What made you buy that first Taylor ?

strings · #1 02-06-2007, 07:21 AM

I can tell you that I bought a Martin D-28 many years ago.Had it for 6 years,beautiful guitar,but the one I had would not stay in tune go figure.I didn't buy a Tayor at this time because they were a pretty new company , and Martin was the king , I thought at that time.I got so frustrated with this thing not staying in tune for nothing that I went shopping around. The owner of the music store showed me a Taylor.I traded in my Martin on a Taylor 355, and it has brought joy back in to playing guitar again . Bob Taylor has great videos on the web site that are informative. The customer service is friendly and helpful. So God Bless Taylor , and keep building great guitars.That's how I got into the Taylor family.I 'd buy a Taylor if Bob would make one out of old broom sticks,thats how much I trust their craftmanship.I heard he made some out of old pallets.

wthurman · #2 02-06-2007, 07:51 AM

Ah yes, the pallet guitar... very expensive and "guaranteed to crack" (from Taylor's own info).

I love my GS. That said, it's much more likely that if I'm ever in a position again to get another guitar, it will be something with a different voice than Taylor offers.

Nelson · #3 02-06-2007, 07:57 AM

I was a Martin player and a Takamine player. I started out just by playing some Taylors in a few shops and the more I played them the more I liked them. I was hooked on the cedar topped models (514ce and 714ce).

A friend of mine came home with a brand new 310ce and when I played it I just deceided that I had to have one. I ended up buying a 514ce then a year or so later a 414ce limited. The Martin and Takamine have since disappeared.

Wally · #4 02-06-2007, 08:01 AM

I have a brother-n-law that owns 4 Taylors. Once he put one in my hands, the sound and playability sold me. It did however take me a couple of years beyond that when I walked into a local shop and next to the new Taylors was one that looked new however it was marked at several hundred off the new prices. when asked what was wrong with it, the reply was, "Nothing - a customer bought it 4 weeks ago, took it home, then decided he couldn't afford it." Well, it ('96 410CE) came home with me. Now, two additional Taylors (LKSM 12 and Baby) later I'm still hooked.

MJH · #5 02-06-2007, 08:11 AM

I was finally ready to buy a good acoustic dread. Went to a nice St. Louis acoustic guitar store to play some Martins. I had figured a D28 or an HD 28.

I played what they had and wasn't real excited. The guy that was helping me handed me a Taylor and I was blown away. He told me it was a special edition that Taylor had made for their best dealers. He said it was Brazilian with an Engelmann top. At that time, I didn't know much about guitars, but knew Brazilian was something special. And indeed this guitar was something special! Played a couple of other Taylors to see about them, but kept going back to the 710.

I had seen John Denver play Taylors on the Wildlife Concert, so I assumed they were quality guitars. Needless to say, I bought that guitar and still have it and love it. By the way, that was January of '98.

Charlies3 · #6 02-06-2007, 08:35 AM

Koa! Koa! Koa!

FlashBazbo · #7 02-06-2007, 08:49 AM

Playability got me in the door.

The incredible sound hooked me and kept me.

One without the other, and I wouldn't even be playing acoustic guitar.

Herb Hunter · #8 02-06-2007, 08:58 AM

I didn't like steel string acoustic guitars. The ones I had tried, though of famous heritage, were hard to play. Apart from hurting my fingers, I had to work to get any tone out of them. Yet around 1990, I began to desire one if only because certain songs, the way I played them on my nylon string guitars, sounded the way a nun might sound at a summer camp.

Around that time, I stopped into a music shop on a whim, as I often did, just to look around. It was a smaller shop, previously unknown to me. The lone salesman invited me to try the guitars and to summon him if I had any questions. A couple of attractive acoustic guitars caught my eye. They were Santa Ana guitars and cost around $3,800 in today's dollars. I played them and was surprised by three things: the Santa Anas were easier to play than any steel string acoustic guitar I had ever played, it wasn't necessary to thrash the strings to achieve a good tone and the salesman was congenial, helpful yet left me free to discover on my own.

Two years went by and I decided to buy a steel string acoustic guitar so I went to that little music shop. The same salesman was there and I told him I wanted to buy a Santa Ana guitar. His reply was that he didn't carry that brand any more. He went on to explain that he had bought the shop from the previous owner who kept the Santa Ana authorization. He did have two used Santa Anna guitars if I was interested in those. They looked brand new and were more affordable. As I tried them, he suggested that I might like to also try the guitars to the left of the Santa Annas called Taylors. The salesman again left me to myself after making it clear that he would be happy to help in any way should I need him. I was unfamiliar with Taylor guitars having never seen or read about them before. I tried a 410, a 510 and a 612, all he had at that time. I found them even easier to play than the Santa Anas and preferred their tone. I bought the spruce top 510.

