Alamo Music vid comparing new Taylor dread to D-18, J-45, J-45v

[Rev Roy]

Found this interesting...

[Tnfiddler]

That J45 Vintage is pretty sweet! I think the Taylor sounds as good as the rest of them. It’s still a more articulate sound, but definitely not what I’ve come to expect from a Taylor guitar!

[noledog]

Nice share Rev...I enjoyed the comparison. The new Taylor slope 517 has a really nice look to it, the more sculpted bridge is a nice soft improvement too. I thought it sounded good, more rounded and full then a 7 or 814. However, I still preferred the tone, note separation and growl of the D-18; just a nicer, flatter, frequency response. I found the J-45V to be a bit muted and the driest in tone, nice on the bluesy stuff. The J-45 Standard sounded fine and typical of that model. I would enjoy gettin' my hands on the new 517 and takin' 'er for a spin!

eric

[Rev Roy]

Yep, Eric...this particular vid actually made me miss my D-18 and J-45 more than it enticed me to get a 517. But it definitely seems to be a new, richer, rounder sound for Taylor...so I look forward to playing one. And kudos to Andy for producing something significantly different for the Taylor line up.

Glad I got my trusty D-41. Best GAS killer I’ve ever owned.

[rokdog49]

The 517 is definitely a nice-sounding and serious contender.
The other three are still beasts IMHO, especially that J45 Vintage, OMG!
I wouldn't exchange my D18 or my J45 Standard for the 517 but if Taylor wants to comp' me one, well...

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

The 517 is definitely a nice-sounding and serious contender.
The other three are still beasts IMHO, especially that J45 Vintage, OMG!
I wouldn't exchange my D18 or my J45 Standard for the 517 but if Taylor wants to comp' me one, well...

I had similar thoughts when I played the new Taylors a couple weeks ago. Really nice guitars, but no part of me wished I hadn’t gotten my D-18 for Christmas last month, and I certainly wouldn’t take either — or both — over my Fairbanks.

Very cool guitars though, and I’m most interested to see if they expand this tonal palette and some of the build details to some smaller models — whether existing shapes or something like the parlor model they briefly had for their 35th anniversary.

That said, I’m not ruling out owning one of these Grand Pacific guitars at some point — just not in place of the ones I’ve already got.

[RussL30]

I’m very interested in trying one, but I still find clarity lacking in the Grand Pacific compared to their older dreads. Love the 45 and 18 in the video. I’d like to see how the Taylor compares in tone to a boutique slope.

[Glennwillow]

Interesting.

My first reaction was how good the D-18 sounded in comparison to any of the other guitars. To my ears the difference was so huge that I just laughed out loud. I am listening through my excellent Neumann KH120 monitor speakers and matched sub-woofer, so my sound replication is about as good as it gets.

I thought the vintage version of the J-45 was about in 2nd place in terms of my preferences. I thought the Taylor 517 had a pretty lackluster sound to it, and for me, that matt finish is a real turnoff. To my ears the Taylor sound was the closest to the standard J-45. I have never been much of a J-45 enthusiast, but we like what we like. I can certainly accept that plenty of other folks gravitate toward this J-45 sound.

Maybe if I were the one playing the guitars, I would come to a different conclusion. I'm sure I'll have a chance to play one of these guitars eventually. I have already bought my last guitar, anyway.

- Glenn

[SlopeD]

Originally Posted by ataylor

I had similar thoughts when I played the new Taylors a couple weeks ago. Really nice guitars, but no part of me wished I hadn’t gotten my D-18 for Christmas last month, and I certainly wouldn’t take either — or both — over my Fairbanks.

Very cool guitars though, and I’m most interested to see if they expand this tonal palette and some of the build details to some smaller models — whether existing shapes or something like the parlor model they briefly had for their 35th anniversary.

That said, I’m not ruling out owning one of these Grand Pacific guitars at some point — just not in place of the ones I’ve already got.

I'm in the exact same boat. Got a D18 for Xmas, fell in love. Want a different sound to go to once in a while, played taylors, not happening. I'm not sure what this model is trying to be or rather sound like. Sort of sounds like a weaker toned down Martin.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by SlopeD

I'm in the exact same boat. Got a D18 for Xmas, fell in love. Want a different sound to go to once in a while, played taylors, not happening. I'm not sure what this model is trying to be or rather sound like. Sort of sounds like a weaker toned down Martin.

