What's the draw of Taylor guitars?

[Hank T. Tone]

I think Taylor guitars sound great. Don't understand all the fuss.

[JAMESHSIEH]

Everyone's listening experience is different and their focus is different, so the choices are also different, just choose what you like.

I have owned 4 Taylor guitars and I think the best thing about Taylor's is they are great quality, easy to play and the customer service is great.

[mrjop1975]

I personally don't have that tinny sound associated with the 2 Taylor guitars I have. Honestly, my 110's have a full, balanced, non-muddy sound, and IMO seems less bulky in the design Taylor uses for their standard dreadnoughts. One person's ugly is another person's beauty, so I guess that is why there are a lot of different manufacturers and styles of guitars out there. Just my own take away from this.

[Leocino_2804]

Well....I have a BTO Taylor...and 15 years down the line...I think it was not worth it. It was ordered to my liking, but anyone can order the exact same guitar with the same design and specs.

If you are new to guitars and don't really know what to look for when choosing or ordering one or what to get, then a Taylor is a maybe because there is the NT neck, which makes neck reset and action adjustment easier. Most likely, you will get a decent guitar, and that's about it.

But at the higher end, I would not get a factory made guitar (even though it was custom ordered) with a brand name but rather get a handmade by a renowned luthier. Because the price difference is much smaller. My high end guitars don't need any neck reset, eventhough some have been around for 20 odd years, so that Taylor NT neck doesn't make a difference.

I find visiting the shop and talking directly with luthiers much much more enjoyable and efficient in terms of getting the guitar I want. I went to Germany, Japan, Vietnam, France...for each of the later guitars in my life. I understand it's impractical for many to do the same when looking to get a new guitar.

The luthier made guitars that I have are much better and unique in sound, the wood sets used are much more unique, one of a kind, and exotic and those guitars I would keep and not sell.

At the lower end, if need something generic and would do the job, then a Taylor is a maybe

[maxed]

Originally Posted by cip

Hi there, beginner guitar player here.

... And I'm talking high end ($2000+) Taylors.

Why does everybody recommend Taylors?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but $2,000 is on the low-end of their coveted models.
Their 500 series starts at over $3,000 now and goes up from there.
I have an older 514ce that was over $2,000 purchased brand new over fifteen years ago.

Try playing the 800 to 900 series and see what you think.

[Bob Womack]

As far as the weight and neck is concerned, Taylor created a very innovative neck system called the NT (New Technology) neck. The entire neck from the headstock down to the soundhole end of the fingerboard is one assembly. As a result, neck resets are a breeze. You just removed the bolts, pull off the neck, and change two shims, to alter the neck angle. When it debuted, Taylor posted a real-time video of a technician doing a reset in five minutes. It ends the business of expensive neck resets every fifteen to twenty years.

However, due to added steel in below the fingerboard in the heel area it is heavier than most. I've got an Koa series Taylor from 1999, before the NT neck, that is one of the lightest instruments I've ever played. I have a 300 series koa Taylor from 2001 with the NT neck that is quite a bit heavier.

That light 1999 koa K14c with cedar over koa is "sparkly." It has a very well-defined upper end but the cedar top moderates the potential sharpness of the upper-mids. It is extremely responsive and resonant. The heavier 314kce koa is made of denser koa and has a sitka spruce top. Over twenty years it has mellowed but is still an ensemble instrument where the K14c is a very intimate instrument.

They are voiced differently from my Martin OM28 and HD28 but the OM28 and the K14c aren't nearly as far apart as you might expect. HD28 is a big, bold, bassy and bright instrument, brighter than my Taylors but more bassy as well.

Bob

[John Strong]

I haven't played a lot of Taylors, but I own a rosewood dreadnought and I love the tone. Not that I don't love the tone of a Martin D-28 too, but I'm happy with it.

[Guilty Spark]

The Taylor tone might not suit you, but the bottom line is simple:
They make good guitars.

[FLRon]

I like the Taylor neck. I also think they do some of the best burst on a guitar of any major manufacturer. That said, after owning two of them of different wood combinations I found that I don’t care for their sound unplugged.

