NGD Connundrum!

electronpirate

Axe-Master
So, will be coming into some money, and looking at some guitars to flesh out the stable. I just donated an old Ovation to my girl's school, as it just never got any work from me. That means there's an empty slot in the picture.

I've never had a high end acoustic, so I have my eye on the Taylor 814CE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otVpfp7O_p4

I have a decent Guild (DCE-5), but it's DARK, so might like something brighter like the Taylor signature tone. I could go the 414CE route, but kind of in the guitar 'bucket list' mode, so not in the mood to be penny pinching. In the end, it I can't discern tonally between a 414CE and 814, then I'd certainly do the step down...but I like PRETTY right now.

It's still in my mind to get a hollowbody. This Rich Robinson 335 sounds great:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJPyVhQqxX0

(Aside: Wildwood does examples RIGHT...now they post amp and pedal settings with the Serial number demo's)

I am up for alternatives to the Hollowbody, but want high end, rather than something that comes close at 1/2 the price.

Opinions?

R
 
I've had my eye on either a K24ce or K26ce for a while now... played both but can't really decide. Glorious blooming koa tone. You might want to check one out if you get a chance.
 
If you like a bright tone with just enough mid and low end to balance it, I'd go with a Taylor. I have two 400 series (a 6 and a 12 string) and I love the tone they provide. Of course many people have strong opinions about how much the Elixir strings contribute to the tone of those guitars. I've also found that you can drastically control the brightness of the Taylors by using your strumming forearm to mute the soundboard a bit, only requires a little bit of pressure to darken it up. So they have a lot of versatility. And the tuners and necks are amazing. I can leave my 414 on the stand untouched for two weeks, pick it up and every string is perfectly in tune. I like that a lot.
 
I've never had a high end acoustic, so I have my eye on the Taylor 814CE:

It's still in my mind to get a hollowbody. This Rich Robinson 335 sounds great:

R - I have a Taylor KCE314 that I absolutely love. It is Hawaiian Koa wood and plays remarkably well. The only other model that compares IMO is the 814CE. That full body sound is absolutely phenomenal and Martin/Gibson/Breedlove even can't compare...

For the hollowbody did you check out PRS Hollowbody's at all? Unique tone, super light and fully versatile. I love mine it's my primary "church" guitar for the weight and tonal quality. Give it a look see.
 
R - I have a Taylor KCE314 that I absolutely love. It is Hawaiian Koa wood and plays remarkably well. The only other model that compares IMO is the 814CE. That full body sound is absolutely phenomenal and Martin/Gibson/Breedlove even can't compare...

For the hollowbody did you check out PRS Hollowbody's at all? Unique tone, super light and fully versatile. I love mine it's my primary "church" guitar for the weight and tonal quality. Give it a look see.

Did you ever get those 57/08 pickups adjusted to see if the height difference helped any?
 
For acoustic guitars, there is nothing better than Emerald Guitars. They're carbon fiber, so immune to humidity and temp changes, only ever have to be setup once, and play like electrics. My X10 is absolutely incredible. It's the green one in all of the ads.

Here's the NGD from 2012. I have since had it setup and it's unbelievable. http://macnichol.com/forum-post/5348
 
Last edited:
Get the Taylor. 800 series for sure. The bracing changes in the 2014 and newer models really sound great. I have a 414CE and love it. When I tried the 816CE at a roadshow, hitting the low E string open was like a cannon going off, but in a totally good way. And it just kept ringing like a piano. That said, the 414CE is great bang for the buck. But if I had the money for an 814 and didn't have the 414, I would totally get the 814 for the ES-2 system and the updated bracing. Just make sure you get a 2014 or newer.

If you want a semi hollow, check out the ES339. Unless you are a really big guy, the 339 is more right sized for an electric player. It's slightly larger than a Les Paul. At about half the weight hehe.

Of course, this is all my relatively low value opinion. :)
 
Last edited:
I have a Guild that I absolutely love and I also have a Taylor 416CE that I love as well. I think the two really compliment each other perfectly! In fact, it's about as perfect of a blend in tones as you could ask. Spectacular for recording. I like the bigger body style of the 16" vs the 14" as it seems to balance the low end out a tad more. If I had the money I would probably go for the 816CE series though as the electronics are not so hot in the 416CE. I love the Guild for lead playing as it's thicker and warmer in the mids. The Taylor has that scooped mid with a beautiful high end. I would probably not go for the Martin as it will be warmer like the Guild. Just my opinion.

