Thinking about a Taylor or other High-End Acoustic

  • Thread starter Thread starter azraelswings
  • Start date Start date
tdukex said:
Foo, you have great, great taste in acou guits...and the headstocks on your guits say it all! :D
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Thanks - but it was all about getting very lucky over the years - the confluence of having the money and running into the right guitars when I did.
 
You should check out Maple Leaf Music in Brattleboro VT. About two hours straight up I-91 from New Haven. They have a fine selection of high end acoustics from Taylor, Martin, Santa Cruz, Froggy Bottom, and some others I think.
 
How important is it to you to get a guitar SOON? For the price range you're talking about, you could get a custom-made guitar from one of the lesser-known luthiers. I had one made by Rick Davis of Running Dog Guitars a couple of years ago, and it's just wonderful. Far, far nicer, and more sincere (for lack of a better word) than any equally-priced Taylor or Martin I've played. He charges $3500 for a guitar now, plus more for fancy options, but it'll beat any Taylor for both tone and soul. And he's not the only one... there are lots of luthiers out there who could use the business that goes to Taylor and Martin.
 
You don't have to bash Taylors to say handmade guitars are nice.
 
Big Kenny said:
You don't have to bash Taylors to say handmade guitars are nice.
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I don't think he was bashing Taylors. Rick's guitars are stunning instruments and his prices are low for what you end up with. I have a Taylor 815C and I'll drool over a Froggy Bottom any day of the week (Got $6K?)

Rick has just moved out to the West Coast, BTW. I think he's in Seattle or thereabouts.

You might want to check out True North Guitars. But you might have a year or so waiting period...

Gallery.2869a.kakigi.jpg
 
Well, paying a lot for a guitar isn't going to necessarily be what works.

I consider a few important factors:

1. How does it sound. If it sounds great to you, then it's a good guitar.

2. How well does it stay in tune and handle climate/temperature changes? My Yamaha sounds great and stays in tune no matter what. In fact, there's only one way to get it out of tune: Play with the tuning keys (which my kids do--arg).

3. Looks are important. You have to look at your guitar and say, "Wow. That's a groovy guitar."

Don't worry about price. Play the guitars and find the one you like.
 
No one has mentioned Tacoma yet. Their high end models sound very nice. I've heard that Fender bought them a while back.

I have a Taylor 312 that I love to play but it it can be a real bear to record because it's so bright. Martins seem much easier to record, need less eq to sit in the mix, and seem more balanced across the spectrum in general.
 
Have you ever considered stealing one from Gene Simmons?

He'll never miss it.
 
Well all, thanks one more time for the input. I will be arriving back in my home of CT this wednesday, and beginning the shopping shortly thereafter, taking all your suggestions into account. Thanks again, and any further thoughts appreciated.
 
azraelswings said:
Well all, thanks one more time for the input. I will be arriving back in my home of CT this wednesday, and beginning the shopping shortly thereafter, taking all your suggestions into account. Thanks again, and any further thoughts appreciated.
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If you haven't found a Martin that speaks to you yet, keep trying! :)
Welcome home and thank you!
 
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azraelswings said:
Well all, thanks one more time for the input. I will be arriving back in my home of CT this wednesday, and beginning the shopping shortly thereafter, taking all your suggestions into account. Thanks again, and any further thoughts appreciated.
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Welcome home, and thanks again for your service! Good luck on finding just the right guitar.
 
Taylor makes a quality product. If you find one you like, go ahead and buy it. If nothing they make suits your fancy, find something else in your price range. There are lots of excellent guitar builders atm this point in time to choose from.
 
I recently bought a Taylor 514CE and love it. I wasn't too keen on the brightness of the spruce tops, but the cedar top is great. Not ideal if you like to strum hard, but great for finger-picking/light strumming.
 
Freddy said:
I recently bought a Taylor 514CE and love it. I wasn't too keen on the brightness of the spruce tops, but the cedar top is great. Not ideal if you like to strum hard, but great for finger-picking/light strumming.
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It's totally a "different strokes" issue. You couldn't give me a cedar topped steel-string but I'm not the one who has to be satified with your guitar. If you like it, that's all the matters.
 
RRuskin said:
It's totally a "different strokes" issue. You couldn't give me a cedar topped steel-string but I'm not the one who has to be satified with your guitar. If you like it, that's all the matters.
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And your point is??
 
RRuskin said:
It's totally a "different strokes" issue. You couldn't give me a cedar topped steel-string but I'm not the one who has to be satified with your guitar. If you like it, that's all the matters.
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Agree, it is a matter of personal taste.

Out of curiosity, though, why the dislike of cedar? I keep gravitating towards them.
 
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