Taylor 522 12 fret v High end OOO/OM's - Help!

[oldcountrysinger]

Hi, After trying about 200 OOO/OM guitars, 50% Martins the rest L'Arivve, Guild, Gibson, KYaira, Yamaha and lots of other including 3 Collings (the sound of which I really disliked, finding them thin and piercing) i only found 2 I really liked. A Martin OOO18GE which I thought sounded beautiful but unfortunately the thick V neck was a dealbreaker, and a Martin OM42 which was nice sounding but had a 'sticky' varnish on the neck which didn't make sliding up the fretboard easy. The rest, iconic guitars I'd heard so much about were a disappointment and sounded, to my ears worse than the '79 Guild D25 I took in to compare them to. I forgot about the whole thing.

Then I tried a Taylor 522e 14 fret, it felt lovely to play, like a much more refined version of the Yamaha APX I played for yeras as a pub country and western singer. Soundwise the taylor stood up equally to a 2013 model Martin OM21, a different sound but I probably preferred the Taylor, I preferred the sounds of the OOO18GE and the OM42 but they were much more expensive and had for me playability issues.

My question is do you think a Taylor 522 12 fret, with the possibly fuller sound, would be a good choice or should I hold out for the 'perfect' guitar and try out models such as Santa Cruz OM or OM/PW or OOO which I've heard so many good things about or boutique makes which seem hard to find/compare and difficult to resell if, Heaven forbid, you realise you've made a mistake.
I'm from England and there's only 1 shop in the country that sells Santa Cruz and they have very few in stock and to get there its a 500 mile round rail trip and walk  the streets of central London, in other words quite a trouble.

I do want the 'guitar of a lifetime' thats easy to play and sounds good for my plectrum style of light strum whilst singing with added bass runs and playing a single note melody on the trebles whilst keeping strum going on the instrumental parts. The Guild D25 does this perfectly but its just too big! I'd love a great sounding guitar that feels like a comfortable extension of myself that I can play almost automatically leaving me to concentrate purely on the emotion in the song I'm singing, is the 522 12 fret the one?

I can tell theres a lot of real and unbiassed knowledge and experience on this forum it would be great to hear any advice people can offer

$

[milo_otis]

It depends on how much you loved the playability and sound of the 522. The 522 12-fret is as close my perfect instrument as I think it's going to get. No acoustic has ever felt so physically perfectly fit to me. I originally bought it because I wanted a guitar that could be brought and played anywhere and knew that a mahogany top had overtones that sounded wonderful and uncluttered in a small body guitar. Whether standing or sitting on the floor, chair, the couch or on a stool, it rests wonderfully in my arms. It has a balanced, mellow, sweet, dark tone that can sound snappy and slightly rude when called upon.

The 522 12 fret is more comfortable and slightly warmer than the 522, so if that is what you're looking for IMO, that's the way to go.

[DennisG]

I always think you should try out as many guitars as is practical, since there's rarely a downside to too much research.  But I will say that I played a 522 12-fret at my local shop, and I thought it was just stunning.  If I didn't already have a wonderful 12-fret, I would have snapped it up.

[Jersey tuning]

Shoot, why not consider something from your side of the pond like a Lowden or Fylde?  Lowdens have voicing all their own, and are worthy of your consideration.  Expect to pay considerably more than a Taylor.

I own a BTO Taylor which I really love, equivalent I suppose to a 912. But my Froggy Bottom (even smaller) outplays it.  So, try lots others.  BTW, at one point I tried a 12 year old Martin OM-21 for sale in a local shop;  I thought it was a fabulous guitar and it sold for a really fair price.

[wooglins]

Shoot, why not consider something from your side of the pond like a Lowden or Fylde?  Lowdens have voicing all their own, and are worthy of your consideration.  Expect to pay considerably more than a Taylor.

I own a BTO Taylor which I really love, equivalent I suppose to a 912. But my Froggy Bottom (even smaller) outplays it.  So, try lots others.  BTW, at one point I tried a 12 year old Martin OM-21 for sale in a local shop;  I thought it was a fabulous guitar and it sold for a really fair price.

Not sure it is quite fair to compare an Adi over Brazilian guitar to a sinker over EIR.  The FB is a very pricey guitar not even vaguely close in price to the 12 fret Taylor.  For that bank you could get a GC, GA, and GS sized Taylor.

[mgap]

I am not one of those who sing the praises of 12th fret guitars.  I had one and sent it down the road after a few months.  I just never bonded with it.  It just never felt comfortable. Now I know that is what everybody raves about, but for me that was not the case.  I bought a 712ce(14th fret) and love it.  It feels so much better.

2010 814ce LTD 12th fret.

