Toneless TAYLORS? All of them. I don´t think so.

[Roger G Lewis]

I have been involved in a discussion on the linked in guitar group the theme developed that all Taylors are toneless lack headroom and so forth.
Personally I do not agree obviously all Guitars are different and we all have our preferences as to tone etc. Anyway I have done a Video and Video introduction to Frequency responses of guitars along with Frequency curves in real time running along live playing examples guitars include Taylors, Gibson, Maton, Martin and Simon and Patrick guitars.

Link to Discussion.
http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers...2Rb9H_jR14Rlg1

My Post of these Videos.
I have done some frequency response analysis and made a video with screen
captures of both Frequency and amplitude plots in real time as different
instruments discussed here are played. It is not pretending to be a
controlled scientific experiment but obviously there is quite a lot of
ground to cover. I do a primer video first discussing Frequency responses
in different Tone woods carried out on 21 Taylor guitars the paper is
downloadable as a PDF.


What is the element in the sound that is grabbing us or the ingredient
required for a certain song or for a whole set? The Martin Sound is what
I´d describe as open and it has a kind of crispiness which is also present
in my Father in Laws Levin ( martin ) D28 made in the 60´s or 70´s I think.


I hope what the video shows is that the guitars are different and why that
is so. Based upon which frequencies dominating and the resulting harmonic
over tones and undertones that float our boat. I show how Pick, Strumming
style, where you pick or strum , the tuning of the guitar all make a huge
difference and of course EQ in recording is a huge factor. Effectively
Luthiers like BOB build in the Optimum EQ settings to each instrument in
accordance with their knowledge and I guess a customers requests, with
modified bracing, bespoke tone wood selection, attention to detail in terms
of fit and finish. It is how much of all of this that is input to a Guitar
which will add up to providing; stability, consistency and of course a
signature EQ profile for the unique components in each guitar.


I have enjoyed this process and this discussion and hope that skimming
parts of the video will prove interesting and informative.

My biggest take away from this is that we can all make improvements to the
instruments we already have. The most sensible thing you can do is take a
Guitar to a Luthier for a set up as Noted above, experiment with string
types and gauges and also with Picks and strumming style. Dynamics in
playing and EQ when playing in in amplified setting, these things are all
also hugely important.


I like my Taylor I would also like a Martin as well not because I think
they are better but because they are different although some models do
similar things Martins. In my opinion what a Martin does that my Taylor
doesn´t will not always be needed Its not Hamburger or Steak its Red or
Blue or Yellow or green Tone is about a spectrum of frequencies which are
akin to colours, for me.

I am going to do a similar Video demonstrating the Martin Models in my
variax and demonstrate how EQ can be used to boost natural frequencies this
is effectively what the Fishman Aura Spectrum pedals do.


Anyway heres the links theres over an hour but as I have noted earlier
Guitar tone is more complicated than a few opinions set out in a top trumps
kind of way.

Dynamic frequecy responses in Acoustic …
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB18U1ddOu0>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB18U1ddOu0

Frequency response Curve Analysis, Tay…
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbp5Jt5tr9c>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbp5Jt5tr9c

[DavidinGA]

Taylors have tone; the question is do you like the tone?

[magazine]

fact is, Taylors are the best. Nothing else really compares.

[Tone Gopher]

Originally Posted by Roger G Lewis

I have been involved in a discussion on the linked in guitar group the theme developed that all Taylors are toneless lack headroom and so forth.
Personally I do not agree...

Thou doth protest overmuch.

Originally Posted by magazine

Nothing else really compares.

Thank goodness for that.

[cke]

Yes Taylor's have tone.
It is not my preference, but many others do like them. So what?

[rmyAddison]

Deleting.............have fun.

[muscmp]

rich, i agree. i've never figured out how folks can lump all taylor guitars into a specific taylor sound when they are all different sizes, shapes and sounds all the way across the board. same with martin, gibson, seagull, etc.

a taylor gs mini doesn't sound like a 914; a martin backpacker doesn't sound like a d28, etc.

play music!

[DavidinGA]

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

I do find it mildly interesting that Talyor folks, way out of proportion in my experience, seem to have a complex about their instruments, and are always comparing to Martins, or Gibsons, or posting justifications like this thread, a prefect example.

I am of the opinion that this occurs because the majority of Taylor fans are from the younger crowd who think they know everything and everyone NEEDS to hear their "wisdom & knowledge" (remember those days? )

[MissouriPicker]

Are there not more important things to do than get all wrapped-up in something like the frequency of guitar tones? What a waste. If you own a sweet guiitar (even if it's a Taylor....lol), enjoy it and don't waste time defending what needs no defense. No matter who you are and where you are in life, there are too many songs yet to be sung and too little time to sing them.

And I do believe that many Taylor owners are a bit thin-skinned on this tone/bass issue that Taylor bashers like to focus on. Hey, I'm not a Taylor guy. I'm a Gibson guy, but I'd have to be pretty-stupid to not recognize that Taylor makes some awesome instruments. My advice is to ignore the bashers (of whatever brand is being bashed). They are who they are and they need no logic or proof to believe what they believe. My advice to Taylor owners (in this particular instance) is to play-the-hell out of your Taylor and have a little pity on the fools. Most of them don't know a good guitar even when they're playing it.

[000-18GE]

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

It amazes me people get so upset when somebody likes something different than them, especially when it has absolutley zero impact on your life or happiness.

Humans have killed other humans for thousands of years over this very issue, most often related to religion. I'm just saying I too don't understand this phenomena but it no longer amazes me. Perhaps if we start with learning tolerance of other's tonal preferences, we'll eventually end up with world peace

[Irondale]

I think you may have found a new hobby.

[VKB]

but I get angry when others discuss topics that don't interest me, because I know so much about guitars.

So stop it!

[NitroBobby]

Originally Posted by muscmp

rich, i agree. i've never figured out how folks can lump all taylor guitars into a specific taylor sound when they are all different sizes, shapes and sounds all the way across the board. same with martin, gibson, seagull, etc.

a taylor gs mini doesn't sound like a 914; a martin backpacker doesn't sound like a d28, etc.

play music!

Don't go out comparing apples and oranges. The "taylor sound" is in itself nothing more than a generalization born in comparing similar guitars of similar specs in different brands. For example, comparing a Taylor spruce top with rosewood b/s dread to a Martin dread of the same specs/similar bracing/similar price range.

Otherwise I could compare a cedar/rosewood Taylor GS to a Martin backpacker and conclude that the Taylor has a rich and complex tone while Martin's are thin and have no bass at all.

Also, I believe the whole Taylor conflict is nothing more than people that can't see the difference between "I don't like it" and "It's cr*p"

[Irondale]

Originally Posted by 000-18GE

Humans have killed other humans for thousands of years over this very issue, most often related to religion. I'm just saying I too don't understand this phenomena but it no longer amazes me. Perhaps if we start with learning tolerance of other's tonal preferences, we'll eventually end up with world peace

classic...

[rmyAddison]

[Deleting.............have fun.