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  #31  
Old 01-28-2014, 06:59 AM
jonfields45 jonfields45 is offline
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Default Hey Taylor, do you guys read this stuff? I propose the Taylor T4

Dave Phillips Music here in Eastern PA and Western NJ will not stock T5s. The local Allentown GC does not stock them. The larger GC nearer Philadelphia has them occasionally, though apparently not on those rare occasions that I stop by. Elderly instruments does not carry them (for the longest time my go-to phone and Internet retailer, I have a near two digit customer number) either. Before Sam Ash bought and destroyed 48th St. in Manhattan, I did not see many T5s there either.

So here is my proposal for a mainstream T5: Start with the T5z classic mahogany top, two standard user replaceable humbuckers or Telecaster pickups, add in the latest piezo Expression, and wire it similar to a PRS Hollowbody where the electric pickups are routed completely passively when used exclusively (no battery operation as pure electric).

They could call it the Taylor T4 and use it's uniqueness to lower the price to match the MAP of an American Standard Telecaster.

Jon
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  #32  
Old 01-28-2014, 10:00 AM
jonfields45 jonfields45 is offline
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And one more idea, if it would reduce the price, this hypothetical T4 could have a standard 4-screw Strat neck pocket (useful over the life of a guitar for a cheap neck replace instead of a re-fret), and a Fender style flat sawn single piece maple neck. Jon
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  #33  
Old 01-28-2014, 10:30 AM
s2y s2y is offline
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Doesn't sound like you want a Taylor at all. Taylor isn't exactly selling tons of T5s and T3s, trying to sell a Taylor version of a Strat, Tele, PRS, etc probably isn't going to do well.
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  #34  
Old 01-28-2014, 11:00 AM
worshipvertical worshipvertical is offline
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Godin already makes this. So does Carvin at a low price point. However, there is a reason the T5 won best electric and best acoustic guitar the year it came out. They are good at what they do. You can buy a cheaper acoustic guitar than a Taylor as well and it would be fine but it's not the same thing.

I've played PRS P22, Godin's etc. and I really like the acoustic tone of the T5. You can get a blend of them if you use the first position. Marc Seal does this by setting up a split to both pa and electric amp. He then rolls the treble off on the electric side and adds affects only to the electric. The result is a huge sound.

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Originally Posted by jonfields45 View Post
And one more idea, if it would reduce the price, this hypothetical T4 could have a standard 4-screw Strat neck pocket (useful over the life of a guitar for a cheap neck replace instead of a re-fret), and a Fender style flat sawn single piece maple neck. Jon
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  #35  
Old 01-28-2014, 11:37 AM
Raymond Lin Raymond Lin is offline
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Jon, do you actually want a T5 or do you want something else?

It reads like you want the hollow body of the T5 but don't want to pay the price it commands.

I think the T5 isn't that expensive considering it is many guitars in one. It can do real acoustic tones and it can do real electric sounds. It actually sounds quite good unplugged.
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  #36  
Old 01-28-2014, 01:07 PM
jonfields45 jonfields45 is offline
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I've got an A6 Ultra Koa Extreme and I think a guitar with a bridge electric pickup would be the next move up. The T5z Classic is a possibility, if I ever get to see one... I think Taylor is shooting above the market. When I check out the Taylor acoustics in-stock at a typical suburban store, it is mostly 100-300 series with a tiny sampling of the higher series. I think in the case of the T5, it has three impediments to being a mainstream electric instrument: too big (the z addresses that), unfamiliar electric pickups, and too expensive. And for most high end acoustic buyers, it is not acoustic enough. I'm not saying it is not a great guitar with its own niche, but it is not a popular stock item since it misses both the mainstream acoustic and electric markets. Maybe unlike their acoustic offerings, Taylor does not aspire to selling electric guitars in volume.

I have previously posted a review of my A6 Ultra with photos of the internal design. If you look at its internal construction, there is no possibility of a bridge electric pickup.