Bingo, that's what I would say is very close...maybe D18 light.
However, I don't think it's "trying to sound like anything" currently out there today. I still think it's a great sounding guitar in its own way.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Interesting.

My first reaction was how good the D-18 sounded in comparison to any of the other guitars. To my ears the difference was so huge that I just laughed out loud. I am listening through my excellent Neumann KH120 monitor speakers and matched sub-woofer, so my sound replication is about as good as it gets.

I thought the vintage version of the J-45 was about in 2nd place in terms of my preferences. I thought the Taylor 517 had a pretty lackluster sound to it, and for me, that matt finish is a real turnoff. To my ears the Taylor sound was the closest to the standard J-45. I have never been much of a J-45 enthusiast, but we like what we like. I can certainly accept that plenty of other folks gravitate toward this J-45 sound.

Maybe if I were the one playing the guitars, I would come to a different conclusion. I'm sure I'll have a chance to play one of these guitars eventually. I have already bought my last guitar, anyway.

- Glenn

Glenn,
Boy do we hear differently. I didn't think that Taylor sounded anything like the Standard J45. The J45 has way less sustain, the notes are clearer and rounder to my ears and the J45 has way more punch and is drier. I also didn't think the Taylor bottom was anywhere close to the Standard J45.
I got rid of a really nice Pono Slope Shoulder that sounded a lot like that 517 and in all honesty was a lot prettier looking for ...let's just say for a lot less money.
Why? Because I wanted that J45 thump and the Pono has a sweet voicing you probably would have liked.

[weisser]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Interesting.

My first reaction was how good the D-18 sounded in comparison to any of the other guitars. To my ears the difference was so huge that I just laughed out loud. I am listening through my excellent Neumann KH120 monitor speakers and matched sub-woofer, so my sound replication is about as good as it gets.

I thought the vintage version of the J-45 was about in 2nd place in terms of my preferences. I thought the Taylor 517 had a pretty lackluster sound to it, and for me, that matt finish is a real turnoff. To my ears the Taylor sound was the closest to the standard J-45. I have never been much of a J-45 enthusiast, but we like what we like. I can certainly accept that plenty of other folks gravitate toward this J-45 sound.

Maybe if I were the one playing the guitars, I would come to a different conclusion. I'm sure I'll have a chance to play one of these guitars eventually. I have already bought my last guitar, anyway.

- Glenn

I am in full agreement with your impression.

I have to respect Taylor for the effort though. This new guitar sounds very much different then that typical Taylor brightness, but to the extent that it's almost muted. It's not unappealing but compared to the D-18, it's almost like watching standard definition vs. high definition.

[DownUpDave]

I'm sold.......on the Martin D18. It has been top of my short list along side the J45 for a while. I have played them back to back and my preference depends on the mood I am in. The D18 did everything well on this video.

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Interesting.

My first reaction was how good the D-18 sounded in comparison to any of the other guitars. To my ears the difference was so huge that I just laughed out loud. I am listening through my excellent Neumann KH120 monitor speakers and matched sub-woofer, so my sound replication is about as good as it gets.

I thought the vintage version of the J-45 was about in 2nd place in terms of my preferences. I thought the Taylor 517 had a pretty lackluster sound to it, and for me, that matt finish is a real turnoff. To my ears the Taylor sound was the closest to the standard J-45. I have never been much of a J-45 enthusiast, but we like what we like. I can certainly accept that plenty of other folks gravitate toward this J-45 sound.

Maybe if I were the one playing the guitars, I would come to a different conclusion. I'm sure I'll have a chance to play one of these guitars eventually. I have already bought my last guitar, anyway.

- Glenn

These were my conclusions as well, Glenn, and I see for some other folks here too. It will be interesting to hear the Taylor in person though. My local guitar store will eventually have it in stock, I imagine, and they may have the D-18 and J-45 in inventory as well so I can do my own comparison.

Best,
Jayne

[SalFromChatham]

What a great find...

The J45-Vintage stole the show for me. Goes to show we each like what we like.