Acoustic Guitars

[FretfulDave]

another vote for Taylor. Great necks, low action, play easily. The x14CE models are just nice guitars.

Good luck in your quest.

Dave

[Cmnaround]

If I had an extra 2K to drop on an acoustic I would seriously be considering a Rainsong graphite acoustic. The higher end models with the cutaway look really nice and the necks are cast as a single piece including the fretboard. I played one in a small music store about a month ago and didn't realize what it was until I looked on the website. Anyone else get a chance to play a rainsong acoustic?

http://rainsong.com/models/om1000.asp

[vwjodyme]

anyone get a chance to play the new martin cutaway's? The performing artist series? last time i was in guitar center i tried a taylor 814ce which seemd bassy, a gibson cut away in the same $ range which seemed trebly, and the martin gpcpa1 which was perfectly in between. not sure if i just got bad taylor or gibson. anyone else try all 3 big brands next to each other? thoughts?

[ebick]

not sure if i just got bad taylor

Being that Taylor's claim to fame is the consistency between units, hard to imagine this being the case.....I would just say that it wasn't what you were looking for.

[easytoslip]

Howdy,

I have begun considering an upgarde in the acoustic department and would greatly appreciate peoples thoughts, likes, dislikes, etc on different brands, models, materials, etc.

I've 'been' with an early 70's Guild D25 for as long as I can remember, its a great guitar, but its a bit tough to play. I am looking for something that plays real smooth, relatively low action and probably a cutaway. And is under $2k. I saw a nice looking Tak on CL, but its a Guitar Center model, which is a little weird, but I don't know.

I look forward to hearing y'alls random thoughts on acoustics!

I've been playing only Ovation for about ten years, love them!

[mgbills]

I will say that Guitar Center Taylors (specifically but there may be other examples) really are a whole different animal. I'm not sure what happens to decent guitars in that place, but they really get abused. I have occasionally stopped in (3 times in 7 years) to GC. I was really in the hunt for an 814 CE, and was hoping for one at a killer deal. Strings looked like caterpillers on all the fine acoustics. Untuned. Filthy. Nasty experience all in all. They charge extra for set up, and since they don't tune the guitars, who knows what's happening to the tuning machines. I think they keep their acoustics in in HVAC room at 6% MC.

Anyway...a buddy of mine bought a Taylor from GC. Worst Taylor action I've ever seen. Clearance model or something. Then he came & played mine. I took him to a local independent shop and he then saw how they typically play. Had a reset done (1 hour by a qualified Taylor tech.), and the guitar was beautiful.

So I guess I'm in the camp of wonderfully consistent...unless purchased at GC.

[seamones]

There is a guitar tech from Canada that posts videos on youtube of trouble with Taylor's, this is just one guy and maybe he has an ax to grind but its got me a bit concerned. Has anyone had trouble with the bridge or neck on their Taylor's?

[ebick]

I got my 814 form GC and I have nothing but good things to say about it.

I will share this funny story though. I was in there the other day and my usual guy was not working. I was just playing a bunch of different units. There was one Taylor way up high and I asked the guy what model it was.....I couldn't see. He got a ladder and said "it's the WC model". I told him that I was pretty familiar with Taylor's line, but knew nothing of a "WC". "He commented that "Taylor is always coming out with new models"....not true. He got it down and handed it to me confirming (in his mind), "yep, it's a WC". Well, it was actually a 214, but it did say WC after that. I had no idea what that designation was and posted about it on http://www.unofficialtaylorguitarforum.com/. Someone made me blow my cornflakes when they stated the obvious....WC = With Case. Foolish that I didn't put that together, but just hysterical that the GC guy didn't know what that meant.

[tcsned]

There is a guitar tech from Canada that posts videos on youtube of trouble with Taylor's, this is just one guy and maybe he has an ax to grind but its got me a bit concerned. Has anyone had trouble with the bridge or neck on their Taylor's?

