Taylor 814ce vs. Martin GPCPA1

[michaelw]

hi alex,
good to see you here -
glad you found the place
WELCOME !!!from what you've described, the martin sounds like the guitar for you & you're looking to find a great deal -
for a new one, there are several dealers participating here that offer martins
my favorite guitars - www.myfavoriteguitars.com
portland music company - www.portlandmusiccompany.com
guitars ctc - www.guitarsetc.net
tejon street music - http://www.tejonstreetmusic.com
northeast music center - www.nemusiccenter.com
la guitar sales - www.laguitarsales.com

richlite is a manufactured material used for several products, so the durability level is extremely high & more tolerant of
humidity changes than ebony & GPCPA1 also utilizes a bracing pattern & neckjoint that is different from the standard series

before making a final decision, you may want to wait a bit to see if the 2014 model 814ce might  be more to your liking -
word on the street is that there will be a revised bracing pattern, finish & electronics

here's what looks to be a confirmation on the electronics & a pickguard change on the 800s
http://www.unofficialtaylorguitarforum.com/index.php?topic=4285.msg44285#msg44285
http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/features/Electronics/Expression-System-2

good luck with your search & please let us know what you end up deciding

[KenGL]

Actually, the Martin site now shows the fingerboard as Richlite for the GCPA1. Perhaps it's a recent spec change?

http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/guitars/series/item/975-gpcpa1-plus.html

So it does! Thanks for the link! In that case I would recommend buying the Martin D-18E Retro (less costly at a few hundred bucks less) which will give pretty much the same playing ease as the GPCPA1 but is an all-soildwood guitar with an older Martin heritage. The only reason to buy a GPCPA1, IMHO, is it has a cutaway which will facilitate upper-fingeboard fretting. The Martin D-18 is a fairly well-balanced tone monster and the newer D-18 Standard, since 2012, and the D-18E Retro, both have desirable forward-shifted, scalloped bracing and ebony fingerboard and bridge. These newest D-18s are classy guitars and are IMHO the best-bang-for-the-buck in Martin's high-end line-up. The Martin D-18 is a sure-sale on the used market if it ever comes time to sell.

Also, for a few hundred bucks more than the GPCPA1, you can get a Martin HD-28E Retro.

If a dreadnought isn't right, take a look at the OM-28E Retro:


Martin D-18E Retro:
[url=http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/guitars/series/item/3189-d-18e-retro.html]http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/guitars/series/item/3189-d-18e-retro.html]

Martin D-18E Retro:
http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/guitars/series/item/3189-d-18e-retro.html

Martin D-28E Retro:
http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/guitars/series/item/3191-hd-28e-retro.html

Martin OM-28E Retro:
http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/guitars/series/item/3192-om-28e-retro.html

Regards,

KenGL

[michaelw]

before making a final decision, you may want to wait a bit to see if the 2014 model 814ce might  be more to your liking -
word on the street is that there will be a revised bracing pattern, finish & electronics...

here's confirmation, thanks to ted 
http://www.unofficialtaylorguitarforum.com/index.php?topic=4404.0
if one acts quickly enough, there might be a chance it's still available

[Fire]

Not sure if Ted already posted it here but here's his YouTube clip comparing the newly-voiced 814ce vs. the GPCPA1 Plus. To my ears, the Taylor has a deeper, articulate, and "glorious" tone. In comparison, the GPCPA1 is a little muted and dry especially the strumming parts. On these particular specimens, I prefer the 814ce.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bkwi-AL3H0

[Edward]

Nice vid, Ted.  I had the pleasure of meeting Pierre ...nice tones elicited from a nice guy!

I want to say "mature" tone from the 814: round and deep, but with crisp "outlines" around the notes.  I prefered it over the Marty, which is also nice, to be sure.  But then again, my ear almost invariably prefers the Taylor tone over the Martin as that's my bone tone.

Edward

[catan]

In that vid, I actually preferred the sound of the GPCPA1; culprit must be the new Elixir jangle on the 814ce. That doesn't sound like the new (but played-in Elixir) 814ces I play in stores.

