Taylor Guitars 818e - Refurbished

Grand Orchestra: the most expansive voice in the Taylor range

The Taylor 818e occupies a unique place among the brand’s high-end acoustic guitars. It features Taylor’s largest body shape, the Grand Orchestra, designed to deliver a generous sonic presence without sacrificing the refinement that characterizes the American brand’s instruments. Its large body volume provides a full low-end foundation and natural projection capable of filling a room with ease.

This 818e version combines an elegant Antique Blond aesthetic with refined finishes: pale maple binding, a paua rosette, Mission pearl inlays and Crelicam ebony elements. Its all-solid construction and V-Class bracing place this acoustic-electric guitar among the models designed for musicians seeking an expressive instrument that excels equally at solo playing and vocal accompaniment.

An expressive acoustic for fingerstyle, solo playing and vocal accompaniment

The Taylor 818e is primarily aimed at intermediate, advanced and professional guitarists looking to explore a broad dynamic range. Its Grand Orchestra shape responds easily to a light touch, making it possible to add nuance to fingerpicking, articulate complex arpeggios and bring out the details of melodic playing without having to strike the strings forcefully.

It is equally well suited to full strumming, flatpicking and accompanying a singer. The slight natural dip in the midrange provided by the rosewood leaves space for the voice, while the precise highs retain clarity in open chords. Thanks to its ES2 system, it is also a serious choice for live performance, amplified rehearsals and recording.

Rosewood, Sitka spruce and V-Class bracing: a rich, sustained and articulate sound

The solid Sitka spruce top gives this Taylor excellent dynamic headroom. This wood responds precisely to both gentle attacks and more energetic playing: notes remain clear, chords retain their separation and the guitar develops generous projection. It is an especially versatile tonewood, equally suited to the delicacy of fingerstyle and powerful rhythmic accompaniment.

The solid Indian rosewood back and sides enrich the spectrum with deep lows, brilliant highs and abundant overtones. Notes gain added dimension as they sustain, with a warm and complex color that highlights rich chords, inversions and solo passages. The combination of rosewood and Sitka spruce thus delivers a broad, balanced and exceptionally musical sound.

Taylor’s V-Class bracing simultaneously optimizes the movement of the top and its rigidity along the string axis. It promotes even projection, extended sustain and greater cohesion between the notes of a chord. On this large Grand Orchestra body, the bracing helps preserve high-end articulation while adding weight to the low register. The 818e therefore remains expansive and powerful, yet responsive enough to translate the smallest variations in attack.

The Taylor Expression System ES2 completes this sonic identity with three sensors positioned behind the bridge and an integrated preamp. It reproduces the instrument’s natural acoustic dynamics and character with transparency, preserving its harmonic richness, sustain and definition through an amplifier or mixing console.

Technical specifications

Type	electro-acoustic guitar	Key	West African Crelicam ebony
Format	Grand Orchestra	Key edges	West African Crelicam ebony
Top	solid Sitka spruce	Key inlays	Mission
Back and sides	solid Indian rosewood	Neck finishing	satin
Back configuration	2-piece, without wedge	Nut width	1.75" / 44.5 mm
Bracing	V-bracing	Scale length	25.5" / 648 mm
Body length	20.63" / 524 mm	Number of frets	20
Body width	16.73" / 425 mm	Heel length	3.875" / 98 mm
Body depth	5" / 127 mm	Heel cap	West African Crelicam ebony
Binding	plain pale maple	Truss rod cover	West African Crelicam ebony
Rosette	single paua ring	Bridge	rosewood
Pickguard	rosewood	Nut	Black Tusq
Tint	Antique Blond	Saddle	Micarta
Top finishing	Gloss 6.0	Tuning machines	Taylor Nickel
Back and sides finishing	Gloss 6.0	Tuning machine buttons	nickel
Neck and heel	tropical mahogany	Bridge pins	West African ebony with green abalone dots
Neck joint	Scarf	Strings	Phosphor Bronze Medium