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Taylor Academy 10 Acoustic Guitar - Natural

6-string Acoustic Guitar with Sitka Spruce Top, Layered Sapele Back and Sides, Maple Neck, and Ebony Fingerboard - Natural
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Taylor Academy 10 Acoustic Guitar - Natural
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Taylor-quality Dreadnought at a Great Price

Sweetwater knows that a guitar with high action, poor intonation, and inferior tone will quickly take its toll and derail your learning experience. Taylor applied their decades of guitar-building expertise to designing the affordable Academy 10 that sidesteps these issues to deliver a guitar that plays comfortably and effortlessly, removing the barriers to your development as a player. And it does it at a price that will astound. And even seasoned players will love the high-quality tonewoods, the tone-enhancing varnish finish, and the unique armrest that reduces fatigue.

A quality guitar you can afford

Taylor's Academy 10 boasts many of the same player-friendly features that have made the brand legendary. These features include an extremely comfortable and fast-playing neck profile, bracing patterns that enhance the guitar's natural voice, and solid Sitka spruce and ebony tonewoods used in the construction.

Comfortable from your first chord

Taylor really has gone the extra mile in crafting Academy Series acoustic guitars. Not only do they boast the company's legendary quality, but they are jam-packed with revolutionary touches that make them supremely playable for beginners and seasoned players alike. The most obvious addition is the built-in armrest for softening the contact point between the guitar's body and the player's arm. The guitar's neck is a bit shorter, softening the action of the strings. And light-gauge strings are used to further create an instant bond between fingertips and the guitar's sleek ebony fretboard.

Taylor Academy 10 Features:

  • Academy Series 6-string acoustic-electric guitar
  • Dreadnought body style with fatigue-reducing armrest
  • Thin, tone-enhancing varnish finish
  • Genuine Sitka spruce top
  • Layered sapele back and sides
  • Hard rock maple neck with ebony fingerboard, 20 frets
  • 1.6875" nut width
  • Single-ring Baltic birch rosette
  • Nubone nut, Micarta saddle
  • Chrome tuners

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • String Type: Steel
  • Number of Strings: 6
  • Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
  • Body Shape: Academy 10 Dreadnought
  • Back & Sides Wood: Sapele
  • Top Wood: Sitka Spruce
  • Finish: Varnish
  • Color: Natural
  • Body Bracing: Academy Series
  • Neck Wood: Maple
  • Neck Shape: Slim
  • Radius: 15"
  • Fingerboard Material: Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay: Dots
  • Number of Frets: 20
  • Scale Length: 24.875"
  • Nut Width: 1.6875"
  • Nut/Saddle Material: NuBone/Micarta
  • Bridge Material: Ebony
  • Tuning Machines: Taylor
  • Strings: D'Addario XS Coated Phosphor Bronze Light, .012-.053
  • Case/Gig Bag: Gig Bag
  • Manufacturer Part Number: FA02032000000011000

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Customer Reviews

Write your review
Rated 5/5

This is nice

This is my second acoustic guitar, it is a nice step up from the Yamaha F335.
I swapped out the stock tuners for lockers and replaced the stock plastic truss rod cover with a gold one. I also added a pickguard.
plays like a dream and sound wonderful, this was my first Sweetwater buy, and being assigned a service rep that is interactive with you is pleasant. Tony Greere, you are the best man!
Rated 5/5

More than I was expecting

I got this as a part of deal Taylor was doing awhile back as an add on to another guitar I purchased. I had zero expectations for it, but I was very impressed with it right out of the box. Taylor does a great job delivering great quality in most everything that they do, from their high end instruments to their lower end models like this one. It is a really easy playing guitar but is surprisingly full sounding for a slightly smaller dreadnaught body. It comes set up with lights so it's a wonderful little fingerstyle guitar. The contoured edge makes it really comfy to play and it holds tuning fairly well. Only thing to keep in mind with it is that it has pretty much no finish on it, so it's more prone to be affected by humidity and climate changes. The gig bag is really nice, again Taylor quality even in the little details, and fits the guitar perfectly. It makes a great alternative to my nicer Taylor for travel/campfire stuff and is just a nice couch guitar. Way nicer than I was anticipating and I would highly recommend this one to someone looking for a nice guitar on a budget.
Music background: Worship Leader
Rated 4.5/5

great for the price

I upgraded from a seagull to this taylor. took a little to get used to it but now I love it!
Rated 5/5

This guitar sounds like a dream !

