The time had come for me to buy my first acoustic guitar, and the Taylor Big Baby was the chosen one.
I had an electric guitar for a long time,
and I got tired of shredding and exploring guitar pedals, and I just wanted to play by myself at home, write songs,
Improve my fingerstyle technique, and get a guitar that I can take out and jam with other musicians
without plugging into an amplifier.
The truth is that at that time, I was on a limited budget.
I ran into the Taylor big baby at a friend’s studio,
I picked it up and was surprised by how much I enjoyed playing it.
When I try to remember what made me connect to this guitar, I can think of one word:
Comfort.
Buy the Taylor Big Baby on Amazon.com
This guitar is so easy to play. It’s very lightweight, and you’ll feel it when you pick it up,
it weighs just under four pounds, (3.8 to be exact) It’s a little bit smaller than the Dreadnought size,
which is the size of most popular acoustic guitars, and it is undoubtedly less thick than other guitars in that style.
As soon as you take it in your hands and start playing, you’ll find it easy and fun to play.
For me, this is one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing a guitar
because the easier it is to play the guitar, There is more chance that the things you play will sound better,
and it is more likely you will be inspired to play exciting pieces of music.
If you’re looking for comfort, it’s hard to ignore the guitar’s thin neck. I’ve already played all kinds of acoustic guitars before I tried the Taylor Big Baby for the first time,
And this was a much smoother experience.
And if you started as an electric guitar player and you want to buy an acoustic guitar,
With this big baby, you will have an effortless transition from electric guitar to acoustic guitar.
A Video of Me Playing the Taylor Big Baby Guitar
Acoustic sound
One more thing that I noticed when I played the Taylor big baby for the first time was the sound.
It’s pretty amazing that an acoustic guitar that feels so light and is relatively small has a pretty balanced sound.
When I say “balanced,” I mean that when you play it without amplification (we will talk about amplification in a few more paragraphs), The low notes and the high notes sound quite equal.
The well-balanced sound adds up to the overall guitar sound, and to the listener’s experience.
Of course, you have to understand that this guitar is in the low to medium price range,
so when I talk about “balanced sound” I compare this guitar to other guitars at similar prices.
Quality of built
Taylor is a popular and well-known brand (founded in 1974),
and I believe they have tried to produce an instrument that will have Taylor’s famous sound, but still, appeal to an audience with a limited budget.
So when you buy a TAYLOR BIG BABY, you need to know that there are good things in the built quality of the guitar and there are few things that are less than perfect.
So it is essential that you decide what your needs are when you buy an acoustic guitar (which we will come to later).
Let’s start with the good things: In general, the guitar is well built –
It stays in tune for a decent amount of time – it has great tuning keys,
made from chrome metal, it has a truss rod. Also, the guys at Taylor made this guitar from fine woods.
However, you should know that the guitar has no lacquer finish and therefore you should be extra careful when using it. Any hit on the guitar will be apparent.
Also, the mounting of the neck to the guitar body is done by two screws in front of the neck.
Although I have never encountered any problem with this issue,
neither during the playing nor in the guitar maintenance,
I only mention this subject because it is not a standard mounting.
All this brings us to our next topic:
Who should buy the Taylor big baby?
Or in other words
What are your needs?
I know why I bought this guitar – it was my first acoustic guitar,
So:
1. I had a limited amount of money to spend.
2. Even if I had a larger budget, I would not buy a more expensive guitar because,
in my opinion, you should start with something fundamental and move on to something better only when you have more understanding of your needs, and of the other options that are available in the market.
3. It was very comfortable, and as I have already written,
it is one of the factors that most influence me when I buy a new instrument,
especially if it’s an instrument that I have not played yet.
So one need was a guitar in a price range that I can withstand,
the second need was the comfort of playing.
The other thing I needed was a guitar that I could use for songwriting,
in any room (or outside) without amplification.
In fact, the big baby was so successful in this task that not long after I bought it,
I sat down one night and composed five or six songs that later became the sketches for one of my albums.
Also, For me as a professional musician and music producer,
An acoustic guitar is an instrument that can be used in recording sessions to produce and play various kinds of music genres. And the Taylor big baby is no exception.
I know that many guitarists buy this guitar to take it along with them on trips.
Taking the big baby to trips can be an option for you because one significant advantage is its low weight and the great bag that comes with it.
(But remember to watch it because it does not have a lacquer finish).
Another option for using this guitar is concerts and gigs –
If you are a musician who plays various types of instruments and one of them is the acoustic guitar, then you should consider buying the big baby – Its low weight can play a crucial role for you, as you probably carry a lot of stuff to your gigs.
And if you already have one quality guitar and you need a “gigging guitar” – for such performances that it’s a lit bit of a risk to take your expensive guitar along with you –
This guitar can also be the right solution for you.
But of course, even if this is going to be your primary instrument or even your first,
This guitar is still enjoyable to play, and it will turn your show into a natural and flowing experience.
I talked about performances, and now you probably ask yourself – that guitar is not amplified, why is he talking about performing with it?
Amplification
The basic model of the Taylor Big Baby comes without amplification, and the amplified model is not easy to get (actually I’m not sure it’s possible, according to what I understand – that model is not available in most online stores)
That’s why I had to install a guitar pickup so that I could play it at my shows.
My solution was to install an external pickup for the guitar (as opposed to internal one – Piezo pickup).
I chose a pickup from LR BAGGS – the M1.
Buy The LR BAGGS M1 Pickup on Amazon.com
This pickup is assembled on the guitar’s sound hole.
This product looks like electric guitar pickups, and it works in the same principle –
It’s a magnetic pickup, which means that it can only work with metal strings (and that’s why it’s suitable for acoustic guitars).
If you’d like to add a pickup to the big baby, I strongly recommend that you’ll get a guitar technician to do this job for you.
How does it sound amplified?
It’s a matter of taste. In general, Taylor guitars usually emphasize the higher frequencies,
and the Big Baby is no different on this subject.
When you play it without amplification, you will not feel any downside,
but at the venue, where you perform, sometimes it will lack some low frequencies.
How do you solve this problem? The answer may be
Strings
For most of my guitars, I like to use ELIXIR strings, mainly because they last longer than other strings.
But in this case, I recommend you try the Martin strings (check prices on Amazon),
That’ll give you more of that “fat” sound (meaning more low frequencies).
As for the gauge of the strings – usually, on acoustic guitars, it is customary to use 0.11 or 0.12, to produce a fatter sound.
I usually work with 0.11, but there is no reason not to use 0.10 if the 0.11 strings are too hard for you to play. I mean, if that’s what’s right for you then go for it!
Bag
Last and important point – the Taylor Big Baby comes with an excellent bag.
It is padded and easy to carry.
I like it so much that I also use it as a bag for my electric guitars.
So let’s summarize it all – to whom this guitar fits?
1. Beginners – if it’s with guitars in general or with an acoustic guitar specifically –
It’s a comfortable guitar that sounds good without amplification and fun to play.
2. Anyone looking for a guitar for trips and traveling –
This guitar is light and not as thick as other acoustic guitars of this size (DREADNOUGHT),
and comes with an excellent and comfortable bag.
3. Professional guitarists who have one acoustic guitar for recordings and performances and
need another acoustic guitar for traveling, rehearsals, and performances that are, Well, less important.
4. Songwriters, singers, and artists who are looking for a comfortable guitar that will inspire them to write songs at home or in the studio.
Buy the Taylor Big Baby on Amazon.com
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