Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Larrivee etc. What is you preferred brand?

[TexMexMike]

What is your preferred brand of acoustic. What models do you like best. And why?

I lean towards Martins. Something about the tone of a Martin says, "this is how a guitar should sound." Complex, yet balanced. The entire line exihibits a warmth that is immeadiately recognizable. Others, such as Taylors, are a bit too bright, for my taste. But the playability of a stock Taylor or Larrivee is outstanding. One usually has to have a set-up done on a Martin to rival their feel.

Also, I prefer smaller bodied 00 and 000 sized acoustics over dreads. Not only are they much more comfortable to play, but INMYHOP provide a more balanced tone through out their sonic range. I'll leave the bass playing to the bass player.

Discuss! I look forward to your comments and opinions. :bannana_g

[Bytor1975]

For years I neglected getting a decent acoustic. I really didn't play it all that much, but I still had my old Alvarez Regent that I bought in 1991. I got to the point where one day I realized I had these nice electrics and basses, and well... my acoustic didn't really stand out.

So I went to Mars and found a time when it was not covered in kids in the acoustic room and just went back and forth from the Taylor room and Martin room playing (and not playing anything over my price range.) I also tried some Tacomas at another store, which I liked very much. I finally got it boiled down between two guitars and the Taylor 314ce (Grand Concert) was the one I wanted. So after a few more visits to the Mars to play that guitar again and again to be sure, I went to my local Mom and Pop store and bought one from them. Been very happy ever since. I'd like to get a Martin steel string though someday, right now all I have is a '71 Martin 00-18c.

As far as great bang for your buck, I really like the Dean Exotica I bought my wife two Christmases ago. That is the one I keep on a stand in the livingroom to ease the pain of watching modern television.

My first REAL acoustic guitar, Alvarez Regent:
http://www.geocities.com/teletwangfever/fenderpick/alvarez_regent.gif
My Taylor 314ce:
http://www.geocities.com/teletwangfever/fenderpick/taylor_314ce.gif
Martin 1971 00-18c:
http://www.geocities.com/teletwangfever/fenderpick/matin0018c2.gif
My wife's Dean Exotica, which is a pretty good guitar:
http://www.geocities.com/teletwangfever/fenderpick/dean_exotica.gif

I also have this Jasmine that I bought out of a trunk of a car from a guy last year for $35. After a truss rod adjustment, that thing plays pretty good for a piece of plywood, sound is... decent. I see they cost $99, pretty impressive for the price I thought.

I doubt I'll ever buy a dreadnaught again, unless it is a steel of a deal. I just feel more comfortable playing the Grand Auditorium and smaller shaped guitars. The Jumbos really do nothing for me. The way you guys talk about Martin steel strings so much, I'll probably end up owning one soon though. You guys are bad influences ya know.

[TexMexMike]

Baytor...I am impressed! Great selection. I really want that '71 00-18c! Too bad that the market does not seem to appreciate Martin Classical guitars. They deserve it. I have a Martin,,,,,...Pre 1900...with Ivory tuning pegs. Steel...Gut...d'bate is still out. But it does not get the respect of a 1930's plus bonified steel string Martin. Like I care???? It sounds great! Your '71 is the BOMB!

To be honest, there are so many great guitars available today. And many do not cost an "arm and leg." Heck, last summer, I walked into GC with 24 "CRISP" 100 dollar bills in my wallet (with ATM back-up). Ready to spend! I left with an acoustic , spending less than 8 of them. The G'Tar I choose "sounded" right. And right for me. That is what is so great about todays market. Perhaps not the "Holy Grail" but a guitar that does everything and sounds "just right" for you. I did not let a high price tag determine the value of a guitar. I let my ears and fingers do that. Worked for me. And I hope it works for you.

