Best Amp for Taylor T5Z (our top pick)

Demo below includes the Taylor T5z (limited edition version) and the Fishman Loudbox amplifier. Many thanks to the Chicago Music Exchange.

The T5z is one of the most unique acoustic guitars in Taylor's inventory. It's technically a hollowbody acoustic, but it uses a very thin body design and a slimmed profile that has some electric guitar qualities. Even the pickups - one of which looks like a single coil - are actually humbuckers at the bridge and neck positions. The middle pickup is a body sensor that grabs more of the natural acoustic tones and vibrations of the guitar's interior. So, the big question: What is the best amp for the Taylor T5z?

Compare to Other Acoustic Amps

Why we like the Fishman Brand

Fishman is a leader in acoustic amplification, and their foray into electric guitar pickups has also been incredibly successful. We trust their brand and have always thought the Fishman acoustic sound is at the top of the food chain. You're also getting the smaller amp in the lineup, the Fishman Mini, for a really great price. It's just a shade over $300 in most markets.

What we like about the Fishman Loudbox

The Fishman Loudbox series has been at the top of the best-selling acoustic amp list for a long time. It gives you all the basics

• Three-band EQ
• Balanced outputs
• Feedback control
• Two channels
• Onboard reverb and chorus

You won't have any trouble getting a beautiful tone out of this amp, especially with a guitar as nice and flexible as the T5z. In our experience, Koa and Maple top acoustics handle electric amplification really well.

Should I target an amp for the T5z with multiple channels?

In most cases we'd recommend a guitar amp with multiple channels regardless of how you have things set up. This is especially helpful with the T5z since you might want to set up more of an electric sound and then more of an acoustic sound. You can then switch channels depending on which sound you want.

Is the T5z more like an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar?

As I've mentioned, the T5z is an acoustic guitar first. You could probably make an argument either way, but it's a hollowbody guitar with a Koa (or Maple) top piece and a naturally resonant body design. Note that it's listed as a hollowbody and not a semi-hollowbody. It's the electrics and slim body design that give you the electric guitar sound.

Can you use an electric guitar amp with the T5z?

Yes, you can. 

Even for a regular acoustic guitar without the humbuckers in the T5z, an electric guitar amp is workable. The issue you need to watch out for is noise and making sure you're keeping gain low enough.

Acoustic amps are much better equipped to handle feedback, so we wouldn't necessarily recommend an electric amp for an acoustic guitar, or even the T5z specifically.

But if you're just using it for practice or getting used to the T5z, a tame electric guitar amp will do just fine.

What kind of pickups does the T5z have?

The T5z actually has a total of three pickups, two of which are humbuckers with one at the bridge and one at the neck. You can see the bridge pickup on the bridge (looks like a single coil but is actually a humbucker) while the neck pickup is hidden from sight.

• Bridge: Samarium Cobalt humbucker
• Middle: Dynamic body sensor pickup
• Neck: Hidden Samarium Cobalt humbucker

Taylor includes a five-way pickup selector to give you a ton of flexibility. This is the only acoustic guitar we've come in contact with that has three pickups and a five-way selector switch.

Should the amp have gain (distortion)?

Acoustic amps usually let you push some gain, but they guard against feedback more than electric guitars. If you want some light distortion, make sure you pull volume down as you pull gain up. Alternatively, you could grab an acoustic distortion pedal like the Fender Smolder. And with a guitar like the T5z that has a lot of electric guitar qualities, you should definitely carve out room for some breakup and gain increase. Just make sure you take care of any feedback issues along the way.

Conclusion

There's a lot of flexibility with the amp you chose for the Taylor T5z. It's a great guitar, so we'd recommend getting an amp that's going to be as faithful as possible to the guitar's natural vibe and tone. It's important to point out that the Fishman Loudbox is just a recommendation and opinion, based on our experience and research.

As such, it might not work for everyone.

Take it with a gain of salt, and note that the best amp for your Taylor T5z might be found in a totally different direction.

If you have questions, hit the comments section below and we'll help out.

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