Story concluded: trying out a high-end acoustic

I’ve owned a Taylor 814CE and 914CE, and currently own a Martin HD-28. In short, the Taylors both played better, but the Martin had a more balanced tone overall. As I don’t play a lot of acoustic guitar, and mostly only use them recording, I opted for the Martin’s better balance. Were I buying strictly for home playing, or played a lot of acoustic, I might have kept the Taylors Instead, as they are more enjoyable to play and sounded very nice.

Considering your situation, and that you really can’t miss on quality between those two, I’d opt for the one you simply like playing more. As an aside, my 814CE was the best playing acoustic I ever owned. They are sweet guitars.
 
Last edited:
thanks Rick - I understand and recognise your observations. They are both lovely sounding guitars - the Martin seemed to sound a little better when playing more delicately while the Taylor enjoyed being played with more gusto. There is a danger of over-analysis. They both sounded so much better than my trusty but relatively very cheap acoustic and they both were lovely to play.

Sleep beckons and maybe my subconscious will come up wit’s the answer.
 
Gilesy said:
Hi all

I’m going to try out a Taylor 814 tomorrow.

About £3,500 ($5,000) so a lot of money. I’ve never owned a super high quality acoustic before, so would appreciate some guidance for the types of things I might want to look out for when I’m trying the Taylor and some of the other guitars in the store (eg Martins). It will be a once in a lifetime purchase (50 years old last month) so I’d like to get it right!

My slot is 3pm UK time Saturday so get cracking with your ideas.

Thank you in advance.

Cheers Gilesy
Click to expand...
I’m probably late to the party here but.....when I bought my Taylor I just went in and played every one of them. And I mean every one that was there. I didn’t focus on model or price. Just what felt right to me. In the end the higher priced ones lost out and I have no regrets. Just pick what speaks to you. If that happens to be our or budget then I guess hold off or move down the line. Let the ears and hands decide. 👍🏻
 
If you can, take someone with you when you go back or ask one of the store employees to play the guitars for you so you can hear what they sound like from the listener perspective. You might also ask if they can re-string them so you can compare the guitars with fresh strings to make the comparison more fair.
 
OrganicZed said:
If you can, take someone with you when you go back or ask one of the store employees to play the guitars for you so you can hear what they sound like from the listener perspective. You might also ask if they can re-string them so you can compare the guitars with fresh strings to make the comparison more fair.
Click to expand...
I can't tell you how many times I've sold my gear in which the buyer would test it out and I'd be standing there like, "Man, if it sounded that good when I play it I would have kept it."
 
OrganicZed said:
If you can, take someone with you when you go back or ask one of the store employees to play the guitars for you so you can hear what they sound like from the listener perspective. You might also ask if they can re-string them so you can compare the guitars with fresh strings to make the comparison more fair.
Click to expand...
Hi Organic Zed

I thought of this exact same idea before your reading your post (great minds thinks alike, etc!!) but on reflection I wondered whether this is the right appprach given I am the listener / audience of my playing. I suppose I might follow your advice to work out the best ‘listener sounding’ guitar, and then make sure when I’m playing in my studio that there is a way of that sound to come back my way.

thanks Gilesy
 
Andy Eagle said:
Try a 000 28 no cutaway or pickup if you can as a reference , This will show you just exactly what a cutaway and pickup cost you in tone.
You would be surprised and it's worth doing particularly on a Martin if you end up there.
Click to expand...
Andy

I heard a YouTube video last night comparing the OM28 and the OMC28 (which has the cutaway) - and with reference to your advice, you are bang on! The tone of the non-cutaway is definitely superior. Who knew!
 
Gilesy said:
Hi all

I’m going to try out a Taylor 814 tomorrow.

About £3,500 ($5,000) so a lot of money. I’ve never owned a super high quality acoustic before, so would appreciate some guidance for the types of things I might want to look out for when I’m trying the Taylor and some of the other guitars in the store (eg Martins). It will be a once in a lifetime purchase (50 years old last month) so I’d like to get it right!

My slot is 3pm UK time Saturday so get cracking with your ideas.

Thank you in advance.

Cheers Gilesy
Click to expand...
I have owned several top of the line Taylors in the past. While they played very nicely they were all somewhat bland sounding to me consistently across the several different high end models I owned. Very little difference in sound even with different wood types. I think this is mainly due to the bolt on neck and construction.
After I bought my first Lowden I sold them and bought another Lowden. Amazing resonance across all frequencies. It was just no comparison. Plus you are paying boutique prices for a factory made guitar. Don't bother with the Sheeran Lowdens it is a newer lower line product which may or may not be good.
 
Thanks Alan. Tried a Lowden on Saturday but didn’t float my boat (see my summary above).

cheers Gilesy
 
I'm pretty attached to the D35 I bought used in the 70s... Only guitar I've ever had with a name, it was just right.
 
Dave Merrill said:
I'm pretty attached to the D35 I bought used in the 70s... Only guitar I've ever had with a name, it was just right.
Click to expand...
I like my D45 but it doesn’t handle seasons well and I had to play like 20 of them before I found The One.
 
iaresee said:
I like my D45 but it doesn’t handle seasons well and I had to play like 20 of them before I found The One.
Click to expand...
I played a bunch of guitars in the basement of this old guy's shop in Rochester New York, including really old ones he was super psyched on that played like crap, until I found this one. 5 seconds in I knew she was coming home with me.

There's been some weather changes over the years, and I'm playing way more electric these days, but she's really special.
 
Thats part of why I bought a "lesser" acoustic - I dont have to freak out about the temperature swings we've been experiencing.
 
iaresee said:
I like my D45 but it doesn’t handle seasons well and I had to play like 20 of them before I found The One.
Click to expand...
I have a '69 D35 that I bought in the mid-70s after going through every Martin dreadnought that Norman's Rare Guitars had on the wall. It's got a wonderful sound, but that deep body kills my shoulder so I never play it any more. :-(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom