Anyone Know Why Taylor's Cost So Much?

[CodeBlueEMT]

 "Anyone Know Why Taylor's Cost So Much?"

 Ask me in 20 years. 

[sitedrifter]

I do not think Taylors cost that much more (if at all) in comparing similar guitars. I just purchased a 416CE LTD for a stupid price (brand new) and even if I got it at the higher sale price of $XXXX it is still a better value then Taylors main competitor, Martin. I compared the 416ce toa DC-16OGTE Martin and I was a bit taken back on how much plastic (Richlite/Boltaron) and non specific wood (neck) is used on the Martin guitars I was looking at. I am sure nothing is wrong with the materials but when I decided to by an American made guitar, I wanted wood and not plastic. With the Taylor, only the nut and saddle are synthetic which is fine by me whereas the rest of the guitar is wood and the type of wood is specified. If you want to talk expensive acoustics, let's say the word, Gibson.  Gibson was my second choice but the cost for even their lowest USA made series was not justifiable in my mind when I was comparing it to the Taylor.


All in all after researching guitars for a weeks I found prices are comparable between most USA made brands but features and materials within those brands are not.



edited for price

[rlj98]

They do, but no more so than anything else.  The price I paid for my Hohner HG320 in 1978, after being adjusted for inflation, would today buy two Taylor 110's, with some left over.  The Hohner is a really good guitar, but the 110 is unquestionably better made and sounds quite a bit better.  The higher numbered Taylor series do get pretty expensive, but then they also have a lot of trim (maybe too much for some tastes).  I don't think I could justify buying anything more expensive than the 500 series, unless I really thought I needed an all koa guitar.  But to get to your main point, trying to justify buying the Taylor -- if it sounds good and you can still afford to eat, you did it.