#16
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it takes a while to bond with a guitar but i've never had a situation where i took one back.
play music!
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2014 Martin 00015M 2009 Martin 0015M 2008 Martin HD28 2007 Martin 000-18GE 2006 Taylor 712 2006 Fender Parlor GDP100 1978 Fender F65 1968 Gibson B25-12N Various Electrics |
#17
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Never have done that. It is likely that I do a lot of checking before I buy anything. Also, I rarely buy from a store.
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#18
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Never happened to me, though on a few occasions I have played a guitar at a shop, thought it was fantastic, then gone back the next day and been underwhelmed by it. When I found my 00-18 I played it for several hours at the shop and then told myself that I should go home and sleep on it and come back the next day to see if it still stood up to my initial impressions. That was until I noticed two other customers looming nearby waiting for me to put it down so I decided to take the plunge and buy it then and there - best decision I could've made as I'm super happy with it!
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1969 Martin 00-18 2018 Frank Tate tenor guitar |
#19
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Quote:
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#20
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I can't imagine why the tension would feel higher if it actually has a shorter scale, that doesn't make sense. Can I suggest that you try a set of light gauge Martin Retros on it before sending it back? They always feel a bit softer to me, and should play well with the mahogany top.
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Too many guitars and a couple of banjos |
#21
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Case in point: Three months ago, I bought the Martin America 1, which blew my socks off in the store. At home, as expected, it sounded a bit more muted. Yesterday, I took it out of the house for the first time, to a friend's house with high ceilings and tile floor. And bang! There it was again: that guitar just rang like a bell. It was wonderful.
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"I've always thought of bluegrass players as the Marines of the music world" – (A rock guitar guy I once jammed with) Martin America 1 Martin 000-15sm Recording King Dirty 30s RPS-9 TS Taylor GS Mini Baton Rouge 12-string guitar Martin L1XR Little Martin 1933 Epiphone Olympic 1971 square neck Dobro |
#22
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Martin DX1AE LH Taylor 114ce LH Alvarez AP70L |
#23
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Barry Youtube! My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |
#24
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I fear you may have returned it too early. Taylor strings their guitars now with Elixir HD Lights which is actually higher tension than normal lights. So depending on what you are used to, it could have felt more like the tension of a standard scale guitar. I would have experimented with different strings before I returned.
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Taylor 512ce Urban Ironbark Fender Special Edition Stratocaster Eastman SB59 |
#25
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No. Can't claim to have done that yet. I test drive pretty thoroughly at the store and know the guitar before I decide. The only time I've ever had buyer's remorse was the day I swore an oath to the US military at the induction center in Chicago umpty-many years ago. But, Lady Luck was with me and I managed to make a go of it despite my sudden hesitancy.
I have had many guitars in my hands and can say that there's a certain spell they can cast that has a whole lot to do with infatuation fogging judgement. It happens as soon as one passes into the acoustic room. I think it's sprayed into the ducting every morning before the stores open. Probably a Stew-Mac catalog item. |
#26
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#27
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Aww, man, sorry to hear that. Especially since you're disappointed; that really sucks. I've been fortunate that I haven't ever really been disappointed with a purchase or situation (knock on wood) but I can see how very easily it can happen. Agree w. others that return policy is pretty important. After really thinking about it, I've only returned One guitar in my entire life. Come to think of it, I've returned one guitar, one amp, and one looper pedal. All on separate occasions.
