I'm 65...and as you see by my signature...I like them both for different reasons. (And Gibsons). Not to derail this discussion, but my understanding was that sometime in the 80's or 90's Bob and Kurt made the super smart decision to market heavily to the worship community, which really jump started the Taylor business.

Why would anyone's preference in guitars be age-related?

why be confused? it is all subjective and has nothing to do with age. i know people, young and not so young, who have a wide variety of guitars, and, like me, have no brand loyalty. a good guitar is a good guitar.

play music!

I like them both, if I had to choose just one it would be a Taylor.....or maybe the Martin, nope its the Taylor....though the Martin is a real nice guitar,

see what you done

Well, that's obvious. You're right in the middle.

I used to own a Taylor but when I recently turned 64, it was confiscated and I was handed a Martin instead. When I began to protest, I was told rulz is rulz...

Age does come into play in the Martin/Taylor debate.
Playing style and music choice also factors in.

People that play traditional Folk and Bluegrass tend to gravitate to Martin because of it's rich history connected to this music.
People that prefer Taylor guitars generally are not affected by this cult pressure.

I once overheard a discussion between two guitar players.
One liked the consistency of Taylor.
The other liked the idea of picking the Martin that sang to them.

I find most Taylor guitars seem to be setup better from the factory than most Martin's. That is going to be a great appeal to new players, everyone really.

I will say I see this less and less, seems Martin has upped their game a bit.

I like both, but I tend closer to the Martin side of things.

age 52

I guess it makes sense that younger prefer Taylor. Your standard Martin is a classic dread, whereas your standard Taylor is their signature Grand Auditorium shape, which arguably looks/feels a lot more elegant and modern. Taylor is well ahead of innovation curve with stuff like TaylorSense which may not mean a lot to an old timer, but for a millennial like me who grew up in the age of tech gadgets - that's awesome.

Most of the Road Shows have people in attendance that are 45 and older regardless of brand.

Every Store i go into that stocks Taylor's, every guitar has cutaways and electronics, a deal killer for me. I have two small body Martin's that are perfect for my style of playing (fingerstyle). My tastes might change down the road but i doubt it. YMMV.

Tom

Well, I'm 66 and have been playing for over 50 years. I've never owned a Martin or a Taylor, and I'll probably never buy a new guitar.

Hope that helps...

I like Martins, but I own Taylors. Why? Easy! Taylor has fewer letters and syllables and is easier to say.


Wait...


Well, it must be that all the good players prefer Taylors. No, that's not right, either.

Maybe it's because after a lot of fine tuning my ears, hands, eyes, and pocketbook, I found that I really like playing my particular Taylors. Yeah, I know: weird!

cotten

I'm 58, with seven Taylor's (four for sale but not actively listed - yet). I started off imprinted on Martin's and at one time had four, but they are all gone now.

In some ways, I slightly prefer the Martin tone, but their standard necks kill my left hand. Taylor necks feel wonderful, and their crisper "modern" tone has grown on me.

I think the Taylor bling is attractive to newer players. Taylor does make some beautiful guitars, with pretty bling, for reasonable prices.

I’m guilty, bought four Taylor’s, in part because of their beauty and bling. Now I have no Taylor’s and a D18.

No judgement here, just my experience and opinion.

Perhaps you're looking for a generalization where there is none.