Why didn’t Taylor offer US made dreadnoughts in 2018?

[dad_the_inhaler]

I like their 310 and am thinking of getting one in the next few months but they’re nowhere to be found on the website except for a ‘discontinued’ page. There’s not a spruce top / mahogany or sapele body dreadnought in their whole lineup except for the laminates. Actually there are no Dreadnoughts in their lineup except for 100 and Academy lines. I thought Dreadnoughts were bread and butter for any guitar maker.

Dealers have ‘17s which is fine but I thought it was weird that a big maker like Taylor would bail on the model. The only things I could think of was maybe it had something to do with their new V-bracing (maybe they’ll roll out V braced dreads next year?) or they have a warehouse full of dreads that aren’t selling.

Sorry if this was asked before. I didn’t see anything.

[Earl49]

It was asked before, but here goes. Taylor is in the process of converting their entire US-made line over to V-bracing, so the DN's are temporarily off the market until that happens. There is no plan to stop making them altogether, just a pause.
Search for "Taylor Dreadnought line discontinued" for a long thread.

[erhino41]

FWIW dreadnaughts are not Taylor's bread and butter. Although I have liked some of their dreads I have played many makers do them better, in my opinion of course.

[Oldguy64]

Originally Posted by erhino41

FWIW dreadnaughts are not Taylor's bread and butter. Although I have liked some of their dreads I have played many makers do them better, in my opinion of course.

What he /\ said.
Taylor is “killing it” in the GA market.
The x14 is their biggest seller.
For the stage and recording, it’s a hard guitar to beat.
And as people are learning that Dreads can get uncomfortable for peopl of average size, the Folk and GA sized instruments are becoming the “go to” for a great many players.

[s2y]

I honestly like Taylor's take on the DN. I was hoping to get an 810e or 810e DLX. There are still places that have Taylor dreads in stock if you're that interested.

[dad_the_inhaler]

Thanks for the information. I was hoping they were re-tooling or something along those lines.

Actually I’m vacillating between a GA and a Dread (and Martin 000s and dreads) but the 310s I’ve heard sounded particularly interesting to me and that’s really all my budget will allow anyway. I’ve been playing a 712 since 1990 or so and up until a few years ago it was really the only steel string acoustic I needed but now I’m straying as I get more into flatpicking.

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by dad_the_inhaler

I’ve been playing a 712 since 1990 or so and up until a few years ago it was really the only steel string acoustic I needed but now I’m straying as I get more into flatpicking.

Search for a used DN3. Same guitar as the 310 but slightly more understated.

[Yrksman]

Originally Posted by erhino41

FWIW dreadnaughts are not Taylor's bread and butter. Although I have liked some of their dreads I have played many makers do them better, in my opinion of course.

Couldn’t agree more. Personally I think their x12 Grand Concert guitars are excellent and often overlooked and ludicrously cheap to buy on the used market. I’ve never played a Taylor Dreadnought (x10) that did anything for me.

By the way Martin, the inventors, refer to the guitar as a Dreadnought these days. I always had thought it was a spelling mistake as the guitar was named after the British warship of the same name

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars...d-series/d-28/

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Oldguy64

What he /\ said.
Taylor is “killing it” in the GA market....

And just FYI, the GA (x14) shape is Bob Taylor's original design. It is their signature shape and their most popular model. it is their flagship guitar.

Originally Posted by Yrksman

...their x12 Grand Concert guitars are excellent...

I agree - I love the GC (x12) guitars!

[ataylor]

If you can wait, I’d hold and see what Taylor does with the dreadnought guitars first — that way if you like the new V-braced guitars better you can snag one, and if you don’t, you may be able to get a good deal on an older one that a shop might be looking to clear from their inventory.

If you can’t wait, go ahead and get one now — the 310 is a really nice guitar that will only get better. There’s something really nice about Taylor’s spruce/sapele dreadnoughts. I’ve played a lot of them — the previous 310, the old all-solid 210 (which I own), the short-lived DN3, and the current variation. All very good guitars, especially at their price point (which does seem to be ever increasing — maybe a good reason to get one now or wait on a discounted X-braved model when the new ones come out).

As for those discounting Taylor’s dreadnoughts compared to other brands, I think it’s kind of apples to oranges. Taylor’s dreadnoughts have a slightly shallower depth and a slightly more curved body shape. I think it puts them kind of between a dreadnought and an OM/000 — especially true of their recent 510 and 710 models with the shorter scale and slotted headstock.

As for the popularity of Taylor dreadnoughts, I would be willing to bet they make up a greater percentage of volume and revenue than many here seem to infer. It would be interesting to see a breakdown.

Long story short — the 310 is great and you can’t go wrong getting one now or waiting and getting one later. It’s a classic Taylor guitar that is super consistent and very versatile.

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by fazool

And just FYI, the GA (x14) shape is Bob Taylor's original design. It is their signature shape and their most popular model. it is their flagship guitar.

Taylor's GA is the same size and Shape as a Guild Small Jumbo. Bob copied one of the best.

It is Taylor's best selling size though.

[Johann]

I've always played DNs, but found I actually preferred the sound of Taylors GS's to the DN (and both of those over the GAs). Both are native though with medium strings. Love the sound of mediums, but not how they make my old fingers feel. If you're interested in a Taylor DN, I'd give the GS in that line a try as well.