Hope this thread is a suitable place for my bracing question and purchase dilemma. I'm a 70 year-old (young at heart) intermediate level amateur player that came into some gift money from my beloved mother who passed away this past summer at 93 years old. I own (for 2 years now) a Taylor 214 nylon (NO cutaway) that is really a sweet sounding guitar that is a delight to finger pick and do some easly classical work. (Anybody else find playing guitar for your wife/girlfriend can be an aphrodesiac? Sorry I digress.) I've decided to indulge my my desire for a 12-string that delivers the deep growling lowers I love but mid-ranges and trebles that are balanced and don't sound cheesy/cheapy. So my dilemma is this, I can afford with the inheritance (my wife said, "Do it. Your mom would approve.") the 858e. It is remarkable and would almost certainly please anybody who joys in 12-string guitaring. As you folks know, it has the Advanced Performance with Relief Route bracing. However, I had a hard time hearing an appreciable difference between the 858e and the 458e-R which is built with the Standard with Relief Route bracing. The tonewoods are identical (thickness difference on the 858e?). The 858e is aesthetically much the better, but the performance is not that much different to my ear. Is/should the bracing be a determining factor in what I or anybody else might hear? The $xx difference in price could be used to buy a second Taylor!!! Ugh. What should I do? 858e or 458e-R + a big chunk towards a 3rd Taylor. Life is tough, eh?
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