Taylor Gold Label 517e Blacktop Grand Pacific Acoustic-Electric Guitar - Cream Pickguard

Vintage Soul Meets Modern Innovation

The Guitar Sanctuary is proud to present the Taylor Gold Label 517e Blacktop with Cream Pickguard. Blending classic mid-20th-century aesthetics with cutting-edge lutherie, this model expands Taylor's Gold Label Collection into bold, roots-forward territory. Designed by Master Builder Andy Powers, the 517e introduces a modified Grand Pacific body shape built 3/8-inch deeper—reaching a full 5 inches at the soundhole—for expanded internal air capacity, increased low-end projection, and an effortless acoustic push.

Crafted with a torrefied (roasted) Sitka spruce top and solid Neo-Tropical mahogany back and sides, the 517e serves up a warm, dry, and woody tonal profile with a thick, muscular midrange. Taylor’s soundboard roasting process imbues the top with sweet, aged overtones typically reserved for vintage instruments, while the internal fanned V-Class bracing delivers unparalleled intonation, volume, and sustain across the entire fingerboard.

Boutique Appointments & Action Control Neck System

The Gold Label 517e features Taylor’s innovative shimless Action Control Neck™ joint. This long-tenon neck design extends deep into the body to enhance acoustic resonance while allowing micro-adjustable string height tweaks without removing the neck. For live performance, it comes outfitted from the factory with the LR Baggs Element VTC pickup system for natural, uncolored amplified tone.

• Best For: Singer-Songwriters, Americana, Blues, Studio Recording, and Flatpicking.
• Tone Profile: Warm, woody, earthy, and dry with deep bass projection and a muscular midrange.
• Compared To: Vintage slope-shoulder dreadnoughts and traditional mahogany acoustics, but with superior V-Class intonation and modern neck playability.
• Sanctuary Expert Note: "The 5-inch body depth gives this 517e an incredible low-end response that you don't typically hear from Taylor. It trades high-end sheen for an old-school, played-in soul that tracks exceptionally well in front of a mic."

Technical Specifications:

• Body Shape: Grand Pacific (5" Deeper Body Depth)
• Top Wood: Torrefied Sitka Spruce (Gloss Blacktop Finish)
• Back & Sides Wood: Solid Neo-Tropical Mahogany (Gloss Finish)
• Bracing: Fanned V-Class Bracing with Tonal Route
• Neck Wood: Neo-Tropical Mahogany with Satin Finish
• Neck Joint: Action Control Neck System (Long-Tenon)
• Fingerboard & Peghead Veneer: West African Crelicam Ebony
• Scale Length: 25-1/2" | Nut Width: 1-3/4"
• Inlays & Binding: Cream Crest Inlays, Cream Single-Ring Rosette, Cream Body Binding
• Pickguard: Distinctive 1930s-Style Cream Pickguard
• Bridge: Honduran Rosewood "Curve Wing" Bridge with Indian Rosewood Pins
• Electronics: LR Baggs Element VTC Pickup & Preamp System
• Hardware: Taylor Nickel Tuning Machines
• Nut & Saddle: White TUSQ Nut / White Micarta Saddle
• Case Included: Deluxe British Cocoa Hardshell Case

Photos are of one from our inventory, SN 1204075034, individual color and grain will vary from guitar to guitar