Taylor Benchmark Custom

Presenting Taylor's Extraordinary New Benchmark Custom Guitars | EMPIRE MUSIC

Introducing the new Taylor Benchmark Custom Guitars—available exclusively through Empire Music through the end of 2026.

The Benchmark program represents the vision of Taylor Chief Guitar Designer Andy Powers, whose experience crafting bespoke instruments continues to shape his holistic approach to sound, feel and musical expression.

Each Benchmark Custom begins with a singular musical vision. Every element—from body shape and tonewoods to voicing, feel and final setup—is thoughtfully chosen to bring that vision to life. The result reflects Andy’s musician-first philosophy and the cumulative effect of extraordinary materials, refined craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail.

In this launch video, Empire Music owner and acoustic guitar expert Joe Ravita explores the process behind creating a Benchmark Custom, the ideas that distinguish the program and Empire Music’s involvement in bringing these extraordinary instruments to market.

You’ll also hear the guitars in the hands of our friend and world-class player John Shannon. Special thanks to John for lending his exceptional talent and musical voice to this project.

Benchmark Custom is a new class of ultra-premium Taylor guitars built around an uncompromising pursuit of exceptional tone, feel and musical expression.

The program reflects the vision of Taylor Chief Guitar Designer Andy Powers, whose years building bespoke instruments for individual musicians shaped his holistic approach to guitar design. Every Benchmark guitar begins with a musical objective, which guides the selection of materials, specialized craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail throughout the build.

Benchmark Custom is a new class of ultra-premium Taylor guitars built around an uncompromising pursuit of exceptional tone, feel and musical expression.

The program reflects the vision of Taylor Chief Guitar Designer Andy Powers, whose years building bespoke instruments for individual musicians shaped his holistic approach to guitar design. Every Benchmark guitar begins with a musical objective, which guides the selection of materials, specialized craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail throughout the build.

Taylor Benchmark Custom Collection

Explore Full Collection

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label 710 Torrefied Sitka Spruce and Honduran Rosewood (PRE-ORDER) Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label 710 Torrefied Sitka Spruce and Honduran Rosewood (PRE-ORDER)

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label 710 Torrefied Sitka Spruce and Honduran Rosewood (PRE-ORDER)

$7,199.00
Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Pacific Port Orford Cedar and Hawaiian Koa (PRE-ORDER) Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Pacific Port Orford Cedar and Hawaiian Koa (PRE-ORDER)

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Pacific Port Orford Cedar and Hawaiian Koa (PRE-ORDER)

$8,599.00
Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Super Auditorium Adirondack Spruce and Hawaiian Koa (PRE-ORDER) Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Super Auditorium Adirondack Spruce and Hawaiian Koa (PRE-ORDER)

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Super Auditorium Adirondack Spruce and Hawaiian Koa (PRE-ORDER)

$8,999.00
Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label 514 Sitka Spruce and Mahogany (PRE-ORDER) Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label 514 Sitka Spruce and Mahogany (PRE-ORDER)

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label 514 Sitka Spruce and Mahogany (PRE-ORDER)

$6,199.00
Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Pacific Sitka Spruce and Figured Mahogany (PRE-ORDER) Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Pacific Sitka Spruce and Figured Mahogany (PRE-ORDER)

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Pacific Sitka Spruce and Figured Mahogany (PRE-ORDER)

$6,899.00
Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Concert Adirondack Spruce and Indian Rosewood #86102 (PRE-ORDER) Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Concert Adirondack Spruce and Indian Rosewood #86102 (PRE-ORDER)

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Concert Adirondack Spruce and Indian Rosewood #86102 (PRE-ORDER)

$7,999.00
Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Super Auditorium Sitka Spruce and Big Leaf Maple #46101 (PRE-ORDER) Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Super Auditorium Sitka Spruce and Big Leaf Maple #46101 (PRE-ORDER)

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Super Auditorium Sitka Spruce and Big Leaf Maple #46101 (PRE-ORDER)

