The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #16  
Old 02-21-2018, 06:51 PM
sstaylor58 sstaylor58 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ithaca, NY
Posts: 877
Default

Great choice, play the heck out of it and enjoy!
__________________
---------------------------------
Martin OM -15 Custom
Taylor 314ce
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany
Yamaha AC1M
Yamaha FSX800C
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 02-21-2018, 07:57 PM
Matt McGriff Matt McGriff is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Collierville, Tennessee
Posts: 1,997
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Acousticado View Post
Haha! Matt, sorry I lifted your images. I thought you might see this thread. I was quite impressed when I saw the tasteful additions you made. Makes a great little guitar even greater.
No worries! I like it a lot so glad to show it off!
__________________
<°)))<

1998 Very Sweet Wife
2000 Cute Daughter (Grand Concert)
2005 Handsome Son (Dreadnought)
2007 Lovely Daughter (Parlor)
2017 Cute Puppy (Duke the Uke)
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 02-21-2018, 08:11 PM
Billkwando Billkwando is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 77
Default

Congratulations!

I too am a proud owner of a Taylor Academy, but mine is an A10. That's a lovely guitar and unlike mine, it has the "Taylor look", LOL.

You may be pleased to know that I've been playing guitar for almost 30 years, and I chose that to be my sole acoustic guitar originally, not because of price, but because it had the sound I always "picture" as being the ideal acoustic sound, and because it sounded just as good (to my ears) as the most expensive guitars in my local GC...including a number of other Taylors. It was the same thing that was mentioned before, they left me alone and I was free to pick up any and every acoustic in the room, including a $15,000 one that was all inlays and fancy binding....and it still wasn't any better sounding.

I had originally told my wife that when I eventually got an acoustic guitar (normally I play electric), I wasn't going to settle for a cheap one. It was going to be a "really nice one" or nothing.

I have my issues with Taylor and their marketing, and their assertion that $600 is a reasonable price for a beginner guitar, but hey....they can call it whatever they want....the fact is that they are making an awesome guitar that is the best deal you will find for a fine solid top acoustic, so I appreciate that.

I've said it a few times here, but I'll say it again for you: paying 5 times more for a Taylor is not going to get you a guitar that sounds 5 times better. You're paying for the "cause you can afford it" bells and whistles, like a shiny finish, etc (though I still think it's a manipulation, like charging a premium on a different top wood, the satin finish meant to make the player feel inferior because "everyone can tell" they couldn't afford a "nice" one). Still, if you just wanna play a beautiful sounding guitar, it doesn't matter how shiny it is.

I love the upgrades Matt did. I might have to ask where he got them fancy fixin's. BTW do the Academy series have stainless steel frets?

I don't think a dreadnought would look good with a classic Taylor pickguard, so I'm not sure what I'd use. Is that what they put on theirs?

Anyway, you got a great guitar there. Just make sure you take good care of it and humidify it properly. Don't forget (IIRC) new Taylors have a lifetime warranty, which may even cover setup (not sure). I bet if you did a side by side comparison with the Yamaha (unless you did already), I bet you'd still like the Taylor better.

If you're looking for a good hygrometer, I got an Accu-rite (a pair of them actually) for $10, and they're well reviewed (for a cheapy they do great). I'm using a house/console humidifier currently, but I bought and recommend the Dampit. The cover fits the sound hole perfectly too. Oasis is probably the better product, as far as staying wet longer, but there are stories of them going bad after a few years, and if it ruins your guitar, they're not going to pay for repairs. Dampit just seems safer, and doesn't require purchasing refills like the humidipacks Taylor recommends.

If you ever decide to do your own truss rod adjusting (not that you'd have to) you can use one of those screwdrivers with the interchangeable heads, with the head removed, and it should fit. Taylor don't do hex wrenches.

Enjoy!
Bill
__________________
2016 Taylor Academy 10f (I added my own Fishman, lol)
2013 Washburn EA20SNB Nuno Bettencourt (my wife's)
2016 The Loar LM-310f mandolin (with JJB piezos)
1996 Rickenbacker 360 Jetglo
1996 Fernandes LA-85KK (L'Arc~en~Ciel "Ken" signature)
1999 Fernandes LD-95KK Love Driver (L'Arc~en~Ciel "Ken" signature)
1998 Ibanez JS10th "Chromeboy" (Satriani signature)
2014 Harley Benton TE-80 "Prinz"

Last edited by Billkwando; 02-21-2018 at 08:24 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 02-21-2018, 08:30 PM
AgentKooper AgentKooper is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 958
Default NGD: Taylor Academy 12e

