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Old 08-29-2019, 09:00 PM
boneuphtoner boneuphtoner is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Maryland
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Originally Posted by Tnfiddler View Post
I owned nothing but Taylors for a long time. Dreads, GA and GS models. Multiples of all 3 body styles with different top/back and sides combos. I played multiple GP models at NAMM and while I liked them a lot and they don't sound like any other Taylor model I've played, NO Taylor I've ever played is in the same league as my D-41. This guitar blows my mind every time I play it. If you're happy with your GP models, don't worry about trying different brands. I went down that road and the only Taylor I have left is my GS Mini Koa. Keep those GPs and play the strings off of them.
My recent Nashville trip certainly expanded my horizons from Taylor. As a newer player in looking at what I could afford a couple years ago, Taylor seemed to have the most affordable options for an all-solid wood instrument built in the USA. They had just started the ebony project and hearing about improving sustainability sealed the deal that this is the company I wanted to deal with. I bought/sold several Taylors and each time got something closer and closer to my ideal. During my trip to Gruhns while perusing other Taylors (including an excellent 514ce v-class) one of the guys told me that Martins advertised price and Taylors afford very different street prices, with larger discounts available with Martin. At that point I spent some time with a DSS-17, and I loved it with light fingerstyle. It did achieve a hotter sound with a pick, but that isn’t what I typically play. I also played a D18 and D35 and loved both of them also. But the DSS-17 stuck in my mind and I went back and sidelined it with the stock 317e they had there. It was close but I preferred the DSS-17 - it was louder but still maintained a rich fingerstyle (flesh only) tone. Most of the rest of my vacation it haunted me. I decided to order one for trial, and it arrived on Monday. For what I play, it quickly proved itself to be the best guitar in the house. And I decided to keep the 317e and ditch my 2 month old 714ce cedar - the Martin did everything the 714ce did only better and louder whereas my 317e is still my favorite for a super dark tone. And there is a demoed HD28 2018 I’ve got my eye on near me- all a result of getting more educated about Martins in Nashville. I still love Taylor guitars though and my 317e. Beauty is obviously subjective but I still think Taylors guitars are the most aesthetically pleasing out there in spite of my new found love of Martins resonance.
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Larrivees: SD-40R Moonwood, SD-40 All-Hog, SD-40, D-03
Eastmans: E2OM, PCH1-OM
Yamahas: F310, FS820 (kid’s guitar)
PRS SE P20E Parlor
Martin Backpacker
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