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Sorry for taking a while to came back on this, I've been busy working on my callouses and (perhaps foolishly - there must be easier songs) trying to teach myself fingerstyle by learning to play Going to California.
Yes it's a 10e.
Speaking from the point of view of someone who does woodworking for a living the way it's constructed is very interesting and efficient. The back and sides are made from layered sapele / poplar / sapele with crossed grain (basically a VERY high quality plywood) that has presumably been shaped in a machine press. The back has a belly to it similar to what you'd see on an es 335. All this means that the back and sides only need kerfing and no other bracing so relatively unskilled labour cam be used to make them. This allows skilled labour to focus on getting the really critical parts right (soundboard, neck, fretboard etc) and is I think a really good way to go about making a cheaper instrument without sacrificing too much of the quality that a company like Taylor is built on.
So I hit the big 40 today. My family who are normally shit beyond words when it comes to surprises managed to pull a rather nice one out if the bag.
It's so nice to play the neck is just what I like and is very similar to my electric the comfort carve on the top hip is brilliant. The tone is bright and vibrant while being punchy.
It turns out that my brother has learnt to be subtle and found out what I like while enjoying himself guitar shopping.
Don't mind admitting I teared up when I opened it.