$7,999.00
Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Pacific Adirondack Spruce and Honduran Rosewood #06100 Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Pacific Adirondack Spruce and Honduran Rosewood #06100

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Grand Pacific Adirondack Spruce and Honduran Rosewood #06100

$8,499.00
Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Super Auditorium Lutz Spruce and Big Leaf Maple #56103 Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Super Auditorium Lutz Spruce and Big Leaf Maple #56103

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Super Auditorium Lutz Spruce and Big Leaf Maple #56103

$8,199.00
Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Deep Body Dreadnought Adirondack Spruce and Indian Rosewood #06100 Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Deep Body Dreadnought Adirondack Spruce and Indian Rosewood #06100

Taylor Benchmark Custom Gold Label Deep Body Dreadnought Adirondack Spruce and Indian Rosewood #06100

$7,999.00

Hear the Benchmark Custom

Explore All Benchmark Custom Videos

Premiering the Taylor Benchmark Custom Collection

Taylor is officially debuting the Benchmark program in collaboration with Empire Music. The Empire team participated in selecting custom wood sets for a collection of true custom Benchmark builds.

What makes a Benchmark Custom different?

A Benchmark Custom is defined not by any single premium feature, but by how every element of the guitar is considered as part of a complete musical system.

The process begins by defining the instrument’s intended voice and feel. That musical objective guides material selection, voicing and construction decisions throughout the build. Soundboards and braces are selected to work together, and each component is considered for the role it plays in achieving the instrument’s overall character.

Benchmark also incorporates specialized hand processes that demand exceptional skill and precision. Just as important is the time devoted to each stage of the build, with significant hands-on attention given to refining every detail. The result is a guitar in which thoughtful design and craftsmanship compound from one stage of the build to the next.

What makes a Benchmark Custom different?

A Benchmark Custom is defined not by any single premium feature, but by how every element of the guitar is considered as part of a complete musical system.

The process begins by defining the instrument’s intended voice and feel. That musical objective guides material selection, voicing and construction decisions throughout the build. Soundboards and braces are selected to work together, and each component is considered for the role it plays in achieving the instrument’s overall character.

Benchmark also incorporates specialized hand processes that demand exceptional skill and precision. Just as important is the time devoted to each stage of the build, with significant hands-on attention given to refining every detail. The result is a guitar in which thoughtful design and craftsmanship compound from one stage of the build to the next.

Who builds a Benchmark guitar?

Each Benchmark guitar is guided throughout the build by a Custom Shop Luthier, who helps ensure that every major decision supports the instrument’s original musical vision.

Along the way, Taylor’s most experienced craftspeople contribute their specialized expertise during every stage of construction. It’s a highly collaborative process, with each person working toward the same objective: preserving the continuity of the instrument from its earliest material selections through final setup and inspection.

Who builds a Benchmark guitar?

Each Benchmark guitar is guided throughout the build by a Custom Shop Luthier, who helps ensure that every major decision supports the instrument’s original musical vision.

Along the way, Taylor’s most experienced craftspeople contribute their specialized expertise during every stage of construction. It’s a highly collaborative process, with each person working toward the same objective: preserving the continuity of the instrument from its earliest material selections through final setup and inspection.

What does that mean for the player?

A Benchmark guitar ultimately has to be experienced rather than explained on a spec sheet. 

Its defining qualities emerge in the player’s hands — in the immediacy of its response, the character of its voice, its dynamic range, and the refined feel of every physical detail. From the way the instrument responds to a player’s attack to the smooth feel of the finish, these are guitars designed to create an exceptional connection between player and instrument. 

What does that mean for the player?

A Benchmark guitar ultimately has to be experienced rather than explained on a spec sheet. 

Its defining qualities emerge in the player’s hands — in the immediacy of its response, the character of its voice, its dynamic range, and the refined feel of every physical detail. From the way the instrument responds to a player’s attack to the smooth feel of the finish, these are guitars designed to create an exceptional connection between player and instrument. 

Finish

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Further Refining the Playing Experience: 

An exclusive component of the Benchmark build is its finish. The proprietary formulation and meticulous application contribute to the guitar’s sound, feel and visual character.

