My musings on Martin vs Taylor (part 1 - entry level)

[Taylorfanguy]

A few precursors : this is long-winded; this is purely my opinion, and through lots of money spent and time with several guitars this is my conclusion for now. It doesn't mean I'm right, doesn't mean I'm wrong, but I'd like to help anybody wondering about these two brands at various price points. There are plenty of guitars out there that are not Taylor or Martin that are absolutely fantastic. Since these are the two that I've spent the most time with and a blinding majority of people compare these two brands head to head, I figured I'd give my three cents.

I don't usually do YouTube videos anymore (although this would be a good one if I still had all my models I've been through for sound tests). I've been playing for 18 years and besides an embarrassing amount of electric guitars I've owned the following acoustic guitars :

• Austin AU341 (very first guitar)
• Yamaha FG412-S
• Alvarez 5054 12-String
• Fender Sonoran
• Fender RD8
• Yamaha FX335
• Taylor Big Baby (on my first album)
• Gretsch Sierra Jumbo
• Yamaha FG402-S
• Art & Lutherie Wild Cherry Cedar
• Yamaha FG345II
• Yamaha FG340
• Epiphone DR-100
• Yamaha FGX720SCA (this guitar goes to my grave, such a part of my life)
• Yamaha FSX700SC
• Yamaha FG 75
• Yamaha APX500II
• Jasmine S34C (I loved this little thing)
• Jasmine S80
• Martin 000X1AE
• Martin DX1AE
• Taylor 110E LTD
• Epiphone Masterbilt DR500MCE (two different times)
• Takamine EG341SC
• Martin DCX1E
• Taylor 210E
• Alvarez RD80
• Samick Greg Bennet Model OM4CE Eden Prairie
• Taylor 710CE
• Martin HD28-V
• Gibson J-15
• Taylor 214CE Deluxe
• Martin HD-28
• Martin D-35
• Taylor 310CE
• Martin GCPCA4R

This post is my experience of my first real shot at Taylor and Martin when I broke into their entry level platforms about 5 years ago. The last of these was sold last summer when I decided to upgrade big time and buy the heavyweight Martins.

I do a lot of gear shuffling and spend a lot of time in guitar stores and on eBay auctions. The only reason I can remember all of those guitars is from keeping a photographic/numerical memory over the years, doing a google search on what model #s they were and having created milestones with most of the guitars in my life. I always create a milestone before I get rid of one (a song, an album, a show, a party). I've always enjoyed having 2-3 of them on hand at any time (campfire guitar, gigging guitar, recording) so there's variances in quality along the way.


---------Onto the Taylor vs. Martin under $800 topic--------

Having firstly owned a few of the X series Martins and some of the entry level Taylors, I can compare them directly - as well as some of the higher (though not highest) end models.

For awhile I had both the 000 and the D models of the X series guitars. Solid sitka, HPL back and sides with the stratabond neck and Richlite fingerboard/bridge. To be honest I had no idea what any of that meant, I just liked the sound of the guitars. I initially bought the 000 first, then the DX because I wanted a bigger sound. The fit and finish is very minimalist - which I didn't mind but I do like gloss and shine - but I was willing to live with it. The neck is smooth and even though they lack even basic features like fret dots, the sound made up for it...mostly. I was overtaken by the gorgeous bass and low frequencies that I was willing to give up pretty much everything else to have a loud, commanding guitar. One thing I did notice was how the sound projected and then suddenly would fall straight off. There were no ringing overtones or lingering musicality after the sound took off, unlike even my two Yamahas at the time. Even worse yet, it felt like the guitars were missing something...organic, like a soul. . They felt artificial, fake, strange to me. It was then that I did some research and realized what HPL, Richlite, and Stratabond were. It bothered me so much that I saved up and bought a Taylor 110-E to have an equal "higher end" (at the time to me) guitar to compensate that with. I sold the 000 to help fund that as the DX to me was the better sounding of the two (and still to this day was one of the best examples I'd heard).

The Taylor was far, far above the DX in fit and finish and I loved the hand-rubbed limited sunburst finish (though the natural is good too). I got some of that classic Taylor chime and some more colorful/layered tones but it sat firmly in the upper mid-to-high registers not really lending any bass. The DX almost sounded muddy in comparison but after a good 10 seconds of playing it always settled in nicely and began wrapping my ears in warmth. Still, it did not have the lasting sustain that most any other guitar did and that bothered me.