[Arapaho G]

I can only speak for my 322. I like the sound of it. To me it's not overly bright, or tinny, jangly, or any other adjectives I've seen on this forum describing Taylor sound. Since it's a 000 sized short scale 12 fret, it's by far the most comfortable guitar I own. I can play it for hours without shoulder stiffness. It's well made and **** nice looking too! Quite happy with it. I've played 000-18s and 000-28s and I'll take the 322 12 fret. Now I'm really GASing for smaller guitars with CEO7 and Iris OG on the short list.

[boneuphtoner]

When I started playing guitar in middle age, there were a number of things that attracted me to them. First off, although this isn't important in the grand scheme of things, I found them visually attractive. I loved the unique head stock look, the unique bridge shape, etc. The concept of readily available shims to adjust the neck angle as necessary without having to ever worry about an expensive neck reset was great peace of mind. The necks felt great, but that doesn't mean as much to me as I've never come across a neck that didn't feel fine. They had an easy-to-understand model lineup (that has been scrambled as of late). I like having nice cases, and here is a firm that actually makes their own stuff as opposed to having to fit your instruments to something bought elsewhere. As a result of all of this, I was a huge fan of Taylors when I first started.

I have since determined that I sound best on large bodied 12-fret instruments - Taylor doesn't have anything like that in their lineup. I'm also not a fan of cutaways or electronics, and nearly everything in their lineup come with both. Yes, I know you can order them without it, but that isn't possible for limited editions.

[redir]

I used to work in a shop that sold Taylor and I never played one that I truly liked. I mean they are not bad, just not fantastic. A friend of mine has an 800 series guitar that does sound quite fantastic though. I found them to be mid range with a slight bit on the high side. I'm surprised no one mentioned V-Bracing but to me after that they are even more mid range. Having said that though mid range is perfect for the stage setting so they make a very fine guitar for playing in a band IMHO.

Taylor is obviously a very successful company and for a reason. Many people like their sound. They would not be successful otherwise. But like anything some people like a Cab Sav while others prefer a Merlot.

[fpuhan]

Ignoring the strong possibility that this is a troll post, I'll only add to the previous comments that among my guitar collection, four of my acoustics are Taylors, four are Martins, and eight are other brands (Furch, Gretsch, Washburn, etc.). I tend to like Taylors for many of the reasons already listed, but paramount to my decision to acquire any guitar is, "How do I feel when playing it?"

In general, I find Taylors comfortable to play, look great, and appeal to my ears. I care not a whit what others think, and especially not what it says on the headstock.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by cip

Hi there, beginner guitar player here.

I've played Taylor's at guitar center and everybody recommends them to me but I don't understand what their selling point is.

Whenever I play the high end Taylors the first thing I notice is how heavy and dense they are. I always have been told the lighter the guitar, the lighter the bracing, the more resonant. But Taylors are always very heavy and dense.

Sonically, they sound very tinny and bright. It's almost like what it would sound like if playing an electric guitar that became acoustic. And I'm talking high end ($2000+) Taylors.

Why does everybody recommend Taylors?

Well, I skipped the responses so far and just want to make a couple comments. First, your point about the lighter the guitar, the more resonant? i think that is false. My 2002 Guild JF30-12 is massively heavy, and its acoustic sound will blow you out of the room. You mention "lighter bracing"? The back on the JF30-12 (along with the F412 and F50) is entirely without bracing. While "laminate" is usually a drawback insofar as tonewoods, Guild's braceless laminate archbacks are a feature, and a highly successful one at that.

I've never had a Taylor. Reportedly, the action is typically good, but a good setup will give you that, regardless of what guitar you have. I think your take on the Taylor tone is the general consensus. I believe most Taylors have a bolt-on neck, which is a drawback AFAIK. Sure, it makes for a much easier and less expensive neck reset, when and if needed, but when and if is always a question.

I don't recommend Taylors. I recommend Guilds.

[Talk2Me]

Originally Posted by cip

Is this what makes them heavy and dense? I do notice the density and weight seems to come from the neck area.

Is it a special neck attachment system they're using that makes them easily adjusted as opposed to needing to be reset?

"Heavy and dense" depends on the woods used and the added electronics that are usually in place.

As to the neck, here's more than you likely want to know:

https://blog.taylorguitars.com/anato...he-taylor-neck