Taylor 612
 

I own a Taylor 612. I am its original owner and it was built for me on my order in the spring of 1989.

It has no fret markers on the fret board itself, but it has side dots: 1 side dot at the 5th fret and 1 side dot at the 12th fret.

It is in mint condition. I am mainly a classical guitarist therefore it has been easy for me not to leave a mark on the sound board.

I am curious what other owners of the 612 feel about their instruments.

The 612 has always suited me well, but I am not sure it has the sound that I want today. Others may prefer and desire that sound.

Any thoughts?

Dan

I agree, it's not suited for you. I'll pay the shipping, just mail it to me.

Would Admin please delete the above juvenile post by NickSTL77?

I am looking for a serious discussion here.

Thanks,
Dan

Relax Dan, it was a friendly joke. Notice the smiley face? Good luck with your serious discussion! Some details about what you don't currently like about the sound, etc might help. Is your 612 a 612c or a ce? What top/back/sides? I assume spruce top and quilted maple back? <hugs>

Well, if you have decided to talk seriously…

It's a 612, no CE.

Spruce top with quilted maple.

I play a lot of Beatles, and it just doesn't sound "Beatle" to me.

Dan

Well I really like what Taylor does with Maple, however the dynamic range of that tone-wood will excel in certain situation, while only being "decent" in others. What Taylor likes to say about their Maple guitars is that it "really cuts through the mix", meaning - giving it tendency of having a bright, treble centric sound it can stand out easier in a larger ensemble or band. On the other hand, take a classic tone-wood like rosewood. It tends to have a more balance tonal range with more bass than maple. It also drops a little in the middle with is good for vocal accompaniment. Taylor has a nice chart that show the dynamic ranges of different tone-woods available here:

Taylor Tone Chart

For Beatles stuff, I don't know. I would say that Maple may be too bright for their sound and perhaps a different tone-wood would suit you better. However, I am not expert on their music and I am sure there are others on this board who know better that I on this topic. Hope the above helped. Oh and by the way, welcome to the Forum. It is a great place even if people do make a lot of jokes asking for free guitars, but it is all in good fun.

Well, I like mine. It is reasonably loud and not as bright as people always assume a 612 will be; it's also very balanced and thus good for recording. And I like the sound of maple anyway - don't want lots of "showy" overtones and the plainspokenness of maple therefore appeals.

Richard

I am a Beatles fan but have never felt that the acoustic guitars they used had a good tone. I would not want a guitar that sounded like their Gibson J-160E. The guitars I own sound much better.

While I don't own a 6xx series Taylor, I just recently got a chance to play a lovely 612CE for nearly an hour at my local shop. Even better, I got to listen to an extremely accomplished fingerstyle folk - blues player on the same 612ce for 30 minutes or so. The difference in sound while seated behind the guitar playing and in front listening was striking. I was very impressed by the projection and volume from such a small bodied instrument. Certainly not in the dred or jumbo class but still, much better than I anticipated.

To my ears, the 612CE had an outstanding tone to it. Extremely balanced, not thumpy but certainly not what I would call jangly. Perhaps the bluesy, staccato style playing I was treated to suited the wood and body size combination perfectly. I never once felt it was lacking in bass/lower registers. It was tight, very focussed but not thin by any stretch.

We all continue to grow musically and our tastes and perceptions are always changing. I think if you are less than thrilled with the sound you are hearing from any guitar relative to what your feelings about it were years ago, perhaps it is time for a change?

Many thanks for the input, and thanks for the welcome to the forum.

I am doing a "personal" CD of Beatles tunes, all pre-Pepper.

I have ProTools, great mics, and I can play all the instruments on those pre-Pepper tunes (plus, I own all the instruments needed.)

For things like "I Should Have Known Better," "If I Fell," and the many "Rubber Soul" and "Beatles For Sale" tunes I can "hide" the brightness of the 612 with ProTools tweaking.

But on tunes like "Michelle" and "Black Bird" I feel I want a darker tone.

So, yes, after all these years it may be time for a change.

Is there a market for a mint condition (or "better-than-near-mint condition") 1989 Taylor 612 if I decided to sell it?

Thanks again,
Dan

For Blackbird I use a cedar/rosewood OM sounds OK me and not nearly as "bright" as my '94 Taylor 612c.

FWIW, I think you will find a ready market for your little 612.

Gary

Gary,

Thanks for the tip! I appreciate it.

Dan

Welcome to the forum and 612's are great guitars aesthecially and tonally. Hope you enjoy your time, there are great people here, with a ton of knowledge and no one really means any harm.

One other question which I believe belongs in this thread is: string tension/gauge.

Of those of you who play a 612 which do you prefer: light or medium gauge?

Dan

I use Elixir Nanoweb 80/20 Custom Lights (11/52). I find the light build of the mid 90's X12 Taylors are easily driven by the Custom Lights. I also use the Custom Lights on my '97 512, but prefer the Lights on my 2007 GC4 (which I believe to be braced more heavily)

Others may differ....

Gary