Jacob Collier has expanded his five-string guitar empire with the launch of his new Taylor signature guitar, which brings his custom-made five-string acoustic guitar to the masses for the first time.
The musical super-genius sparked much intrigue recently following the release of his five-string Strandberg guitar, which was officially unveiled in July. But five-string guitars have been part of Collier’s musical DNA – and tangible instrument collection – for quite some time now.
Before the Strandberg, there was the oddball five-string Taylor, which ultimately provided the genesis and inspiration for the headless electric guitar version. Now, the guitar that sparked Collier's five-string obsession and paved the way for his game-changing Strandberg, has been turned into a fully fledged signature model.
Like the Strandberg, the Taylor is tuned to an open tuning of D A E A D, which Collier believes makes it easier to “cover more ground with fewer strings to cross”.
As he explains in a new video with Taylor, “In around 2021 I began to have a feverish dream in my mind of a [four-string] tenor guitar but with an additional string.”
Indeed, as he once told Guitar World, Collier's first guitar was a four-string tenor acoustic tuned to fifths, and he's rarely strayed away from that principle. That more atypical path to playing the instrument has greatly influenced his perception of it, and he believes the new acoustic and its ergonomic electric equivalent can help guitarists rethink their approach to playing.
The Jacob Collier Signature Model (JCSM) – which is available in both five- and six-string variants – features a compact Grand Concert body style, with an all-koa build. Variegated ebony has been chosen for its bridge, fretboard, and peghead overlay, while Premium Gotoh tuners with antique chrome buttons have also been appointed. For tones, it offers LR Baggs Element VTC acoustic electronics.
Both versions also feature custom headstock covers, with Collier's logo laser-etched into it, a custom Jacob Collier signature guitar label inside the guitar, and a logo-adorned guitar strap.
The multi-instrumentalist calls his new signature a “guitar that anybody could pick up, play a chord on and it would sound immediately great. It will make you feel good about yourself, the guitar, and life in general”.
Recalling the moment he first played his custom Taylor, which he had only played in his imagination prior, Collier says: “I'd figured out shapes and language on it, but I've never played it before. It never existed before, at least to my knowledge. It was a real thrill.”
Now that thrill is being extended to acoustic lovers worldwide, making for one of the most left-field guitar releases we've come across in recent years.
In Collier's own words, he's “a genuine believer” that these instruments can help make guitar playing accessible to new learners who have struggled with traditional methods, and appeal to “seasoned guitar players looking for a change of scene”.
The Taylor Guitars Jacob Collier Signature Models are available now and cost $2,799 apiece.
Visit Taylor to learn more.