[oldcountrysinger]

Thanks Crazymilo and DennisG, I'll have to try out a 522 12 fret, your experience with them certainly seems a positive one.

Hi Jerseytuning, yes I'll try to try more Lowdens, I did play an f25 (I think) and though the neck and sound of that particular model was not right for me I colud definitely see the potential. And I played 2009 Martin OM 21 I really liked, sadly the front had a bow on it.

Thanks Wooglins, and sadly not too many FB's available in these parts!

Thanks mgap, I'll definitely make sure I could get along with the 12 fret configuration before buying one.

[Jersey tuning]

Thanks mgap, I'll definitely make sure I could get along with the 12 fret configuration before buying one.

And not all 12-frets are created equal.  I just feel more (but not egregiously so) constricted fretting on my left hand on my Taylor than on my Froggy, even though both have approximately the same scale length.  And I have heard that the high E string on Taylors is closer to the edge of the fretboard than on many other manufacturer's guitars, leading to an occasional slip off while bending strings or fretting on the E.  Don't get me wrong, I love my Taylor GC 12-fret.......

[cigarfan]

I've had my 522 12-fret for a little while now.

http://www.unofficialtaylorguitarforum.com/index.php?topic=4648.0

I like it better than the Martin 000-28ec I've since sold. I'm playing mainly in church these days and mainly finger style and light strumming to accompany voice. I am absolutely taken with all aspects of the 522 and that feeling keeps growing.

I will say Santa Cruz makes an awesome 12-fret. I have a D12 that is incredible but it is bigger than the 522. If you get the chance to try one, I would.

I can't say enough good things about the 522 12-fret. I has it all ... comfort, tone, playability and volume. It is a marvel. I find it takes some time to get to know a guitar and I am enjoying the 522 more and more as time goes on.

[ataylor]

I haven't played a 522 12-fret, but I've played a custom all-mahogany 12-fret GC that was essentially the same guitar with differences in trim.

It was quite possibly the best-sounding Taylor I've ever played and were it not for the cocobolo binding which put it well out of my price range, I'd have had to explain a new guitar to my wife.

I've tried a couple Santa Cruz 1929 000 models and would probably take the Taylor, especially given the price difference. (I'd give the edge to the Santa Cruz models in the looks department but then again, I'm a sucker for the simple 15 series Martin look.)

[Gary-N-LA]

I can also chime on with praise for my Santa Cruz OOO, which is a 12-fret guitar, but with a 25.375 scale (not a short scale).  You've got to go with what feels right to you.

[oldcountrysinger]

Thanks Jerseytuning, I'll bear the slipping off the E problem in mind, I can remember encountering it before on a Martin D28.

Thanks Cigarfan, I've found your very informative review of the 522 12 fret, it's really interesting to hear that your positive feeling for the guitar continues to grow.

Wow, praise indeed for the custom 522 12 fret if you'd take it over the Santa Cruz 1929 OOO model Ataylor, I think that model is in stock at a shop in London if I can hoss myself down there to try it....

Thanks Gary-N-LA, Yes, I'd love to try out some small bodied Santa Cruz guitars, I played a couple of dreadnoughts about 15 years ago, before I'd heard of their reputation, and was really impressed with their very full sound, they were probably the nicest sounding guitars, to me, that  I'd  ever played.

[oldcountrysinger]

I finally got to play a 522 12 fret, I loved the sound, (a little more expansive than the 14 fret model I tried), the way it balanced perfectly in all playing positions, and its appearance. Unfortunately the fretboard at the neck was just too wide for me, and I don't think I'd be able to get used to it - a real shame - if the neck had been like the one on a Martin oo-15 I tried a few days ago I'd have walked out of the shop with a brand new bundle under my arm.
A disappointment, but at least it shows the value of trying before you buy.
Thanks for all the advice you guys offered.

[Jersey tuning]

I finally got to play a 522 12 fret, I loved the sound, (a little more expansive than the 14 fret model I tried), the way it balanced perfectly in all playing positions, and its appearance. Unfortunately the fretboard at the neck was just too wide for me, and I don't think I'd be able to get used to it - a real shame - if the neck had been like the one on a Martin oo-15 I tried a few days ago I'd have walked out of the shop with a brand new bundle under my arm.
A disappointment, but at least it shows the value of trying before you buy.
Thanks for all the advice you guys offered.

I believe that you can order the 522 with a 1 11/16th neck............

[Strumming Fool]

Two of my favorite non-Taylors are the Bourgeois and Santa Cruz OMs. I just think that they are perfect instruments, and truly all-purpose. I personally like my Taylor GAs, but if I were looking for something smaller, I'd probably go the above route - and have a devilish time deciding which builder's product I liked more....