Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e review: “This is a huge amount of fun”
$2,799, £2,699, taylorguitars.com
It’s barely been a year since Taylor’s launched its Gold Label series, but already Andy Powers’ more vintage-inflected take on the Taylor recipe is clearly proving an inspiring canvas – not just for the development of new standard models but increasingly as a starting point for collaborations with artists.
READ MORE: Taylor Next Generation 324ce review: “this could easily be your forever acoustic”
Taylor, as you may be aware, has taken a very considered and restrained approach to signature models over its first five decades, with only occasional offerings for the likes of Richie Sambora, Jason Mraz and Doyle Dykes getting the full artist instrument treatment.
Already, however, Gold Label has spawned one signature guitar – the rather impressive Trey Hensley 510e – and now we have another for a very different kind of musician, Ben Harper. Harper of course, was formerly a Martin signature artist, but in recent years has often been seen playing a slope-shoulder Taylor Grand Pacific 717e dread with an Indian rosewood back and sides, and a Sitka spruce top.
So what do you get the alt-rock superstar guitarist who has everything? Well, let’s find out.
Image: Adam Gasson
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e – what is it?
The most striking thing to note about this new 512e is that it’s quite a departure from the Builder’s Edition Grand Pacific he’s more commonly associated with. The 512e is the first of the new Grand Concert-sized Gold Label models, and with its torrefied spruce soundboard and solid mahogany back and sides, it’s clearly meant to complement his existing guitars rather than replace them.
The Grand Concert shape is, of course, an iconic bit of Taylor design that has over 40 years of pedigree – it’s no surprise that it has arrived in Gold Label, one way or another. It’s also perhaps not a surprise that Harper was apparently so charmed by it when he first played a non-signature version – his Martin signature model was of the 000-adjacent M size, and there are similar vibes between the two.
The first thing I notice as I open the British Cocoa Bronco Taylor Deluxe hard shell case is that this is a visually striking instrument. Whereas the Gold label line has been an opportunity for Taylor to go nouvelle vintage with an aesthetic inspired by catalogue guitars of the mid-20th century, the Ben Harper Gold Label 512e leans into a Depression era vibe with a simple but effective design language.
Anyone still trumpeting the line that Taylor Guitars lack visual character needs to have one of these waggled in their faces for a bit.
Any torrefaction process will inevitably darken sitka spruce to a caramel colour and this guitar features a beautifully applied edgeburst to make the most of this colouration. This balances nicely with the cream scratch plate, inlays and body binding. The Honduran rosewood fretboard, bridge and peghead veneer lend a lighter shade of pale to the organic, desert-dwelling vibe.
Image: Adam Gasson
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e – build and playability
This guitar is built around a 24-7/8” scale length and features a neo-tropical mahogany neck carved to Taylor’s standard specifications. As noted in previous reviews, this slim profile is ideal for guitarists who play the instrument with a wrap-around thumb approach to root six barre chords – it’s an immediate and comfortable squeeze.
The knowledge that the guitar features Taylor’s Action Control Neck design will bring peace of mind to many players who find regular action adjustments to be a part of guitar ownership.
The guitar feels balanced in the lap – albeit with the inevitable neck plunge typical of 14-fret smaller-body instruments. There’s no cutaway, but that’s par for the course with the Gold Label series at the time of writing and certainly not a dealbreaker in this case.
Similarly, the Sitka spruce soundboard is braced with Andy Powers’ Fanned V-Class bracing with Tonal Rout. Whether this newer approach will imbue the instrument with a voice that matches the vintage visuals remains to be seen.
Plugged-in duties are taken care of courtesy of Taylor’s new Claria active pickup and preamp, which features a soundhole-mounted control system allowing you to tweak your sound via volume, mid-contour and tone wheels. Once you remember which is which, it’s a simple enough arrangement.
Image: Adam Gasson
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e – sounds
From seminal albums such as The Will To Live and Both Sides Of The Gun to various live EPs and albums, Ben Harper’s acoustic guitar work is characterised by a delicate balance of nuanced detail and articulation and earthy, warm tones to support his vocals. This is not an easy thing to pull off – especially in a brand-new guitar – but this 510e does a sterling job.
Gentle fingerstyle, with the fingertips only, brings out a breathy, whispery tone that is strong in the fundamentals as I’d expect from a mahogany instrument. The trebles shimmer nicely and the bass… well, it’s what you’d hope for with a smaller-bodied instrument played softly: articulate and supportive rather than dominating.
It’s time to inject some medium vibes with a .70mm tortoiseshell pick – the results are eye-opening as the torrified spruce soundboard works its magic. Gone is the slightly hazy fingerstyle sound, replaced with a treble-heavy and articulate shimmer. This is ideal for arpeggiated lines as well as open-string chords up the neck. The balance here is particularly impressive, and as the top benefits from the extra oomph, the bass perks up considerably too.
This is a huge amount of fun, and I can imagine this voice working extremely well in the studio in front of big fat mics with little need for EQ or compression – even when stacked over multiple tracks.
Image: Adam Gasson
While they might not be the first choice for the solo fingerstyle guitarist, Taylors do tend to love open tunings, and the Harper 512e is no exception. It does the shimmery, 11th chord DADGDAD thing very well indeed and dropping into a low-slung Orkney tuning (CGDGCD) yields a pleasing growl across the whole sonic spectrum, which also works beautifully with a slide.
Plugging straight into my studio desk reveals an immediately usable voice from the Claria active pickup system. This is a relief, and it’s worth taking a proper look here as the Claria pickup is streets ahead of the ES2 pickup that came as standard in Taylor Guitars for many years.
As with its predecessor, the controls are unlabelled, but the volume dial is on its own, closest to the bridge, whereas the mid contour and treble controls sit closer to the fretboard end in that order.
Whereas the volume control is smooth all the way from zero to hero, both EQ dials are notched in the centre, and this default position is a very musical starting point for my amplified explorations. It’s actually quite impressive how much of the acoustic voice of the instrument comes through the speakers, no matter how you attack the note.
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e – should I buy one?
It is increasingly clear that Taylor has struck gold with their Gold Label Series, and I, for one, will be fascinated to see what comes next – especially as it seems to have opened up a rich new seam of artist collaboration.
As far as the Ben Harper Gold Label 512e is concerned, though, this is a characterful and vibey small-bodied acoustic guitar with a very musical and versatile sound. Add in the impressive new Claria pickup system, and it’s an impressive all-round package.
Image: Adam Gasson
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e – alternatives
If you want a guitar with similar dimensions but more of a traditional Taylor sound and aesthetic, the new Next Generation 512ce ($2,799/£2,599) has a cutaway and even sports the same impressive Claria pickup system. Martin certainly offers a more conventional fit to the GL’s vintage sensibilities, and the all-mahogany 00-15M ($1,799/£1,849) certainly has a vibe about it, as does the similarly Depression-coded new Gibson L-00 Century 12-Fret ($2,299/£1,999).
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