my taylor acoustic

[EmptinesOf Youth]

about a year ago i bout this guitar, a taylor 110 dreadnaught. It was only a year ago, but then i guess you could say i wasnt sure what i liked in a guitar tone, so which guitar never really mattered to me. I ordered the guitar through sweetwater.com sigh unseen. Now i regret it.

 

Ive finally reached the point (ive been playing for about 6 years or so) where i know what i want.

 

The tone of the guitar actually isnt the problem, its the feel. I just dont like it. My friend recently got a martin, probably in the same price range (though no truss rod) but the back of his neck is unfinished and just feels so much more like a acoustic should.

 

So tomrrow im gonna try andgo into the local shop, and sit down with as many acoustics as i can and try to find what i like, and hopefully ill be able to afford it. Maybe theyll give me enough for my taylor to be worth trading it in (i would be buying a new guitar from them, so they should be kinda fair, right?)

 

Im not sure im asking anything in this post but feel free to jest and suggest.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Well it's not something that hasen't happened to all of us at one time or another I'm sure! Yeah sometimes ya just have to give in and say you made a mistake and try to make the best of it. If a particular instrument is buggin ya you just have to get rid of it even if you take a bath! See what kind of a deal you can make and get what you want now that you know! One thing is that it probably won't happen again..live and learn!!

[Fumblyfingers]

I spent hours in Sam Ash looking at those 110's and the comparable Martin's. During this process my boss heard about it and asked me to take him so he could check out a Martin. Well he ended up buying one that was waaaay out of my budget, a DM I think it was.

 

Anyway, those 110's and the comparable Martin sounded and felt awful to me, especially after playing the DM.

 

I got kinda despondent and was about to leave for the last time when I spotted a Taylor Big Baby. For giggles I picked it up wanting to see just how bad it was. What a surprise I got. This guitar had a great feel and a very good sound. Not as full as the full size neck through Dreadnought's, but pretty damn good for much less money.

 

I bought it on the spot.

 

It is a great writing guitar, you pick it up and it feels like an old friend and has plenty of that great acoustic sizzle with a surprising amount of bass for a 3/4 or so guitar.

 

Yeah go play some different guitars and perhaps open yourself to the possibility of no specific manufacturer. Something obscure might jump out at you.

 

 

[Bluesape]

Don't be in a rush, Ryan. Ya got a nice axe that may haunt ya when it's gone - ask any veteran here.

[EmptinesOf Youth]

well i have another acoustic, an alvarez something. i can tell you it is way more fun to play, though the tone isnt the best. I am definately not going to rush, but if i find something i like im totally getting it.

 

I guess it could be the set up, since i did order it and assuming no one at sweetwater did a set up. I have messed with the truss rod and i have light strings on it, and compared to my friends cheap martin, im still putting more effort into trying to play it than i should be if that makes sense. And like i said, i really im starting to hate the feel of the back of the neck. Its finished but not like a shiny gloss, my alvarez is like that. This is like a waxy kind of finish. I have even thought about sanding the back of the neck (jokingly kinda) just to improve it. I do not feel the way about this guitar as i do about my main electric. That is a guitar i will never sell.

[Warthog]

To be fair to Taylor, the 110 is their budget model. It uses laminates and cheaper woods and parts. I've played a 110 and it's nothing compared to their higher-end models.

[mdrs]

Anyone else ever have the feeling that Taylor acoustics are too easy to play??

 

Every single one I've ever played just was too easy to play. I know that this sounds stupid. But, I feel that QUALITY guitars that are a bit harder to play, often "play back at you" in a pleasing way.

 

Know what I mean??

 

Also, the lower end Taylors I've played, like their low end 12 string, and my Baby Taylor, are IMHO way better sounding guitars than most of their high end acoustics I've tried out. Wierd, but my experience.....

[Guitarzan]

they certainly do play easily.

i like, it seeing i play electric almost exclusively (until i get another accoustic).

maybe you are more suited to harder playing axes.

with hard playing guitars there is a certain amount of time i need to spend playing one before my fingers develop the proper feel to make it natural.

[Gifthorse]

So much of it in my opinion comes from the guy who sets up your guitars. I won't bother with a guitar in a store that already doesn't impress me (mostly with staying in tune and intonation), but if you are having problems with your acoustic, taking it to a professional is the only way to make it better.

 

My Big Baby needs some adjustments. I love it cuz it has great intonation and tone for being a low end instrument. I practice on it at home and it stays in tune--as long as the wind doesn't blow.

