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  #16  
Old 06-03-2012, 05:36 PM
Maynard9089 Maynard9089 is offline
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A few months ago I was in your shoes choosing between a 314 and a 414. For me it was the sweet mids that made me choose the 414. I ordered mine from Jim at Guitar Rodeo. It sounds better than any of the local ones I played. Perhaps it was dumb luck but I think Jim will work with you to make sure you get what you want.
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  #17  
Old 06-04-2012, 06:14 PM
guzzijeff guzzijeff is offline
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I have owned GC, GA, and GS body styles. I did a lot of research (measurements) on each body style (the listed dimensions don't tell the whole story), and surprisingly the GS sits almost as low on your knee as a GA. To my ears there is no comparison... the GA is a great guitar, but the GS has a wonderful piano-like bass, and still has great string separation and treble. Finger-picked or strummed, it's a well rounded guitar. The GC, on the other hand, is noticeably smaller all around (size and sound). Just my 2 cents.
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  #18  
Old 06-04-2012, 06:35 PM
Arrgus Arrgus is offline
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Don't believe the hype that all Guitar Center stores have issues in the acoustic room. North Dallas keeps a constant 52% humidity level, new strings when needed and "mostly" in tune.( 40 plus high end pieces )They have the BEST selection of Martins Taylors and Gibsons. You won't find a bigger high end inventory this side of Nashville.

FYI...Ovankol (414ce) has more punch vs the 314 seies. You got to get out front of these guitars to appreciate the difference.

Try out one of the new Performing Artist series from Martin. They start about $1200.00
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  #19  
Old 06-04-2012, 07:02 PM
dgaemc2 dgaemc2 is offline
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IMO, both the 314 and 414 are great choices.....so are the 316 and 416, and many others depending upon your individual preferences.

I also think that your approach is good in trying out the instruments prior to purchasing (especially since you plan to keep it for the long haul).

Many people comment on guitars at retail shops with "dead strings" and that certainly happens. However, what I think gets overlooked the most is that often the guitars hanging on the wall are not tuned to concert pitch (usually flat) which can make a huge difference in how the guitar sounds and feels to play. They may be very well in tune with themselves because the previous guy tuned it to the low E, but the low E was detuned to Eb or even D buy the previous guy in the store....

GC may not restring the guitars that are on your short list, but they will definitely allow you to tune them to concert pitch no matter how busy they are. If not, you shouldn't be buying from that store anyway.

Best of luck, and Happy Shopping!
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  #20  
Old 06-04-2012, 07:35 PM
dgaemc2 dgaemc2 is offline
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IMO, both the 314 and 414 are great choices.....so are the 316 and 416, and many others depending upon your individual preferences.

I also think that your approach is good in trying out the instruments prior to purchasing (especially since you plan to keep it for the long haul).

Many people comment on guitars at retail shops with "dead strings" and that certainly happens. However, what I think gets overlooked the most is that often the guitars hanging on the wall are not tuned to concert pitch (usually flat) which can make a huge difference in how the guitar sounds and feels to play. They may be very well in tune with themselves because the previous guy tuned it to the low E, but the low E was detuned to Eb or even D buy the previous guy in the store....

GC may not restring the guitars that are on your short list, but they will definitely allow you to tune them to concert pitch no matter how busy they are. If not, you shouldn't be buying from that store anyway.

Best of luck, and Happy Shopping!
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  #21  
Old 06-05-2012, 03:08 PM
dangrunloh dangrunloh is offline
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I went in expecting to buy a 314 but definitely preferred the tone of the Ovangkol 414. It had better sounding middle tones, sweeter. I think it depends on what you are going to do with it. For flatpicking ballads and accompanying a male voice the Ovangkol was better. If I was playing bare fingerstyle instrumentals or only strumming chords the cheaper 314 would have been fine.

The two type of woods sounded different to me in both the x14 and x16 shape.
Sapele sounds a little like Mahogany with some bite and Ovankol sounds a little more like Rosewood, not so sparkly, but stronger midtones.

Your ears must chose.

I sang along with every guitar I tried and listened to how my voice blended in.
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  #22  
Old 06-05-2012, 09:44 PM
egkor egkor is offline
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GC and tuning: When I go do "planned" shopping, I bring a Snark to make sure the guitars I'm testing are in tune.

Choices: Right now one of the next guitars I would seriously have to evaluate is the 316ce, new for 2012. I would have to compare it against the 314ce to see that it has the trebles of the GA/314ce shape, as well as the bass of the GS/316ce shape.

Then if I bought the 316ce, I would try it with .012s (Lights) Elixir 80/20s to see if it has the playability of the 314ce, with the added bass.

If the 316ce passed those tests I would keep it. I do love the sound of the 300 series.

-Gary K
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  #23  
Old 06-05-2012, 11:20 PM
Maccadude33 Maccadude33 is offline
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I tend to play with a pick, but I am working on my finger picking as well. I enjoy and like to play with both styles. I don't want to restrict myself to one or the other, especially since I could use all the practice I can get.

Tuning isn't a huge issue for me. I think I have perfect pitch to a small degree, so I am usually able to tune a guitar to standard. I wish I could tune my voice as easily! I have a deep voice limited in range and ability, and I would probably need some serious training to learn how to use it properly. Lower tunings would probably accompany it better, but I would rather have someone else sing for me! That and I'm not sure I'm ready to pick up a baritone quite yet. The x16 series would probably fit me better if I intended to sing a lot with it, but I think I enjoy the highs on the x14s more.

I am hoping to purchase a 414 tomorrow, or by the end of the week at least. I'll report back soon. Thanks for the input so far everyone!
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  #24  
Old 06-07-2012, 08:37 PM
Maccadude33 Maccadude33 is offline
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First off, I'd like to say thank you to all of you who have posted your thoughts and opinions! I am happy to report that I just came home with a brand new 414, and boy, it is fantastic! Compared to the 314 they had at the store, it was significantly more balanced and even in tone, and the woods look very beautiful all across the body. It really does feel like a high quality guitar, and it's a huge step up from playing the Ovation I have.

I think I'll go ahead and make a NGD thread about it since I'm here. Thanks again everyone!
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  #25  
Old 06-07-2012, 08:45 PM
310Taylor 310Taylor is offline
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I think ovangkol looks better than sapele and it shouldnt sound worse. I think the best choice you made was to go with the GA body style, It really is the swiss army knife and it fits in the hands perfect.
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  #26  
Old 06-08-2012, 12:39 AM
GibbyPrague GibbyPrague is offline
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To me most Taylors sound very similar to each other, they all have that nice, pleasant (boring?) tone. Hence I'd go for the 314ce as its the cheapest from the lot with not much tonal difference as you add another 1k or 2k higher up the chain.

I actually prefer the tone of the cheaper Taylors and the 314ce is a very fine guitar if you really like the overall Taylor tone.
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