PSA - the best bang-for-the-buck Taylor

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by edward993

I think the 300 series is superb, no doubt. In fact, the GA3 is what we got our son for college-grad present years back. He digs it!

But when considering bang for buck, I have to fall back on Taylor's 100/200 series. Which takes nothing away from the 300+ guitars, but these 100/200s are simply stellar guits with 100% Taylor quality, design, and execution, at a lower cost. If one is ok with the narrower nut, the tone and playability is all there; it's a genuine no-excuse performer's guitar that anyone could be happy with.

Sidenote with the PSA: I saw your listing for the GC5 ...fabulous value there!! glwts

Edward

This. I have had - do have - more expensive guitars, but my MiM 110e is the instrument that gets 80% of my playing time, and 100% of my gigging time. Even though they’re lammys, they are great sounding, solid performers.

[Tycobb73]

Originally Posted by Mark Stone

This. I have had - do have - more expensive guitars, but my MiM 110e is the instrument that gets 80% of my playing time, and 100% of my gigging time. Even though they’re lammys, they are great sounding, solid performers.

There's 2 ways to look at bang for guit buck. There's the this guitar punches above is weight idea, which I'm skeptical about. Then there's someone selling something below market value. The op believes this guitar is belle market value. I believe it's not. That webber in Seattle is below market value and a much better guitar.i have that same exact guitar and it gets more playing time than all my Taylor's. I bought it on here for 1900, which seems to be about right.

[edward993]

Originally Posted by Mark Stone

This. I have had - do have - more expensive guitars, but my MiM 110e is the instrument that gets 80% of my playing time, and 100% of my gigging time. Even though they’re lammys, they are great sounding, solid performers.

There is laminate, then there is laminate. Just like there are bolt-on necks, then well-designed and seriously precision-machined joints that bolt together.

Taylor's "layered" approach simply isn't how others do laminate. The poplar is the majority of the wood, and the "outside" layers are a super-thin veneer whose sonic influence is debatable and appears to be more an aesthetic choice. I am neither a luthier nor well-versed in wood species, but clearly Taylor created this wood recipe by design, as further evidenced that there is zero back-bracing whatsoever. Whatever it's sonic influence is, I like it a bunch!

Edward

[sstaylor58]

To the original post, that is a good price. I was fortunate enough to find my 314ce used and got it for $800 in 2019. I’ve never seen another 314ce even close to that price. $850 for a GA3 is in the range though (though no electronics).

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by edward993

I think the 300 series is superb, no doubt. In fact, the GA3 is what we got our son for college-grad present years back. He digs it!

But when considering bang for buck, I have to fall back on Taylor's 100/200 series. Which takes nothing away from the 300+ guitars, but these 100/200s are simply stellar guits with 100% Taylor quality, design, and execution, at a lower cost. If one is ok with the narrower nut, the tone and playability is all there; it's a genuine no-excuse performer's guitar that anyone could be happy with.

Sidenote with the PSA: I saw your listing for the GC5 ...fabulous value there!! glwts

Edward

I own a Taylor 322, but my idea of Taylor's "best bang for the buck" would be the Academy 10 or 12, or walnut 20 or 22, non-pickup versions.

[Moldstar]

Man, somebody has a GA7 for sale on reverb right now for like 800-900. That is probably a hella deal. I think the Taylor 214 series sound amazing for what they are, and I feel they sound nicer than the 3 series. I have A/Bed them side by side, and that is my opinon. Can pick them up for 700-800 used on reverb, a metric ton of them to choose from. Here is just one good example of many: https://reverb.com/item/79559738-tay...resent-natural

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Moldstar

Man, somebody has a GA7 for sale on reverb right now for like 800-900. That is probably a hella deal. I think the Taylor 214 series sound amazing for what they are, and I feel they sound nicer than the 3 series. I have A/Bed them side by side, and that is my opinon. Can pick them up for 700-800 used on reverb, a metric ton of them to choose from. Here is just one good example of many: https://reverb.com/item/79559738-tay...resent-natural

I dunno... The listing says it has the original Fender pearl tuning knobs.

[Mak2525]

I think a lot of people missed the point Fazool was trying to make. Taylor only made the acoustic series for 2-3 years I believe. Even though the CE models are Taylor's most popular through the years, there were many people who liked Taylors playability, but did not want a cutaway or electronics - thus the "Acoustic Series" was introduced. These instruments were the same shapes as the concert, auditorium, and symphony models. However, they were not the same as the CE counterparts. In other words, the GA3 was not the same as a 314 during this time frame. The GC, GA, & GS dash whatever series number were built for enhanced acoustic sound. The tops were thinned accordingly and a relief channel was routed in the top for more movement. The CE versions were manufactured to sound best plugged in. Personally, I think these short-lived acoustic models were some of the best sounding unplugged Taylors in their history. Unfortunately, I believe the economics of producing the relatively small numbers of the non-cutaway acoustic only was not cost effective - also, I think it confused a lot of people by with the different models numbers.

For the record, I have owned a GA3, a GS8, and a GA6 - hands down better than the CE models I owned when playing strictly acoustic. Plus, I think they look better w/o the cutaway. So, when he referred to them as the best bang for the buck, he's not talking about new models or series - believe he is referencing the "Acoustic Only" series from yesteryear.