The guitar arrived promptly from Germany in perfect condition inside its hard case which was inside the unopened box from California USA. Beautiful looking guitar; the sunburst effect of the torrefied sitka spruce top, gloss finish, acrylic fretboard inlays and abalone sound hole single ring decoration are very attractive. I have 2 other Taylor acoustic guitars which, like this one have a Venetian cutaway enabling access to the frets in upper reaches (why have them if you can't play them easily?). I find that this in no way impairs the sound or volume. If I compare the tone to my 324ce, which has a lovely mellow tone in the bass, this 512ce has a more balanced tone across the range. Volume and projection very good, and I really like the comfortable smaller body of the grand concert compared to the grand auditorium. I have just received the guitar, and previous experience with Taylor guitars leads me to expect even better tone as it becomes 'played-in' I've tested the ES2 pickup system with a Roland AC 60 acoustic amp - sounds great! As usual, Thomann sold this item at a competitive price.
Overall, I've very pleased and would highly recommend this excellent guitar.