With Taylor guitars there's a lot of old school dovetail neck joint guys out there that will not accept anything different. I don't know who the guy you're talking about is but he may be in that camp. I've had mine since 1995 and it has been through almost everything they tell you not to do, left in a hot car, left In a cold car, living in a climate that goes from dry as dust in the winter to 95% humidity in the summer. I've put it through hell and it is still in great playing shape. I have never had to have any structural work done on it. It's in need of a fret dressing, maybe a replacent of a few of them but that's got nothing to do with the way it was built. It has has some finish checking but that's from the temp and humidity changes. That guitar has been played a lot. I've got a friend who has one from the early 80s that is having the top belly-up a bit but that too is something that happens to some guitars.

Taylor's have a "sound" much in the same way Ovations do (not that they are similar sounding, they're not). It's not for everyone. I like the tone, it's just a bit different than the traditional Martin tone. May be related to the neck joint, i dont know. Some folks aren't used to playing a guitar with low action and get one thinking that can beat the shit out of it and the frets won't buzz. I have my action set up a bit higher than it came from the factory because I play bluegrass and sometimes need to hit it pretty hard. I ran a store that sold Taylor's for 10 years and saw fewer issues with them than Martins, Alvarez, Tacomas, etc.

[guido]

I'm looking to upgrade this year, even though I have a 20 year old Washburn D12 I love and would never get rid of....maybe doing some bluegrass type stuff. Spent alot of time at Gc and such......

Martins and Taylors are great if you want to go really high end. Seems (IMO) that they have flooded the acoustic market with lesser quality guitars and selling their name. Anything under 2K by them, I didn't like.

My brother still has the best acoustic I've ever played.....fantastic in everyway. The Guild D55. Try one of those...Used, you should be able to find one under 2K....new they're around $2500.

[foolofships]

You won't find a Taylor 814 for under $2k new. The 414 is right around that price point, and that would be what I'd go for if in the market. I've had a Larrivee D-03 for ten years, and I'd recommend a Larrivee to anyone. I bought mine for $1100. No cutaway and I had to install the pickup myself (Baggs I-Beam), but really the best tone for the price. I tested it against a used Taylor 310, a Gibson Workingman's 45, a Martin D-16, a Guild somethingorother, and a Gibson Songbird, and it sounded the best and was easiest to get great fingerpicked and flatpicked sounds.

[Mr.Burns]

I was given a 60s Hofner 491 (a Selmer model 5154) by my father when I was 15. It's Hofner's version of a J45. I learned to play on this guitar. I have the utmost respect for it and any other Hofner, because of what I've put this guitar through, and how it's stood up to the abuse only needing minor repairs. It still sounds good, and after some much needed bridge and nut work it will probably sound great again.

My point is that I've done things to this guitar that no one in their right mind would ever do, first because of my ignorance then because the value was much less important than actually being able to play it. Even though I love this guitar more than life itself, I couldn't ever recommend one, or any Hofner, because its too personal.

I can recommend, however, a spruce top and mahogany back and sides. That would make all the difference, no matter what manufacturer you're talking about.

[Mosfed]

A vote for the Martin vintage series - I have an OM-28v - and the Golden Era - I have a D18GE.

Used they are in your budget. The Golden Era is damn close to the Garcia D18 on Workingmans.

[Dwarf Rat]

I spent about 20 years away from electric guitar getting deep into open tunings, finger style and blue grass. I went from Martin to Santa Cruz to Kinnaird to Wingert to Merrill to Brondel to Franklin and spent upwards of 30K on acoustic guitars.

[Mr.Burns]

I spent about 20 years away from electric guitar getting deep into open tunings, finger style and blue grass. I went from Martin to Santa Cruz to Kinnaird to Wingert to Merrill to Brondel to Franklin and spent upwards of 30K on acoustic guitars.

Damn! Do you still have them all? Or did each one go to help pay for the next? Because that would be one hell of a collection.