Plugged in, the DX excelled as well. The single tone knob and volume knob didn't do much for fiddling, but it kicked the Taylor anyway. (The Taylor's expression system has never done it for me, probably never will. To me the downgrade from the Fishman systems was a major one, and to this day will not buy a Taylor without one.) It seemed everywhere I plugged the Taylor it sounded like a pizza box.

Long story short I did end up selling both. The wildcard in this is that I did end up buying a Martin DCX1E later on, which ended up being my favorite X series Martin but still suffered from the same issues I had with the other X series guitars. It was a USA model though, and seemed to be built marginally better, but the materials were essentially the same.

Since I paid $599 for the Taylor 110E new and I paid $499 for the Martin X series guitars new I think they are pretty comparable. I realize the prices have risen in that time and that Martin now has a DRS-2 Road Series guitar made of Sapele which may change the game a bit but still has Richlite and Stratabond.

• Fit, finish, and feel, the Taylor wins handsomely. It felt like a real guitar to me, and although it's probably given the same amount of attention and care that the X series is during production, I feel like you can get a more unique experience if you pull five off the wall versus pulling five X series Martin guitars from the wall. The guitar felt smoother, more refined, and best of all, organic.
  
• For playability, Taylor wins again, though it's more of a fair fight. The 1-11/16" nut makes a nice width and allows my fingers to fit just a tad better. I never struggled on the X series but it did feel like more effort had to be given above the 6th fret or so.
  
• For durability, and this could be subjective, Taylor wins simply because I had some major humidity issues with both of my DX's. Although these X series are built for durability and don't scratch (hell you could probably take a table saw to the back and not mess it up) the way the wood reacts with the plastic (excuse the blatant term) is not a natural bond. Although they were cased often, if I left them out more than 3 days in the winter time, the guitars would become buzzing hives of bees. The DCX1E got so bad that the strings were laying flat on the board and it was completely unplayable. Three set-ups were done during one especially busy winter. I had the Taylor under the same conditions frequently and it never buzzed a note. FWIW, I don't remember it happening to the 000 model.
  
• For sound, Martin wins handsomely. Despite its "subway train off a cliff" sound characteristic, it still gave me an eargasm every time I strummed a chord. It was this way on all three X series guitars.
  
• For electronics, Martin wins again. Taylor's expression system still has not won me over, and the cardboard box sound the 110 and 210 both gave me were not impressive in the least. The Martin may have one less knob (a tone shift rather than a bass and treble) that could even be considered useless, but I never had an issue with it sounding bad live or recorded. The DCX1E was especially killer as it had the Fishman Presys+ and is one of the best onboard preamps I've ever used. The battery location was far superior in the Taylor though (bottom near endpin versus a velcro bag in the guitar.)
  
• For price, Martin wins simply because it's cheaper, though that's not saying a lot.
  
• But the flip side, what really matters, for value, Taylor wins hands down. You get a (in my opinion) better crafted instrument, with real wood and appointments, no synthetics really, and little details like binding and actual fret dots. The sound isn't that bad, in fact it's very good, though not quite as impressive as the Martins.

At the end of the day through my journey I realized, for me, the guitar experience is a melange of everything, not just tone. I couldn't live with having a guitar that felt poorly but sounded wonderful. It has to all be there for me, or compromise somehow to meet a middle ground. The Taylor compromises a little in sound but makes up for it with the rest of the experience.


Especially with the Walnut wood now, if you are considering making a move between these two guitars in this price range, I give the green light to the Taylor.

Thanks for reading. I'll follow up with a medium range and higher end range comparison post when I have time.

[gerardo1000]

What an interesting and detailed review! I also had many guitars in the past 50 (sigh) years, several of them were Martins and some were Taylors. I can only speak from a very personal stand point. Every time that I play a Taylor of a friend, or in the store, I am enchanted. Because of that, it happened that I bought quite a few Taylors in my life. The problem is... that for reasons that I still do not understand, I get tired of their sound pretty soon. I never had a Taylor that lasted with me more than a few months. The "Martin" sound, instead, does not make me tired or bored even after months and years. In fact, generally speaking, when I sold a Martin, it was quite always in order to get another Martin.
In terms of finish and set-up, especially on the low priced range, there is no doubt that Taylor beats Martin hands off. I never, and I say never, had a Taylor that required some substantial adjustment or set-up. And they are impeccably built up to the latest detail.
Talking about price, I think (but it is,again, a very personal opinion) that Taylors are a bit overpriced. To get a 3 series you can easily spend more than $2000. For this price, I have always be tempted to go Martin.

