a proper entry-level price tag. In the $500-ish range, one could get impressive stuff from Takamine, Yamaha & Ibanez, among others, if one is just starting out & reluctant to spend too much on a guitar. Obviously, the 'Taylor' name is the reason it is priced as such. All in all, price annoyance aside, the Academy 12 is highly recommended for its indisputable value for money.

Rating: 90%

Taylor Academy 12

• $849 (bag included)
• Available @ Swee Lee