[Bytor1975]

Mike, in '95 I got into this classical phase that only lasted a few months. And of course, I needed a classical. I was home from college and the family went up to the OLD Opryland before they closed it down, and while in Nashville my Dad bought it for me at Gruhn Guitar downtown. It cost $500 at the time, and now 10 years later I see them on Ebay and other places going in the $900-$1100 range. It is in pretty good shape, probably in the 90% range, and I have the original hardshell case. But I don't ever plan on selling it, even though my classical playing was a short phase. It is still fun to get out every once in a while. And I have a hard time thinking of selling any guitar that my parents or my wife bought me.

You are right, feel and sound should be what is right with the guitar... not dollar signs. One of my best friend's Gibson J-180EC does nothing for me, and I'd rather play my cheap Alvarez than it.

But in my wife's case... the LOOK comes first! LOL! Then it is up to me to play it and decide if it is worth buying by feel sound, and construction. Funny thing about her approach, in 2001 I bought her a Fat Strat Texas Special that she saw and liked. It was a Sienna Burst. She saw it hanging on the wall at Mars and said how much she liked it and how beautiful it was, so as Christmas came rolling closer I went there by myself and played it. I really liked how it played and sounded, especially the Pearly Gates 'bucker, so I went to my locally owned store and had one ordered. She just loved it Chrsitmas morning. But it wasn't until a few weeks ago.. just over 3 years later that she tells me she never liked the redish Sienna Burst finish! I was like "What? You went on and on about it in at the store and after at how beautiful it was?" to which she responded "No I just liked the pearloid pickguard!!!!" Oh well... I have fallen in love with it ever since... even though I wish it was blue!

Ok... back to acoustics... Here is me with an acoustic you don't see around all too often. Anyone want to guess what it is?
http://www.geocities.com/teletwangfever/fenderpick/Kay.gif

[Justpickin]

I agree with some of the posts here, about cost not the determining factor in how a guitar sounds or plays. The last time I bought an acoustic I went into the store figuring I want to spend up to 1800.00. Played a bunch of Gibsons, Martins, etc., and then settled on a $450.00 Fender 22SCE, as it sounded great to me, it looked good, and played well for me, and couldn't notice that much of a difference between the higher end ones at the 1000.00 plus range. I did find a Taylor and a Gibson in the $2000 plus range that I loved, but not ready for that yet.

I'm playing with a band now that we may start adding some acoutic sets, at that point I will take the plunge probably. But right now the Fender serves me well. Bytor...I also have a Dean Exotica, mines a Dao....it's beautiful, but it does play a little bright, and the electronics are terrible in my opinion. But I own a cabin that we spend most summer weekends at, and that has become my "camp guitar".

But I would never buy a Gibson to own a Gibson, a Martin to own a Martin, etc. I'd always buy what sounds good to me,no matter the brand. I own Strats because they sound good to me, they are the sound I like, and they are comfortable for me. I didn't buy them to own a Strat.

[Bytor1975]

Justpickin, my Exotica is bright too, which is good for some things. I wonder how different yours sounds compared to mine with the Dao top and sides? Were you able to compare in a store or did you mail/internet order it?

I never plug mine up though, it lives in the living room. I did have to tweak the truss rod a bit when I bought though to give it a little more relief. I also swapped out the plastic bridge pins with some Ebony pins. But for acoustics under $400 one can't complain. Pretty good deal. It is made very well, the Grovers stay in excellent tune, and Dean's customer service is very friendly and fast.

[Justpickin]

Bytor - I bought mine in a local guitar store, they had the FM (which is what you have I believe), the Dao,and the Tiger Eye (believe that is what it was called)....I played them all, didn't notice a huge dif, so I leaned towards the Dao, it was just so damn good looking, they all are. Actually the tiger eye looked the best, but didn't sound quite as good as the other two They all played bright I thought. But for the price, and why I was looking for one (camp guitar) they are a great deal. The action is a little high on mine, but I left it that way as I use it for my slide playing (or attempts at such). One thing I will say, is people who see it (non guitar players) always remark..."wow, what a beautiful guitar...bet that cost alot!"......... :rlol:

[Bytor1975]

HA HA! I've had the same comments! I've also had the same comment on my Agile from non-guitarists (or players that don't know about Agile.)

