Check out Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, filmed in the Avatar facility!

Smooth, baby. Aw yeah, that's how we like it. Taylor apparently does too now that I have spent a little quality time with the 815CE.

I have been lucky enough to get the befuddled hams that serve as my hands on a number of high end musical instruments in my day, and it is always a cool experience. The exotic woods and attention to detail can inspire a man to consider whether or not he could be in love with an inanimate object. I know that's weird, and I totally don't care.

Also when you read guitar reviews, you'll notice the use of language that is sort of meaningless. Sometimes it can be had to understand what a person means when they say the pickups "sparkle" or the sound is "crispy". Are they describing a piece of chicken made of diamonds?

"Fit and finish" is a little bit easier to get a handle on, I think. I would define it as the way the thing is assembled, or the care taken to make sure all the joints line up.

I have never seen better fit and finish than on this guitar. It is smooth like you would not believe. Check out the sweet-as-monkey-meat wood binding on this neck, would you?

Man I just want to play the hell out of that thing for hours.

Even on some other guitars that cost the same or more you can feel the pointy ends of frets sometimes, but not on this guitar. It is the jamma-lamma ding-dong for real.

If I had the scratch I would definitely pick one up, but for now I am just trying to sneak into Avatar often enough to get my fix.

Nice work, Taylor. Amazing guitar!

Now, I love playing the guitar. There's something about it I have just always enjoyed, and I can't really put my finger on what that is, but I know that something is there.

I was a preteen dork when I picked the instrument up, so I had a lot of free time to practice that other people might have spent on, say, hanging out with friends. My meager ability on the instrument bloomed with the self-confidence that comes with growing up, and is intertwined with my self image.

Now that I am a full grown dork, I don't have as much time to practice obsessively, so I look instead for excuses upon which to blame my rusty playing. That's where the Taylor 510CE Lefty comes in.

Of course I sound terrible on it, I'm not left handed!

Just take a gander at how great this thing looks, and keep in mind that this is one of the more affordable models.

My right-handedness aside, its a great looking instrument. Im jealous of Avatar's left-handed clients who get to use it. They will be very pleased, I have no doubt.

Yesterday I had a chance to get over to the Avatar headquarters. I heard a rumor that they had gotten a whole new shipment of the latest Taylor guitars and I was itching to get my hands on them.

I had a chance to play a few of them, which will become Taylor Tuesdays here on the site, so check back every Tuesday for a new review!

First up, I got my grubby mitts on the Taylor T5 12-string. As you can see from the photos it's a pretty impressive looking guitar.

There are even more photos at the Avatar Flickr page too, so don't be scared to give them a gander.

I tested it using the time-honored 12-string testing method known to all guitarists -- playing Led Zeppelin's "Over the Hills and Far Away" on it -- and it performed flawlessly. As will all the Taylor guitars, in my opinion, the playability was incredible. I'm a big fan of their necks, if you can't tell.

I only wish I could have kept it in my possession for a few days, but the Avatar folks know better than to let me out of the building with high end guitars, I'm sad to say.

Back in the days when I still thought I was a good enough singer to make it on the strength of my own songs, I was toting a Gibson Chet Atkins around because they were buletproof, sounded great, and could be used exactly like an acoustic, but with no monitor feedback.

I think the T5 has taken that idea to the next level and beyond. Too bad I am such a terrible singer or I'd grab one of these and make a go at it again!

Well, Old Man 2009 has scuttled out of porthole of time and a young 2010 has slid neatly into his place. What does this mean for the boys at Avatar?

It means Jam Cruise!

Probably one of the most-looked-forward-to events of any given year, Jam Cruise has just completed its eighth voyage. I haven't heard the report from Rear Admiral Chip Smith yet, but I'm betting it went something like this.

It was probably a lot warmer in the tropics than it was here in Atlanta. There were probably a lot more cool bands playing at all times, and there were probably a lot of chicks in bikinis wandering around. Tell me that doesn't sound like a good time.

Hopefully we'll get the full report shortly, complete with photos, but having been on the cruise myself I know that everyone involved is already looking forward to next year. I got to hear an impeccable version of Lionel Richie's "Dancing on the Ceiling" performed by Perpetual Groove when I went.

Keep kicking ass, Jam Cruise!