System6ix · #9 02-06-2007, 09:05 AM

For me there were several things. I knew I was very interested in the brand and finally found an idependent shop that had a pretty impressive inventory. I tried many Taylors that day as well as some other brands. For me the Taylors "just felt right", none more than the 512CE. It was just incredibly comfortable play/hold and I loved the short-scale. The sound was just what I was looking for, absolutely beautiful. The quality and finish of the Taylors also impressed me... a lot! I recently purchased a Gibson from the Custom Shop and the case looks like something I could buy online for under $80, not at all what I would expect when spending close to $3k on a guitar. The Taylor cases are also a step above some of the other cases I've seen and that further hooked me on Taylor.

I am very new to guitars, but to my ears I really, really like the sound of Taylors and don't think I'll want to be purchasing another brand anytime soon.

Cheers,
S6ix

Antz_Marchin · #10 02-06-2007, 09:10 AM

When I started my undergrad I was after a Martin for a couple of weeks as my first good acoustic to replace my Moms 25 year old Dana that I learned on and to compliment my strat. Every Martin in my pricerange up to a D16RGT was ok and I had settled on a Martin DR. Before I put the cash on the counter for it I went a little bit out of my way to check out the only shop in my area that stocked a few Taylors at the time because my favourite artist is Dave Matthews and I figured that I should at least try one if he likes them.

I can still remember plucking the low E string of the 314 hanging on the wall..........

My first Taylor encounter. I called the other store to have them take the Martin DR off hold for me. Then I took the 314 off the wall and played it. Bought a 314 that week.

TaylorKoaFan · #11 02-06-2007, 09:23 AM

I really started playing in college. At the time, I knew nothing about Taylor's except that they were "expensive". I had a friend in the dorm that I was in that owned a very nice Taylor. At the time, I didn't bother looking for what model it was... I just knew it was a Taylor. Looking back, I think it was a custom 814ce.
This friends playing abilities was obviously way above mine since I was just a beginner but he was very gracious to let me take for a few hours to my dorm room and play it. He went above and beyond what many would do (maybe including myself) in letting me play his guitar. From that point on, I was hooked on Taylors.

woodruff · #12 02-06-2007, 09:24 AM

the neck and responsiveness. took me 10 yrs to finally pull the trigger. real happy i did.

Herb Hunter · #13 02-06-2007, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaylorKoaFan

...This friends playing abilities was obviously way above mine since I was just a beginner but he was very gracious to let me take for a few hours to my dorm room and play it. He went above and beyond what many would do (maybe including myself) in letting me play his guitar. From that point on, I was hooked on Taylors.

I'm no good. I have to accept it. There is no way I'd let anyone take my 814 to their dorm room.

Big Eric · #14 02-06-2007, 10:29 AM

I've probably written about this too many times. And the story may have changed a bit since then. Blame it on middle age memory

Was hanging around a friend's guitar shop a lot. Was driving 50 miles each way to see him and do a lot of guitar buying/trading. Because of a previous association this person had with Taylor guitars, he was able to talk them into giving him a dealership. One of the first guitars he got in was the brand new 420 (rosewood/sitka pinless bridge).

Had played a few Taylors in the past (when this guy was at an earlier shop that carried them). Was familiar with the brand, but until that point, had been mostly playing bass and electric guitar. (Also was more a Martin and Gibson "snob")

Had recently purchased a new Martin ('92 D-16H) and could not really afford another acoustic. Still I wanted it. And, c'mon, at the time, it was way, way cheaper than any rosewood guitar Martin could make. So, I ended up with 2 acoustics.

That's also about the time I started concentrating more on acoustic guitar.

Unfortunately, was talked out of the Taylor way too quickly by another dealer. But that's another story.

dreamwarrior · #15 02-06-2007, 11:36 AM

I started jamming with a friend from work who has a great 614ce. I was blown away, I thought it was the best sounding guitar I'd ever heard. When I found out how much one cost, however, I couldn't afford it. So I was still planning to get a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Cutaway that I'd wanted for years. Then one day I went into a shop and played a 414ce. I couldn't believe how beautiful and unique it sounded, I liked the sound better than my friends 614ce. It was another year or so after that that I finally was in the finacial position for a new guitar, so I found a 414ce and snatched it up. Best guitar I've ever owned. And I'm also extremely happy with the used 355 I picked up at Christmas, also the best guitar I've ever owned. Can there be two "best" guitars? I wouldn't want to choose between the two.