Martin 000-18 OR Taylor 322ce

[DenverSteve]

Hopefully you got a great deal on the Taylor and you can get all your money out of it. If you can find someone who is willing to trade you for a 000-18 - JUMP on it. Most who have played them will tell you unequivocally that nothing compares to a 000-18. It soars with finger-style and has plenty of headroom to get you through heavy strumming and sounds magical.

[BradleyS]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

Hopefully you got a great deal on the Taylor and you can get all your money out of it. If you can find someone who is willing to trade you for a 000-18 - JUMP on it. Most who have played them will tell you unequivocally that nothing compares to a 000-18. It soars with finger-style and has plenty of headroom to get you through heavy strumming and sounds magical.

Thanks Steve. The most difficult part for me is determining a fair trade/sale value.

[DenverSteve]

What I would do is go to Reverb and average the condition/listing price for both guitars and go with that. Without doing so, the two guitars seem to be similar in value.

[Arch Stanton]

Sorry you can blame it on me. If I had seen this post earlier I would have told you to get the Martin.

For the record; Taylors are great guitars. But if your looking for "that sound" well then....

[BradleyS]

Originally Posted by Arch Stanton

Sorry you can blame it on me. If I had seen this post earlier I would have told you to get the Martin.

For the record; Taylors are great guitars. But if your looking for "that sound" well then....

Thanks Arch, I'll tell my wife that it's your fault. lol

[jklotz]

FWIW, I have a 322ce. I didn't care for it, but used it for gigging as it is set up well for that. It took a while to break in, but now it s a much better guitar. The difference was dramatic.

You can read about my experience here if you are so inclined:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=542352

[jpmist]

Originally Posted by BradleyS

It has been a bit over a week of playing the Taylor and I am thinking that I should have purchased the 000-18 in lieu of the Taylor.
The Taylor is a wonderful instrument in it's own right, but I am missing what the spruce/mahogany combination bring to the party.
I would have given the Taylor a test ride prior to purchase, but didn't have the opportunity. Oh well, such is life.
Thinking I may seek out a trade for a 000-18.

Would you consider investing $9 in a change of strings before selling it?

I had some pretty profound buyers remorse when I got my Taylor 322ce. The one I got used off Reverb just didn't sound the same as the one I tried out at Sam Ash. It's tone was too dark and moody sounding.

I tried a set of Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze strings and it brightened it up quite a bit. I shudder to think how close I came to selling it off since it's plays so darn well. The strings made quite a difference and it's a keeper now. . .

[BradleyS]

Originally Posted by jpmist

Would you consider investing $9 in a change of strings before selling it?

I had some pretty profound buyers remorse when I got my Taylor 322ce. The one I got used off Reverb just didn't sound the same as the one I tried out at Sam Ash. It's tone was too dark and moody sounding.

I tried a set of Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze strings and it brightened it up quite a bit. I shudder to think how close I came to selling it off since it's plays so darn well. The strings made quite a difference and it's a keeper now. . .

Thanks for the advice. Actually I have a spare set of Santa Cruz low tension strings that I had considered trying. Never tried Ernie Ball strings, but I may just have to give them a play.
Thanks again

[IndyHD28]

Originally Posted by BradleyS

It has been a bit over a week of playing the Taylor and I am thinking that I should have purchased the 000-18 in lieu of the Taylor.
The Taylor is a wonderful instrument in it's own right, but I am missing what the spruce/mahogany combination bring to the party.
I would have given the Taylor a test ride prior to purchase, but didn't have the opportunity. Oh well, such is life.
Thinking I may seek out a trade for a 000-18.

i also had to learn this lesson the hard way. Hardwood tops have a dramatic impact on tone, compromising both bass and treble resulting in a very midrange focused sound. Spruce is hands down the best wood for the soundboard offering the best combination of strength and flexibility in the wood kingdom. Mahogany, Koa, Walnut and the other ‘tweener Woods do not make good soundboards. They simply aren’t flexible enough.

I am in the process of choosing between the 000-18 and 000-28. Personally, I will only by one of Reno Music’s customs which bring in Adi tops and bracing, real 12/4 mahogany necks and upgraded Geib cases. Great guitars either way and you always get the best Martin has to offer by going thru the CS.

[BradleyS]

I found a used 000-18. One of the Martin re-creation models that is at least a 2014 build. The price is good, due to a 6 to 7 inch repaired crack on the top side. The sales person said the damage was a humidity crack.
Would the repaired crack make you run in the opposite direction ?

[DenverSteve]

Do you mean a crack on the side or on the top? Maybe you mean bass side. If so, I've never seen a side crack that was humidity related. Would a properly repaired crack bother me? Nope.

[BradleyS]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

Do you mean a crack on the side or on the top? Maybe you mean bass side. If so, I've never seen a side crack that was humidity related. Would a properly repaired crack bother me? Nope.

The guitar is in a GC in another state, so I can't inspect it. The sales person said the crack was on the side. I specifically asked if the crack was the result of an impact and she replied that the damage was not the result of dropping the guitar. She also said that the repaired crack was not very visible.
I knew the lack of proper humidity can result in top and back cracks, but like you I have not read of humidity related side cracks.

[IndyHD28]

Originally Posted by BradleyS

I found a used 000-18. One of the Martin re-creation models that is at least a 2014 build. The price is good, due to a 6 to 7 inch repaired crack on the top side. The sales person said the damage was a humidity crack.
Would the repaired crack make you run in the opposite direction ?

Yes. Don’t rush into a second mistake because you’re stressed over the first one. There are plenty of good guitars out there. Take some time, take a few deep breaths and make sure you get what you want this time.

My mistake was a beautiful all Koa Taylor. Spent a ton on it but the hardwood top and the thick finish just wouldn’t let it perform. I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of selling it so I let my independent Martin dealer (who doesn’t carry Taylor) sell it on consignment. He cut me some slack on his normal consignment fee because he knew I was going to invest the proceeds on one of his new Martins. It took nearly three months to find the right buyer but we finally did. My distress is soon going to turn to joy as I choose between the 000-28MD, a custom 000-28 or a custom 000-18. BTW, these customs all have Adi tops with Adi bracing. The 18 is so good, it is very competitive with these really good Martin Rosewoods.

[alien]

Would a properly repaired side crack make me run?

NO!
I just got my 0018V back from having a 3" side crack, lower bout, repaired. It was an impact accident, which was my fault. The repair is nearly invisible.

[BradleyS]

The sales manager sent me a few photos of the guitar.