2000 Taylor 510 Natural
This wonderful guitar was born in 2000, according to its serial number (20001122102) and the Taylor website. It was (and is) a substantial upgrade from the 300 and 400 series dreadnoughts, with a current MSRP of about $2600—$400 more than the 410 and $600 more than the 310, but its superiority is in the quality of its woods and design rather than flashy inlays. As such, this particular guitar has been dominating lesser instruments for 23 years, and the resonance of its aged tonewoods will only improve with its new generation of players. Its classic good looks make it stand out in a crowd, but it’s the purity of the vintage Taylor sound that will make other musicians turn around to check it out.
The Taylor 510 is a dreadnought style guitar with a solid Engelmann spruce top and solid mahogany back, sides, and neck. The body and neck are fully bound, and it has a tortoiseshell pick guard, an ebony bridge with black abalone-dot pins and a compensated bone saddle, and an inlaid stripe and abalone rosette. The 14/20 fret ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlay ends in a mahogany headstock with three-per-side enclosed tuners, a bone nut, and the inlaid abalone Taylor logo. The action is fast, smooth, and low at a bit under 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, and the sound is beautifully balanced. In addition, there is an under-saddle pickup with soundhole controls for gigs at Yankee Stadium or your noisy corner bar.
Structurally, this guitar is near perfect, with no cracks in the wood, a straight neck, a flat top, and little visible pick wear or fret wear. As the pictures indicate, there are a few cosmetic items to report: top cracks in the hard Taylor finish only (not following the grain of the wood) on both sides of the fretboard extension and below the bridge, and the truss rod cover is a replacement. While this is still a truly attractive instrument, it is a player’s guitar, not a museum piece, and it has been making music and turning heads for almost a generation. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, it will pass into the heads of a player able to make music and turn heads for generations to come.
The included thermoplastic SKB hard shell case is also in very good condition: the latches work perfectly, the black lining is still in great shape, and structurally it is solid as a rock. It is the ideal complement for this vintage guitar—and of course offers outstanding protection.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashiers and personal checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have made every effort to describe and illustrate this vintage guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. Please ask any questions you might have before offering to purchase it. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing.
Thank you for your interest in this fine Taylor guitar.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.