Taylor vs. Martin

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dave on November 20, 2010 at 6:03am

And yet another...

BTW, Martin OMC-16E Koa player here. My Martin really sang to me when I first played it, and I love the koa wood. But I'd be happy playing any of the Taylors I've tried out over the years.

73 de Dave NK0E

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by RIchard Crowe on February 2, 2010 at 8:29pm

I have a Martin D-16 and like it very much. I have not played much on a Taylor, but would love to have a 413

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Debora Robinson on February 2, 2010 at 9:44pm

Blake, it's always cool when you play a $4,000 guitar, but that's where you need to consider more than price. I play a Martin but have discussed Taylors with my luthier to find that Taylor guitars play so easily, it is their top selling point. The playability is great but doesn't necessarily produce the sound you want. That's not to say I wouldn't own a Taylor guitar, there are so many things to consider. The set-up of the neck can be adjusted on most good quality instruments along with choice of strings, playing style, music type, solo, back-up, etc., that even though I play primarily a Martin, doesn't mean a Taylor, Gibson, Larrivee wouldn't be in my future. I'm a Martin fan, but keep your options open!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michael S. Jackson on February 3, 2010 at 8:51am

Lou made a very good point. While most of us agree that a high end guitar is going to be good, it just depends on your definition of good. We choose and stick with what we like. However, in the hands of a really good player, the guitar stands its best chance of producing all the quality tones it is capable of. For example, I personally choose Martins over Taylors because the latter is (TO ME!) weaker in punch, subdued in tone, and doesn't have the ringing clarity I like. Taylors are beautiful, no doubt, but almost everyone I know of who plays one bought it because it was easy to play. Their necks are quite fast. It's curious, though, that one professional in my area plays Taylors exclusively. I know he is sponsored by Taylor, but this guy is one of the very best and can play anything he wants. When he gets into his playing, his ability, technique, and style would make a cigar box strung with rubber bands sound great! I look down on no one and am not about to tell anyone which one is best. I just know what I like. I even have a Chinese made 000 that has a tone found only on guitars costing thousands of dollars; I bought this one for $750, new. Will I buy a Taylor someday? Probably. A Gibson? Probably. I have 4 Martins now and a different tone for different tunes might just be in order...

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by John Buttrey on February 5, 2010 at 3:39pm

What a discussion! I have both a Martin (OM28 Custom) and a brand new Taylor GS8. The Martin beats the Taylor hands down in tone (but it is several years old and just an amazing guitar). The Taylor beats the Martin in some areas. In fact, when I played it at the store it blew me away. Like most Taylors it is more bright in its tone, yet with this model the bass really punches through and gives a very nice balanced sound. A very playable guitar, even with the medium gauge strings they put on it. It is so much personal taste and the style of music you are playing. To get the Taylor I had to sell a Martin 000C16. The sound of it just wasn't making it for me. The guy who bought it loved it! Go figure.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Joseph Holliday on February 6, 2010 at 2:22am

When it comes to anything over $1000, you had better really love it if you are going to buy it. $4000 is ridiculous if you ask me, unless you are ordering a custom fanned fret acoustic from Doolin because you can't afford one of Michael Greenfield's $12,000 fanned frets, which is gorgeous but 3x as ridiculous as a $4000 Taylor although at least Greenfield's are produced by only one hand.

Long story short, I personally go with the Seagull Artist Series in this price range. You get solid sitka top, solid rosewood sides and solid rosewood back with QII electronics on board for about $1200. Of course you are foregoing planty of MOP inlay and all that jazz on the fretboard, but who cares? I bought mine for the sound. Also the neck has wider specs than many other models. Seagull's necks are typically 1.8" with with 1.9" available both of which are more conducive to my gigantic hands and fingerstyle play than most other necks out there. I only wish they did custom builds.

In the end I would advise you to play them all, and don't even look at the price tags. Get a sales rep and tell him what you want (solid sides, electronics included or not ect.) and have him line up about 8 guitars without the price tags. Play them all and buy the one that calls your name. In that tier of instruments, a couple should be calling.