 

As for ripping on Taylors. I think they are very sensitive guitars which can be annoying. I have played more stable instruments than the limited Taylors I have encountered for sure. I think they offer what they offer just like Martin does. A tone.

 

But Taylors have great tone if you find a gem. My singer has an 810 (from 97-98) that I love. I love my 12, but every guitar is different and I hate most guitars.

 

I judge guitars guitar to guitar. Hard to do otherwise. We have all played good and bad guitars of the same model. I mean there are gems out there, but there are guitars that just suck.

 

Like my singer's old strat. You couldn't keep that thing in tune with a computer, but it was like $900.

 

Tuning issues are the most important for me. I played an incredible Alvarez Yairi recently that blew my mind. It was $650. It is equal to my singer's 810 in my opinion. It was 4 yrs old NOS but a perfect guitar. I loved the tone too. I couldn't bend it out of tune no matter what I did. Kind of blew my mind a bit..

 

I think it is a great example of finding a gem.

 

 

[fantasticsound]

Anyone else ever have the feeling that Taylor acoustics are too easy to play??

 

Every single one I've ever played just was too easy to play. I know that this sounds stupid. But, I feel that QUALITY guitars that are a bit harder to play, often "play back at you" in a pleasing way.

 

Know what I mean??...

 

'Fraid not, doc. I can't stand difficult playing instruments. A properly set up instrument should virtually play by itself, IMO. All the best instruments I've ever heard or played were easy playing instruments.

[Justus A. Picker]

 

I like the sound of the Taylor 110's, they fill a nice niche. Kinda bright, without the boomy Martin bass, they record easily and sit well in a mix. They do sound better fingerpicked than strummed to me.

 

Running some steel wool or fine grit sand paper lightly on the neck might help the "feel" problem, it'll get rid of the gummyness. If it's the neck profile that feels wrong to you there's not anything to do about it.

 

GC probably won't give you much for it. They buy them wholesale and will let a new one go for $450 or so if a) you know how to negotiate and b) hit them up at the right time. You'd probably do better with ebay or craigslist or hanging onto it as a second guitar.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Taylors do play easy. That was the first comparison I made when I got my Martin D-18V: "The action's great and it doesn't really fight me... kinda like a Taylor."

 

Back on topic: dude, if you don't like the 110, you don't like it. There are no rules that say you have to like any guitar at any price, but especially considering that the 110 (or the Martin X Series) are pretty low-end guitars despite the nice brand name, I wouldn't be surprised if you tried a slightly higher-end Taylor (say, a 310), you'd absolutely love it! But of course, you'd then be in the $2,000 range.

 

I don't always feel there's an automatic correlation between quality and price of guitars, but there's a reason why the best acoustic guitars tend to cost a lot. Word to the wise: don't go trying them unless you're ready to buy them! Great acoustics grab you and get you hooked pretty quickly!

 

- Jeff

[garyjones]

posted by FumblyFingers:

It is a great writing guitar, you pick it up and it feels like an old friend and has plenty of that great acoustic sizzle with a surprising amount of bass for a 3/4 or so guitar.

 

The Taylor Big Baby is a 15/16 size guitar, almost a full dreadnought, and all the ones I've played are great guitars. The Baby Taylor is the 3/4 size guitar.

[Kendrix]

I like the sound of the Taylor 110's, they record easily and sit well in a mix.

 

I feel this same way about my Taylor Maple 612C. Next to a big sounding martin soloed it gets lost. However, in the context of most mixes I do the Taylor is just the ticket.

 

The maple 612 is also a bit compressed/not too loud. This really helps in the recording process. I never have to use a compressor on it.

 

I also like an easy playing geetar- mostly cause i started on electrics.

[revolead]

Anyone else ever have the feeling that Taylor acoustics are too easy to play??

 

Every single one I've ever played just was too easy to play. I know that this sounds stupid. But, I feel that QUALITY guitars that are a bit harder to play, often "play back at you" in a pleasing way.

 

Know what I mean??...

 

'Fraid not, doc. I can't stand difficult playing instruments. A properly set up instrument should virtually play by itself, IMO. All the best instruments I've ever heard or played were easy playing instruments.

 

I agree with Neil on this one, Don. There's just no way I'll take a lousy-playing guitar over a great playing guitar or even a decent-playing guitar. I have always been partial to Taylors specifically because of their playability and brighter tones.

