The Taylor sound, in general - Page 3

hurling frootmi · #31 01-29-2021, 11:30 AM

I have a 110e that is a great playing guitar. My son has it at college right now.

I passed on buying a 322 some years ago that I still regret not buying. Great playing smaller guitar.

The x17's have a very different sound to my ears that has me hoping to play more of them.

Generally I find Taylor guitars to be less boomy than a Martin. Sometimes that is what is wanted and sometimes you want something like a Martin.

FingahPickah · #32 01-29-2021, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DukeX

Taylor 324 Mahogany/Blackwood: Warm & full bodied yet shimmery. Mid-centered but with strong woody bass and sweet top end.

I completely agree. I bought an X braced 324e (Hog/TB) a year or 2 ago. I chose it over a V-Class - because to my ear the X brace sounded woodier.. I've even had a few Non-Taylor fans compliment the sound.

FingahPickah · #33 01-29-2021, 12:29 PM

[QUOTE=AH Acoustic;6617437]Keep listening - Taylor has produced an entire ocean of sounds to swim in.

Love that line, A.H. -

Taylor offers a palette of sound choices .. IMO a lot more so than Martin for example. My son has Taylor 614ce V Class (Sitka/Maple) and a 414ce LTD V Class (Cedar/Ovangkol) and I have an X Braced 324e (Hog/TB) .... Three distinct voices..

Guitarplayer_PR · #34 01-29-2021, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RP

You can special order one...

Let's see if I got this right. Taylors are Taylors and will sound brighter than guitars from other brands except for the Taylors that sound warmer than Martins. But not every Taylor is brighter (with which I agree). Color me confused...

What I said was that, with softwood tops (spruce, cedar, etc.), Taylor is one of the brightest guitars you'll find in terms of tone; but with hard woods like mahogany or koa tops, Taylor is warmer than other brands using mahogany or koa.

aeisen93 · #35 01-29-2021, 02:12 PM

I have a 2005 814ce and a 2008 110. Both are great. The 814ce is my main acoustic and handles all styles of music very well. I wasn't impressed with the new 814ce that I recently tried. Just didn't sound anything like mine.

golfreggie · #36 01-29-2021, 03:54 PM

I have had a few Taylors, started off with a 315ce which was a sapele/spruce jumbo, and loved it. I had a few others along the way, and ended up with the Taylor I always wanted, an 800 series. In my case I have the 2016 818e and love it. I was asked to play along at church a hymn and a guitar player who is in "the band" picked up my guitar while I was away ( I know, he should have asked permission first) and fell in love with it! In two days he had bought a left over new stock from Reverb for about $300 less than normal and that included shipping. He is one happy camper! He's had lots of guitars but never a Taylor, and I guess my 818e just jumped out at him. My point, none really, except like all products, folks either like them or they don't. I am 71 and probably out of the market to replace the Taylor, or add. But if I did I really think the Grand Orchestra is still my favorite body style. And, it plays great! No need for a set up yet and I have had it since spring of 2017

dyna · #37 01-29-2021, 04:36 PM

Different Taylors sounds may differ, that might be true.
But I have never encountered a Taylor with a sound I liked.
Maybe I'm just to much of a Martin/Gibson guy...
I understand there is something wrong here since so many love their Taylors
and that's all good.
Play on!

DukeX · #38 01-29-2021, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dyna

Different Taylors sounds may differ, that might be true.
But I have never encountered a Taylor with a sound I liked.
Maybe I'm just to much of a Martin/Gibson guy...
I understand there is something wrong here since so many love their Taylors
and that's all good.
Play on!

Yes, just a preference. I don't like all Martins or all Taylors, and although I want to like Gibson, so far I've only found one J-45 (used) that made me want to take it home. Unfortunately, at the time, I couldn't afford it...

FingahPickah · #39 01-29-2021, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DukeX

Yes, just a preference. I don't like all Martins or all Taylors, and although I want to like Gibson, so far I've only found one J-45 (used) that made me want to take it home. Unfortunately, at the time, I couldn't afford it...

Ditto... but I do love my Martin D40 and my Taylor 324 ...
And although I've played several, I don't own a Gibson - I played a used J-45 last year I should have bought... and my son's 2016 J-15 is awesome.

DukeX · #40 01-29-2021, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FingahPickah

Ditto... but I do love my Martin D40 and my Taylor 324 ...
And although I've played several, I don't own a Gibson - I played a used J-45 last year I should have bought... and my son's 2016 J-15 is awesome.

I almost bought a 2015 J-15, it was very nice and a great bargain, but I much preferred a Larrivee SD-40 (loved it but was just too loud for my tinnitus), and then I settled on my Taylor 324 which I just love playing.

Zissou Intern · #41 01-30-2021, 12:29 AM

For me, Taylor does two things really well. First are their 12 string jumbos. My wife is a 12 string jumbo fan, and every one of the Taylors we've played has ranged from excellent to incredible.

I also like the 310 from the last 5 or so years. They have a big, warm bass and good power. For under $1K used, they are hard to beat.

KevinH · #42 01-30-2021, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cromwell

...I've heard people saying that aftr the 300 series models, as you go up there isn't really any difference apart from more bling? Is this true?

This may refer to the statement by Bob Taylor that is often tossed around to the effect that the 300 series gets you 90% of the sound of the high-end 900 series. Maybe apocryphal. Would seem to be a strange thing to say about your guitars. And I'm not even sure what "90% of the sound" even means. Has anyone seen an original source for that quote? It pops up frequently.

Daddyo · #43 01-30-2021, 01:19 PM

I've got about 4 friends who own Taylors - all the bigger ones in the 3 & 4 series. All from the early 2000s. They play great. Are very well made. They all sound good in a live band mix if the generic piezo sound is good. They all lack rich bass and lower mids unamplified. I compare them to my Larrivee
L-03R, SD-50, and my S.I.L's Martin D28V and D28 Authentic 1937 and they didn't sound as good unamplified - to me.

Then I picked up a new Taylor 312CE 12 fret with the V class bracing. It plays well and is well made like all Taylors but the sound is really big and rich - much bigger than a small body guitar should be. So I am a believer in V class bracing. It has become my go to acoustic. So comfortable to play with the shorter scale. As a person with a small torso, I'm no longer interested in wrapping myself around a big dread no matter how great it sounds.