Basically, don't let price determine what you think about a guitar.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by James Alan Jones on February 6, 2010 at 10:14am

I can only go by my personal experience...My " dream " guitar was a Taylor 814. So I found one online and bought it. I set it up the way I like my guitars set up and I was not that impressed. I figured the more I played it the more I would like it. Never happened. I live only a few miles from the Taylor factory and have met Bob Taylor a couple of times. I think what he has done with his little independent guitar company is amazing. But this 814 was not for me. I sold it and bought a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Studio EC. I absolutely LOVE this guitar. The funny thing is...The fellow I sold the Taylor to absolutely LOVES it. So the moral of this story is...when it comes to guitars its all about personal preference.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Charles on February 6, 2010 at 1:36pm

Bravo James.....I agree 100%

In addition no two guitars from the same manfacturer will sound identical. Even if they are identical models.

I found that out in 1967. I was at a large music store that had a number of Gibson J-45s. At the time I just thought I had to have a Gibson J-45! After playing all for some time I came to the following conclusions:
1. I was amazed at how different each sounded!
2. I decided that none of them turned me on.
3. I decided that maybe I didn't need a Gibson on that day.

Since that time I have played some other Gibson J-45s that sounded just wonderful.

Bottom line.....never buy a guitar because it is a certain make or model. Play it first. That is the only way to make a decision concerning a guitar!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Zohn Genade on February 10, 2010 at 3:18am

Charles, this is where I believe companies like Taylor manage to build their guitars very consistent from one to the next.
In fact, that is the very quality Bob Taylor lives by: to build them accurately and consistent. The tolerances, build-operations/practices and conditions are controlled within very tight limits, leaving variances pretty much in the specific materials themselves. a Good example of this is their computerized finish facility which ensures even and exact quantity of the application, also the accurate interface of the neck-joint to the body.
I agree however that the special guitar for me, is the one of many that I've played, and loved enough to take home - and it isn't necessarily a Taylor - in fact, so far it wasn't.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by roland belloir on February 10, 2010 at 6:17am

Hi,

I have played a lot of different guitars in the last few months, as I work on opening an acoustic guitar store. What I can say, is that the difference comes definitely on very personal tastes, which are difficult to guess on a forum. Kathleen comments is certainly giving you a good idea of what will be the reasons to like one brand or the other. I would ask the guitar to take a stance on bass: I would vote Martin.

The only advice I can give you: go in as many stores as you can (I visited more than 50 in the last 5 months) and try as many guitars as you can. Except if you think that you belong to any brand, try other brands than Martin and Taylor, especially in this price range! Collings, Santa Cruz, Bourgeois are some guitar makers which can offer you splendid gears for this price.

Do not under estimate what you pay for the sake of the brand (marketing)! Try other alternatives and you may put some extra money on handmade skills and precious woods!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jason Tryon on February 11, 2010 at 4:45am

In a lot of respects Walt you're right it is a somewhat "religious" topic. There are also some technical things to consider. Not that one is better than the other but some things that make different manufacturers different.

People tend to focus on wood and on bracing patterns. However I had occasion recently to do a little research and did a blind somewhat unscientific poll of guitar players I knew who felt strongly about one brand vs another. Uniformly they made the statement at some point that the brand that they favored "felt better". What I found particularly interesting was that none of them could tell me why.

Which led me to take a look at my own instruments. I found something interesting, the instruments that I play and the instruments that I favor have something in common across different brands. Scale length.

Fenders, Taylors and Martins have a 25 1/2" scale length (length from bridge to nut), Gibson typically uses a 24 3/4" scale length.

Not uniformly, but an interestingly large portion of the time scale length plays an important and subliminal factor in whether an instrument works well for a particular player.

Not scientific just my own anecdotal observations.

Your mileage may of course vary.

J

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Zohn Genade on February 11, 2010 at 5:54am

Well said and a very good observation Jason.That explains why I enjoyed 2 particular Taylors I played in a shop today, and just loved them. a Terrific Doyle Dykes Signature model, and a very different but equally appealing (used) Chris Proctor Signature model. Guess what - both with 24 7/8" or "short" scale length. One in Maple back and sides, the other in Indian Rosewood. I also played and enjoyed a Martin OMJM (John Mayer Sig), except that I didn't enjoy its narrow nut. Generally Martin's OM models have 1 3/4" wide necks @ the nut.
I am a finger style player, and I guess the appeal of "finger style guitars" are just that for me nl. small body, very focused tone, rapid response and light build together with the playability-touches such as nut width, scale length and choice of materials. The latter I believe are the secrets behind which guitar one always tend to reach for first.
Most major builders generally produce short scaled models too besides their "regular" standard scale length.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Next ›
• Page