Jon
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  #37  
Old 01-28-2014, 01:56 PM
worshipvertical worshipvertical is offline
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The T5 and T5z both excel as plugged in acoustic and electric. It does strat tones, tele, les paul, hollowbody, etc. It's a very good swiss army knife. We have a 30 day return policy if someone is interested in trying out something like the T5 classic we can accommodate them.
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  #38  
Old 01-28-2014, 05:19 PM
s2y s2y is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonfields45 View Post
I've got an A6 Ultra Koa Extreme and I think a guitar with a bridge electric pickup would be the next move up. The T5z Classic is a possibility, if I ever get to see one... I think Taylor is shooting above the market. When I check out the Taylor acoustics in-stock at a typical suburban store, it is mostly 100-300 series with a tiny sampling of the higher series. I think in the case of the T5, it has three impediments to being a mainstream electric instrument: too big (the z addresses that), unfamiliar electric pickups, and too expensive. And for most high end acoustic buyers, it is not acoustic enough. I'm not saying it is not a great guitar with its own niche, but it is not a popular stock item since it misses both the mainstream acoustic and electric markets. Maybe unlike their acoustic offerings, Taylor does not aspire to selling electric guitars in volume.

I have previously posted a review of my A6 Ultra with photos of the internal design. If you look at its internal construction, there is no possibility of a bridge electric pickup.

Jon
The T5 classic is affordable, especially if you buy used. It would be hard to simplify beyond that and still be a T5. With the T5 being a hollow guitar, the pickup areas need reinforcement. Bigger pickups and more reinforcement might not work well with the ES.

Taylor isn't exactly selling a ton of the T series. Trying to lower quality and increase numbers really only works on the iconic Fenders and Gibsons.
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  #39  
Old 01-29-2014, 10:27 AM
jonfields45 jonfields45 is offline
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I've definitely beat this one to death! I grew up with Martins but have become a big fan of Taylor's practical design solutions to a very traditional instrument. I am sure at some point in the next year I'll order a T5z Classic and give it a spin. Using a JBL Flip I keep in my gig bag for "pure acoustic" settings, my A6 Ultra is now my near 100% guitar. I am a hybrid convert and for me much happier than I was playing the loudest dreadnought I could find for jamming and fighting its feedback at gigs (and unable to play the R&R licks of my youth). I tend to get in a rut and play only one guitar and I also rarely buy instruments that seem greatly more expensive than similar offerings (no Collings, etc. in my future).

I spent a long career in semiconductors doing engineering (mostly) and marketing. I find it hard to take off the markateer's hat where volume and margin are the primary attributes of a great product (generally any other positive attribute is almost always a precursor)...

Jon
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  #40  
Old 01-29-2014, 11:07 AM
s2y s2y is offline
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Other than not fitting into normal gig bags, I've never had a problem playing the T5 body shape and I'm a pretty small dude. You may need a different strap to put it at the right height.
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  #41  
Old 03-06-2014, 07:19 PM
Likewood Likewood is offline
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Default T5z top woods

I never played the T5 that was in my local shop before it was sold. I think it might have been maple. A T5z classic just came in. It is the entry level: mahogany but no special inlays, binding etc.
For those who have compared ( I have nothing there to compare to) : Do the top woods for the T5/T5z (mahogany maple or spruce) really make a difference acoustically when top sensor is the main pickup for acoustic sound?

As alluded to in a previous post, does the smaller body of the T5z sound less acoustic than the larger T5, given the same woods.

I am not asking which is better which is subjective, just curious if the difference sonically is marginal and more an eye candy appeal.
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  #42  
Old 03-07-2014, 10:14 AM
bicameral_mind bicameral_mind is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s2y View Post
The T5 classic is affordable, especially if you buy used. It would be hard to simplify beyond that and still be a T5. With the T5 being a hollow guitar, the pickup areas need reinforcement. Bigger pickups and more reinforcement might not work well with the ES.

Taylor isn't exactly selling a ton of the T series. Trying to lower quality and increase numbers really only works on the iconic Fenders and Gibsons.
I really wish I could find the Ovangkol classic. Only mahogany seems to be available now... Very interested in this guitar, but I can't justify the expense of a custom or Z with the fancy woods. $1600 or less is a sweet spot since I'm not really much of an electric player. Would love to have the option though.
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  #43  
Old 03-12-2014, 10:30 AM
Likewood Likewood is offline
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Do the top woods make a difference in the amplified sound of the T5/ T5z in the way that top woods do in an all acoustic guitars?
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  #44  
Old 03-13-2014, 10:54 AM
Raymond Lin Raymond Lin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Likewood View Post
Do the top woods make a difference in the amplified sound of the T5/ T5z in the way that top woods do in an all acoustic guitars?
Yes. It does even in a solid electric so in a hollow body it would too.
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  #45  
Old 03-13-2014, 12:24 PM
Likewood Likewood is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Raymond Lin View Post
Yes. It does even in a solid electric so in a hollow body it would too.
Do you remember which T5 did you compare to your T5-s?
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