High-Response Varnish:

Benchmark guitars feature Taylor’s new high-response varnish, an ultrasoft, low-density gloss finish applied exceptionally thin to preserve flexibility and minimize unnecessary damping. 

Engineered as a present-day interpretation of traditional instrument varnishes, the finish contributes to a warm, open and responsive voice while creating a distinctive tactile experience.  

Hand-leveling, hand-polishing and hand-burnishing give the surface a sleek luster and an exceptionally smooth feel like the feel of French polishing.

Hand-Applied, Hand-Blended Stains:

For the color stains, a multi-color blend is hand-applied and blended to create a nuanced, deeply dimensional appearance. The hand-rubbed application gives each Benchmark Custom a bespoke visual character. 

Antique Natural: A light tint creates a subtle antiquing effect
Hand-blended Caramel: Lightest color 
Hand-blended Chestnut: Medium-dark color 
Hand-blended Espresso: Darkest color

How a Benchmark Guitar Comes to Life

It Starts With the Sound

Exceptional materials are only the starting point. What matters is how those materials work together.

For every Benchmark guitar, the team begins with a musical objective, then selects materials to support that particular voice. The characteristics of a soundboard — including its stiffness, weight and grain structure — influence how it responds. Those qualities are considered in relation to the body shape and the musical character the guitar is intended to deliver.

It Starts With the Sound

Exceptional materials are only the starting point. What matters is how those materials work together.

For every Benchmark guitar, the team begins with a musical objective, then selects materials to support that particular voice. The characteristics of a soundboard — including its stiffness, weight and grain structure — influence how it responds. Those qualities are considered in relation to the body shape and the musical character the guitar is intended to deliver.

Voicing the Guitar as a System

The same philosophy guides the selection of braces. Rather than treating the soundboard and bracing as separate components, the Benchmark team matches them as a system, selecting pieces with complementary characteristics like grain structure to help shape the guitar’s responsiveness, warmth, power and dynamic range. 

The goal isn’t simply to use the most exceptional individual pieces. It’s to bring together the right pieces for that particular instrument. 

For example: The compact curves of a Grand Concert body naturally lend a stiffer structural character to the top than a larger Dreadnought with broad curves. That will influence the type of soundboard and bracing selected, helping the team balance the inherent qualities of the body shape to achieve the desired musical response. A stiff top and bracing on a GC body will create an extra bright sound. A less dense, more flexible top will help produce a warmer sound with the smaller body. 

Precision at Every Connection

Bringing a Benchmark guitar to life requires more than selecting the right materials. The way those materials are shaped, fitted and joined matters just as much.  

Throughout the build, Benchmark craftspeople apply specialized hand techniques to refine the fit and relationship between individual components. From body assembly and brace installation to bridge and neck construction, the emphasis is on precision, consistency and continuity.  

Traditional hot hide glue is used at key structural joints, including the bracing and bridge. Hide glue’s hard, thin bond helps efficiently couple components while preserving their intended acoustic relationship with less energy loss. 

Precision at Every Connection

Bringing a Benchmark guitar to life requires more than selecting the right materials. The way those materials are shaped, fitted and joined matters just as much.  

Throughout the build, Benchmark craftspeople apply specialized hand techniques to refine the fit and relationship between individual components. From body assembly and brace installation to bridge and neck construction, the emphasis is on precision, consistency and continuity.  

Traditional hot hide glue is used at key structural joints, including the bracing and bridge. Hide glue’s hard, thin bond helps efficiently couple components while preserving their intended acoustic relationship with less energy loss. 

Other unique construction techniques include:

  • Refined surface preparation: Additional hand-sanding creates an exceptionally close fit between the braces and the soundboard and back. 

  • Precision fitting of braces and kerfing: Already-tight tolerances are refined further to promote an even more efficient transfer of vibrational energy through the instrument. 

  • Extended body shape setting: After the sides are bent, extended cooling and stress relieving help reduce residual tension from bending and allow the sides to settle into their intended shape. 

