Taylor's new Dreadnought

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

I personally think Taylor should leave the dread to everyone else. There's already a huge number of Martin / Martin copiers doing the dread. It just makes me yawn.

Taylor has been making dreadnoughts longer than a lot of those folks not named Martin. What makes Taylor different is that they’ve made real strides in how they make them, rather than simply trying to imitate Martin. If anything, Taylor has pushed Martin to make better guitars over the last several decades.

I’ve got one of each — a Taylor dreadnought and a Martin D-18. Both do different things well and I love playing both guitars. The Taylor holds its own just fine.

[bluetweed]

I am not a Taylor guy by any means. My 1990 412 sounded better than most new Taylors but the small neck killed me and so I handed it down to my youngest Daughter years ago.
The 517/717 looks amazing and sounds as such in all the Sweetwater videos.
My interest is peaked! I find a lot of the poor demo's come from poor playing and technique. A good player will adjust and can pull the tones he needs on most instruments. MY Custom CEO-7 sounds amazing to all that hear it and most that play it but it calls out for a different touch than other Martins, almost like when you play A Tele which will immediately let you know if you got it right.
I get a strong sense of this with the new Taylors, that in the right hands they could be awesome.

[Paddy1951]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

I personally think Taylor should leave the dread to everyone else. There's already a huge number of Martin / Martin copiers doing the dread. It just makes me yawn.

If memory serves (and I may not be entirely accurate) Bob Taylor actually helped Chris Martin with advice as to how to move Martin's guitar making into the present, CNC, etc.
Though they are competitors, I believe there is a respect for each other.

Martin hasn't always embraced technologies that could better their lot. The truss rod is a good example. For most of us, a guitar minus a truss would be a non-starter today, IMO.

Taylor is an innovater. They have taken guitars in new directions. You may not like their approaches, but they keep trying to take their guitars forward.

Martin, for the most part, has relied on 100+ years of experience, adding features when competition requires them to.
Sound? It is subjective. We all know that. It has been hashed over again and again. That is because Martin's sound... well, is Martin's sound. Taylor has its own sound, too.
But now, Taylor has a new sound or certainly an additional sound. I think that is a good approach.

Taylor should keep making dreads. Maybe a new sound is a good go along with that.

Most Martin lovers are baby boomers. We aren't going to be here much longer. Maybe Taylor has realized that and is more concerned for the future.

I have Martin dreads. I like Martin dreads. But will enough people in future generations like them?

Martin is kind of like Harley-Davidson. They have been doing it a long time and have a definite customer base. Harley's customer base is dying off. The younger generations are not that keen on the traditonal Harley. Harley is in trouble.

I think Taylor has thought about their future user base. They should build dreads. Martin, IMO, needs to come up with a from scratch, in the 21st century, new guitar that looks at the future.

[BT55]

Originally Posted by Paddy1951

If memory serves (and I may not be entirely accurate) Bob Taylor actually helped Chris Martin with advice as to how to move Martin's guitar making into the present, CNC, etc.
Though they are competitors, I believe there is a respect for each other.

Martin hasn't always embraced technologies that could better their lot. The truss rod is a good example. For most of us, a guitar minus a truss would be a non-starter today, IMO.

Taylor is an innovater. They have taken guitars in new directions. You may not like their approaches, but they keep trying to take their guitars forward.

Martin, for the most part, has relied on 100+ years of experience, adding features when competition requires them to.
Sound? It is subjective. We all know that. It has been hashed over again and again. That is because Martin's sound... well, is Martin's sound. Taylor has its own sound, too.
But now, Taylor has a new sound or certainly an additional sound. I think that is a good approach.

Taylor should keep making dreads. Maybe a new sound is a good go along with that.

Most Martin lovers are baby boomers. We aren't going to be here much longer. Maybe Taylor has realized that and is more concerned for the future.

I have Martin dreads. I like Martin dreads. But will enough people in future generations like them?

Martin is kind of like Harley-Davidson. They have been doing it a long time and have a definite customer base. Harley's customer base is dying off. The younger generations are not that keen on the traditonal Harley. Harley is in trouble.

I think Taylor has thought about their future user base. They should build dreads. Martin, IMO, needs to come up with a from scratch, in the 21st century, new guitar that looks at the future.

WOW - what a thoughtful response! [emoji16]

[Rumblefish]

@Paddy1951 You are correct. Bob Taylor spent time at the Martin Factory sharing his guitar building experience. Bob has built respectful relationships with many people throughout the industry. You couldn't ask for a better guy to head up a major guitar brand.

Anyone interested in a deep dive into the Grand Pacifica design should listen to the Taylor interview Andy Powers. It's on their most recent podcast.