Taylor Next Generation 552ce 12-Fret ‘Natural’ Grand Concert 12-String Acoustic Electric Guitar

The Taylor Next Generation 552ce 12-Fret is Taylor’s most comprehensive reimagining of their compact Grand Concert 12-string - a significant evolution of the 552ce platform that introduces the Scalloped V-Class bracing, Action Control neck system, and Claria pickup system alongside a tonewood specification of warm, cedar-forward acoustic character that feels intimate and immediate from the very first chord. The Next Generation designation signals a meaningful generational step: refined bracing geometry, an adjustable neck system that makes long-term action consistency easier to maintain, and a pickup designed from the ground up for clarity and reliability across any application.

Western Red Cedar top paired with solid Neo-tropical Mahogany back and sides produces a warm, sweet, and immediately resonant acoustic voice - cedar’s characteristic fast response and natural warmth complementing mahogany’s focused midrange depth and organic resonance in a tonewood combination that rewards light playing with nuanced sensitivity and expressive tonal response. The 12-fret Grand Concert configuration remains the defining ergonomic advantage of this platform - placing the neck join further down the body for extra midrange punch, a more relaxed handfeel, and a slinky, comfortable playing feel that makes 12-string fingerstyle and strumming accessible in a way that no standard 14-fret 12-string can match. Scalloped V-Class bracing dials up volume and sustain, white body binding, black fingerboard binding, Meridian Italian acrylic fingerboard inlays, green abalone single ring rosette, faux tortoise pickguard, Taylor nickel mini machine heads, and Taylor Deluxe brown hardshell case complete a specification of considered quality and tonal purpose.

Features

• Western Red Cedar top with solid Neo-tropical Mahogany back and sides delivers a warm, sweet, and immediately resonant acoustic voice - cedar’s fast response and natural warmth complementing mahogany’s focused midrange depth for a tonewood pairing of genuine intimacy and expressive character.
• 12-fret Grand Concert configuration provides a more relaxed, comfortable handfeel and extra midrange punch compared to standard 14-fret 12-string designs - making this one of the most physically accessible and ergonomically comfortable 12-string acoustic-electrics available.
• Scalloped V-Class bracing enhances volume, sustain, and harmonic accuracy across the full 12-string register, while the Action Control neck system enables precise and straightforward long-term action adjustment.
• Taylor Claria pickup system delivers clear, versatile, and reliable amplified acoustic tone for any live or studio application - a reimagined piezo system designed for consistency and ease of use.
• White body binding, black fingerboard binding, Meridian Italian acrylic fingerboard inlays, green abalone single ring rosette, and gloss natural finish complete a clean, refined aesthetic well-suited to the Next Generation platform’s evolved character.

• Body: Grand Concert (GC), Venetian cutaway
• Strings: 12-string
• Top: Solid Western Red Cedar, gloss
• Back & sides: Solid Neo-tropical Mahogany, gloss
• Bracing: Scalloped V-Class, Sitka spruce
• Body binding: White
• Top purfling: Black / B/W/B
• Rosette: Green abalone single ring
• Neck: Neo-tropical mahogany, Action Control
• Neck joint: 12-fret
• Fingerboard: West African Crelicam ebony
• Fingerboard binding: Black
• Fingerboard inlays: Meridian Italian acrylic
• Bridge: West African Crelicam ebony
• Nut: TUSQ, 1-7/8" (47.6mm)
• Saddle: Micarta
• Scale length: 632mm (24-7/8")
• Total frets: 18
• Neck joins body at: 12th fret
• Tuners: Taylor nickel mini machine heads
• Pickguard: Faux tortoise
• Electronics: Taylor Claria
• Strings: D’Addario XS Phosphor Bronze Light
• Includes: Taylor Deluxe hardshell case, brown
• Made in: USA