Other unique construction techniques include:

  • Refined surface preparation: Additional hand-sanding creates an exceptionally close fit between the braces and the soundboard and back. 

  • Precision fitting of braces and kerfing: Already-tight tolerances are refined further to promote an even more efficient transfer of vibrational energy through the instrument. 

  • Extended body shape setting: After the sides are bent, extended cooling and stress relieving help reduce residual tension from bending and allow the sides to settle into their intended shape. 

Final Handwork

During final assembly, Benchmark guitars receive an elevated level of individual attention. Components including the nut, saddle and bridge pins are carefully hand-fitted and detailed, while the neck and frets are refined for a smooth, comfortable feel.

Details That Shape the Feel

  • Hand-fitted saddle: The bone saddle is hand-dimensioned for precise saddle slot fit,
     then deburred and detailed.

  • Hand-fitted bone bridge pins: Each bridge-pin hole is individually hand-reamed to precisely fit its corresponding bridge pin, helping ensure a secure fit and efficient transfer of string energy.

  • Hand-cut nut: The bone nut is hand-cut/slotted, with rounded corners and hand-chamfered string slots that allow the strings to move freely across the nut without binding up, maximizing tonal responsiveness.

  • Fretboard and fret detailing: The fretboard edges and frets receive specialized hand-detailing and dressing for a softer, more comfortable handfeel and smoother string-bending.

These may seem like subtle refinements individually. Collectively, they contribute to the precision, refinement and connection that define the Benchmark playing experience.

Details That Shape the Feel

  • Hand-fitted saddle: The bone saddle is hand-dimensioned for precise saddle slot fit,
     then deburred and detailed.

  • Hand-fitted bone bridge pins: Each bridge-pin hole is individually hand-reamed to precisely fit its corresponding bridge pin, helping ensure a secure fit and efficient transfer of string energy.

  • Hand-cut nut: The bone nut is hand-cut/slotted, with rounded corners and hand-chamfered string slots that allow the strings to move freely across the nut without binding up, maximizing tonal responsiveness.

  • Fretboard and fret detailing: The fretboard edges and frets receive specialized hand-detailing and dressing for a softer, more comfortable handfeel and smoother string-bending.

These may seem like subtle refinements individually. Collectively, they contribute to the precision, refinement and connection that define the Benchmark playing experience.

Final Inspection & Authentication

  • Final Inspection: Each completed Benchmark guitar will undergo a detailed inspection by the Custom Shop Luthier overseeing the Benchmark build process. The inspecting luthier will fill out and sign the guitar’s inspection checklist, adding any unique observations about the guitar’s musical personality.

  • Certificate of Authenticity: Each Benchmark guitar will come with a Certificate of Authenticity completed by hand and signed by Andy Powers.

  • Benchmark Guitar Case: All Benchmark guitars ship with a premium Taylor Deluxe Hardshell Case in British Tan Bronco, featuring a fine pebble grain pattern and comfortable banana handle.

  • Included Tools: Benchmark guitars come with an Action Control Neck adjustment tool — a quarter-inch nut driver with a gooseneck extension for access to the interior adjustment bolt — and a Taylor string height gauge.

Final Inspection & Authentication

  • Final Inspection: Each completed Benchmark guitar will undergo a detailed inspection by the Custom Shop Luthier overseeing the Benchmark build process. The inspecting luthier will fill out and sign the guitar’s inspection checklist, adding any unique observations about the guitar’s musical personality.

  • Certificate of Authenticity: Each Benchmark guitar will come with a Certificate of Authenticity completed by hand and signed by Andy Powers.

  • Benchmark Guitar Case: All Benchmark guitars ship with a premium Taylor Deluxe Hardshell Case in British Tan Bronco, featuring a fine pebble grain pattern and comfortable banana handle.

  • Included Tools: Benchmark guitars come with an Action Control Neck adjustment tool — a quarter-inch nut driver with a gooseneck extension for access to the interior adjustment bolt — and a Taylor string height gauge.
Shop Taylor Benchmark Custom Collection

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