[Cowboy Kevin]

I own several Martins as well as several Taylors, including both the GPCPA1 and the 814CE.  When I bought the Martin, I actually went to the guitar shop to buy the Taylor; my friend had one and I liked it.  When I was at the shop playing the Taylor 814CE, the shop owner hande3d me the Martin to try.  I played both of them for almost 8 hours! 
Both guitars sounded great unplugged, with the Martin being a bit more balanced across the full register, versus the Taylor which gave me more midrange.  The Martin did not play stiffly, like my Martin D-45, the neck was really comfortable, and it was really pretty with the vertical MARTIN abalone logo on the headstock.  Both guitars were exactly the same price.
Pluggedf in, however, was where we separated the men from the boys.  The Martin electronics were far superior.  With a built-in tuner and 3 notch filters that killed feedback, this guitar contained the sonic images of the worlds 10 best microphones.  The Taylor had none of that and the ES system tended to feed back a lot. 
While I was there, the Taylor rep happened to come in.  To make a long story short, the rep said to me, "Bob Taylor promises that this guitar will sound just as good 20 years from now as it does today."   Conversely, I am already familiar with how the sound of a Martin opens up over time, and I would expect a good guitar to sound BETTER 20 years from now.  The other thing I didnt like about the Taylor is that plugged in, the sound was colored...kind of like playing the neck pickup of an electric guitar with the tone zeroed out.
Anyway, I bought the Martin and have never regretted my decision. 
About 5 years ago, I saw the Taylor in a guitar shop, in mint condition, for just under $2000.  I bought it and I still have it.  However, I cannot play gigs with it because of the sound is too colored.  So I keep it hanging on the wall in my guitar vault/studio for others to play during spontaneous jam sessions.
As I mentioned, I also own a Martin D-45...a $10,000 custom shop Martin that used to belong to Neil Young.  It sounds great, but it doesnt play nearly as well as the GPCPA1.  I also own a Taylor, limited edition PS14CE-FLTD in Sinker Redwood and Macasar Ebony.  That guitar plays like a dream and is the sweetest sounding guitar I have ever heard.  So, it isnt a Taylor vs Martin preference, it comes down to craftsmanship.
Between the 814CE and the GPCPA1, I wholeheartedly recommend the Martin.  Sorry Bob.

[LK17]

I was in the same boat as yourself between these two models and I finally found a shop that had both models in stock. The owner placed new strings on both guitars and made sure they were setup great. I first played the Martin and I thought I'd found my guitar but then once I played and touched the Taylor I was in heaven. The Martin sounded good but held nothing to the Taylor.

I'm not trying to sale you something here but telling you my honest opinion and again it's just my opinion. I felt the Martin was lacking a lot and sounded rather dead when compared to the Taylor. Another thing is the Martin model is the middle-high end  of the road model. While the Taylor model is at the top of Taylor models but of course you have the 900 series but most of that is looks. These are two guitars in two different ball fields I believe. Again it's mid-high vs high. I believe the Martin model in question was sold on looks more than anything else. If you notice most Martins are not adorned with inlays and more besides custom shop models and what not.

If you can please test both and go with what you like best but I think overall the Taylor smack out beats the Martin. And this is not a Martin vs Taylor or Taylor vs Martin but specifically a model vs model. Martin is perfect at building dreads and Taylor is perfect at building Taylors. With this model Martin tried to pull off a Taylor. It's like a Chrysler 300 trying to pull off a Rolls Royce Phantom and it's in no way gonna work, sorry Chrysler. Because at the end of the day it's still a Chrysler 300 lol.

[ebick]

So, I had never even heard of Taylor before I picked up an 814ce at a Guitar Center and instantly fell in love.  On the verge of an event in my life that would afford me the luxury of buying, I attended a Taylor Road show.  It was there that I learned about the different shapes and tone woods.  It made me think.....have I given Martin due consideration now armed with this information regarding the construction features of the 814ce?  Is there a Martin with the same shape and wood combination (yes, the GPCPA1) and should I give that a go before making this major purchase (yes)?

At the same time, I looked at Gibson.  While they did not have anything that I was aware of that compared to the GA shape, they certainly had a match on the tone woods.  I honestly came closer to abandoning my pursuit of the 814ce for a Songwriter than for the Martin. 

I went with the 814ce and never looked back.

That said, I would be ecstatic if I was able to add an HD28V to my stable.

Go with the one that speaks to YOU.