Nice Taylor or....

[Mr.Woody]

Hi all, i'm in the early stages of buying a new acoustic which will be my only acoustic. I sold all my electrics earlier this year and bought one nice one, and now i'm looking to do the same with my acoustics. It helps that i only really have 2 acoustics and neither are worth anything. We move a lot, so i want to get down to just 1 electric and 1 acoustic.

I finger-pick a lot, and strum some. I'm really blown away by the Taylor 812CE-12-Fret DLX and 912CE 12-fret. I've never really liked Taylors, and i hate being yet another guy playing a Taylor in church. That being said, these are nice and loud (much louder than my martin OMC), and super easy to play thanks to the short scale and smaller body.They don't sound like a typical Taylor which is an extra appeal. I was not impressed AT ALL with the ES2 system, but Taylor offers their guitars without the electronics (if you order from a dealer), which would let me install the LR Baggs anthem system for a better plugged in sound. They also offer a florentine cutaway (for an extra charge), and no-pickguard (free) which would help it not just be another run-of-the-mill Taylor. I contacted Chicago Music Exchange and they quoted the 812c 12-fret DLX for $3900 and 912c 12-fret at $4800 both with no electronics and the florentine cutaway. Tack on $300 for the Anthem system and that's right back at the price of the one on the rack.

The other option is a Collings OM1 /OM2 with a cutaway. My current guitar is an OMC martin with Walnut back/sides, and i'm pretty used to the OM size/scale length. I got to play both a Collings and Santa Cruz OM at CME. Neither had a cutaway, but i was super impressed with the clarity/volume of both. The Santa Cruz had mahogany b/s and was $5000. The Collings was rosewood and $4200ish. I will admit they are higher quality than the Taylor, but def more of an old-school type sound. They didn't have any cutaway models in stock, so i don't know if those sound much different.

I believe the Taylor would better suit my needs, but there's just something about knowing i could be buying a Collings or Santa Cruz for similar price. I'll probably end up going with the Taylor, especially knowing i can have a custom one for pretty much the same price as the one on the rack.

Thoughts?

[Tnfiddler]

I'm in no way trying to be negative here, but I don't believe you'll be happy with a Taylor. You're already biased against them and I feel like you'll be settling for guitar that deep down inside you don't really want or like. I don't really understand the statement about another guy in church playing a Taylor. That's almost like me saying I don't want to buy a Martin because I don't want to be another guy playing one in a bluegrass circle. Taylor guitars work really well in a church setting and there are two on our stage at every service. I'm a multi Taylor guitar owner and love them, but I think another brand would mentally suit you better. Please, don't think I'm trying to start an argument here because I'm not. You can sense in your post that you really don't want a Taylor.

[Oldguy64]

The ES2 is not for everyone.
That said, Taylor makes a pretty good guitar.
Your plan is a sound one.
However, Tnfiddler is right. You like the Taylor but don’t really seem to want one.
The reason they are so popular in church is because they are about as “plug and play” as it gets.
However, from a performance perspective I would also consider a top of the line Takamine.
Sounds crazy, but their built in electronics are second to none. And they also make a fine instrument. If you can get past the not made in the USA thing, it may be a reasonable, and reasonably priced alternative.
The Pro Series guitars run a touch under $2,000, Up to about $2900.
And I have an older ES-T equipped Taylor and I had an ES-1.3 Taylor.
Both great guitars. And I was recently seduced by a K24ce V-brace. (Heck of a guitar).
But for ease of use on stage, I prefer my G-series Takamine.
Granted, they do have “barn door” preamps, which aren’t as pretty. But oh so easy to dial in your sound.
I have yet to use my recently acquired older Professional series with the Parametric EQ system on stage, but I’m feeling it will acquit itself well.

[Mr.Woody]

Originally Posted by Tnfiddler

I'm in no way trying to be negative here, but I don't believe you'll be happy with a Taylor. You're already biased against them and I feel like you'll be settling for guitar that deep down inside you don't really want or like. I don't really understand the statement about another guy in church playing a Taylor. That's almost like me saying I don't want to buy a Martin because I don't want to be another guy playing one in a bluegrass circle. Taylor guitars work really well in a church setting and there are two on our stage at every service. I'm a multi Taylor guitar owner and love them, but I think another brand would mentally suit you better. Please, don't think I'm trying to start an argument here because I'm not. You can sense in your post that you really don't want a Taylor.

I hear you on that. There is an ingrained bais against them, but i was a strat only guys for 15 years and absolutely HATED Les Pauls. Now i have a super nice '58 RI Les Paul as my only electric, and am happier than ever. Just took the right one. The 12-fret Taylor is probably that one for me.

[Tnfiddler]

Originally Posted by Mr.Woody

I hear you on that. There is an ingrained bais against them, but i was a strat only guys for 15 years and absolutely HATED Les Pauls. Now i have a super nice '58 RI Les Paul as my only electric, and am happier than ever. Just took the right one. The 12-fret Taylor is probably that one for me.