 

Last we had a similar thread, I believe I was one of the few alone in my appreciation for Taylors, whereas the rest of the forum seems to be partial to Martins. But to me, Martin's are too dark and too woody. I like the brighter, more eclectic tone of the Taylors, and one of these days, I know I'll be buying a 414CE.

 

But until then, I have a beautiful-sounding Fender acoustic that is about as Taylor as I can find without spending a fortune. It is by far, the sweetest acoustic I have played for under $1000, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[Gifthorse]

I like Taylors but not all of them. I like some Martins but to me they lack consistency. Gibson also has some nice ones (few and far between)

 

I played a beautiful Alvarez Yairi recently that blew my mind. It was only $650. It wasn't as loud as say a Taylor 810 but it had sweet tone

[garyjones]

One of the best sounding acoustic guitars I've ever played was a Takamine, forget which model, it was fairly high end. The guy who owned it was playing in a band, and I came over to watch them practice. Couldn't really hear it very well in the band mix, but while the band was on break I got up and played the guitar through the PA, and everybody flipped. The guy who owned it said "I am never selling that guitar, it sounds incredible." and it did. Great guitar.

[Sauce]

I'm a Taylor fan myself. I have a Big Baby and I love it. I gotta agree with garyjones there's a very small difference between it and a full sized dreadnought feel-wise and no difference sound-wise. I've played a bunch of them and they all play great and sound awesome and they're still pretty cheap although I think the price has gone up since I got mine a few years ago. They used to be practically a steal.

[mdrs]

Neil and Revo.....I may not have explained my point effectively. I'm not refering to poorly set up guitars, or ones that play "bad".

 

I was saying that I've had this feeling that a good number of quality, well made, well playing, well set up guitars that are tougher to play, often sound better. I'm not certain why.

 

I'll give you a specific example of what I mean. I have a Gibby LP Classic.....it's a gem of a guitar. Well set up, tone for days, sounds and plays great. It's strings feel stiffer, and harder to bend. When I apply my pick to strum a chord, it feels stiffer. Physically, it takes more ergs of energy to fret strings, bend strings, and to a degree strum the strings. The action is fine, and the intonation and set up is top notch. It is just physically tougher to play....Perhaps it's the scale length, or other factors that make strings more or less pliable???

 

Somehow, the increased energy I need to put into it to make it play, seems to come back at me in a very pleasing way. It's as if the guitar works back at making it's sounds, vibrating, etc., in an amazing way.

 

I admit that this is all voo doo!! But, it's a gut feeling I've often had about many guitars....electric, and acoustic.

[revolead]

I guess I didn't explain my position very well either. I should have said "better playing" versus "harder playing." I understood what you meant. I've played many guitars with the style you've described (harder to play, so to speak), but I still hold that I prefer the easier playing.

 

I do agree with you however that the way every instrument is designed, from its subtleties to its individual characteristics (even as far down as color) can change the way you approach playing on an instrument. And I do not think its voodoo, even, Don. Don't negate the social science behind what you're describing.

 

The way I see it, shapes, colors, textures, even the pressure one has to put on something all are related to what society has placed over time into "archetypes," or universal meanings attached to objects that would otherwise have another meaning, such as black conjuring up brain patterns that would indicate evil or depression or night, whereas white might indicate purity. And the same thing could be said about various guitar shapes. I've always felt that Strats are an archetype for versatility but also for older styles of rock. When was the last time you saw a band with people my age playing music written yesterday that was a Strat? A Tele has always been sort of a blues/country instrument. A Les Paul a rock machine, etc.

 

In that sense, the way any guitar looks or feels to someone will set off certain sections of the brain that will make you feel a certain way or want to play a certain way. For instance, my new Aerodyne Tele makes me want to play with more expression and more bluesy music. It has sort of that blues at midnight look to it. Whereas when I pick up my Jackson, I feel like I'm supposed to be playing a kickass 80s metal tune. It's just the way each instrument makes me feel. I imagine many other folks are the same.

[garyjones]

It's always a tradeoff between better sound, and better action. Any guitar sounds better if the strings have more room to vibrate, i.e. higher action. The lower the action goes, the more you damp the vibration of the strings.

[garyjones]

It's always a tradeoff between better sound, and better action. Any guitar sounds better if the strings have more room to vibrate, i.e. higher action. The lower the action goes, the more you damp the vibration of the strings.

[garyjones]

That's so important I said it twice.

