Taylor Academy Guitars: The Best Beginner Acoustic Guitars from Taylor
I get asked this question a lot: Is the Taylor Academy a good beginner guitar? Short answer? Yes. Long answer? It might be the best beginner acoustic guitar you can buy right now, and I'll tell you exactly why.
At The Pied Piper Music Store, we've put a lot of guitars in a lot of hands over the years, both at our Charleston, WV location and our New Albany, Ohio showroom serving Columbus, Westerville, Dublin, Gahanna, and the surrounding central Ohio area. When someone walks in nervous about buying their first guitar, the Taylor Academy is almost always where we start.
Why the Taylor Academy Stands Out
Most beginner guitars fight you. The strings are too high off the fretboard, the neck feels like a baseball bat, and the tone is dull enough to make you wonder if you even like guitar. Taylor built the Academy Series specifically to fix all of that.
Playability
The Academy has a slim neck profile, light-gauge strings, and a slightly shorter 24-7/8" scale length. That means less tension on the strings, easier chord shapes, and less finger soreness while you're building calluses. It plays like a guitar that wants to be played.
The Armrest Bevel
This is a detail most people overlook until they've played without it. The Academy has a beveled edge where your forearm rests on the body. It's a comfort feature Taylor usually reserves for their higher-end models. After an hour of practice, you'll notice the difference.
A Real Solid Top
The Academy uses a solid Sitka spruce top, not laminate. That matters because solid tops open up and improve with age. The guitar you buy today will sound better in two years than it does now. Laminate tops don't do that.
Taylor Academy Models: Which One Is Right for You?
Taylor Academy 10 -- Dreadnought
This is the strummer's guitar. Big body, strong low end, plenty of volume. If you want to play around a campfire, back up your own singing, or just fill a room with sound, the Academy 10 is your guitar. It's a traditional dreadnought shape with all the beginner-friendly upgrades Taylor built into the series.
Taylor Academy 12e -- Grand Concert with Electronics
Smaller body, more focused tone, and a built-in pickup system. The Academy 12e is the one I usually recommend to players with smaller frames, anyone interested in fingerpicking, or people who want a guitar that's ready for the stage when they are. The Grand Concert body is easier to hold and more comfortable for detail work, and Taylor's ES-B electronics mean you can plug in without buying a separate pickup later. It's the guitar that grows with you.
Taylor Academy 20 -- Dreadnought with Walnut Back and Sides
A step up in tonal character. Walnut back and sides give this one more warmth and sustain in the midrange compared to the Academy 10. If you want something with a little more personality and a woodier feel, the Academy 20 is worth a close look.
Taylor Academy 10 vs 12e: Which Should You Get?
This is the most common question we get once someone decides they want an Academy. Here's the honest breakdown:
- Get the Academy 10 if you want to strum, sing, and project. It's louder, fuller, and built for that big dreadnought sound.
- Get the Academy 12e if you want something easier to hold, better for fingerpicking, or you have any interest in playing live or recording down the road.
Both have the same neck, the same solid top, and the same armrest bevel. You really can't make a bad call here.
The Bottom Line
The Taylor Academy Series is one of the few beginner guitars I'd recommend without hesitation. It plays well out of the box, it sounds better than anything else in its price range, and it won't hold you back as you improve. Most beginner guitars get traded in after a year. Academy players tend to keep theirs.
Come try one in person at The Pied Piper Music Store in Charleston, WV, or at The Pied Piper of New Albany, serving Columbus, Westerville, Dublin, Gahanna, Pickerington, Reynoldsburg, Pataskala, Johnstown, and the broader central Ohio area. We'll put the right one in your hands.
We Set Your Life to Music!