Congrats! Those are cool guitars, and I wish other makers would start building in armrests like that. I think comfort is the most important first consideration. I buy a lot of stuff from guitar center. I’ve got two good stores within 20 minutes of me, and I usually can’t drive by without stopping and hanging out in the acoustic rooms for at least a few minutes. Their return policy is great when needed and I’ve never had a bad experience with them.
__________________
Martin CS-00-18 (2015)
Martin OM-28V (2011)
Northfield Model M mandolin
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 02-21-2018, 09:47 PM
robrick robrick is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 257
Default

Congrats, and I think the Academy guitars are great looking instruments. Natural beauties!

I play 300 and 200 series Taylors, and have owned more than one 100 series. I always recommend them to beginners, I am a 40 year beginner, and likely will get a 12e at some point. Would love to check out the nylon string version for playing Mexican folk music.
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old 02-21-2018, 09:49 PM
wooglins wooglins is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 2,839
Default

Gr8 guitar. Tried one last week and almost bought it on the spot.
__________________
2019 Taylor Summer Ltd. GA Redwood/ Ovangkol
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 02-21-2018, 10:43 PM
TBman's Avatar
TBman TBman is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 35,829
Default

Nice guitar, congrats!
__________________
Barry

Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}:


My SoundCloud page

Some steel strings, some nylon.
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 02-21-2018, 10:48 PM
The Growler The Growler is online now
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 8,150
Default

Congratulations on your new Taylor. The academy series are nice and as you found out, very comfortable. Enjoy!
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 02-22-2018, 02:38 AM
Don Lampson Don Lampson is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The California Central Coast, in The Heart of the Chaparral!
Posts: 1,867
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by botofogo View Post
I’ve been hesitant to post this NGD because, frankly, all of the wonderful and expensive guitars discussed in this forum are a bit intimidating for someone like me. I’m just starting out on the guitar journey and was in the market for my first acoustic. I went to the local GC mainly because it was convenient and started playing around in the acoustic room. I “played” a lot of guitars but was drawn to the Yamahas and ended up buying an FG830.

It was a beautiful instrument and easy for my left hand to play. Not so much the right. After playing the Yamaha for a week I came to the conclusion that the Dreadnought size was just too big for my comfort. After some more online research I had a list of guitars I wanted to try. I had also decided I was going to double my budget to the $600 range. Looking at concert sized guitars I quickly narrowed the search to the Yamaha AC12R and the Taylor Academy 12e. What I was looking for was comfort and playability. In appearance, these two couldn’t be more different, but they both played wonderfully. But it came down to comfort— the Taylor was more comfortable in my arms than the Yamaha. It was that simple. I imagine the Yamaha has a better tone and overall sound, but for me, at this point, I need to maximize my time playing the guitar so I went the comfortable route.

I know that GC doesn’t get a lot of love and I’m sure there are very good reasons, but my experience was really positive. Friendly and helpful sales folk that left me alone when I wanted to be. The process of exchanging the Yamaha for the Taylor was simple and straightforward. Also, the electronics on the first Taylor I brought home crapped out after one day and GC made the exchange for a new instrument painless. When I get to the point of looking for my next guitar I’m going to check out some of the independent shops I’v learned about since reading this forum, but won’t necessarily rule out doing business with GC.

The Academy 12e is elegant in its simplicity. No binding, no gloss finish. But it does have some nice touches such as the armrest, which, in my opinion, greatly adds to the comfortability of this guitar.

https://imgur.com/a/dA4wS

Your post shows you are putting some careful thought into your guitar journey, and plan to proceed onward to your own drummer. I'm sure you'll do well at it, and have plenty of guitars in your future...

It's nice to see posters who'll stick up for GC. The complaints far outnumber the praise here for them. It's troubling to read the pick up on your 1st Academy "crapped out" after only one day? That doesn't bode well for Taylor's entry level guitars if it happens very frequently?

Best wishes, and look forward to reading your observations about your musical journey.

Don
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 02-22-2018, 12:19 PM
Billkwando Billkwando is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 77
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Lampson View Post
It's nice to see posters who'll stick up for GC. The complaints far outnumber the praise here for them. It's troubling to read the pick up on your 1st Academy "crapped out" after only one day? That doesn't bode well for Taylor's entry level guitars if it happens very frequently?
Yeah, my experiences with GC have been almost always positive. As long as you're aware that most of the employees are probably going to be working their first job and not necessarily knowledgeable about guitars, etc, unlike a mom & pop store staffed by working musicians would be. As long as you do your research on the internet, and know what you're looking for, it's fine. The "kids" at my local GC are always courteous and respectful...just nice kids.