I’ve owned 9 Taylors and while they were all really good guitars, I had to trade around a few to get some GREAT ones. The 800 DLX and 900 series are FANTASTIC guitars that I think you’ll really love. If you have one built, there’s no limit to the options you can have done to it. Keep us posted and best of luck on your search for the right one. I’d recommend playing every DLX or 900 series you can get your hands on. Definitely go with a Florentine!! That’s the one option I’d love to have but have never ran across one at the right time.

[silverspear]

Originally Posted by Oldguy64

The ES2 is not for everyone.
That said, Taylor makes a pretty good guitar.
Your plan is a sound one.
However, Tnfiddler is right. You like the Taylor but don’t really seem to want one.
The reason they are so popular in church is because they are about as “plug and play” as it gets.
However, from a performance perspective I would also consider a top of the line Takamine.
Sounds crazy, but their built in electronics are second to none. And they also make a fine instrument. If you can get past the not made in the USA thing, it may be a reasonable, and reasonably priced alternative.
The Pro Series guitars run a touch under $2,000, Up to about $2900.
And I have an older ES-T equipped Taylor and I had an ES-1.3 Taylor.
Both great guitars. And I was recently seduced by a K24ce V-brace. (Heck of a guitar).
But for ease of use on stage, I prefer my G-series Takamine.
Granted, they do have “barn door” preamps, which aren’t as pretty. But oh so easy to dial in your sound.
I have yet to use my recently acquired older Professional series with the Parametric EQ system on stage, but I’m feeling it will acquit itself well.

I agree with you on the Takamine. my Japan Takamine is my go to guitar for church, simply because it has a presence among the other instruments that none of my other non Takamine pickups have.

however, it must be mentioned too that Takamine guitars don't sound as vibrant acoustically, simply because of it's pickup-centered design. and also by design, because the top isn't as vibrant, it is more resistant to feedback... all great features that point to it being the "hardest working guitar" on stage.. which happens to be their logo.

I echo the sentiment: use a Takamine on stage, and anything else you like better as a couch guitar at home.

[Oldguy64]

Originally Posted by silverspear

I agree with you on the Takamine. my Japan Takamine is my go to guitar for church, simply because it has a presence among the other instruments that none of my other non Takamine pickups have.

however, it must be mentioned too that Takamine guitars don't sound as vibrant acoustically, simply because of it's pickup-centered design. and also by design, because the top isn't as vibrant, it is more resistant to feedback... all great features that point to it being the "hardest working guitar" on stage.. which happens to be their logo.

I echo the sentiment: use a Takamine on stage, and anything else you like better as a couch guitar at home.

I have a G-series and an NPT-115 that are as good unplugged as any guitar I’ve played.
The 12-string, like most 12’s wants to rule the roost.
I still don’t know what to make of this little NPT!
It is the main reason I recommended Takamine.

[Pura Vida]

I wouldn't limit myself by brand. At your budget, there are many, many options (and you could find a number of fantastic guitars for a fraction of the price).

[SprintBob]

The 812 and 912 12 fret Taylors are spectacular. The Collings model that might sway you away would be an OM2A (Adi top/EIR b/s). Good luck!

[RockerDuck]

The 2018 Taylor guitars made me a convert. I got the 214 koa after owning Taylor guitars in the past and it really impressed me. I bought a 314e and 414ce-r vclass after that.

[zmf]

Originally Posted by Mr.Woody

I'm really blown away by the Taylor 812CE-12-Fret DLX and 912CE 12-fret. I've never really liked Taylors, and i hate being yet another guy playing a Taylor in church.

Thoughts?

You seem conflicted.

Not sure what you're asking exactly, but maybe the answer is that it's OK to buy the Taylor. Even if everybody else in church has one.

[pattste]

At that price point, you can get guitars from a number of manufacturers and even some handbuilt by independent luthiers. If you're only going to own one acoustic, I suggest you play a ton of instruments until you meet the one. And you will.

I don't know where you live but the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase is coming up. One of the best guitar shows in the world.

[BT55]

Go for the Taylor!! I own a few and have never been disappointed. I also own other brands but my go to Guitars are my Taylors.

[FOG01]

At your price point I don't think you can go wrong, sound wise! Sounds like you're not warm to the Taylor style and for that much money you should love EVERYTHING about it.

[buddyhu]

I owned a Taylor 810 for a number of years (bought it new in the early 90’s. While I “appreciated” it, and was often told that it was a really nice guitar, I didn’t really light me up. I never fell in love with it.

Starting about 7 years ago, I got more serious about my playing, and decided that I wanted a really nice guitar that I LOVED. Over purchased several guitars since then, and LOVE all of them. Three of them are Collings: a D2HG, an OM2HG, and a 0001A. I urge you to give more consideration to the Collings OM, and since you are looking at 12 frets, maybe find a 000 to try.

Collings are fabulous sounding, wonderfully playable guitars. While they are Very responsive, they are Laos pretty sturdy, and hold tune really well, even when you play outside and there are shifts in temperature related to sun and thenoaaaage is time.

While I agree that most guitars at your price point will be very fine instruments, wait until you feel the love.