Almost pulled the trigger on a trade...

[B-Nads]

I was doing a little picking with a fellow I've done some swaps with in the past. He had with him a beautiful 2006 Taylor 714ce Fall Limited (spruce top, rosewood back and sides with a maple wedge down the back, maple binding). I brought along my 2005 D28. We got to playing and a swap almost occurred - I told him I'd give it thought. Value-wise, close enough. Tone-wise, the Martin is obviously more powerful, but the Taylor has it beat in the clarity department, and is much better finger-picked - and it has pickups, where the Martin doesn't. As I'm now down (gasp) to one acoustic only, I'm wondering if maybe the Taylor might not be the more versatile option for me anyway since I'm playing less bluegrass and full on strumming, and more finger style.

[Orphan]

Value wise I'd say the D28 would be easier to replace than the Fall Limited. I think you'd miss the D28 though. Only you can decide.

[B-Nads]

It's an interesting position to be in. I have been giving a lot of thought to changing from the D28 to a jumbo lately. In all of the dreds I've played, I've actually come to prefer the tones of the D18 over the D28, and I like the tones of the newer Martins than the 2005 I have. I may go for the trade and shop for either a newer Martin or SJ100 to complement it.

[varmonter]

Ive found that taylors dont hold their value
as much as martins do. just saying. look on reverb
and see what your year and the taylor year have
lost, since new. resale isnt as strong with taylor.

[B-Nads]

I agree - except for locally. Here, the exact opposite tends to hold true, with Taylors selling much easier and higher than their comparably priced Martins (at MSRP).

I'm only really looking at it from a utility standpoint - if I do the trade it's not to sell the Taylor...right away anyhow ;-)

[Orphan]

There are 424 listings for a D28 on Reverb and none for the rosewood Fall Limited.

[phavriluk]

The Martin is one of thousands. The Taylor exists in far fewer number, nearly a custom-shop sort of product. And the Taylor very likely will be less expensive to maintain over its lifespan. My opinion, make the swap.

[Maryc-k]

The one thing to consider is whether you'd be happy with the Taylor long term. Perhaps you could exchange guitars for a few weeks and see if you'd really like to swap.

[B-Nads]

Honestly, as much as I love the Martin (and I A/B'd them quite a bit last night and, as one would expect, they are quite different), I'm leaning more and more towards the Taylor in this. It really suits the kind of music I'm playing right now, even though it doesn't have the grunt of the D28. What I'm finding with the D28 is that everything is stuck together - the notes are one big bark without the type of sustain I'm used to with Taylors and Larris.

[TBman]

If you're moving in the direction of full finger style, then the trade is the way to go. You can always pick up an inexpensive D-28 wannabe down the road if you get the flat picking urge.

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=546956

[Trinity13]

Originally Posted by B-Nads

Honestly, as much as I love the Martin (and I A/B'd them quite a bit last night and, as one would expect, they are quite different), I'm leaning more and more towards the Taylor in this. It really suits the kind of music I'm playing right now, even though it doesn't have the grunt of the D28. What I'm finding with the D28 is that everything is stuck together - the notes are one big bark without the type of sustain I'm used to with Taylors and Larris.

I'm a big Martin fan and just sold my Taylor K14...but I have to agree with you about the fact that my Taylor had great note separation where when you strummed a chord with it you could almost hear every note in that chord

[archerscreek]

I've owned a standard D-28 and now own two Martin dreads witb Adirondack tops. I'm a huge Martin fan, but in my ears there's a world of difference between Martin's rosewood dreads like the D-28's with sitka tops and Martin dreads with Adirondack tops.

Make the trade and if you want another Martin dread in the future get one with an Adirondack top for better clarity and sustain.

If you're serious about buying a guitar that's especially well suited for fingerstyle, I'd start auditioning a bunch of different models instead of just getting the Taylor because the trade is available. If it's going to be your one and only guitar, I think you owe it to yourself to look around a bit before committing.

[Tony Burns]

A Martin person would keep the Martin
and visa versa -
Im not a Taylor person , but i like what it brings to the table ,
but their are so many brands and luthiers out their
and used stuff is very abundant -
Id take my time and play alot of guitars -
look for clarity and separation of notes ( IMO )

[Ludere]

Given the fact that the OP is on the fence, I think that makes this a question of whether or not to seize an opportunity.
The Taylor is much less likely to be available in the future than the Martin; so I would suggest to make the trade while you can.
If down the road, you decide you want another Martin, the odds are much better that you can find one of those; unlike the Taylor limited edition.
Just my .02 ...

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