I bought my $300 The Loar mandolin there (not exactly a commission sale % bonanza!), but whenever I go back, the kid who sold it to me always remembers me, says hi, and asks how I'm enjoying it....and I bought it a year ago

About the ES system, I bet it was something simple like a battery? Maybe OP knows if they tried changing it. I would've certainly asked for that before swapping it for a whole other guitar, so maybe that wasn't it.

Personally, I'm glad I didn't get the ES system, because there's so much more tweaking I can do with the Fishman Presys Blend that I installed myself.

A tip for you non-electric Academy owners who might be reading this thread:
Inexplicably, but awesomely (lol) there is a predrilled partial pilot hole under the bridge saddle that's the perfect size for installing a UST (under saddle transducer) like a Fishman. I'm not sure why, since Taylor doesn't use them, but it's one more thing to take the "scaryness" out of modding it....that there's a nice snug hole to grab your drill bit and make sure you don't accidentally "go wide".

I actually made a video (which shows the aforementioned pilot hole, before and after) about the whole process, in an effort to make it as "nonscary" as possible, that might be useful for other "non-e" academy owners who might be reading this thread (like me):



I made a couple videos about the Fishman, but this one is specifically about the Academy installation.
If you skip to 18:45, you can see exactly what "layered sapele" looks like from the inside. One of my local experienced techs (not from GC, lol), who has been to the Taylor factory, told me (If I'm remembering right) that the core wood is poplar. I was asking about humidifiers when it came up, after telling him I had a Taylor, and that I had done this installation, I mentioned the "wood sandwich" with the 2 veneers on the outside.

Bill
__________________
2016 Taylor Academy 10f (I added my own Fishman, lol)
2013 Washburn EA20SNB Nuno Bettencourt (my wife's)
2016 The Loar LM-310f mandolin (with JJB piezos)
1996 Rickenbacker 360 Jetglo
1996 Fernandes LA-85KK (L'Arc~en~Ciel "Ken" signature)
1999 Fernandes LD-95KK Love Driver (L'Arc~en~Ciel "Ken" signature)
1998 Ibanez JS10th "Chromeboy" (Satriani signature)
2014 Harley Benton TE-80 "Prinz"

Last edited by Billkwando; 02-22-2018 at 12:42 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 02-22-2018, 12:22 PM
RefrigRaider RefrigRaider is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 151
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by botofogo View Post
I’ve been hesitant to post this NGD because, frankly, all of the wonderful and expensive guitars discussed in this forum are a bit intimidating for someone like me. I’m just starting out on the guitar journey and was in the market for my first acoustic. I went to the local GC mainly because it was convenient and started playing around in the acoustic room. I “played” a lot of guitars but was drawn to the Yamahas and ended up buying an FG830.

It was a beautiful instrument and easy for my left hand to play. Not so much the right. After playing the Yamaha for a week I came to the conclusion that the Dreadnought size was just too big for my comfort. After some more online research I had a list of guitars I wanted to try. I had also decided I was going to double my budget to the $600 range. Looking at concert sized guitars I quickly narrowed the search to the Yamaha AC12R and the Taylor Academy 12e. What I was looking for was comfort and playability. In appearance, these two couldn’t be more different, but they both played wonderfully. But it came down to comfort— the Taylor was more comfortable in my arms than the Yamaha. It was that simple. I imagine the Yamaha has a better tone and overall sound, but for me, at this point, I need to maximize my time playing the guitar so I went the comfortable route.

I know that GC doesn’t get a lot of love and I’m sure there are very good reasons, but my experience was really positive. Friendly and helpful sales folk that left me alone when I wanted to be. The process of exchanging the Yamaha for the Taylor was simple and straightforward. Also, the electronics on the first Taylor I brought home crapped out after one day and GC made the exchange for a new instrument painless. When I get to the point of looking for my next guitar I’m going to check out some of the independent shops I’v learned about since reading this forum, but won’t necessarily rule out doing business with GC.

The Academy 12e is elegant in its simplicity. No binding, no gloss finish. But it does have some nice touches such as the armrest, which, in my opinion, greatly adds to the comfortability of this guitar.

https://imgur.com/a/dA4wS
Congratulations!! The thing about Taylor is that all their guitars are top-notch, even the lower tier instruments. I love my "modest" 110e. Play it to death!!!!!
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:33 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=