Sometime last year (early this year maybe? it's been maybe a year tops) I went in to GC and I was really just there to get strings. But I'd had an itch for an electric since it's been.. jeez, maybe close to 10 years at this point since I've owned one. I played a few that were OK, a couple teles, a strat, nothing huge, and then I picked up a PRS SE Tremonti signature model. Plugged it up to an Acoustic brand, cheap $150 amp. Considering it was a cheap amp, this guitar sounded *amazing*. Couldn't believe it. Best electric in the store out of everything except the Les Pauls; they had them hanging in the highest spot and I didn't bother with them. Similar experience to someone else who just posted, after I put the PRS down and went in the acoustic room, I came back out and noticed it was gone -- one of the other customers who had been kind of watching me play nearby was trying it out. I took it halfway as a compliment and confirmation that it sounded as good as I thought it did. After said customer left, I promptly bought it with no hesitation. Anyway, I didn't use the whole 45 days, but .. I agonized over the decision. At first, I loved it. I played it 2 days straight, took pics, downloaded new tab for electric I wanted to learn. I was feeling it. But in the back of my mind, I knew that I just basically knocked out about 70% of my new-guitar fund. Usually, if I do this, it's because I bought the new guitar I was specifically saving for, and I have no regrets, and I start saving again. This time was different, IDK if because it was electric, or more likely, that I hadn't been specifically planning for it. At any rate, it truly was a great guitar.. one of the *very* best electrics I've ever played coming in at right at $1k, but I just couldn't shake the feeling. I'm an acoustic player at heart, and I really wanted to keep it, but I ended up taking it back after a while. Maybe 10 days or 2 weeks or so. After recouping that money, I added a bit longer, and that PRS was indirectly converted into the J-45 that I would order from CME a little later down the road. Definitely no regrets. Funny thing is, I actually own another PRS SE now, also great, but nothing like that Tremonti. I think it's normal. I think sometimes things sound different in the store. In your case, it's a bummer you just flat out don't like it. I liked mine, but I knew that I would rather have something else, and I did. It would've taken me probably 6 months to a year to get back to where I was, savings-wise. At the end of the day, you don't want any regrets, so ... if you aren't 100% happy with it, I'd take it back. New strings can't hurt.. but to me, it sounds like you're pretty certain that you just don't care for it, so I feel like it may be a waste of $15 to put another set on there, just to return it, but.. at the end of the day, that's not alot of money just to be totally sure. I can relate to how you feel ; there have been a few Taylors that I've *really* liked, (my 710 among them) but they are few and far between. The playability is always second to none, but the tone sometimes just isn't for me. But not always! The gems that they do have, I would put against just about anything (almost), but.. like I said, no regrets. Best of luck!! Sorry this post got kind of long. Hope it works out for you; take that thing back and add a little more cash to the pot and get something that'll knock your socks off! Scott
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2003 Washburn WD44S | Sitka/Hawaiian koa 2018 Gibson J-45 Vintage | Torrefied Adi/Mahogany 2015 Gibson Wildwood AJ New Vintage | Adi/EIR Fishman | Loudbox Mini | Primetone 1.0mm "what is the universe? the universe is a symphony of vibrating strings.." -michio kaku |
#28
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Could some guitars have higher torque at the bridge making the strings seem higher tension?
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#29
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Yes, I have and I paid a hefty price for it. I ordered a custom Martin without knowing what I am doing simply because I had the money. Did not like the guitar at all (my fault), plus I was disappointed about the unglued bindings within 6-7 months. I gladly sold it for half price. I just wanted that guitar out of my house asap.
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SCGC Custom OM Mars spruce/cocobolo |
#30
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My favorite way to test a guitar is put a strap on it and stand facing a solid wall a few inches away. The sound of the guitar will bounce back at you similar to what you might hear if you were in front of the guitar with someone else playing it.
My music room at home is pretty open with carpet floors and makes my guitars sound big and open, too. I take those same guitars into a bedroom with a bed, chest of drawers, curtains and other furniture and the sound becomes more compressed and almost muffled by comparison. The room makes big difference in the sound of your guitar. That's why God made bathrooms and their wonderful natural reverb.
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2019 E6/10OM Eastman (adi topped E6) 2016 Martin D-18 (Centennial) FG700 Yamaha Dirty 30's Parlor 7 series 2007 Redline Rambler Square Neck Resonator https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB1...K6oxpANeRr1_oQ |