$1000 vs. $1200: worth an "upgrade?"

[slodge]

I was shopping guitars and a very helpful salesgirl (excuse me, her business card states specifically "guitar specialist") Recommended that if I was going to spend $1000 on a guitar (in this case, a Taylor 310) I would be happier spending a couple of hundred more (for the 410) because there was a big difference between the two.

 

I've worked in retail, and I understand that with many products there are price points at which the quality changes drastically, and that between those points, the price differences have to do with small differences that are more asthetic issues than quality issues.

 

Does anybody out there have any experience or knowledge about what those price points might be with acoustic guitars? (Specifically, Taylors and Martins.) I've sort of arbitrarily given myself a budget of $1000, but if I'm right below or above one of those price points I may have to reconsider.

 

Thanks.

[Cldplytkmn]

it doesn't have much to do with the actual prices... i doubt she's just trying to 'up-sell' you... I've seen a bunch of people saying that they much prefer the 4xx to the 3xx... let your ears guide you... you should be willing to make very few compromises with that kind of money.

[Hudman]

 

I was shopping guitars and a very helpful salesgirl (excuse me, her business card states specifically "guitar specialist") Recommended that if I was going to spend $1000 on a guitar (in this case, a Taylor 310) I would be happier spending a couple of hundred more (for the 410) because there was a big difference between the two. I've worked in retail, and I understand that with many products there are price points at which the quality changes drastically, and that between those points, the price differences have to do with small differences that are more asthetic issues than quality issues. Does anybody out there have any experience or knowledge about what those price points might be with acoustic guitars? (Specifically, Taylors and Martins.) I've sort of arbitrarily given myself a budget of $1000, but if I'm right below or above one of those price points I may have to reconsider. Thanks.

 

 

Think about it. She deals with people debating between the 300 and 400 Series all of the time. Many people try to do the smart thing, money wise (buy the less expensive guitar), only to end up unhappy in the end.

 

Can you be happy with a 300 Series guitar? Yes, only if that is what you really want. No, if your heart was set on a 400. Trust me, spend a little more money today for the one you really want, otherwise, you will take a loss on the 300 on a trade or by selling it to get the 400 in the near future.

 

Disclaimer: The 300 Series Taylors are nice. Personally, I prefer the 400's.

[Dave W.]

I haven't kept actual track, but my feeling is that most folks I have seen here debate this issue, then go with the lesser guitar, wind up selling it and going for what they really wanted. Or think they wanted. Play as many guitars as you can, regardless of price. Go by what you hear and how the guitar feels to play. If you are a "dollars" kind of person, spend about twenty percent more than your budget, and you will probably be happy...for a while. Then join the rest of us and start looking for that perfect guitar, but be aware you will probably need several to cover all bases. Don't let your wife read this, and have a ball.

[slodge]

I don't really think it was an issue of trying to "upsale" me, I was pretty clear about the fact that I was just tire kicking until I get my finances in order. That, and figure out how I'm going to slip a $1000 guitar past a wife who doesn't see the difference it and the Alvarez Regent I bought for $120 25 Years ago. (Dave W must have met her.) I guess my concern is this: does the difference between a $1000 and a $1200 guitar come down to a player's tastes, or are there significant differences in construction and/or materials used?

[Hudman]

 

I don't really think it was an issue of trying to "upsale" me, I was pretty clear about the fact that I was just tire kicking until I get my finances in order. That, and figure out how I'm going to slip a $1000 guitar past a wife who doesn't see the difference it and the Alvarez Regent I bought for $120 25 Years ago. (Dave W must have met her.) I guess my concern is this: does the difference between a $1000 and a $1200 guitar come down to a player's tastes, or are there significant differences in construction and/or materials used?

 

 

If you are talking within the same brand, there is usually a difference in woods and comsmetic enhancements (AKA - bling).

 

It does boil down to what the player prefers.

[Freeman Keller]

Hi Slodge

I think there are two different questions here (1) does increasing price necessarily increase quality, playability or some other characteristic of the instrument (and related to that, the idea of "price points") and (2) what are the differences between a 3xx and a 4xx Taylor.

Let me answer the last one first, and remember, what you are hearing is one person's opinion. OK, IMHO these series are more alike than different, with the real difference being the tone wood. The 3xx uses mahogany-like woods (it used to be sapele, now "african mahogany" - both different from the "american mahogany" used on 5xx, 18 series Martins, etc). The important thing is that these two woods have the sound we associate with 'hog, but they are less expensive (providing the price point of question 1). The 4xx are ovangkol, a budget version of EI Rosewood which is what a 7xx would have. OK, most of us think rose and 'hog have different sounds (and many people perfer rose) - so I think what she was saying is that "you might prefer the sound of the 410, which is more complex, more overtones, and probably better for rhythym playing to the 310, which is more cutting, more woody, and maybe better for lead". (Exactly the same comparison as a D28 to a D18 in the Martin world or a 510 vs 710 in the "real" woods for Taylor).

Both of these guitars hit their price point by having satin finish (cheaper than the gloss on a 510/710), simplier rosette and binding, and in the case of my 314 a little more runout in the spruce that I would expect from an upscale model. But very good, playable quality guitars.

Move down a step in quality and price, you get the 210, sapele body, not quite the finish, etc - but still with the woody sound of a hog like tonewood. Move up a step to the 510 or 710 and now you get a little more bling, "real" hog or rose, gloss finish - and bigger prices. 810 and 910 take EIR up a couple more levels, then there are the RTaylors and all the other special ones.

As an aside, the Limiteds are kind of a funny critter in this mix - they tend to be special tonewoods (walnut or blackwood or koa) but done at the 3xx or 4xx llevel to hold the price at a reasonable level - IMHO some wonderful guitars.

OK, on to the idea of price point. It is my feeling that this is the second Golden Era of acoustic guitars. Pick a price - 500, 1K, 2K - I don't care, each manufacture produces the best possible guitar they can to be competitive and produce what will sell. If you line up $1000 guitars from Taylor and Larrivee and Martin and Epiphone and Guild and ... I think they will be pretty similar in the quality of their woods and finish and construction(assume all made either domestically or overseas). If you double the price I think you will see and hear a difference, and at some point, the returns decrease. (My gosh, the new D28A list at something like $40K and they are sold out - must appeal to someone, but is it better than a plain old D28GE).

As I read several peoples replys I see the idea that the 310 is a "lesser" guitar - I don't think it is. That is like saying a D18 is "lesser" than a D28 - the only real difference is the wood and the way the wood makes them sound; the price reflects what the woods cost and what the market will bear (price point again).

Sorry to get kind of wound up here and this was pretty rambling - back to the 310 vs 410. Very similar guitars, but you should hear a difference. If you like what you hear, you've made a wise choice.

[Freeman Keller]

That, and figure out how I'm going to slip a $1000 guitar past a wife who doesn't see the difference it and the Alvarez Regent I bought for $120 25 Years ago.

 

 

Added note to my long post, while I was tire kicking my wife was carefully listening. She gave me my 314 for my 59th birthday.

[slodge]

 

Added note to my long post, while I was tire kicking my wife was carefully listening. She gave me my 314 for my 59th birthday.

 

 

Before my 40th birthday, I "hinted" like Peter Brady remarking that he could sure use a NEW BASEBALL MITT.

 

I got clothes.