Yes, mine is the Exotica FM. I bought mine locally as well, but the only Blue FM they had was a leftie, so I based my purchase off of a few other Exotica models and had them order the blue FM, to which Dean had at the shop in two days. They didn't have the Dao when I was there, just Naturals, Radiants, and a Freedoms I believe. At anyrate, gave it to the wife for Christmas two years ago and she was very pleased with it... so it was well worth the price (especially since I get to play it!)

[Yankeefan01]

Would like to have a Martin but I just don't play acoustic enough to justify the expense. I've got an old Yamaha FG-75, one of the Nippon-Gakki's that does the job just fine. :guitarist

[TexMexMike]

Would like to have a Martin but I just don't play acoustic enough to justify the expense. I've got an old Yamaha FG-75, one of the Nippon-Gakki's that does the job just fine. :guitarist

A Yamaha FG-75 was my first guitar! Sent it to my niece a few years ago. It will be returning on my brothers next trip to my area. Those old "Red Tag" Yamaha's weren't bad at all!

[nothin but the blues]

I think where my heart & soul lies when it comes to Acoustics is pretty well documented :lol:

[TexMexMike]

I think where my heart & soul lies when it comes to Acoustics is pretty well documented :lol:

I forgot to add the "exclusion...NBTB's...need not answer " to the post.....Go Martin!

[Old Mojo]

I do love Martins, but the best playin' and soundin' acoustic I ever got my hands on was a Gibson AJ. So burn me at the stake.

[nothin but the blues]

I do love Martins, but the best playin' and soundin' acoustic I ever got my hands on was a Gibson AJ. So burn me at the stake.
No Stake burnin' here... after all, the gentleman in my Avitar played a Gibby :smoke:

[romdos]

I am a big fan of the old Guilds... I own 2 of them and they are great guitars... I was not sure about the new ones now that Fender is building them, but I ran into a guy last week who swears they are great... I'll have to check them out myself soon... I think Martins are over rated personally. I love the Taylors, but think they are pricey, so on my last purchase I looked at and eventually chose a Takamine... it's a made in Japan model, cedar top now upgraded with the cool tube preamp (GF's xmas presant) and I absolutely love it... very warm sound, and it is a lot of bang for the buck. I've had a chance to play some of the new Washburns too, and they are very nice, and reasonably priced if you stick with the imports... the quality on these instrumnets is very good...

[T Shirtsnjeans]

I've studied these guitars endlessly, got the Wood n Steel mags, contacted Bob and he responded, heard the warantee policies of those that had anything, I mean anything that went wrong and were taken care of with no charge, and I went specifically to buy one in the $1500 range and no more. I told my friend at the dealer, he took me into the humidified room, the first one I picked up I was playing while he showed me many others that he could easily get for less of the money I offered, and as I was playing I noticed the sound was right, the feel was right, the look was right, and everything about it was right, except the price. It was $1800, and I asked if I could get this one for the amount I offered, not a dollar more, and he went to the calculator and got the tax and all to $1499!

Here I am with my Taylor 410ce/LTD with embuia sides and back limited beauty:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/gitpikker58/100_0544.jpg
me, I don't look that good! But as for fingerpickin' acoustic/amped, strummin' my heart out, it is perfect for me.
So yeah, I'd go with my Taylor for quite a while...................I can't help I'm:Loco:

[Bytor1975]

I think we're the only two Taylor players on here T Shirtsnjeans! Beautiful guitar!

[T Shirtsnjeans]

Well, two 'confessed' Taylor players:guitar:

[Tinknocker]

I'm still in love with my old Gibson J-45. I got it in trade from a buddy of mine {Donnie Barret, who unfortunatey passed away in '88} back in 1985. When my son was born in '87, money was tight, and I had it sold. Lucky for me, my wife wouldn't let me do it.

