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#1
07-09-2001, 11:13 AM
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Bluegrass
Is anyone out there a bluegrass player? I love bluegrass but also love Taylors. Some folks feel if you don't play a Martin for bluegrass your strange. Anyway, I see Taylor has started advertising in Bluegrass Unlimited and I'm sure eventually bluegrass players will take to Taylors. I was just wondering if there were any of you out there already playing Taylors for bluegrass.
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#2
07-09-2001, 12:27 PM
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Well, I don't play *strictly* bluegrass but I do play quite a bit. The group of folks I play with has no pretensions about guitar brands. Most of them think very highly of Taylors. You won't always find that kind of attitude at bluegrass jams, but I think Taylor has been around long enough to earn a reputation regardless of what the Martin zealots say. It's just not true anymore that "If ain't Martin, it ain't bluegrass." Heck, what about Gallagher, Collings, Santa Cruz, and Huss & Dalton just to name a few? Come to think of it, not one single player out of a loose group of about 20 folks plays a Martin dread (got a couple 000's though, go figure). However, we have at least 6 Taylors among us...
Anybody who looks down on you for what kind of guitar you play is not worth playing with, IMO. I say, if you like your Taylor, play bluegrass or whatever you want on it with pride. Then blow 'em away with a big 'ol Lester Flatt G-run...
__________________
Mark H.
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#3
07-11-2001, 03:29 PM
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Hi Feathers. I'm a bluegrass player, and I use a Taylor 810, (wow, that kind of sounded like an AA meeting!). Not only do I play bluegrass, but I also work for one of the "big 3" bluegrass record labels. Yeah, there are a lot of Martin snobs in bluegrass, but the people that have played my Taylor have been impressed, and none of the PROS I know in the business has ever openly said anything bad about a Taylor. Just for the record, I also own a Martin HD-28V, so I'm not anti-Martin in any way. All the music's founding fathers played Martins, and it has just become a tradition. Sonically, there really is no justification to say a Martin is the only way to go for bluegrass. At one time there really wasn't any competition for Martin. Today, there are a huge number of viable options, Taylor being one of them. The only thing a Martin dread has that some find more appealing is the big bottom end "boom." This means it the sound is unbalanced. People will argue that point, but frankly, it can't be any other way. If the bass string is hit with the same force as the high E, and is significantly louder and "boomy," (and it is), then it's not a balanced sound. If an even strum is bass-heavy, (and a Martin dread is), the sound is not balanced. Some bluegrassers like that for rythym(sp?) playing, and even for lead, because that's what those old classic bluegrass recordings sound like. Actually, that's the most-attractive feature of the Martin for me. I kind of like that distinctive fat sound it has. But I'll tell you this, if I had to give up one of the two, it would be the Martin. I say play bluegrass on your Taylor and be proud. It's a d*** fine guitar, and doesn't take a back seat to any of the others!
Best, Greg
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#4
07-11-2001, 10:35 PM
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Feathers, why worry about what others think. Play your Taylor proudly. Make the best music you can. Thats what its all about anyway. I have to admit I play Martins when playing Bluegrass,however taylor makes pro quality guitars. Im a lefty and have not had the pleasure of playing a Taylor. Most guitar shops will not stock high end left handed guitars. Many of the Taylors I've heard sound great to my ears. If they're good enough for Dan Crary or Beppe Gambetta,Taylors should be good enough period. Best Regards-- Shucat
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#5
07-16-2001, 01:10 PM
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Hi All,
Do you mind my personal thought here? Are you talking about traditional bluegrass? I agree that there are many good guitars that can "fit into" the tradition of bluegrass. I play an 810B. I think any guitar's sound that kinda fits the venue is becomming more accepted. I do believe in tradition. There is a certain sound associated with traditional bluegrass and perhaps one shouldn't stray "too far" from that sound, if that is what one is playing. So I think the overall sound of the guitar is maybe more important than the brand name of the instrument...? What I mean is, I play my Taylor 810B (Englemann/Brazilian) with bluegrass and traditional Irish music (TRAD). My 810B sounds just fine, and is always well received. The 810B is well fashioned to do both. My point is with "tradition". When I play TRAD, I must be traditional. It would not be reasonable to play a steel slide guitar in Irish TRAD. In a traditional venue the session players want to be traditional, so it's my humble opinion that if one is involved in playing traditional bluegrass, one probably should seek provide that sound to the other bluegrass session players when one plays with them. To me that is just the right thing to do. You don't NEED a Martin to do this. There are lots of wonderful guitars that will do that. I suspect the Taylor 810WMB (With More Bass) would be a good instrument for this. I love the sound of a zillion different acoustic guitars, Martin included. By-the-way, Sean Watkins does not typically play a Martin, and you know how fantastic Nickle Creek is. I really love them. They play a wide range of bluegrass. I'd sure love to talk more about bluegrass and Celtic/Irish music... Bye! -grm  [ 07-16-2001: Message edited by: gmccall ]
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#6
07-30-2001, 10:16 PM
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I just about have the guitarist in my Bluegrass band talked into saving his 60's D-21 and 50s D-18 for a rainy day and getting a W-10 for gigs. He played it and was so impressed by the tone (halfway between mahogany and rosewood), he is giving it a good hard think....
__________________
Thomas R. Pullen Partner - Mojo's Music
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#7
08-17-2001, 11:52 AM
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"TRAD"? - Nickle Creek is at best "newgrass", or "Celticgrass"; at worst "jazzgrass" or New Age.
Wonderful technical skills, but I haven't heard much "soul" yet though. (Aw, leave the kids alone, you old sourpuss!)
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#8
08-19-2001, 10:40 AM
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Quote:
Hi Larry124, He! he!. . . yep, I'd say your above quote is a "wide range of Bluegrass" to quote myself. I love their "Ode to a Butterfly" on their CD. They are so talanted, and Sean is a talented flatpicker. OTHER MEMBERS -- QUESTION: Do any of you Bluegrass players have any Bluegrass web sites you really like? Thanks, Grm
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#9
08-22-2001, 12:10 PM
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Larry 124,
I think you're right on with your comments regarding Nickle Creek. Great technicians but only that. No "feel", or "soul" in their playing. BTW, there's a big thread going on regarding this very issue over at www.mandolincafe.com
__________________
When you start thinking you're a person of some importance, try ordering someone else's dog around...
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#10
08-23-2001, 12:59 AM
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I work with Martin owners everyday and have heard every reason why I should play one. I think Martin makes a great guitar but my left hand thanks me everyday for playing a Taylor (great necks!).
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#11
08-23-2001, 07:24 PM
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Greetings All,
Last weekend I attended a small bluegrass festival. I took along my 514CE. For a while I had been thinking of trading it or selling it to get something a little deeper sounding. So I took that along to play and maybe to use as trading stock. Well anyway, I started jamming with it and the deep sound of that guitar surprised me and others that I was playing with. Now, a mahogany cutaway guitar all 'gussied up' like the 514 is doesn't look to a lot of folks like a bluegrass guitar. But the sound of my 514 playing bluegrass music has given me second thoughts about selling it. Interesting. Hope everyone is doing well.
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#12
08-29-2001, 09:45 PM
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Quote:
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#13
08-29-2001, 09:58 PM
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Quote:
herbinnj
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