A Round-Shoulder Classic at an Everyday Price
If you've ever played a slope-shoulder dreadnought and thought "this is the one," the Taylor 117e is worth a serious look. Taylor's Grand Pacific body shape has lived in their higher-end lines for years, and the 117e brings it into the 100 Series — making that warm, blended, low-end-forward voice accessible without a big stretch of the budget.
What makes the 117e stand out from a typical entry-level acoustic-electric is the torrefied Sitka spruce top. Taylor's roasting process removes moisture and sugars from the wood, leaving a top that's lighter and more resonant than standard raw spruce — one that typically takes years of playing to develop naturally. You get that aged-in sweetness from day one.
Add in Taylor's ES2 pickup system and this guitar is ready to go from living room to stage without a second thought. Whether you're writing songs, jamming with friends, or performing, the 117e covers the bases without asking you to compromise.
The Grand Pacific Shape — and Why It Matters
The Grand Pacific's round-shoulder silhouette is distinct from Taylor's traditional square-shoulder dreadnoughts. The sloped shoulders and wider lower bout shape the sound as much as the wood does — delivering strong, clear low-end power and a warm, blended midrange that pairs naturally with the human voice. Players often find it sits better in a mix than a traditional dreadnought, without losing any of that full-body resonance you'd expect from a large-bodied guitar.
Taylor reinforces all of that with C-Class interior bracing — an asymmetric, cantilevered pattern that dials up volume, sustain, and bass-range presence. The result is a guitar that feels lively and responsive whether you're strumming open chords or playing fingerstyle passages.
Tonewoods and Playability
The layered sapele back and sides give the 117e a sturdy, road-ready platform. Sapele shares a tonal family with mahogany — offering warmth and sustain — and the layered construction makes it more resistant to humidity and temperature swings than solid wood, which is a real-world advantage for players who move their instrument around a lot.
The hard-rock maple neck has Taylor's Standard Profile — a comfortable, slightly slender shape that electric guitar players often take to immediately. Nut width sits at 1-11/16", giving you enough room to fret cleanly without feeling wide. The 20-fret ebony fingerboard (West African Crelicam ebony or eucalyptus, subject to Taylor's availability) is smooth and responsive, and the 25.5" scale length keeps string tension familiar for anyone coming from a steel-string acoustic or an electric.
Built-In Electronics You Can Actually Use
Taylor's Expression System 2 (ES2) pickup lives behind the saddle, using three individually calibrated sensors that respond to the guitar's acoustic energy as it transfers through the saddle. The onboard preamp gives you volume, bass, and treble controls plus a phase switch, so you can dial in your sound without a lot of fuss between songs.
Whether you're running through a PA at an open mic, plugging into an acoustic amp at a rehearsal, or going direct into a recording interface, the ES2 does a solid job of capturing the 117e's natural voice in an amplified setting.
Product Features:
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Body Shape: Grand Pacific round-shoulder dreadnought
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Top: Solid torrefied Sitka spruce with matte finish
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Back & Sides: Layered sapele
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Bracing: Taylor C-Class with Relief Rout — asymmetric design for enhanced bass, volume, and sustain
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Neck: Hard-rock maple, Standard Taylor Profile, matte finish
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Fingerboard: West African Crelicam ebony or eucalyptus (subject to Taylor availability), 20 frets
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Scale Length: 25.5"
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Nut Width: 1-11/16" (1.6875")
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Electronics: Taylor Expression System 2 (ES2) — behind-saddle transducer with adjustable sensors, 2-band EQ, onboard phase switch
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Tuners: Die-cast chrome
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Finish: Matte Natural
Brand: Taylor Guitars
Model: 117e Grand Pacific
SKU: 117E
Condition: New
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