The boys and girls over at Taylor really have been busy for their 35th Anniversary.  Hot on the heels of their XXXV Parlor, they’re telling us about this:  The XXXV 12-Fret.

12-fret guitars are  considered by many to possess a ‘better’ tone than their 14-fret equivalents.  Only having 12 frets to the body allows the soundhole and the bridge be located closer to the ‘sweet-spots’.  Their drawback is, obviously enough, higher fret access.  Let’s face it though, for many people, the area beyond the 12th fret on an acoustic guitar is largely unexplored country.

Like the rest of the XXXV (35, get it?) series, this is a pretty special guitar.

It’s a Grand Concert sized body with an Engelmann spruce top and Hawaiian koa back and sides.  The koa is beautifully figured and it really looks great beneath the gloss finish.

Decoration is, again, kept minimalist and tasteful.  Abalone adorns the soundhole rosette and the purfling around the top.  The ebony fingerboard has no position markers, save for the 35th anniversary inlay at the 12th fret.  The slotted headstock looks good enough to offset the extra fiddliness it entails while changing strings.

Like its siblings, the 12-Fret is fitted as standard with Taylor’s expression system.

Also like its siblings, the 12-Fret isn’t cheap.  Prices quoted will see you with two dollars change from seven grand.  Yikes!

Pop over to Taylor’s site for more information.