Bridge

"Designed entirely from scratch, our all-aluminum bridge solves the intonation drift and ergonomic problems that often plague other electric bridges. The bridge height can be adjusted both front-to-back and side-to-side. Each of the strings sits in its own saddle, and once the intonation is set, the saddles are locked in place with screws located discretely under the bridge (accessible from the back). Once everything is locked down, you can take the strings off without the saddles moving, maintaining precise intonation. We also tweaked the perfect break angle for the strings, so that no matter where each individual saddle is positioned, it maintains the perfect amount of downward pressure and string length for easy playing and great tone. And we specially contoured the bridge to give it a curvy, ultra-smooth feel; your picking hand will be happy to camp out there."

Pickups

"Unique humbuckers balance the sweetness of a vintage pickup sound — where you hear the woods and the ways the guitar is responding to the player — with the power to fully drive an amp without being super hot and overpounding it. No matter what your electric pickup of choice has been, these pickups will appease your sonic cravings, plus dish out some new tonal flavors with the help of our combo settings and tone controls."

Controls

Five-Way Pickup Switch

Position 1: Full neck pickup
Position 2: Inside coils of the neck and bridge pickups in parallel (skinny, funky neck tone)
Position 3: Full neck pickup with the inside coil of the bridge pickup (adds fatness and drives the amp a little harder for extra crunch)
Position 4: Inside coil of each pickup in series (creating the effect of a super-wide humbucker and producing a truly unique tone)
Position 5: Full bridge pickup

Tone Control
The first two-thirds of the knob rotation acts like a traditional tone control. The last third, especially when all the way at the end, starts peaking the mids, yielding a killer nasal tone that resembles playing through a semi-cocked Wah-wah pedal. It¹s ideal for slide playing, or as a different tonal color for solos or throaty rhythm parts. The tone control together with the different pickup settings give you a whole new set of flavors to play with.

Knobs
Designed in-house, the knobs have a lip on the top, which makes them easy to roll in the moment. If your hands tend to get slick when you play, slip a rubber O-ring (included) over the knob and you¹ll never lose your grip.

Design

"Our innovative building methods allowed us to revamp both the look and sound of a solid body electric. From our blend of contouring with binding, to the use of spectacular woods for tops, to our refined use of tone chambers, Taylor electrics are truly one-of-a-kind.

Contours with Binding
Most electrics either have a hard edge with binding or sleek contouring. We're able to integrate the two in a unique way, because of the way we inset the guitar top into the body. This enables us to define an edge with binding and then contour up to that edge. Our forearm and cutaway contours are comfortable and especially beautiful with elegant binding trim.

Ultra-exotic Tops
Insetting the top also allows us to use gorgeous, exotic woods (like walnut burl used in high-end furniture design or luxury cars) that otherwise can¹t be used on electrics; it would require carving up a thick slab, which would be insanely expensive with woods of this aesthetic value. An inset top means we can cut a much thinner slice of wood.

Tone Chambers
Chambering on electric bodies has been used primarily to lighten the body weight. We¹ve applied our acoustic expertise to chambering in order to create the optimal acoustic "bloom." This enhances sustain, which is otherwise hard to create on an electric when everything is locked down.

Fused String Ground
Even reckless rock 'n' rollers have to respect the "blue spark" effect of getting shocked when grabbing the mic at a venue with improper ground. We designed a fused string ground (wired to the switch plate inside the guitar), so that in the event of faulty ground or funky wiring, the 5-milliamp fuse will fry instead of you. If the fuse blows, your guitar will still play, but it may be susceptible to more noise until you can replace it, which is easy to do, especially since you won¹t be in the hospital."

Body

The Hybrid Body Three-plus decades of acoustic expertise informed the way we shaped the hollow body hybrid T5. You can hear the tonal character before you even plug it in. The T5 features a fully hollow body and an active soundboard with a compound radius. The top is a flat piece of wood braced into an arch to capture the acoustic resonance. The f-holes in the top were specially designed and voiced to further enhance the resonance of the body chamber, and to allow the top to breathe in relation to the player¹s dynamic attack. Despite the f-holes and the slight arch in the top, the T5 is not an archtop guitar. Its acoustic tone is more akin to a flattop style of sound, as opposed to a carved top instrument like a violin, viola, archtop guitar, or mandolin.

Pickups

Thanks to its humbucking pickups and proprietary body sensor, the T5 produces a versatile range of pure analog tones from strumming acoustic to crunchy electric and everything in between. A hidden neck humbucker, a visible bridge humbucker, and a body sensor mounted to the inside surface of the top take advantage of the latest technology, utilizing Samarium Cobalt magnets and humbucking coils. The body sensor reads the movement of the top, adding even more warmth to your acoustic tone.

Controls

In addition to the 5-way switch, two active preamp/EQ tone controls and a volume control — incorporating the same soft-touch rollers as those used on the ES — allow for a wide range of additional tone-shaping within each switch position. Located on the soundboard near the upper left shoulder of the guitar are the Volume (set apart from the other two controls), Bass (the middle control), and Treble (closest to the fretboard). Like the Expression System, all three controls have a center detent, which can be felt as a slight “bump” when you roll the control to the center position. For Bass and Treble, the center detent indicates the “off” or “flat” mode. The center point of the Volume knob indicates half of the highest volume output. Also, keep in mind that despite the lack of a Midrange control knob, you can still easily boost or cut the mids by rolling the Treble and Bass controls past the center detent in either direction, then adjusting the volume. Turning both the Bass and Treble controls up effectively dips the mids, while turning them below the center detent boosts the mids.

5-Way Switching

Position 1
Under-Fretboard Humbucker and Body Sensor in series Activating the hidden neck pickup and body sensor, Position 1 is where you'll find the most acoustic-like tones.
Position 2
Under-Fretboard Humbucker The body sensor is switched off, leaving only the neck pickup active and yielding warm, round tones. This is a great position for solos and a good place to experiment with the tone controls. Try rolling back the Treble knob for darker tones.
Position 3
Bridge Humbucker We move into the bridge pickup zone and one of the most versatile tonal ranges. Position 3 will go from "spanky" and clean, all the way to "full-tilt crunch." Start out with the Volume at the detent (center) then roll it up to "push" the amp.
Position 4
Bridge Humbucker and Under-Fretboard Humbucker in parallel The neck pickup is re-activated and runs in parallel with the bridge pickup. You might find it reminiscent of a '50s hollowbody with a slight scoop. In Position 4 you'll find one of many unique T5 tones
Position 5
Bridge Humbucker and Under-Fretboard Humbucker in series The neck and bridge pickups are now running in series, creating a full and bright sound that's great for thick lead tones. Change the Volume settings and watch its "personality" change.