Also a 335 is a fantastic idea if you do any jazz.
 
I tested the Alex lifeson PRS acoustic. Holy cow what a nice sounding guitar. Maybe give one a try before you buy a Taylor.
 
I recently went through this decision process, as I wanted a really nice, moderately priced acoustic and also a smaller travel guitar. I tried everything at several music shops in town and I ended up with a Breedlove Premier Concert Rosewood; made in USA, plays great and sounds fantastic on its own as well as plugged in. For the travel acoustic, I went with the Taylor GS-mini, which is quite nice sounding and easy to play. I'm super happy with both of these!
 
I have an 814CE. Amazing guitar that satisfies overtime I pick it up. I have Taylor set it up for me before shipping to my specs: As low action as their specs allow. It plays like butter, sounds phenomenal and is just a gorgeous instrument.
So I highly recommend it.

I would not go for a 339. It's balance is off and the neck dips all the time. 335 is a great choice. I also had, and sold, stupidly, a 347 that sounded and played like heaven. I wish I could get my hands on one again.
 
The 814CE will meet your awesome sound and your pretty guitar needs. It is the best blend of both of those, and I love that. Nothing wrong with liking the looks of your guitar. I think it can be inspiring. For some, that means the guitar has to look like it was dragged around town behind a truck, but hey... it still says looks can be inspiring. If it works, work it!

I have an older (late 70s) Yamaha SA2000 that, to this day, plays and sounds great. I go back to it regularly. It never seems to be the best guitar but always seems to sound right. That plain Jane friend that's never out of place. A lot to be said for that!

So, I think you're in a great sort of problem. A great sounding acoustic and a different sort of do-all guitar for a solidbody player will both be a great add. You can't really mess up.
 
Did you ever get those 57/08 pickups adjusted to see if the height difference helped any?

Thanks for asking Chris, I did adjust a bit of the height and it made a subtle difference. I realized I have to dial in the amps a little differently (brighten/higher gain) for the Hollowbody. It did help though surprisingly. Thanks for checking mate!!
 
Leaning that way too. I have a date with the GPCPA1 tomorrow. Depending on how that goes, I'll make a trip to Wildwood Guitars and check out that 335 and see what moves me more. Tone will be the determining factor here.

So what's the verdict? Have you picked a out a new guitar, or is FW18 stealing away your attention for the moment?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ha! Nope, still on the horizon.

I went to play a Taylor 814CE and the Martin GCPCA1 at the local joint. Luckily, a fairly decent guitarist was there...we got to talking, and he could play while I just did a listen. The Taylor is (as of now) the tonal winner. It just seemed like notes popped out of it. Bass response was incredible. It felt great under my fingers...wanted to be played. The Martin didn't sound as good, but not by much. Still not as much acoustic depth there. MUCH lighter than the Taylor...very comfy. Looking at the strings, (in typical GC manner), they were clearly old as hell. Spoke to a nice enough kid there, and pretty much said that to make a decision on a 3k+ guitar, I'd want to hear what it sounded like with strings that weren't toast. The Martin seemed to play a little easier, but that string issue... Both suffered from mild setup issues, and probably have not seen too much time with a qualified tech.

He scuttled off to change strings, and I said I'd be back today or tomorrow to check it out (Friday.) Looking like I won't get there today. If the Martin lives up to it's name, I'm leaning that way.

One thing that gives me pause about the Taylor as well: Not one, but two separate individuals who I've talked to have spoken of issues with Taylor and bracing. Won't stay in tune, fret separation, reacts poorly to changes in climate, etc. Of course sales folks assure me 'oh, they've dealt with it, and it's all better now', but I don't want to get 3 years down the road and find that I've got a 3k guitar that doesn't perform better than a $300 Yamaha. The thing about Martin that I've seen is those things are bulletproof.

I have not yet had a chance to really A/B them yet plugged in. But every review I've seen talks up the Martin's system. Which has a form of modeling cooked into the pickups. A number of different settings there that you can blend as well as avoiding it altogether. Every review I've looked at sais it's groundbreaking and excellent. The Taylor's gets good press too, but it's a fairly straightforward vol/tre/bass system.

I'm still considering the 335, but it's been so rare that I've played one that I liked that I'm a bit unwilling to go on a search and destroy to Wildwood Guitars and test a million of them. I'm mostly a Les Paul kind of guy, with 20% strat thrown in, so I don't know how much a 335 would get work.

In progress...

And yes, I'm loving FW18 more and more (the natural learning curve with new knobs...)
 
Back
Top Bottom