Members Feste Posted June 13, 2005 Members Posted June 13, 2005 I have a couple of guitars I am thinking about acquiring and I was wondering if anyone could give me some idea of the value of them as well as any thoughts about overall quality, sound, playability, etc. 2004 Taylor 812ceL30 2003 Paragon Mini-jumbo - Sitka spruce and maple. Any comments would be appreciated...
Members 54merk Posted June 13, 2005 Members Posted June 13, 2005 I cannot speak specifically for that particular Taylor although I have played 8xx series Taylors and like them, but for the price they are just not my cup of tea. Nothing wrong with them, but for that price they just do not ring my bell. I do own a Paragon Mini-Jumbo made with Sitka and Indian Rosewood. It is my favorite acoustic guitar. I bought it for fingerstyle since I also have a D35 Martin for flatpicking but I prefer the Paragon for both styles. It is a beatifully made instrument which is setup perfectly and is truly a joy to play. It is lightly built and much more responsive than my more heavily built Martin. I think Paragons are one of the best bargains out there among small shop brands. The new ones start around $2500, I believe. Check their website for the most up to date prices. The Maple one you are considering will sound quite different. Maple, when done well is a great tonewood with tremendous clarity, but it does not have the warmth and overtones of indian rosewood. Not sure what type of sound you are looking for. Paragons are built to order from their website so you will have to wait. If it's mail order just make sure that you can return it if it's not what you are looking for.
Members Flapz Posted June 13, 2005 Members Posted June 13, 2005 What's the neck width on your Paragon Merk?
Members 54merk Posted June 13, 2005 Members Posted June 13, 2005 Originally posted by Flapz What's the neck width on your Paragon Merk? Hey Flapz,It's 1.75". The neck is a bit large, a Vintage style, but it's really nicely shaped and quite easy to play, even though I do not have large hands. I really like the Jumbo frets too. One more thing, it's really difficult to compare these two guitars. They are so different, in many more ways than the body shape!
Members dw kleine Posted June 14, 2005 Members Posted June 14, 2005 I happened to win a Paragon 000 last year. What a great guitar. Plays great, especially after I sanded down the bridge a bit. The sound is to die for. This thing is beautiful and solidly built. It's the only Paragon I've ever seen or played but I would take it over any Taylor that I've tried, not that there was anything about the Taylors that bugged me. Most Taylors are excellent, but this Paragon is just too nice. DW
Members Feste Posted June 15, 2005 Author Members Posted June 15, 2005 I have heard the Paragons are very similar to Larrivees.. agree or disagree???
Members 54merk Posted June 16, 2005 Members Posted June 16, 2005 Originally posted by Feste I have heard the Paragons are very similar to Larrivees.. agree or disagree??? Morgan, Paragon, and other small Canadian brands are built by luthiers who worked for and polished their craft while they worked for Jean Larrivee. As expected, there will be some similarities, such as the truss rod adjustment from inside the soundhole, but that's not to say that these instruments will be Larrivee clones. Paragon founders Rob Bustos and Mark Vantaa used to work for Larrivee, however I don't see how anyone could confuse my Paragon with a Larrivee. Nothing against Larrivee, I really love their guitars, but Paragons are built to order in a small shop, at a much slower pace than a factory built guitar. They are certainly not rebadged Larrivees.
Members kwakatak Posted June 16, 2005 Members Posted June 16, 2005 Originally posted by dw kleine I happened to win a Paragon 000 last year. What a great guitar. Plays great, especially after I sanded down the bridge a bit. The sound is to die for. This thing is beautiful and solidly built. It's the only Paragon I've ever seen or played but I would take it over any Taylor that I've tried, not that there was anything about the Taylors that bugged me. Most Taylors are excellent, but this Paragon is just too nice. DW I remember that giveaway and the severe bout of GAS it gave me. It's hard to believe that it's been over a year now! As one of the several thousand losers in the giveaway () I'm glad to hear you're still enjoying it! BTW: it looks like they haven't updated their website since dw kleine won the giveaway. Still, I like that they have a "sound room" page to compare guitar/tonewood combinations in: http://www.paragonguitars.com/standard/soundroom.asp I wish a few other builders would do that.
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