Martin vs Taylor vs Gibson

[texaspicker]

I’m sure this has been covered extensively in this forum but are there any of you brand loyal? And does it really matter to you that much?

As someone who has loved guitar all my life of course seeing what my favorite players played held a great influence on me. I know the Beatles loved Epiphone, Gibsons and Framus. CSNY all played Martins. Lyle Lovett swears by Collings. And of course there are many great custom guitar makers out there.

But honestly, I think every guitar I ever bought spoke to me in some way. The voice. The feel. And of course the identity.

I know many of you have written about Eastman and I have several friends who like them but I’ve never owned one. So the curiosity is there.

I’ve loved playing Collings but could never justify in my mind the cost. Which is a factor of course as well.

Anyways. Just curious on your thoughts.

[Shades of Blue]

I'm not brand loyal, but more "product" loyal. I tend to find something that works and then go overboard. I do it with guitars, guns, and camera lenses. I find something I like and buy two or more of them. That is why I own two Taylor Grand Pacifics, two of my main carry pistol, and multiple of the same camera lenses. I have this thing were I feel I need a backup or continuity in my life.

I also tend to stick to similar guitar types. For example, I'm pretty loyal to strats and LPs. I am a dread guy for sure, and even though I really like my Grand Pacifics, I miss having a Martin in the fold.

[ifret]

All I can say is I do what is right for me and what I enjoy. There's nothing wrong with that, if it is heavy on a particular brand. That said, I totally understand and respect those who are brand diversified. That is what is right for them and what they enjoy.

[RockerDuck]

Taylors, Martin's, and Gibson, and etc., all cross the line(copy) to sound like the other competitors. And IMHO, all of them sound alike on stage.

[llew]

I tend to try new things if I think they will work. I think our taste change and that's what keeps me trying different things? That being said...if you're asking about Eastman guitars count me as a fan. They punch way above their price points. and the funny thing is I find their lesser models sound more to my liking. I owned an E20D-TC (thermo-cured) Adi/EIR that was a fine guitar at around $1600 street price. It didn't last...consigned and sold. After listening to several video's and wanting another Eastman I decided to go to the other end of the spectrum and purchased an E2D-CD, which is at the lower end of their offerings. An all solid Cedar/Sapele dread with open pore finish (satin like) and love it. Price:$509 delivered. Great guitar...open and resonant. It competes for "lap time" with my guitars that cost ten times or more and gets a lot of time played. And I leave it in a stand next to my computer for ease of access all the time.
This YT video pushed me over the top...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPjMbq3VcHw

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Always interesting topic. To be sincere, the closest I feel to any of those three brands is Taylor; but I have such a thing as brand loyalty, it'd definitely be with Ovation

[hubcapsc]

I found a really good guitar shop with new Martins and vintage ones,
including ones from the 1930s... I played a bunch of them and found
them to all be different.

I have two nice 1950s era Gibsons, but I'd rather have the 1937 D-18 I played
yesterday than either of them (it was $45,000)...

I think the goodness of guitars is probably more important than
the brand of guitars...

-Mike

[RP]

I used to be a Taylor devotee, but now own a Taylor Grand Pacific, a couple of Martins and a couple of carbon fiber guitars. Variety is the spice of guitar ownership...

[virob]

I’ve never thought of it this way, but in total I have owned 9 different guitars, 4 of which I still have. No 2 are from the same company, so I guess that means my guitar brand loyalty is low.

[JC.]

I'm brand disloyal. I actively shy away from one of those 3 brands without ever playing their product. They just give me the wrong "vibe" and I am therefore prejudiced against all their guitars.

[GCWaters]

I’ll play anything that I like....

[srbell]

I own an old, cheap laminate Epiphone PR-350, an Ovation CS257 Celebrity Deluxe (also pretty inexpensive), and a Taylor 814CE DLX. I really like all of them! The Ovation is tough as nails and sounds and plays great, and has been my go-to instrument for 20 years. The Epi was my first acoustic after many years of only playing electric. For reasons I wont get into now I put off buying a nice solid-wood acoustic for many years, until early last year I bought the Taylor, which I absolutely love playing. If the house were on fire and I could only save one, the one I'd run out the door with would probably be the Ovation though. It has sentimental value that can never be replaced with another guitar as it was a gift from my wife. The Taylor could easily be replaced, and the Epi is nothing particularly special (although my guitar playing daughter really likes it).
I suppose loyalty comes about for different reasons. The Taylor is my favorite to play and sounds the best by far, but my Ovation could never be replaced.

[Goodallboy]

I don’t evaluate by brand, but by the individual guitar. None of those three are the best examples of guitars being made today, IMO.

[rmp]

they are all different animals, play different, sound different, take ones playing to a different place one vs. the other.

The only brand I've not had much luck with are Martins, something about those necks just don't go well with my hands.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

I'm not brand loyal, but more "product" loyal. I tend to find something that works and then go overboard. I do it with guitars, guns, and camera lenses. I find something I like and buy two or more of them. ...

I am exactly the same way.

So.......at one point I (literally) had four of the exact same make & model car.

Of course, in that case, I kept upgrading and handing one down to one of our kids until all three were driving the same car that I bought four times in a row.

I kinda do the same thing with guitars, although I try to add as much variety (wood types etc.) in each purchase. So I might decide I like a GC model and I will buy one with cedar/EIR and the next all mahogany, etc.