A Jumbo Built From Taylor's Own History
There are guitars, and then there are guitars that make you stop mid-strum and just listen. The Taylor Legacy 815e falls into that second category — not because of hype, but because of what it actually is: a full-sized Jumbo acoustic-electric built to honor the models that put Taylor on the map back in 1974. This isn't a reissue for the sake of nostalgia. It's what happens when Bob Taylor goes back through his own archive and says, "yeah, let's do that again, but even better."
The 815 body shape was Taylor's original answer to the big Jumbos that folk-rock players and soloists relied on — the kind of guitar that fills a room without asking permission. Pairing that classic Jumbo platform with a solid Sitka spruce top and solid Indian rosewood back and sides gives the 815e a commanding, layered voice that rewards both strummers and fingerpickers. If you've been wanting a Taylor with that vintage-era scale of sound, this is the one.
As part of Taylor's Legacy Collection — created specifically to celebrate the brand's 50th anniversary — every 815e carries a special Legacy label inside the body and design details drawn directly from Bob Taylor's earliest custom builds. It's a one-of-a-kind instrument in the modern Taylor lineup, and one that's likely to stay relevant long after its limited run is complete.
Tonewoods That Have Stood the Test of Time
The spruce-and-rosewood combination on the 815e is not a trend — it's the pairing that defined acoustic guitar tone for generations. The solid Sitka spruce top offers the strength and elasticity that gives acoustic guitars their dynamic range: crisp, clear articulation on single notes, and a broad, open sweep when you really dig into a chord. Traditional X-bracing (the pattern Taylor used before the V-Class era) lets the top breathe and bloom the way early Taylors were known for.
The solid Indian rosewood back and sides bring the character. Rosewood's extended frequency range means a throaty low end, shimmering highs, and a slightly scooped midrange that sits beautifully behind a voice or another instrument. Players often find that rosewood guitars feel particularly at home in solo performance or vocal accompaniment — there's a natural sense of space in the tone that makes everything feel bigger and richer.
A Neck You'll Want to Play All Day
The 815e's neck is neo-tropical mahogany with a Standard Carve profile — a smooth, comfortable shape that works well for a wide range of hand sizes and playing styles. The 25.5-inch scale length adds a little extra tension that keeps the low end tight and defined, which is especially useful on a big-bodied guitar. The 15-inch-radius West African Crelicam ebony fingerboard feels fast and responsive, and a 1-3/4-inch nut width gives your fretting hand plenty of room without feeling unwieldy.
Taylor's patented neck joint makes micro-adjustment easy if ever needed, so this guitar is designed to stay set up and playable over time — not just out of the box.
Vintage Appointments, Modern Electronics
The visual details on the 815e tell the same story as the tonewoods: this guitar is rooted in Taylor's own history. The mustache-style ebony bridge is a callback to Bob Taylor's earliest custom builds. The straight-ear peghead shape with rosewood veneer, the three-ring green abalone rosette, the non-engraved Large Diamond mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, white binding, faux-tortoiseshell pickguard, and ebony bridge pins with green abalone dots all come straight from the early 800 Series playbook. The overall finish is gloss on both body and neck, giving the whole guitar a clean, timeless look.
For electronics, Taylor deliberately stepped away from its modern ES2 system here in favor of an LR Baggs Element VTC undersaddle pickup — with volume and tone controls mounted inside the soundhole. The VTC is known for capturing a natural, acoustically authentic plugged-in sound, which suits the character of this guitar perfectly. Whether you're running into a PA at a gig or plugging into an acoustic amp at a session, you'll get a tone that actually sounds like this guitar.
Product Features:
-
Body Shape: Jumbo — Taylor's biggest, boldest body platform, revived for the Legacy Collection
-
Top: Solid Sitka spruce with traditional X-bracing (Relief Rout) for wide dynamic range and open bloom
-
Back & Sides: Solid Indian rosewood — extended frequency range with deep lows and shimmering highs
-
Neck: Neo-tropical mahogany, Standard Carve profile, 25.5-inch scale length, 1-3/4-inch nut width
-
Fingerboard: West African Crelicam ebony, 15-inch radius, Large Diamond mother-of-pearl inlays
-
Electronics: LR Baggs Element VTC undersaddle pickup with soundhole-mounted volume and tone controls
-
Bridge: Vintage-inspired mustache-style ebony bridge with ebony pins and green abalone dots
-
Appointments: White binding, three-ring green abalone rosette, faux-tortoiseshell pickguard, straight-ear peghead with rosewood veneer, gloss finish throughout, nickel tuning machines
-
Anniversary Edition: Special Legacy interior label; part of Taylor's 50th Anniversary Legacy Collection
Brand: Taylor Guitars
Model: Legacy 815e
SKU: 815E
Condition: New
Since 1872, C.A. House Music has been helping musicians across the Ohio Valley find the right gear -- with real advice from a team that actually plays. We're your authorized dealer of all the big names in guitars, keyboards, band instruments, drums, pro audio, and more. With four family-owned and operated locations in Ohio and West Virginia (plus a full online store), you don't have to go far for instruments, lessons, rentals, and repairs. No matter your musical needs, our team of musicians wants to help you Play Music for Life.