Taylor Legacy Collection 815e and 855e

Brand-new versions of Taylor’s legendary rosewood jumbo six- and 12-strings.

December 11, 2024

When Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug (along with their original third partner Steve Schemmer) took over San Diego’s American Dream shop in 1974, they inherited the jumbo and dreadnought body shapes that American Dream luthier Sam Radding had designed. In fact, the earliest Taylor guitars were essentially continuations of American Dream instruments, though it didn’t take long for the new company to come up with its own models. However, even within Taylor’s distinctive series, for which specific combinations of woods and appointments were chosen, the original body styles had a long run. While the dreadnought shape was modified in 1997, the jumbo body stayed in the line until it was replaced by the Andy Powers–designed Grand Orchestra in 2013. With Taylor being the forward-thinking company that it is, it made sense to eventually leave its inherited designs behind, but some Taylor fans have felt a bit nostalgic for the earlier models. For the first time in the company’s 50-year history, Taylor is now bringing back several models that it had stopped making, and the new Legacy Collection is a great opportunity to own brand-new interpretations of some classic guitars (check out this video of Bob Taylor introducing the five models in the series). We’ve already demoed the Legacy 810e, and in this video, I check out two rosewood jumbos: the Legacy 815e six-string and the Legacy 855e 12-string.

The Legacy 815e and 855e are fundamentally six- and 12-string versions of the same guitar. The jumbo body measures 17 inches at the lower bout, and its relatively tight waist gives it the classic jumbo guitar curves. As 800-series guitars, they include Indian rosewood backs and sides and Sitka spruce tops, as well as the earlier set of appointments, which include white binding and diamond position markers in the fingerboards. As you would expect from 800 models, which receive some of Taylor’s most desired materials, the woods on both of our demo guitars were gorgeous. As with all Legacy Collection models, the guitars aren’t exact reissues of a particular era. These instruments are built with Taylor’s NT neck design (which was introduced around 2000), use Taylor-branded tuners rather than the Grovers or Schallers typically found on early Taylors, and take advantage of all the advances in manufacturing that Taylor has developed. However, like the other Legacy models, the 815e and 855e are built with X-bracing rather than the V-Class bracing that Taylor has been using for all of its current standard models built in its main El Cajon, California, factory (some of the models made in its Tecate, Mexico, facility have continued to use X-bracing). Both guitars also have the “mustache” bridge that Taylor used on its early jumbo guitars, giving them a highly distinctive appearance. And rather than relying on Taylor’s own ES2 electronics, the guitars are equipped with L.R. Baggs Element electronics, which combine an undersaddle pickup with an endpin-mounted preamp and controls for volume and tone in the soundhole.

Tonally, both guitars live up to the expectations set by their predecessors. The 815e is a strumming machine that delivers an incredibly full rhythm voice with almost unlimited headroom. The guitar also has great low end, and generally would do well in any setting that requires an assertive flattop sound. The 855e is a reminder of the reason 12-string guitars played such a major role in Taylor’s early success. The guitar is easy to play, it has gorgeous 12-string jangle when strummed, and is responsive enough to make delicate fingerstyle work sound rich and complex. I don’t often say this, but I really didn’t want to send the 855e back!

At a time when Taylor has cultivated its own signature sound with original body shapes, V-Class bracing, etc., these two classics extend the company’s tonal palette. Players who have been missing a somewhat more traditional tonality but who appreciate Taylor’s playability, build-quality, and overall vibe should definitely give these Legacy jumbos a try!