Phil O'Keefe Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 ...to ME! Actually, technically the NGD was yesterday, but I was too busy to take pics and post about it. Anyway, my 12 string acoustic guitar search is over. I'm really happy with this Taylor 150e. The neck is about what I was expecting, which is to say it's about as good as one can hope for given my short fingers and the fact it's a 12 string acoustic. It's a very playable neck. It's a little wider than your typical 6 string, but with well-rounded shoulders and not too much depth overall. The big surprise is the sound. I was expecting it to sound a bit thin, a little light in the bass based on some of the clips I had heard of it, but it's a lot fuller sounding, with better bass than I expected. Looks like the one I got has pretty decent wood too - there's lots of silk on the Sitka Spruce top. Since we all know threads like this are worthless without pics, I came prepared... The battery compartment is near the end pin jack on these - an interesting location that's probably a lot easier to deal with than an internal battery that you have to reach into the sound hole to replace. It has the standard Expression System electronics - volume, treble and bass. It just has the standard mini tuners, but it seems to stay in tune very well - which is always a big plus when it comes to 12 strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted August 12, 2015 Members Share Posted August 12, 2015 Looks sweet and I'll bet it sounds just as sweet. kwakatak was looking at one of those a while back. Congratulations and Happy New Guitar Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted August 12, 2015 Members Share Posted August 12, 2015 I've always felt that Taylor makes the best modern 12 strings on the market and altho I haven't played one (yet) I've heard great things about the 150. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t_e_l_e Posted August 12, 2015 Members Share Posted August 12, 2015 enjoy it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted August 12, 2015 Members Share Posted August 12, 2015 Aaah... I can contribute again! Anything changed or ist it one of the few moments of sheer luck in this crazy madness?Anyway. HNGD!I was out there, looking for a 12 to replace my ageing Ovation Balladeer and I've bought me a Tanglewood, only to find out that nothing is more comfy than a well-worn in shoe and that I rather fix my Balladeer than try to find something that comes close to it. With 6-stringers, I find it (relatively) easy to adjust to a new guitar/neck/body... but with a 12 I rather stick to what I know and what I am used to for 30 years... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garthman Posted August 12, 2015 Members Share Posted August 12, 2015 Using the "comment" facility is the only way I can contribute (except on my works computer running Ubuntu). But many congratulations Phil - hope you enjoy playing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 From what I heard, they had cleared up the European posting issue as of yesterday, but if you're still having problems, please let me know as many of the specifics as you can so I can pass it along. What country are you in? What operating system are you using? What browser and version number? If you can't quote or reply, please add a comment to this post with the information. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted August 12, 2015 Members Share Posted August 12, 2015 I'm on great many OS's. From Win 7 to Win 8, 8.1, 10, Win2K8, Win2K8 R2, some Mac OS and Ubuntu and SuSE Linux - there is even an XP box still around and - if I'm not mistaken - a Win NT4 SP6 somewhere in a VM...But here I am on a Win7 and I can happily post... great, like.The country should be Ireland, but only if I forgot to switch off the VPN... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 I'm on great many OS's. From Win 7 to Win 8, 8.1, 10, Win2K8, Win2K8 R2, some Mac OS and Ubuntu and SuSE Linux - there is even an XP box still around and - if I'm not mistaken - a Win NT4 SP6 somewhere in a VM... But here I am on a Win7 and I can happily post... great, like. The country should be Ireland, but only if I forgot to switch off the VPN... Excellent - Win7 is working for you - thank you! You were having problems posting prior to yesterday, but it's working for you now, correct? Were you having problems when you were on the VPN and when it was off too, or was it just one or the other? Have you tried any of the other operating systems, and if so, did they work for you too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 I've always felt that Taylor makes the best modern 12 strings on the market and altho I haven't played one (yet) I've heard great things about the 150. Enjoy. It's a surprisingly nice instrument. It's not particularly flashy - it's actually rather plain. The wood looks nice - of course, the back and sides are laminate, but at least the outer layer's not unattractive, and the top is solid Sitka. The finish is matte, and the binding is plain, and even the pickguard is just a rather plain solid black, as opposed to the tortoise-colored guards on many other Taylors - including my '94 510. The build and setup quality both seem to be top-notch as far as I've noticed so far, and playability is typical Taylor - it's got great action and a comfortably-shaped neck and it plays relatively effortlessly... and the voice of it is way more complex and robust than I was expecting based on the clips I had heard, and given the laminate sides and back. It really is a nice sounding 12 string. You should give one a strum if you get a chance sometime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted August 13, 2015 Members Share Posted August 13, 2015 Looks sweet and I'll bet it sounds just as sweet. kwakatak was looking at one of those a while back. Congratulations and Happy New Guitar Day. Yup. I kicked the tires on a couple but don't have the wife's blessing to pull the trigger. I was impressed with it but preferred the tone of the Martin DX 12 - or whatever the model is - just a little bit more. As you say though, even if the materials still feel a little rough it still plays like butter. Hopefully that Epiphone I got will scratch the itch once I get the neck angle figured out but yeah, the 150e certainly did impress me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted August 13, 2015 Members Share Posted August 13, 2015 That looks awesome! Congrats! I wouldn't call it plain, I'd call it classy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garthman Posted August 13, 2015 Members Share Posted August 13, 2015 From what I heard, they had cleared up the European posting issue as of yesterday, but if you're still having problems, please let me know as many of the specifics as you can so I can pass it along. What country are you in? What operating system are you using? What browser and version number? If you can't quote or reply, please add a comment to this post with the information. Thanks! Phil Seems OK now on my old