"Old" Taylor 315 (not CE)

[dqr]

Hi everybody,

  First of all, sorry for my english, I'm from Spain.

  I've found a person here in Spain who has a Taylor 315 (jumbo) and wants to sell it. Anybody has information about this model? Taylor has discontinued it, It's not the 315CE, it has no electronics. The serial is: 20060725010. I think it was made in 2006. It's made at El Cajon.

  I would like to know your opinions about the 315, I'm thinking on purchasing it. I would like to know if it works well with 0.12 (not more!) and if it's comfortable to play.

  Here's the link so you can see the guitar:

  http://www.guitarristas.info/anuncios/vendo-acustica-taylor-315-natural-perfecto-estado/170840

  Thank you very much in advance!

[Herb Hunter]

I apologize for my Spanish, I am from Maine. 
(Eso pretende ser una broma ya que su Inglés es probablemente mejor que mi español.)


I don't have any more information on the 315 than is available at Taylor's website but I do have my opinions.


The 315 is a very good value. It is especially well-suited for players with an aggressive technique. Though designed for medium gauge strings, some guitarists have gotten good results with light gauge strings (0.012 inches). Switching to light gauge strings will result in a slightly lower maximum volume, perhaps slightly more sustain, and a modest change in tonal color. Guitarists with a light style of playing, especially those who use their fingers instead of a plectrum, will probably benefit from using light gauge strings.


I had a similar Taylor guitar that but for the cutaway is similar to the 315 , the LKSM-6. It is a jumbo made of solid mahogany and solid spruce. I play without a plectrum and with very short nails so I found the medium gauge strings a bit difficult and asked an excellent guitar technician to set the guitar up for light gauge strings. He convinced me to let him improve the action of the guitar rather than string it with light gauge strings. I'm glad I listened to him. After he had adjusted the guitar by first filing the frets to a tighter tolerance, it was as easy to play as many guitars with light gauge strings plus I liked the meatier sound of medium gauge strings for single-note solos.

[dqr]

Thanks Herb, very helpful opinion!

[michaelw]

hi dqr,
the 315 you're looking at may  have standard II bracing (forward-shifted with relief rout) &
to me it looks like the back & sides are khaya (which is sometimes called african 'mahogany') -
Taylor used on khaya on the 300s from 04-06, rather than sapele (i have a 05 314 & had a 04 314cL30)
which more closely resembles tropical mahogany in density & tone (imho) & the fretboards did not have
binding on them during those year models as well (an easy way to i.d. a 04-06 300 or 400 model)

another option to consider, if you're ok with medium gauge on the wound strings, rather than
a complete light gauge set of strings are light/mediums or bluegrass gauge (.012 - .056s), as
this will make the treble strings easier to fret (G, B & e), while the medium E, A & D will have
a bit more 'umph' to drive the top & provide a bit more depth & projection ... i like d'addario EXP19s

good to see you here -
looking forward to hearing more from you
WELCOME !

[Herb Hunter]

Thanks Herb, very helpful opinion!

You're welcome!

One thing I forgot to mention, changing string gauges may necessitate intonation adjustments.

[dqr]

Hi michaelw,

  Very good information, thanks! There's not a lot of information on the web, so any little observation is well received.
  Maybe the official Taylor website could make a "historic models" section or "out of catalog" section.

  I have a Taylor Big Baby since 2008 (very nice to carry on but a little hard to play difficult things on it, and it wears 0.10!) I recently sold a Martin D-35 because it was to boomy and to big for me, but some people says that some jumbos are more comfortable than some dreadnoughts. I didn't like the sound of the Martin when strummed with my nails.

  I will keep on thinking...
 

[ctkarslake]

The only way to know if the Jumbo is comfortable to play is to play it yourself.  Everyone's different and not all people will be a good "fit" with a Jumbo body.  I find them a bit too big for real comfort but the sound is definitely worth it.

If you found your Martin D-35 too boomy, I would be curious how you find the sound of a Taylor Jumbo-probably the "boomiest" of the Taylor shapes but with the Taylor "sparkle" .  Maybe a smaller body is what you are looking for?

[dqr]

Hi!

  I will have the chance to try the guitar the next weekend, so I will tell you my impressions or maybe put some pictures here if I finally purchase it.

  I was talking with the owner and he said me that it has a "big" sound but not as boomy as a Martin D-35. The box is narrower so maybe the sound is more balanced for me. Sure it has a good low response, but I still have my Big Baby for a really medium-high or brighter sound. If I purchase the 315, It will be great to have both "characters".

  I recorded my last Ep with the D-35 and I really had to work a bit to fit in the mix (you can hear it here if you want! www.davidquinzan.com)