[nothin but the blues]

I'm still in love with my old Gibson J-45. I got it in trade from a buddy of mine {Donnie Barret, who unfortunatey passed away in '88} back in 1985. When my son was born in '87, money was tight, and I had it sold. Lucky for me, my wife wouldn't let me do it.
Wow, terrific wife!!! I'm a Martin nutcase, but I really like some of the old Gibson's. I was playing around on a '57 LG1, LOVED it... almost walked away with it... maybe actually go back for it :coolgleam

[Shadco]

Someone else has to like Larry. I've got a pair and OM-50 and an L-10. Their tone is more distinct kinda crisp like compared to the Big M.

http://www.pbase.com/shadco/image/40615430/medium.jpghttp://www.pbase.com/shadco/image/40623065/medium.jpghttp://www.pbase.com/shadco/image/39926346/medium.jpg

[nothin but the blues]

Shadco-

Beautiful guitars my friend, beautiful!

Welcome to Fenderpick :thumbsup:

[TexMexMike]

Nice Larrivee's! :thumbsup:

I wish I could find a store near me that carried more than just 2 or 3 of their models. Sam Ash is the only dealer that I could find that had them at all. Guess I need to make the voyage down to Buffalo Bros. in Carlsbad. I was impressed by what I felt and heard!

[Shadco]

Nice Larrivee's! :thumbsup:

I wish I could find a store near me that carried more than just 2 or 3 of their models. Sam Ash is the only dealer that I could find that had them at all. Guess I need to make the voyage down to Buffalo Bros. in Carlsbad. I was impressed by what I felt and heard!
That is probably Larrivee's biggest problem. The good news is the Bros seem to have a lot of them.

The bad news as I understand it is that it is virtually impossible to get out of there without relieving G.A.S.

The Sam Ash's on the East Coast are known for not knowing anything about the care and feeding of solid wood acoustics.

[Bytor1975]

The Sam Ash's on the East Coast are known for not knowing anything about the care and feeding of solid wood acoustics.
You sure that is just an EAST COAST problem with Sam Ash? :lol:

[never ending gas]

I just joined this forum last week. I've got to put in my 2 cents worth for the Taylors. I bought a new Martin HD28 in 1985. It took me three months of running all over the place and playing countless HD28's to find the one that was just right. I never wanted another acoustic until I walked into a local music store and picked up a Taylor 710ce. WOW! I couldn't get it off my mind. So I took my Martin to the store to A,B the two. I thought this will surely make me forget about the Taylor. Wrong! That made me want it even more. What did I like about it so much? First of all, there are only two things that matter to me about an acoustic. Tone and Playability. I don't care what it looks like. A friend has a Martin D18 that was made in 1948. This thing is so beat up, it makes Willie's guitar look like a new one. But man does it sound good. I would love to have it. Oh, back to the Taylor. I just love the tone of the Taylor. Far more than the Martin. And playability? No contest, I could play the Taylor for hours. It has a very balanced tone and responded to lite touch or heavy picking. the neck was perfect for me. So, $2000 later, I was sitting at home with my new 710ce, pick'n & grin'n.

That was in December of 2003. I now own three Taylors, 710ce, 814ce and a 710L9(short scale). The 710L9 is my latest purchase and the best so far. The scale length is only 5/8 of an inch shorter than standard, but makes a big difference in tone and playability. There is less tension on the strings at 440 so it is easier to fret. and the frets are spaced a little closer together. This makes it easier to play hard to reach bar cords. As far as tone, The bass side is deeper and richer, the high side is bright, but not to much so, very musical.
This is the best acoustic guitar I've ever played. I'm not the only one who thinks this. I have a couple of friends who play in bluegrass bands, and they said the same thing. My friend who owns the Martin D18 comes over all the time, and my 710L9 is all he wants to play(he let's his D18 sit).

I called Taylor not long ago and found out that they only made 206 710L9's. They said it's because everyone wants a cutaway with the electronics. I tried one of those and the straight 710L9 was louder and had better tone.

By the way, the Martin HD28 was sold. It's not that I didn't like the guitar anymore, I just wasn't playing it after I bought the The Taylor's. Someone gave me $2000 for it, and that helped with all my other gear I was, and am buying. never ending gas
:guitar: