Taylor T5z, gloss edgeburst finish, made in USA 2020. Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it's Taylor's 'hybrid hollowbody electric'! This is an intriguing little thing, It's fairly compact , similar in size to Gibson ES-339, but fully hollow with no centre block and packed with  some clever electronics. Acoustically, it sounds pretty convincing: not super loud, but a fair bit more balanced than a more trad 335 style thing, closer to a flat top steel string in tone. It's extremely easy to play too: lightweight, balanced, comfy neck, slick feel... so fun in the hands, whether you're on the couch or delivering the goods for four hours at the pub, it's an absolute breeze to play. Plug it in, and it gets interesting: it's got a five way switch to control the three different pickups. You get a piezo-ish body sensor, a hidden neck humbucker and a visible bridge lipstick-style humbucker, and there's a bunch of different combinations on offer to get the juices flowing. You can get articulate jazzbox style tones, covers-friendly steel-string style tones, convincing lead sounds with singing sustain... heck, it does a lot; see the notes below for more detail. For a guitar that is pretty unconventional, it does a good job of looking pretty classy: it's almost understated in a weird way, but it's a slick aesthetic. I personally think this shreds some of the other similar hybrid options around, Acoustasonics and the like, but hey, what do I know?

Model: Taylor T5Z Classic Deluxe
Made: USA, 2020
Serial: 1201100115
Finish: 'edgeburst', gloss poly
Body: Neo Tropical mahogany top, sapele back and sides, fully hollow, thinline depth
Neck: sapele, ebony fretboard, 24.75" scale, 12" radius, slim C shape
Weight: 2.420kg
Mods: none
Pickups: acoustic body sensor, hidden neck humbucker, bridge humbucker, 5-way switch and control knobs
Accessories: Taylor hard case

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has minor scuffs on the end and front around some of the posts. The is clean and smooth in the hands, very minor scuffs from play only. The back has dimples near the jack, elbow area and top horn and some scuffs on the bottom horn. The sides have dimples on the top horn and elbow area. The front has dimples near the top F-hole and along the back edge and some play wear on and shoulders.
Overall: excellent condition (9/10)

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 11/49 Moonshiners strings.
Fret life: 8/10, minor wear only


Note: here are the different switch position tones:

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