Arched laminated
maple back
Slick and Black as Night
The glossy black Doyle Deluxe manages
to look flashy and low-key. Based to some
extent on the Taylor 200 Series guitars, it
trades the DDSM’s Florentine cutaway for
a Venetian cutaway that enables access all
the way up to the 20th fret on the 1st string
(though the pointed neck heel can make
that reach feel less than totally effortless).
Elsewhere, the bling is kept to a minimum.
Chet Atkins-style thumb inlays, like those
you might see on an old Gretsch, adorn the
ebony fretboard on the 25 1/2" scale neck,
and a Doyle Deluxe logo that mixes the
stylistic elements of Doyle’s signature and a
’50s-style car emblem adorns the signature
Taylor headstock.
On the section of the upper bout closest
to the neck joint, you’ll find the three low-profile controls (Volume, Bass, and Treble)
for the Taylor ES-T preamp and undersad-dle transducer system. An integrated endpin
jack and 9V battery compartment assembly
makes plugging in and changing the battery a breeze. And a phase switch is easily
reachable just inside the soundhole on the
preamp board.
Fast and Easy
The Doyle Deluxe does seem genuinely
geared for the style of its namesake. Low,
fast, and slinky, the action really invites
a fingerpicking approach, if you’re so
inclined. Our review DDX, as it’s also
known, came strung with light (.012-.053)
Elixirs, and while you could put much
heavier wire on this guitar, it’s hard to
Low, fast, and slinky, the action really
invites a fingerpicking approach, if
you’re so inclined.
imagine sacrificing the reactive, balanced
feel you get under your picking hand.
The combination of light strings, low
action, and long scale beckon you to play
fast and throw around bends, hammer-ons,
and legato runs. And while those elements
can conspire to make the DDX sound cool
for rapid-fire flatpicking, it’s really best for
a nuanced fingerpicking approach with
thumbpick or bare fingers. If you’re bent
on using the DDX as a flatpicking weapon,
you may want to consider adding a little
relief in the neck. Really digging in and
bending a full step past the 7th fret on the
1st and 2nd strings resulted in everything
from slight buzzing to a minor, but discernable thinning of the tone. (The tradeoff?
Some very cool false harmonics when you
stab the pick right at the 20th fret.)
The DDX’s voice, like that of many
Taylors, is exceptionally present in the
midrange, but that doesn’t mean the guitar
doesn’t have plenty of bass and high-end
on tap. The Grand Auditorium body helps
strike a really lovely balance between muscular and delicate. And the guitar’s even,
open sound makes alternate and open tunings sound rich, ringing, and harmonically
complex, and invites melodic work on the