I made the mistake of writing a bad review on my guitar thinking the action was way too high. As it turns out all it needed was a simple truss rod adjustment. This is a FANTASTIC guitar.
Rated 5/5

So playable; Feels and Sounds Great

So . . . I bought this for my daughter to play (actually the Academy 12 model), but I've ended up playing it so much that she has to ask for it! Ha ha. I expected a sounding guitar. But this guitar punches above it's weight class like no other. So so easy to play and it sounds great. While it doesn't have the boom of a jumbo, it has plenty of bottom end. Sounds very balanced and much bigger than its 7/8 size would lead you to believe. The construction is flawless - such that I would expect this guitar to cost if I didn't already know the price. I find myself reaching for it first over acoustics I have that cost 10 times what this one costs. It is very articulate and clear - but never ever sounds thin or "tinny" like some lesser expensive models can and do. To my ear this sounds better than the Baby Taylor or the Big Baby, or the GS. We have the Academy 12 model - those curves are downright sexy and it looks amazing. And it doesn't have the screws THROUGH the neck like some other smaller guitars do (what's up with that?).

I stood it up next to my Avalon grand auditorium (made in Ireland), and in some dimensions the Academy is larger. Maybe that's why I like it so much - it never looks, feels, or sounds smaller than a "normal" sized guitar. DO NOT let anyone say this is for beginners .... sure, it's an epic choice for beginners, but anyone who loves acoustic will love this guitar. I have played it non-stop since May 2020 and keep choosing it over other options. Mine is not the "E" pickup model, since I will never buy a guitar with a hole cut in it for a P/U or EQ, or on-board tuner . . . if you buy a good guitar like this, it will still be relevant when the electronics are outdated. So when you buy an "E" version, you've got a decent pickup, a hole in your guitar, and upgrading the pickup will be a challenge. But if you buy the non-E version, you can put in a good p/u like a K&K Pure Mini, and nothing needs to be drilled in the body, other than perhaps the block inside for the 1/4" input jack. And in 10 years if you want to change pups, it's easy-peasy and you never have a hole cut into your guitar. I am a guy who keeps guitars for decades. So I don't want to be stuck with a certain p/u in 2021 when a better option comes along in 2030.

All that to say, for bucks, these Academy guitars cannot be beaten. If I had to spend on an acoustic, this would be it, hands down. If I had more, then I'd buy this Academy 10 or 12, and then add either a K&K Mini or a LR Baggs M80, and still have money left over for other gear.

In short, this guitar is fantastic. Plays and feels great, and it's for anyone - beginner to pro. Add electronics if you want to. Or use it to teach your kid how to play. SO many "kid" guitars sound and play like crap. Or just sound "OK." This one costs a little more than some, but will retain its value, so it's worth it. And don't think that it's a "small" guitar and therefore for kids, since many touring pros like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran (please don't hate me for using them as an example) use smaller 7/8 guitars all the time. This one still manages to sound full and articulate and warm. And if you want more bottom end, then add the pickup and tweak the lows (with a BBE Acoustimax preamp! The BEST!!). But again, if your #1 priority is big bottom bass, then you're not reading this review anyway and you want a full-on dreadnaught or jumbo. For me, it has plenty of low end and never gets boomy or "flabby." Just "Taylor clear" and articulate.

I use mine for leading worship and love it. After 11 months with it, I am still super impressed. Plus, at (plus a p/u), I don't have to worry if it gets a scratch on it. And the gig bag is very thick and fantastic. I lug it around with me all the time.

Now I just need to buy another one for my daughter since I stole hers . . .
Music background: Worship leader and guitar/gear nerd for 30 years.

As one of the nation's top Taylor Guitars dealers, Sweetwater receives regular on-site training from Bob, Andy, and the rest of the Taylor crew. We're also, many of us, Taylor players ourselves, and we're happy to steer you in the right direction once you're ready to make the leap. New to Taylor? Our Find Your Fit guide simplifies Taylor body shapes, woods, and series. Longtime player? Our Taylor Custom Shop, annual limited editions, and in-house mods offer a level of exclusivity you won't find in stores. Whatever your pleasure, Sweetwater's climate-controlled warehouse and 55-point Inspection ensure your Taylor guitar arrives ready to play just as the manufacturer intended.

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