Has your taste in sound completely changed at some point in your life?

[ctvolfan]

I have played pretty much nothing but Taylor Grand Auditorium guitars essentially since 2005. I have mentioned on here before that I bought a Yamaha FG800 a few months ago and just love the bigger boomier sound of this cheap little dread. I rarely pick my Taylors up anymore. I find my Taylors to be very thin sounding now. I now find myself craving more volume and bass. I still like the chimeyness of my Taylors but it just lacks in volume and bass to me now. Has anybody else just suddenly fell out of love with a guitar or a brand and went a totally different direction after years of playing? It is as if my preference in sound has completely changed.

[jazzguy]

Well essentially yes. I have been a Taylor guy for the past 25 years and have owned about 15 different Taylors (3 series to 8 series, X12, GS, X14). I currently have a 512 (mahogany/cedar) that I love and will be passing on to my kids. It has more bass than any other X12 I have ever played. It is wonderful. But in the past 2-3 years, I found myself leaning toward a more "traditional" tone. For me that means, not as "sparkly" and "chimey" and super articulate as a Taylor. I have also came to the revelation that I lean toward guitars with less overtones. I now enjoy guitars with a bit "thicker" tone - but not necessarily loud. I also prefer small body guitars unless there is a bevel. I have a lot of respect for Taylor - but like you - my ears have changed. It's an interesting development because as we get older, we lose some of our high frequency (it's a fact) and one would think a Taylor would be more attractive. But for me, I've moved in an opposite direction.

[BluesBelly]

My taste in sound has not changed in my 55 years of playing (although my taste in music has expanded). I am a Gibson and Martin guy and always have been, although I do have two Pro model Takamine guitars that made me take them home.
Over the years I have played a good potion of various Taylor models (with an open mind) but have never cared for their thin soulless sound. They do play well and have excellent craftsmanship. Not bashing Taylor, just saying I prefer a fuller sounding instrument.
I’ll stick with Gibson and Martin guitars which each have their own voice and personality.

Blues

[Golffishny]

Yes, I used to love a ground thumping bass and screaming trebles. Now I enjoy warm mids and a more balanced sound.

I used be a Martin rosewood guy but now I'm more of a Martin and Gibson mahogany guy. Still like sitka but I've added some adi to the mix.

[mr. beaumont]

Definitely. I'm at my second go around with Selmer Macceferri style guitars, and I've realized that this is the acoustic guitar for me. It's made the trebles on all other guitars sound weak and tinny to me.

[Goodallboy]

I’m not sure my taste in sound has changed as much as my understanding of what sounds can be achieved by various builders.

After owning dreadnaught guitar for years, I still favor rich bass and volume on demand. I can get all that and also much more balance and midrange from a slightly smaller body such as a Grand Auditorium from Goodall, or my McCollum and some others. Experimenting with OM’s didn’t deliver the same desired results.

I can understand the move from thin and metallic but it doesn’t have to go as far as a bluegrass cannon to get satisfaction.

[jaymarsch]

I would say that my tonal palette has expanded. After playing guitars that are predominantly rosewood and braced for more sustain, I have added a guitar with mahogany back and sides that is braced for a more fundamental tone. I like both and it gives me more options depending on the feel and sound I want for a particular piece of music.

I do basically love a balanced full sound regardless of where it is on the overtone/fundamental spectrum.

Best,
Jayne

[zmf]

Originally Posted by ctvolfan

II find my Taylors to be very thin sounding now.
It is as if my preference in sound has completely changed.

First question that comes to mind is how many different brands of guitars you've played, and whether you've played any of the "boutique" brands. Are you familiar with a wide range of brands?

It might be that you're starting to experience the characteristic tones of guitars other than Taylor, and enjoying them, rather than that your preference is changing.

[Tnfiddler]

Mine has changed dramatically!! I was a die-hard Taylor fan for many years and owned some SUPER nice ones, including a couple of great Limited models! Then I traded a couple of them for my Bourgeois Adi/Mahogany Banjo Killer and that guitar rocked my world, tone-wise! Now, the only Taylor I own is a GS Mini and I'm only keeping it to use as a starter guitar for my son. Now I prefer that heavier sound that I never got with any Taylor guitar.

[fitness1]

30 years ago I liked instruments that were a little on the bright side of the spectrum....my hearing has grown more sensitive to that over the years and now I lean towards instruments that exhibit little in the way of strident trebles and more toward the warmer, more lush side. Still prefer spruce tops and drier woods like Mahogany or Koa for back and sides, but a great builder can do wonders with those

[opencee]

I can listen to and appreciate guitars of almost any brand, style, size, and wood. There are so many great ones. The right player can make almost anything sound good in the right context. Because of that, it was fairly easy for me to be dragged into ownership of other players' guitar preferences.

It took me owning and playing many guitars to decide what I like hearing when I am the player.

I am not a broadly talented player. A does-it-all guitar does not apply to me. I don't do it all. I do a few things. I don't know if I changed my taste in sound 25 years ago, or if I just got honest about my skills and limitations, mixed with with a desire to best exploit the sound of the fairly narrow region of music that I like to play.

For my own playing, my preferences have finally evolved to small-body mahogany Martins. That's where I've ended up after 55 years of noodling.

.

[RP]

I wouldn't say that my taste in sound has changed as much as I've come to better define what sound I prefer. For me, it's the sound/tone of larger bodied guitars, dreads in particular. AGF membership has helped in this process as well as trial and rather expensive error, but I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that for a long time I didn't really make the connection between size and the tone I liked...

[JERZEY]

I am pretty good at protecting my hearing. That being said my taste in music and sound has changed vastly in my late 30s. I like a more mellow acoustic sound vs abrasive electric guitars.

[brencat]

No, not really, though if you’d have told me I would be dabbling in bluegrass 8 yrs ago when I started playing at age 41 I’d have told you to get your head examined!

My brief (2 yrs) affair with the modern Collings tone ended about 3 yrs back, and I’m now firmly in the vintage voiced Martin camp again where I started. My attitude toward Adi tops has also warmed considerably now that I’ve gotten to play and own a bunch that are well broken in and musical.