[RP]

I too was a long-time Taylor fan guy with a prior large stable of Taylors bought and sold. Over the past year the Taylors made way for a couple of Martins and Huss & Daltons. Nothing wrong with the Taylors but I felt that I was missing out on something. Turns out I wasn't. Clearly it's a very subjective thing, but a recent trip to Guitar Center reminded me that I am and always will be a Taylor fanguy as well. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great non-Taylor guitars out there, but the Taylors just have that oh-so-right feel and tone for me....

[guitarxan]

I have two entry level Taylors a 114ce and a 150e 12 string. To me they sound much more natural and play easier than my friends Martin DCME and his other X series guitar, model I can’t remember. However, my Martin OMC35 and my DC-Aura sound and play way better than my playing partner’s 814ce. I have also played other 8 and 9 series guitars and have come away unimpressed. At the high end the Martin’s for me sound and play better. The only high end Taylor I ever really have liked is the K series. As always YMMV.

[BT55]

You are comparing apples and oranges. Taylor and Martin guitars generally have different tonality. Martins offer more bass response than most Taylor’s with the exception of all hog Taylor’s. I prefer the Taylor sound but also own a Martin.

[ssjk]

Nothing wrong with comparing apples and oranges if the subject is “what kind of fruit might you like?”

I thought, given the OPs assumption that many folks start the ’good guitar’ search with these two known brands that this was exactly what someone in that position might want to know.

Interesting comparison. Looking forward to the expensive versions.

[rokdog49]

I don't own a Taylor anymore but I still think the Taylor 114e is the best guitar at that price point you can buy. JMO.

[zmf]

Well considered write up. I think you covered the bases.

Your comparison also suggests that, if a 100 of us started out with that choice, probably half would go a Taylor, the other half Martin. Would depend on how much weight we put on each feature.

[Condition1]

Except for my wife, I think diversity is the spice of life.

I collect 1911's, a few over $3K, which as any collection you know the prices can go crazy as you get into more custom built items. I do feel that on that price point I am getting excellent quality for my money, after that there is a line of diminishing returns on what value means to me. For some people, vintage, uniqueness, etc...floats their boat and they can easily afford to go into the $10K, $20K, etc... AND THAT IS AWESOME too. Heck if I had the money so would I

Well the point I am trying to make is that I am sure each manufacturer have their own take and provide an unique experience on their products. Experience that I might want to have one day but on another day I might want a different experience, a different sound...etc, hopefully you know where I am going.

I would like to own a few guitars (under the $3K range) from different manufacturers from different tonewoods and configurations.

I am learning so much from this forum, this thread is terrific. I appreciate your experience from Taylor and Martin... I am on the tour for discovering these experiences now

[sloar]

I have a Taylor 110 and a Martin Dx1ae. I like the Taylor better, personally I think the Martin sounds better but I absolutely love how the
Taylor feels and plays. My Taylor is a joy to play.

[Russell G]

Well TFG, I'm amazed at your collection of guitars! I can think of a few good doctors who can help with therapy!!!

Seriously, I quite agree with you on many perspectives of your review.
2 yrs. ago I started looking with the same intention as you did.
Choose between a Taylor and Martin in the under $800 category.
After bouncing back and forth between the two at different music stores I concluded that the Taylor 100 series was the best for the money. sound, feel, etc.

Summing it up - Taylor for me!

[AZLiberty]

I always warn folks that Martins X series are actually MORE sensitive to humidity than plywood or solid wood instruments. When it gets dry wood shrinks. HPL does not.

I've seen more X series Martins with cracked tops than I care to count.

On the other hand, the D12X1AE 12-strings sounds so much better than the tinny Taylor 150e.

[Guildman]

Originally Posted by zmf

Well considered write up. I think you covered the bases.

Your comparison also suggests that, if a 100 of us started out with that choice, probably half would go a Taylor, the other half Martin. Would depend on how much weight we put on each feature.

Good post! I just wish OP got paid for his efforts thru the years but on the other hand not a bad hobby. For most of us that make that occasional trip to purchase a guitar we only have what is in stock to compare. My last trip to GC was in the price range of 1200+/- and came down to a 214e deluxe and martin GPCRSG.....the martin had the edge but could have been happy with the Taylor as well.