work's computer running Windows XP and Chrome browser. However the problem is still there on my tablet running Android and Chrome browser and my laptop running Windows 10 and Chrome browser. However, it seems OK on the laptop with Windows 10 if I use Microsoft "Edge" (that's the new name for IE). Go figure. Hope this is of help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted August 14, 2015 Members Share Posted August 14, 2015 2K8 R2 reports working fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garthman Posted August 14, 2015 Members Share Posted August 14, 2015 Phil Seems OK now on my old work's computer running Windows XP and Chrome browser. However the problem is still there on my tablet running Android and Chrome browser and my laptop running Windows 10 and Chrome browser. However, it seems OK on the laptop with Windows 10 if I use Microsoft "Edge" (that's the new name for IE). Go figure. Hope this is of help. Also OK on my old laptop running Ubuntu and Firefox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted August 14, 2015 Members Share Posted August 14, 2015 Yo! Win 8.1 working, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 Yup. I kicked the tires on a couple but don't have the wife's blessing to pull the trigger. I was impressed with it but preferred the tone of the Martin DX 12 - or whatever the model is - just a little bit more. As you say though, even if the materials still feel a little rough it still plays like butter. Hopefully that Epiphone I got will scratch the itch once I get the neck angle figured out but yeah, the 150e certainly did impress me. You must mean the D12X1AE. I have heard some good things about them. I didn't have a chance to try one of those, but I must admit I was a bit put off by a description I read about their high pressure laminate back and sides... which made it sound more like pressboard or particle board than standard laminated "plywood." I need to see if I can find one locally and give it a try myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 Excellent news - thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 That looks awesome! Congrats! I wouldn't call it plain' date=' I'd call it classy.[/quote'] Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted August 14, 2015 Members Share Posted August 14, 2015 You must mean the D12X1AE. I have heard some good things about them. I didn't have a chance to try one of those, but I must admit I was a bit put off by a description I read about their high pressure laminate back and sides... which made it sound more like pressboard or particle board than standard laminated "plywood." I need to see if I can find one locally and give it a try myself. I am a fan of how the X Series sounds - amplified, that is. They do not sound like traditional Martins, they sound good in their own right, but different from what I expect from a Martin. They are very robust, as good a "road/tour guitar" as the Ovations have been in the days of yore. The HPL just feels strange - at least to me. You will be hard pressed to find as good and robust a guitar for stage duty than the Martin X-Series. But if you are not going to drag it from coast to coast, from stage to stage, from pub to pub, there are better (but more delicate) 12-stringers out there. I recommend Guild and Tanglewood (and, obviously Ovation). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garthman Posted August 15, 2015 Members Share Posted August 15, 2015 Also OK on my old laptop running Ubuntu and Firefox. Now also OK on Windows 10 + Chrome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garthman Posted August 15, 2015 Members Share Posted August 15, 2015 Still a problem with my tablet (Android) and Chrome- but OK using the original browser app. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted August 15, 2015 Members Share Posted August 15, 2015 Phil, Hopefully you will enjoy that Taylor. Remember, I'm the guy that told you to call Henry up and get the family discount on a Gibson J185 12 string. Kids play full size guitars of all scales and adults play fiddles and mandolins, so smaller or larger fingers shouldn't matter at all. The J 185-12 has a smaller scale than the Taylor, and although the neck might have felt chubbier on the Gibson than the Taylor it could have worked out better in the long run. You would have been thanking me some 20 years down the road on giving the American made Gibson and whirl. Now I know it cost way more, but if you're the business of making money with music and own a studio, you know you can write it off. Just sayin I have smaller paws and my wife's are even smaller, she likes the scale of the gibson stuff, but all the Gibby's I own are J's. She calls em the boobie mashers. Personally if I was Gibson, I would have good with a back maple that had a bit more flame in it for there J185 12's, and a better book match too. You really should have gotten a J 185 12 string just for review. [video=youtube;SPluv0XBDgw] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 Phil, Hopefully you will enjoy that Taylor. Remember, I'm the guy that told you to call Henry up and get the family discount on a Gibson J185 12 string. The family discount might not be as much as you think... Kids play full size guitars of all scales and adults play fiddles and mandolins, so smaller or larger fingers shouldn't matter at all. Yeah, when I consider someone like Phil Keaggy (who is shorter than I am and has even smaller hands than I do), the hand thing really sounds like an excuse - he can play great with smaller hands - but it really is a BIG concern for me. If a neck's proportions and profile aren't well suited to my hands, I'll never bond with the instrument and just won't play it. The J 185-12 has a smaller scale than the Taylor, and although the neck might have felt chubbier on the Gibson than the Taylor it could have worked out better in the long run. It's not just scale length - although I do like some short scale guitars - it's as much a matter of the profile of the neck as anything else. For example, I greatly prefer the Gibson 60s era SlimTaper neck profile over the Rounded 50s era profile. You would have been thanking me some 20 years down the road on giving the American made Gibson and whirl. Now I know it cost way more, but if you're the business of making money with music and own a studio, you know you can write it off. Just sayin That's all true of course... and I'm sure the Gibby is a wonderful guitar. I have smaller paws and my wife's are even smaller, she likes the scale of the gibson stuff, but all the Gibby's I own are J's. She calls em the boobie mashers. Personally if I was Gibson, I would have good with a back maple that had a bit more flame in it for there J185 12's, and a better book match too. You really should have gotten a J 185 12 string just for review. Aren't those limited to Guitar Center and Musician's Friend? Might be hard to get one to review if that's the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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