Taylor brightness (guitar or player....)

Chrose1201 · #1 10-01-2023, 05:28 PM

So thank you again to all for your opinions. I ended up getting a Taylor 417e-R at Sweetwater because they gave me 48 months, no interest to pay it off.
During my search I played Eastmans, Blueridge, Breedlove, Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Yamaha, Guild and even an Ovation! None to me had the playability of the Taylor. That being said I thought Martin overall had the best sound throughout the models I played, but again none played for me like the Taylor.
The 417 comes with .013 gauge strings. Sounded great but a bit heavy for me. I swapped them for a set of D'Addario XS Phosphor Bronze .012. The guitar plays much easier for me, I like it, but it is NOT a bright sounding guitar (or is it me?)
The guitar as is will sound great on things like the Eagles, America, classic rock, fingerpicking, blues, folk etc. I bought it primarly as I want to explore bluegrass. A local music store has a beginners BG get together coming up which I think I will attend and see how it stacks up.
Any general thoughts on this?

Steve DeRosa · #2 10-01-2023, 07:30 PM

Definitely the guitar - I've seen plenty of Taylor players who weren't particularly bright...

Chrose1201 · #3 10-01-2023, 07:36 PM

Haha! I thought as much!

6L6 · #4 10-01-2023, 08:17 PM

Taylor’s main reason for great success is the easy playability of their guitars.

However…

When it comes to tone and sustain, any decent Martin, Collings, Santa Cruz, or USA-built Guild will win the blindfold test every time.

Since you like bluegrass, I strongly suggest you try out Martin guitars, find one you like, and then have it set up by a pro so it plays comfortably.

jdinco · #5 10-01-2023, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6L6

Taylor’s main reason for great success is the easy playability of their guitars.
I strongly suggest you try out Martin guitars, find one you like, and then have it set up by a pro so it plays comfortably.

I have a Taylor that is wonderful to play, but I have to agree with 6L6, I also have a Martin that plays just as easily.

ScottSD · #6 10-01-2023, 08:38 PM

Maybe try a set of the D'Addario XS 80/20's next string change. I have a 5 year old 714 that darkened up so much I was considering moving it on. 80/20's brought it back life. It gets much more lap time now.

Good Luck,

Scott

colins · #7 10-02-2023, 12:07 AM

Plus one on the playability being more a set-up issue than Taylor versus Martin (I’ve owned several examples of both brands)

And agreed that 80/20s will brighten your sound. But you may need to try a few different brands to find your favourite. I don’t normally use Ernie Ball strings, but I tried Martin, Newtone and Ernie Ball on one guitar and the EBs sounded way better than the others.

kizz · #8 10-02-2023, 01:03 AM

We have very different ways of defining "bright" or "warm" A thinner pick can make it brighter, but I would say that I hear XS strings to be on the brighter side, so your guitar must be very warm/dark sounding.

s2y · #9 10-02-2023, 01:07 AM

It's true that a Martin can have lower action, but this may require a setup or doing it yourself if you don't have good local guys.

If bluegrass is your goal, Taylor doesn't make anything I'd consider a go to guitar for that. I once had a really nice BTO DN with an adi top that was great. Only sold it because it had a hard V neck.

Railroad Bum · #10 10-02-2023, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrose1201

So thank you again to all for your opinions. I ended up getting a Taylor 417e-R at Sweetwater because they gave me 48 months, no interest to pay it off.
During my search I played Eastmans, Blueridge, Breedlove, Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Yamaha, Guild and even an Ovation! None to me had the playability of the Taylor. That being said I thought Martin overall had the best sound throughout the models I played, but again none played for me like the Taylor.
The 417 comes with .013 gauge strings. Sounded great but a bit heavy for me. I swapped them for a set of D'Addario XS Phosphor Bronze .012. The guitar plays much easier for me, I like it, but it is NOT a bright sounding guitar (or is it me?)
The guitar as is will sound great on things like the Eagles, America, classic rock, fingerpicking, blues, folk etc. I bought it primarly as I want to explore bluegrass. A local music store has a beginners BG get together coming up which I think I will attend and see how it stacks up.
Any general thoughts on this?

I think that model is sort of like a Gibson J-45, so it would make sense that it doesn't have a super bright sound, like a lot of Taylors do. I would consider that a good thing myself, as I don't care much for that sort of sound.

As far as playing bluegrass, hey, play whatever works for you. You see a lot of different guitars nowadays beyond the standard Martins and Gibsons in bluegrass. I know that the legendary Dan Crary has played Taylors for decades, and I have seen Trey Hensley picking on a Taylor as well. Lately I have seen quite a few people playing guitar in bluegrass bands using OMs from various makers. As long as it sounds and feels good to you, that's all that matters.

beninma · #11 10-02-2023, 07:40 AM

My take on it is all the GP/xx7 Taylors are a more traditional warmer sound and if you really wanted the "bright" Taylor sound that is not the right Taylor for that sound.

I think they're trying to diversify the tones they offer across the line.

Chrose1201 · #12 10-02-2023, 08:50 AM

Thanks all. Your comments make a lot of sense. Even with all the guitars I tried and thinking the Taylor 417 was the right one, now I am wondering if I made the right decision after all! The good part is that if I return it I am only out the shipping. A small price to pay. I did try a new D28 and it sounded really good, but felt weirdly light. The Taylor feels properly weighty to me. Sweetwater had a 48 month payment option that ended on 9/30 so maybe I rushed a little?
Maybe I should return it, as nice a guitar as it is, and wait a bit, then I don't have to limit myself to any particular sale. Beninma, what you said made a lot of sense! (But no more than anyone elses

) And I am watching some videos of people playing BG on Taylors and they sound brighter which supports what Beninma said.

Glennwillow · #13 10-02-2023, 09:03 AM

Congratulations on your new Taylor 417e-R! Nice guitar! Enjoy if for a lifetime!

- Glenn

martingitdave · #14 10-02-2023, 09:09 AM

The 417-R is one of the less bright models in their catalog. Taylors in general have been known for their modern "string" forward sound. Martins are known for their body forward sound. That's a gross generalization, of course.

beninma · #15 10-02-2023, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrose1201

Thanks all. Your comments make a lot of sense. Even with all the guitars I tried and thinking the Taylor 417 was the right one, now I am wondering if I made the right decision after all! The good part is that if I return it I am only out the shipping. A small price to pay. I did try a new D28 and it sounded really good, but felt weirdly light. The Taylor feels properly weighty to me. Sweetwater had a 48 month payment option that ended on 9/30 so maybe I rushed a little?
Maybe I should return it, as nice a guitar as it is, and wait a bit, then I don't have to limit myself to any particular sale. Beninma, what you said made a lot of sense! (But no more than anyone elses

) And I am watching some videos of people playing BG on Taylors and they sound brighter which supports what Beninma said.

Also any video you watch of someone playing a Taylor if they're plugging it in to use the ES2 to capture some of the sound that's going to make it sound brighter. Maybe a lot brighter than a particular Taylor sounds acoustic. Maybe not a factor if you're watching someone play Bluegrass I suppose.

I am still trying to adjust the pickup on my 514ce I got like a month ago, as is it seems like I have to roll the treble at least back to 9 o'clock to approach the acoustic sound. The ES2 is very very bright compared to the acoustic voice of the guitar.