2006 Taylor 912CE Natural

For the aging boomer population (to which I belong), those big Dreads that we all bought back when we were simply middle aged or younger have somehow gotten bigger and bigger and now they are difficult to play. It's a little like your pants getting smaller and smaller as the hang in the closet. In any case, little guitars have soared in popularity and the good news is that you sacrifice nothing if you get the right little guitar. The Taylor 9 series is pretty fancy stuff and you're paying for that but at our age, we can afford fancy and besides, if not now, when? We ain't getting any younger. This is a 2006 912CE. C means cutaway and E means electric. The 12 series is like a Gibson or Martin double 0 in terms of body size. Back and sides are a nice looking piece of Indian Rosewood and the top looks like Sitka to me. It's really loud for a little guitar and it is well balanced with a slight tilt towards the bright side (like most Taylors). This guitar is 14 years old so it's broken in and I find that acoustics hit their peak at about 12 years old and stay there if well cared for. It's a little like a bottle of single malt. This guitar is near mint with a few minor, shallow dings near the rim on the bass side. No fret wear of any consequence (maybe 5%), no capo marks and no checking. It shows as brand new. So, go and spend $5K for a new one and play it for 12 years until it sounds like this one. Or buy this one and play it today at its sonic peak.