Taylor 512ce 12-Fret Urban Ironbark

Sitka Spruce and Urban Iron Bark

The solid body of Urban Ironbark and the solid top of Sitka spruce result in a tonewood combination of absolute premium quality. The bright tones of the classic spruce top are complemented by the exclusive sound characteristics of Urban Ironbark in the form of tonal balance combined with impressive assertiveness. This creates a complex as well as dynamic sound image that gives the guitar an attractive unique selling point.

Patented V-Class Bracing

In addition to construction and tonewood selection, the high sound volume of the Taylor 512ce 12-Fret Urban Ironbark is supported not least by the innovative Taylor V-Class bracing. The v-shaped top bracing represents the optimal compromise between stability and improved vibration behaviour, as the design offers greater flexibility. In addition to the volume, this also has a positive effect on the Sustain and intonation, which fully meets the requirements of even the most demanding guitarists and guitarists.

Compact Grand Concert Body

With the Grand Concert body Taylor develops the ideal mixture of great sound characteristics, feedback insensitivity and playing comfort. The easy-grip body is particularly suitable for guitarists of smaller stature and also brings out the overtone spectrum perfectly. Fingerstyle enthusiasts will be especially pleased with the generous nut width of 44.44 mm, while the shortened 631.8 mm scale length pleasantly reduces the effort required for picking.

Accurate playability and robust hardware.

The decidedly player-friendly dimensions are rounded out by a smooth mahogany neck at Satin-Finish and a velvety ebony fingerboard. The select materials allow the fretting hand to glide effortlessly from fret to fret, with a Venetian cutaway granting unobstructed access even to the higher registers. Meanwhile, an ebony bridge with micarta inlay and nickel-plated Taylor slot head tuners ensure consistently clean intonation and high tuning stability.

Original Expression System 2

For perfect sound transmission, the Taylor 512ce 12-Fret Urban Ironbark is equipped with the highly professional Expression System 2. The innovative pickup design features three piezo elements that pick up the acoustic signals of each pair of strings directly and transmit them unaltered to the amplifier so that the natural sound character of the guitar is fully preserved. Volume, bass and treble can be individually adjusted to the ambient conditions and personal preferences via three controls discreetly positioned on the upper frame.

Masterful design

The model also scores visually across the board. The Shaded-Edgeburst high-gloss finish skilfully highlights the fine grain of the woods, while an attractive tortoise binding harmonizes perfectly with the tortoise pickguard, which is both functional and beautiful. The dazzling abalone rosette and the filigree aerial inlays, which give the instrument a classic touch, especially in combination with the openwork headstock, which is atypical for acoustic guitars, appear premium.

Sustainable ebony cultivation in Cameroon

Because ebony's hard, supple texture makes it particularly finger-friendly, it has long been the preferred choice for making fingerboards. Its attractive appearance is also extremely popular for bridges, headstock rests, bridge Pins and Bindings. However, high demand and a thriving black market outstripped stocks, landing Ebony on the Red List of Endangered Species in 1994. Moreover, only the jet-black heartwood, which makes up only a fraction of the tree, was used, resulting in a disproportionately large amount of waste in production. In order to protect the forests, Taylor has thus been working since 2011 with the Crelicam Wood Mill in Yaoundé in Cameroon to promote controlled consumption by processing waste products.

"We need to use the ebony that the forest gives us" - Bob Taylor