I was referring to my own use of "proper"!
No worries! (& Bert is a lovely man, who will chastise me for saying so)Originally Posted by Blueingreen
No it wasn't. Bertie was damning Taylor with faint praise - I genuinely like their guitars.
at the end of the day, I just know you can get better built, better finished better sounding guitars (nothing to do with it being 'bright 614s or warmer 814s Ive played them all (ish) for the same or less money. You can even get proper luthier made ones for less. (I have the same opinion of most Martins too )
Its like most things, your 'top guitar' is only top, until you try something better - When I bought my 612 and 614, and like a lot of people I thought Taylor was the pinnacle of acoustic guitarness..........and then I played something else, and knew I was wrong.
Im not saying they are bad guitars, Im saying there is a LOT out there that offers better £ for £
Last edited by bertie; 18th January 2013 at 08:03 AM.
......"Bertie is pretty much a zen master..................."
Er, yes it was. As stated I was referring to my own use of the word. (Why would a long term exclusively electric player refer to an acoustic guitar as a "proper" guitar other than ironically?)
Again thanks for all who took the time to respond.
......"Bertie is pretty much a zen master..................."
Sorry - misread/understood! One of the downsides of having bought an iPad is that I tend to post stuff while I'm making breakfast and not concentrating very hard. As I'm sure you know, men cannot multi-task!
I'd never be attracted to a PRS, but I do own a Taylor. I think my ideal acoustic would be a Martin HD-28 or something, but the Taylor I have is maybe not typical of the brand. For a start, it's a dreadnought and not a Grand Auditorium or whatever. No cutaway and no pickup. Never really had the typical Taylor zingy sound, after a few years it developed a well-balanced boomy sound. It's never going to be a rosewood-bodied Martin cannon but it does sound good.
It's made of nice solid woods... Sapele isn't Rosewood but the fingerboard and bridge are nice pieces of ebony and the satin neck is a pleasure to play. I wouldn't say it's easy to play like an electric, because Taylor recommend 13-56 gauge strings for these models.
I think it depends on £££ being talked about. If I had £2k to £3k to spend, then I'm pretty sure I wouldn't come home with a Taylor for the reasons you state. But for around a grand, my GA4 wiped the floor with other stuff I tried on build, playability and tone, it's amazing value, build in their US plant (not their mex plan) to the same standards as the rest of the range with all solid Ovankol/Spruce. At that price the only North American made guitars that are in the running is the low end Martin stuff (meh, too many wood substitutes or no finish the choice is yours!), Larrivee (very nice but again looks unfinished and didn't want a Dread or OM), and the Godin made ones (had a few before and they too are meh). Yes there are a multitude of Far East ones, only the Faith range were in the running, but I've got real issue with spending over £1000 on a Far East guitar (just my problem, no one elses!).
at the end of the day, I just know you can get better built, better finished better sounding guitars (nothing to do with it being 'bright 614s or warmer 814s Ive played them all (ish
Its like most things, your 'top guitar' is only top, until you try something better - When I bought my 612 and 614, and like a lot of people I thought Taylor was the pinnacle of acoustic guitarness..........and then I played something else, and knew I was wrong.
Im not saying they are bad guitars, Im saying there is a LOT out there that offers better £ for £
indeed. There's a lot to be found in a £1000 Yamaha (as well as Faith, and a few others...) f
Ive always thought Taylors low end models were their best, even if just a little pricey, and TBH Ive not played any of their new(er) models.....the mini, GA etc.
Last edited by bertie; 19th January 2013 at 09:35 AM.
......"Bertie is pretty much a zen master..................."
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