Taylor Solidbody Classic--good gosh!

[Sombras]

This is a story of one guy's struggle against a bad bout of GAS.

Stumbled into a second-hand store near home a few days ago and found that a local musician and former music store owner had recently unloaded a wad of high-end instruments for quick cash. One of them was a pristine, black Taylor solidbody classic. Knowing what they sell for new, I was blown away by the reasonable price. (This place is not exactly teeming with reasonably priced guitars.)

I'm not in the market for an electric, but since I'd never played a Taylor electric I thought I'd sit down with it for a while. Oh my. The thing blew me away. Granted, I did plug into a good tube amp, but darn it that guitar did everything right, and made me sound better than I really am. It played beautifully, felt good, and just seemed to be al all-around high-quality instrument. I went back the next day because I couldn't get it out of my head and played it again. SHOOT--within 15 minutes I had bonded with the darn thing and felt like I'd been playing it for years.

I worked it out that I could trade in my Epi Masterbilt and Washburn HB-35 and pick up the Taylor for a couple of bills, but then I'd have the Taylor and my Strat for my electrics. In the end, I couldn't justify the trade/purchase and had to force myself to walk away. To make myself feel better I went home and played my Washburn and it acquitted itself quite well, making me remember why I liked it so much in the first place.

Just posting this to give hope to those who find a great guitar and can't find a solid reason for sacrificing other guitars to own it. I'm proof you can indeed walk away. (But I can't promise I won't walk right back in tomorrow!)

[Dru Edwards]

I must admit I've never played a Taylor solidbody - and I've got 2 Gibson Les Pauls and 2 American Fender Strats ... among others. Great amps can make a great guitar sound amazing.

Nothing wrong with owning a couple of electrics, although, if funds are an issue you did the right choice. Any chance you might want to sell/trade the Strat and go with the Solidbody? You should bring in you Strat to the store and A/B them with the same amp.

[Sombras]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

I must admit I've never played a Taylor solidbody - and I've got 2 Gibson Les Pauls and 2 American Fender Strats ... among others. Great amps can make a great guitar sound amazing.

Nothing wrong with owning a couple of electrics, although, if funds are an issue you did the right choice. Any chance you might want to sell/trade the Strat and go with the Solidbody? You should bring in you Strat to the store and A/B them with the same amp.

It galls me to admit that I've been considering this. Ugh.

[Sword Bringer]

I got a fabulous deal on a Taylor single cut away 2007 guitar. It is a finely crafted piece and worth every cent I paid for it. The pickups are astonishing.

I don't think it's worth every penny I would have paid for it, if the shop weren't trying to unload old new stock. They are marvelous guitars. Now, if Taylor can only see that they earned, through reputation, the outlandish prices on their acoustics. Why do they think they can get away with highway robbery on a relatively unproven product? I've never seen a Taylor electric being played by anyone, anywhere. Unless they lower their prices to gain some exposure, I won't.

SB