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For years, Taylor Guitars design guru Andy Powers was ruminating on a sound. It was something deep and warm, with the soul of a bygone era—but unrealized in Taylor’s lineup.
Like any relentless innovator and natural luthier, Powers set out to develop an instrument that could channel this “new-old” sound while preserving the essential feel and musicality of a Taylor guitar. That effort came to life with the unveiling of the Gold Label Collection, launched at the 2025 NAMM Show. This new family of guitars introduced a warmer, fuller, more robust acoustic voice to the Taylor landscape—one that lives comfortably alongside the high-fidelity sound Taylor players have long embraced.
The new heritage-style sound has been made possible by a three-part sonic recipe, including one of two new non-cutaway body shapes (the Super Auditorium and deeper-bodied Grand Pacific, a round-shoulder dreadnought), a new internal bracing pattern and an innovative long-tenon neck joint design.
The Super Auditorium was designed with a slightly longer body and wider lower bout than Taylor’s flagship Grand Auditorium, serving up an open, muscular sound with warm, heavy-bodied trebles. “There’s a kind of honesty in this voice,” Powers says. “It’s not about hi-fi precision or isolated detail—it’s about a more natural kind of musicality. There’s warmth and fullness, but it still responds easily to your touch.” With its comfortable proportions and balanced tone from the lower to upper register, the Super Auditorium retains the versatility of Taylor’s original Grand Auditorium while delivering a fuller, more traditional tone.
But the Super Auditorium wasn’t the only body style envisioned for the collection. Equally central to the lineup is a reimagined version of Powers’ original slope-shoulder dreadnought Grand Pacific, an acoustic shape that doubles down on the sonic warmth and depth that inspired the entire project. For the Gold Label Collection, he’s added an extra 3/8-inch of depth at the soundhole. The extra lung capacity creates a deeper resonant frequency and contributes to a sound that has been compared to “sonic comfort food.” Compared to the Super Auditorium, the Grand Pacific’s broader curves and deeper body yield enhanced low-end power and projection, with a more seasoned, blended sonic character that invites players to really dig in.
The aforementioned long-tenon neck joint is just one design element of Powers’ patented Action Control Neck™—currently featured exclusively on Gold Label models. The glueless, long-tenon design enhances the wood coupling between neck and body, further boosting low-end resonance. Perhaps the most ingenious part of the Action Control Neck’s design is its namesake string height adjustability. Players and technicians can adjust the action in seconds by using a quarter-inch nut driver (or standard truss rod wrench) on a bolt in the neck block, accessible through the soundhole. For guitarists jumping between different climate conditions, playing styles and musical applications, or just looking to dial in their ultimate playing setup, the Action Control Neck is a game changer. And the neck’s slim profile ensures players have the familiar hand-friendly playing experience expected from a Taylor guitar.
The first guitars to showcase the old-school sonic personality of the Gold Label Collection were a group of Super Auditorium models introduced at Taylor’s traditional 800 Series level, including the torrefied spruce/Honduran rosewood Gold Label 814e. After playing a Gold Label Super Auditorium for the first time, singer, songwriter and Asking Alexandria frontman Danny Worsnop says he was “blown away” by the warmth and fullness of the sound, and that he loved the easy neck adjustability. “It is a massive deal,” he says. “When it comes to traveling musicians, it’s absolutely game changing.”
Since the collection’s initial launch, Taylor has introduced a family of powerhouse Gold Label Grand Pacific models—three at Taylor’s 500 Series level, built with solid mahogany and torrefied spruce, and three at the 700 Series level, with Indian rosewood and torrefied spruce. Each model comes with one of three top finish options. The Gold Label 517e and 717e feature a natural top for a classic acoustic look. A black top finish and cream colored pickguard give the Gold Label 517e Blacktop and 717e Blacktop a bold, stage-ready visual presence. Players can choose either a cream or firestripe pickguard for the sunburst-top Gold Label 517e SB and 717e SB. The mahogany models offer a woody, dry attack and seasoned warmth, while the rosewood versions add extra depth and harmonic complexity.
Artists across genres have rallied around the Gold Label Grand Pacific models, praising their warmth, resonance and stage-ready presence. “There’s not a more popular instrument to play in Nashville than an acoustic guitar,” says solo artist Gina Venier, “and I feel like I’ve got the top dog in the game right now.” Others echo that sense of discovery and connection. Chris Conley of Saves the Day calls the Gold Label 717e “the world’s most perfect acoustic guitar,” citing its “neck so buttery and beautiful” and “resonance so rich and warm.” Tiger’s Jaw’s Ben Walsh describes his Gold Label 717e as “the acoustic guitar I will grow old with,” while Jon Simmons of Balance and Composure praises his Gold Label 517e for feeling “so natural to play” and sounding “perfect” both unplugged and onstage. Longtime producer and engineer Ben Moore (Blink 182, Switchfoot) put it succinctly: “At this point, I thought I knew what a Taylor guitar sounds like. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
Each guitar in the Gold Label lineup sports Andy Powers’ modified headstock shape, with an angled back cut and a script-style Taylor logo inlay. His newly stylized pickguard shape is another visual hallmark of the collection and gets a dual-layer treatment with an engraved “Continental” design on 800 Series models.
The Gold Label Collection introduces a new sonic dimension to what’s thought of as the “traditional Taylor sound”—one rooted in tradition and elevated by innovation. Whether you’re drawn to the versatility of the Super Auditorium or the power of the Grand Pacific, these guitars invite players into this new breed of Taylor tone, where old-heritage inspiration meets modern musical expression. Gold Label guitars are available at authorized Taylor dealers.
