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playability: Martin vs Taylor


bluewolf

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Originally posted by Tony Burns

That pretty much sums it up , unfortunately Martin has that old worlds attittude , of not letting their dealers vary from certain standards , such as what specifications it must have when its sold. They typically dont let their dealers tinker with them . Its not really all that hard to lower the nut a touch or the saddle , I personnaly like my guitar set up the way i like it , not the way Martin has to give it to me. I'm giving mine a few more months, to build up my hand strength then Im taking it to a Luthier to fine tune it . Martin doesnt seem to change as quickly to Customer demands as other Manufacturers, thou nothing bets them for off the shelf Sound . In the Seventies when they had all those neck problems , they stuck to their guns about not putting in adjustable truss rods - said their solid bars and t bars were the best and thats that- which at that time sold alot of Guilds that didnt have the neck problems .I love my Martin , but the Martin company does not listen to the Customer's needs or wants !

 

 

 

are you saying that they should slim down their necks? cause i think that would be a horrible move.

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It is a matter of definitions. I define playability as "The ability to use the neck easily to create good tone". If one was truly was only concerned with playability, you should put electric guitar strings on your acoustic, and deal with the insane buzzing. Since it is "The ability to use the neck easily to create good tone." I would say that Martins in your price range win hands down. God, I love handing my Martin over to all of my Taylor playing friends. "It sounds so good!...These aren't as hard to play as everyone says! It feels great, and it's so loud!" I have never found good tone in a Taylor under $2,300 or $2,400. I am currently in the process of buying a $979 Martin because it is the best sounding acoustic under about $2,500 I've ever heard. I will have it set up, and make my Taylor friends feel bad, again. Just buy a Martin, and don't make it a competition. They make awesome acoustics, all around, but they set them up to be beat on and played hard, but for a small price you can have it set up to play however you want.:idea: :idea: :idea: :idea:

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Slim down their necks ? , heck no! but letting the dealer set it up the way a buyer likes it , without risking voiding the warranty would be a nice start ! , just wish they would be more open to suggestion , Only think this would put them more in the minds eye of the public. Yes I can bet some of their dealers will do it your way , but Ive run into 2 that wont .

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if you've run into dealers who won't set up a guitar the way you like it, and claim that martin says they can't... then i don't think i'd be returning to those places. I don't know of any guitar made which the warranty would be voided if somebody did a set up on them. thats lunacy.

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Originally posted by Tony Burns

Slim down their necks ? , heck no! but letting the dealer set it up the way a buyer likes it , without risking voiding the warranty would be a nice start ! , just wish they would be more open to suggestion , Only think this would put them more in the minds eye of the public. Yes I can bet some of their dealers will do it your way , but Ive run into 2 that wont .

 

Martin have four different neck profiles;the modified V like you`ll find on the OM28V is reserved for the vintage reissues and thats the biggest-combine that with a 1.75"nut and you got yourself a real handful.

The low profile is their slimmest and you get that on the J40 for example.

I had to sell my OM28V as the neck was giving me cramps.The low profile suits me just fine though.

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Martin with a modified low oval, and a good set-up. Sounds great, plays great.

 

 

Dude's, check it out: No matter what guitar I buy, I figure a $100 set-up in with the price, because it's very rare to find a guitar of any make that suites me right off the rack, if ever. It just does'nt happen.

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I would seriously look into either a Larrivee or the mid-level Martins at that price range. the whole 'playability' thing with Taylor is a product of design. The Taylor necks are designed to play more like an electric guitar, and that is the attraction, especially to electric players looking into a good acoustic. The Taylor tone leaves me cold, but that's me. Lot's of folks love them - I don't. You should be able to get a 05 or 07 series Larrivee for that money, and if you can get a good one they are keepers. Especially after they are played in - they really come alive after a year or so of good playing, as do good Martins.

 

Breedlove also has some models down in that price range that should be very nice given the company rep. I have not played one of the cheaper Breedloves, but their high end stuff is very, very nice!

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Originally posted by Tony Burns

Slim down their necks ? , heck no! but letting the dealer set it up the way a buyer likes it , without risking voiding the warranty would be a nice start ! , just wish they would be more open to suggestion , Only think this would put them more in the minds eye of the public. Yes I can bet some of their dealers will do it your way , but Ive run into 2 that wont .

 

 

I'm not sure what dealer you deal with but the nut can be lowered and the saddle can be adjusted without risk of voiding a Martin warranty. In fact many reputable dealers will do this free of charge with a new purchase. If you've run into 2 that won't adjust the setup it is the policy of the dealers, not Martin.

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Originally posted by redman



I'm not sure what dealer you deal with but the nut can be lowered and the saddle can be adjusted without risk of voiding a Martin warranty. In fact many reputable dealers will do this free of charge with a new purchase. If you've run into 2 that won't adjust the setup it is the policy of the dealers, not Martin.

 

 

thank you... its what i tried to say only you said it better

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Great thread! I'm a Martin guy that wants to like Taylors but can't because of the lack of low end. So, I was glad to find a discussion that addresses this. I was beginning to think I was the only acoustic guy that had misgivings about Taylors. As far as playability vs. sound, my problem was solved by a Guild F47RCE. Sounds better than my Martin D28 and plays better than any acoustic I have ever picked up. Don't get me wrong, I'll never trade the Martin but the Guild is a phenomenal instrument.

 

R-Rosewood

C-cutaway

E-electric pickup

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regarding Larrivee' fret ends: If you look closely at the shape of the end of the frets, what that is, is that Larrivee simply shapes the ends differently. They aren't really sharp, but they crown off the end differently than any other company I've seen. Larrivee makes some great guitars.

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If you want to stay with Taylor, try the model 410. It's a great sounding acoustic, and mostly an unnoticed model by Taylor players.

It is all solid spruce top, and all solid Ovankol wood sides and back.

This Ovankol wood is really very close to rosewood in sound. It suprises many who listen and play the 410, thinking that it is a solid rosewood acoustic.

If you want a Martin, try the D-16R. Don't mistake the bolt on neck of this Martin as a drawback to quality sound at all.

Taylor's bolt on necks are great in acoustic sound also, but the Martin D-16R really has that deep rosewood bass and high treble ring that Martin players want.

Both these guitars I mention here are worth trying to find and play.

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If you want a Martin, try the D-16R. Don't mistake the bolt on neck of this Martin as a drawback to quality sound at all.

 

 

The D-16R doesn't have a bolt-on neck...Martin uses mortise and tenon neck joints. Even their X series has glued-in set necks.

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Originally posted by Jeremy M



The D-16R doesn't have a bolt-on neck...Martin uses mortise and tenon neck joints. Even their X series has glued-in set necks.

I think what he was refering to is, the mortis and tenon does use two bolts. Nothing wrong with that, Collings and Bourgeois use them too.

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