Members joekkl Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 Best Taylor/Martin acoustic guitar under $3,000 (Taylor / Martin). Size not matter. For recording use. Any recommendations? Pics appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members songsforbears Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 Any Taylor sounds like it cost $3,000. My $800 Taylor 110 sounds better than every single $2,000+ Gibson and Martin acoustics I've played. If you like the brilliance and piano-like bass tones of the Taylor brand, you can't go wrong with any of them. Even the 3/4 size Taylors sound much better than most Martin and Gibsons for me. EDIT: Oops... lemme find a pic. 110: Bad picture of a 414: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members utterhack Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 D28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hooch Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 I like the HD-28. I like the Clapton 00-28. I own a custom shop model based on the Clapton. As far as Taylors go, if I wanted a bolt on neck guitar with a poly finish I'd choose a strat instead of a Taylor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 My favorite Taylors are the "14" series My favorite Martin is the J-40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gary Palmer Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 CF Martin D18 or D28 - the higher the number the more ornamentation, but little/no improvement in tone (Unless moving between rosewood or mahogany body materials). I certainly like Taylor guitars, but prefer Martin for their versatility and ability to add a little more punch to the mix. Martin's D16 is a pretty sweet sounding guit too. I'd honestly recommend trying both and any other brands within the same price bracket alongside one another and chose between the ones you prefer on a personal basis. One man's medicine could prove another man's poison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DavidMgT Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 Best Taylor/Martin acoustic guitar under $3,000 (Taylor / Martin). Size not matter. For recording use. Any recommendations? Pics appreciated. Ive got a Taylor 412, (paid $1500) it is worth every penny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members joekkl Posted March 2, 2008 Author Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 From you guys' experience, what are the major difference between Taylor and Martin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members iago Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 Get a Gibson J45. Better than either Martin or Taylor. Although they have to open up a little first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members warriorpoet Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 From you guys' experience, what are the major difference between Taylor and Martin?Taylors I've played have been easier to play. Lower action, better necks. They've sounded better, too. I'm not sure if Martins need more time to open up or what... If you're looking in the ~$1k-1500 range, you might want to look into the Seagull Artist line. In my experience, there's very little setup from the factory (i had to shave 1/8" off my bridge), but once they're set up, they're fantastic. The wood selection and finish on Seagull Artists are just top-notch. Breedloves are pretty stinkin' awesome, too. Above $2500 I'd start looking into Huss and Dalton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alecto Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 A Martin has that classic tone. If there's a word I would use to describe it, it's 'elegant.' It's very warm, a fair amount of low mids, it just sounds so perfect. I was playing at a folk festival, and they had a songwriter-in-the-round section. One of the songwriters had a D-41, and every time she strummed a chord, my head snapped around. It just sounds so perfect. Taylors are a lot more aggressive than Martins, IMO. A lot more bass and treble, with a midrange scoop. Great if you want to carve through a crowded mix, or make your solo stand out. Not as good as a Martin or Gibson for the solo singer/songwriter thing, but Gibson's quality control is {censored}. One guitar has that classic tone, and the next is good only for firewood. I would also recommend a Larriv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 This is actually a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I've played Martin acoustics since 1970. My first one was a D18, and after two sets of frets and three neck resets it sounds like heaven. For recording, I use a 00016CRGTE. I bought it for a play that I did for my university in 2001. If I would have had $3000 at the time, I would have bought the Eric Clapton version, but I'm really happy with what I got. It's great for recording and performing. My D-18 sounds great too, but it has a stout bottom end that can get boomy through my microphones. Martins have a more balanced sound with a signature midrange that I've always loved (listen to Neil Young's After the Gold Rush or anything acoustic by Stephen Stills). Taylors have, as someone mentioned already, a slightly scooped sound with a tinkly top end. A lot of people like the sound, especially female singer songwriters like Sara McGlaughlin. I wouldn't rule out Gibson either. The sound is drier than Martin or Taylor. Check out anything acoustic by Pete Townshend for a sample. For $3000, I'd also check Collings and Santa Cruz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DavidMgT Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 From you guys' experience, what are the major difference between Taylor and Martin? That is tough, they both make outstanding guitars. Differences will vary from model to model, so I'd say to play as many as possible until you find one you like. I settled on my 412 because of its playability and tone - I was looking for very low action and almost electric-like feel without sacrificing tone. The 412 fit my needs well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members songsforbears Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 From you guys' experience, what are the major difference between Taylor and Martin? My personal input would be that the Martin is more of a "classic" acoustic sound. Much "fuller" than a Taylor, but I just find them muddy. The Taylor guitar is usually known for its brilliance and piano-like bass notes. Taylor also makes what many see as the best necks in the guitar business, acoustic and electric. Some may describe them as bolt-on, but you would never, ever, ever, ever know this if you played one without being informed of the fact first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlackCustom Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 I have a Taylor and a Martin. I paid $700 for the Taylor and (a bit) more than $3k for the Martin. I have a nice handmade acoustic dred as well. The Taylor is a good guitar, but not a great one. It plays well and in tune. I prefer the other two, and if I had a criticism, it would be that it has no "soul". The Martin on the other hand is what I think of as an acoustic guitar. The sound is what I have in my mind that I should hear, something the other dread - despite being very good - does not have. The Martin is not as easy to play, even though it plays well. I can even do things on it that I can't on others (it's the 1.75" nut). But it is very powerful - not at all polite. BTW - it's a D-28 Marquis, $2900 if you skip the burst. In the end, when dropping so much scratch, the best thing is to play a lot of guitars and let the right one find you. For Bears - Piano bass notes aren't the exclusive province of Taylors, maybe you just haven't played the right Martins. BTW - My vote for best recording guitar under $3k would be a Martin D-18GE (Hogs record better). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members utterhack Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 The Martin is not as easy to play, even though it plays well. One good setup could change that though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Uberscha11 Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 buy my taylor 714 for $1500, you'll love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members songsforbears Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 For Bears - Piano bass notes aren't the exclusive province of Taylors, maybe you just haven't played the right Martins. Well, if I can't get the same piano-like bass out of an acoustic guitar that's more expensive than the one I have, I'm certainly not going to try more ridiculously expensive ones, now am I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlackCustom Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 One good setup could change that though I did have it setup by Bill Tippen, a luthier of some repute in these parts. The Taylor and my custom (also set up by Bill) both play a little better, but I'd rather play my Martin. I think some of it has to do with power - you can't have the strings as close if you wanna bang on it. In the end, don't get me wrong - it plays well, just not as easy as some. Sometimes it's good to work for it. The ones that play better you can't go at with the same verve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phishmonkey Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 Surprised no one has said it, but it sounds like you don't what you want. You simply name the two biggest brands and then to make it worse say "size does not matter". Realistically no one can really help you there. They can give some examples of good guitars but no matter how good a guitar is it needs to fit the application. Its like making a thread saying "I'm buying an amp, is marshall or mesa boogie better" You can't get anything useful from asking that But, if it helps I will recount my experience from buying my acoustic, mind you that this will only be useful if you want a grand auditorium cutaway with electronics. I started looking at Takamines, as I could get a discount from a friend at kaman. I played some dreadnoughts from the supernatural series that were nice, but I was looking for an auditorium size cutaway and couldn't find any to play. I kinda gave up on the idea, not sure why, because I could have gotten a Nashville series at dealer cost if I wanted In any event the next guitar I looked at was the breedlove atlas series. This was my least favorite of the guitars I played. Sound was warm, but too warm. It was like there was a blanket over it. It just sounded dead, everything else was past my price point but I didn't want to settle for something I didn't like Next I tried the taylors and martins. Ironically I thought the martins felt better. The taylor necks felt cramped and uncomfortable. The martin necks felt kinda stiff and wied, but definitely better. Sound wise nothing blew me away. The taylors, with prices from $1500-$3000 all had an a treble sound I couldn't get over, it was there no matter what price or body wood. The martins $1500-$1600 were warmer than the taylors, which was good, but didn't sound very full. The rosewood model sounded better than the mahogany but it felt like there was something missing. The bodies were pretty thin, that might have something to do with it I heard about Yairis through a friend and found a dealer nearby. This one felt right from the start, neck was the perfect size, and it was so much livelier and resonant than the Martins. Took it home that day. If I didn't find the Yairi I probably would have gone with a Takamine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlackCustom Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 My $800 Taylor 110 sounds better than every single $2,000+ Gibson and Martin acoustics I've played. If you like the brilliance and piano-like bass tones of the Taylor brand, you can't go wrong with any of them. Even the 3/4 size Taylors sound much better than most Martin and Gibsons for me. I know of at least one example of the Taylor brand there Martin rules over it. I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members utterhack Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 I did have it setup by Bill Tippen, a luthier of some repute in these parts. The Taylor and my custom (also set up by Bill) both play a little better, but I'd rather play my Martin. I think some of it has to do with power - you can't have the strings as close if you wanna bang on it. In the end, don't get me wrong - it plays well, just not as easy as some. Sometimes it's good to work for it. The ones that play better you can't go at with the same verve. Ah... I get what you're saying now. imho an acoustic should have a little fight to it. And should be strung with mediums at least Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillyCorgan Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 I love my Taylor 410CE. I got it for $600 in mint shape Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fade2Grey Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 For a Taylor, I'd recommend the 600 series for recording. They're made of maple backs and sides... that makes for clearer tone recorded and easier to eq/edit on your mix. It DOES NOT sound very rich acoustically but rather it's dry BUT clear and tone is distinctive. Go check it out. solid maple acoustics are an engineer's dream! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GarysBlues Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 To me GIBSON's Tone stands out from either Taylor or Martin. I would take a SERIOUS look at the Hummingbird GC has on sale this MTH for $1599. For the record I also love Taylor and Martin. Just happened to be a Gibson that spoke to me? It might be a Parkwood that speaks to you? Listen to what you ears tell you. Don't be overly concerned about the action. It differs GREATLY with Acoustics and usually can be lowered for easier playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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