[EmptinesOf Youth]

well i went into the store. I will always hate that place.

 

I walk in and go to the acoustics section. Start playing around ( on some verrryyy expensive acoustics i might add) and wait for someone to help me. No one does, so i go get someone. He was working in the electric guitar section (they dont really have anyone stationed specifically for acoustics) and so i bring him over and take out my Taylor and try to explain what i dont like about it and then i say "well you play guitar right?" he says "um, i dunno a little" and proceeds to fiddle on it for a couple seconds. He says "i think you just need lighter strings, these feel too heavy", which would have been an ok answer but i already had Martin SP lights on it. That was basically it.

 

I guess i should be happy they didnt try to pressure me into something, but it was almost as if they didnt want me there, i dunno.

 

I ended up getting some SP extra lights. Yes its easier to play but it did kill the tone a little like mentioned above. It was probably worth it though.

 

On a related note, i played a couple acoustics over $3000. I didnt understand it. Two gibsons and a takamine. While they looked really nice and not that the tone was bad or anything, but they had kinda fat necks and to me their sound wasnt worth as much as they cost.

[Bluesape]

Glad you're rethinking that Taylor, Ryan. I feel that Taylors in general are destined to go up in value. You've got an investment there, and a fine guitar to boot. Hopefully, you'll hang onto it.

[Zuben]

Taylor makes a fine guitar. It is just not a fit for me. Funny thing - a month or so a good friend of mine, Chris Proctor calls me out of he blue and tells me he is putting on a guitar workshop at a local music store. He wanted me to show off this new thin body 5 position guitar. Chris is a finger picker and the new Taylor is built for more of my style of playing. Lead, blues, jazz... He under contract with Taylor and knows I play Martins.

 

I get there 30 minutes before the start, he hands me the guitar and tells me the 5 styles he wants me to demo. He even has the effects set on his amp. I had all of 5 minutes with the guitar before spending 20 minutes playing it.

Very nice and versatile guitar. T5. Not something I would buy but a nice instrument.

 

I have 2 Martins and tour with a beat up D18.

 

Like all instruments, the feel is a personal thing.

 

Peace

[Bluesape]

I like T5's too, Zuben, but agree that for the money, I'd likely go with something else. Nice guitars, but they don't make my blood boil.

[bennyguitfiddle]

IS the Baby Taylor is the one with the bolt on neck?

if it is I played one last week and WOW!

I was surpised. it had screws through the finger board.

I was like what up with that?

but it played great. sounds great (bright).

Priced right.

[webe123]

I have a Taylor 312CE and I absolutely LOVE it! I like the smaller body which is perfect for my fingerpicking style.

 

But if you are used to a Martin sound, then a Taylor is really not for you. Martins are usually more in the lower range and sound more "bassier" to me, while most Taylors I have played are in a higher range and have a "Brighter" sound. This is not the case on every make and model...only a generalization of the two brands.

 

Both are equally excellent guitar brands, but it depends on what you are looking for. Bodystyle is also important...as I have played on mostly dreadnaught style accoustic guitars until I got my small bodied taylor. I wish I had of started out playing a smaller bodied guitar...as it does great with finbgerpicking.

 

 

The wood and laminate or non laminate tops also plays a big part in the tone of an accoustic. Again, it all depends on what type of sound you are looking for.

[gitfidler]

It's interesting to me that this well worn thread always ends up discussing comparisons about the way Taylors/Martins/Taks sound. I have always liked Taylors because of how they feel in my hands. That 1 & 3/4" wide, shallow neck would feel good on any guitar -- and if another brand could copy it I would seriously consider owning one. Taylor has also done well in mainstreaming the *14 series, which has a bit smaller body with most of the fat dreadnaught sound.

I find that Taylors sound better with lighter guauged strings (11s or 12s)where Martin seem to do well with heavier guages (12s or 13s.) I play with a lighter touch, so the Taylors feel better. I wouldn't grab a Taylor to play Bluegrass in an acoustic band. Those big Martins, Gallaghers etc. with heavy picks are perfect for that sound.

And while we're on the subject of sound (and I don't mind stirring it up a bit); I don't why we are so preoccupied with finding the perfect acoustic tone when the player really doesn't get to hear exactly what's going on. I know that it's a subjective thing, but the true tone of a guitar is best heard from in front, where we'll never hear it. Heck, I'm going to plug mine in anyway, so all bets are off, since then it's all about pickups, mics, amps, and speakers anyway.