Baby Taylor BT2 – Ruler of The Compact Class

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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Parlor and travel guitars have become a heavily contested category in these past few years. Especially when you move away from the super affordable range and step closer to mid-range models. Taylor, a brand known for top-tier acoustic guitars which cost thousands of dollars, decided they want a piece of that game. Their way of achieving this goal comes in form of Baby Taylor BT2. This guitar is not only among the best travel guitars out there, but it's also one of the best mid-range affordable acoustic guitars, period. Because of that, it rightfully earned a place in our list of recommended travel guitars.

Body And Neck

Some will argue that BT2 is not a ‘real' travel guitar. The reason for this is the fact that it doesn't share the standard concert body shape, which most parlor guitars do. On top of that, it's slightly larger than your usual specimen from this category. With a standard dreadnought body, Baby Taylor BT2 brings versatility to its users, while still retaining a pretty compact size. Taylor went with a combination of a solid mahogany top and layered Sapele for the rest of the build. The neck is also a Sapele design, featuring a pretty standard rosewood fretboard. Even though this is not a hand made instrument, you can still see that expected Taylor build quality.

Hardware

In terms of quality, Baby Taylor BT2 features nothing out of the ordinary. You get a decent rosewood bridge fitted with a compensated saddle made of Nubone. As usual, the nut is also made of this same material. It's a similar situation with the tuning machines. They are relatively ordinary die cast units, which do a good job at retaining tuning and intonation. Hardware works very well, especially if you don't push the guitar out of its comfort zone.

Sound

One of the best things about the Baby Taylor BT2 is the sound it brings to the table. Not only is it pretty competitive even when you compare it to its full-sized counterparts, but it captures the essence of that Taylor tone. Its dreadnought body compensates well for its smaller size, so much so that the difference between a full sized one and BT2 is hard to notice unless you have experience with acoustic guitars. Everything is tight, from the bottom of the frequency range, to its very top. Clarity, definition, and warmth come in abundance. It's truly a Taylor, no matter how affordable it is.

Conclusion

If you are willing to sacrifice a small amount of mobility, BT2 will reward you with a performance likes of which you will hardly find elsewhere. At its current price, this guitar is a pure bargain. Build quality is evident no matter where you look first, although we do recommend you do a setup job just in case. It may or may not arrive
properly set up straight from the factory and making these adjustments can give you a real boost in performance.

For more info about the Baby Taylor BT2,click here.
For more travel acoustic guitars, click here.