Blonde-on-Blonde or What I Did On My Summer Vacation

[EGBDF_Paul]

Went in to play a 612 CE but ended up playing a bunch of Taylors. I bounced up and down on the seat all morning long as he put different guitars in front of me. Pardon me if I do not remember the model numbers. The guitars came fast but my primary objective was to try out maple since he had a few on the wall. I tried to stay focused pending a buying decision. 

I played the 612 CE first and in-between all the other guitars. Nice and bright and it would provide a very nice complement to my minor collection. It felt good in my lap and the shorter scale worked to my advantage. The price blew away anything I’ve seen online. It would be hard to beat on this particular day.

Played the new 814 CE. Beautiful guitar with a lot of “shimmer” (IMHO).  It was a front-runner for sound but my heart was becoming owned by the maple. I was disappointed to see that they changed up the maple binding. I’ve always thought that the flamed maple was gorgeous.  Sales guy said that Taylor has not re-voiced the 816 but I think that’s wrong based on the Taylor web site.

Wanted to play a new 812 but the one he had just “flew” out the door. Bummer.

Played the GSM Hog top. Very warm compared to my spruce top. It’s now on my list.

Played a solid mahogany with a cedar top. I think this was a limited edition.  Since I was looking for new tone in my collection this made choosing really difficult. It would sound wonderful playing some of the more intimate pieces in the repertoire.

Finally, I played a 12 fret. Can’t remember the model but I was impressed with the sound. I know that some people find the playability difficult on these so I spent some extra time focusing on that. No problem. One of these definitely needs to find its way home to me.

I wish I could have bought them all. Even the sales guy said it’s not like we had just 6 guitars to pick from. In the end the maple was real easy on the eye and I think it suited my playing style. It spoke to me the loudest.  I didn’t buy it because it had the older ES electronics. So I did the next best thing and ordered one. I was torn between natural and the amber color but in-the-end I stayed with the natural beauty of maple.  Blonde-on-blonde. Cant’ wait but have to. Delivery depends upon availability. Could be as soon as next weekend!

I know I can’t mention prices here but I’m not sure about mentioning the dealership. I bought some stuff from them a very long time ago but they are about 30 miles away. I went there because I knew they had maples in-stock. The sales guy gave great service and since I was there at opening we had the place to ourselves.  We talked about everything from woods to slot tops to prototypes to road shows. I still have much to learn about the world of acoustic guitars and between that dealership and the friendly folks on this forum I think that I now have my bases covered.

Mods please edit if not allowed:

Dealership was Melodee Music at the Sterling, VA location. Sales guy was Mike.

[stepchildusmc]

very nice ! I have no shops like that near me. I envy you !
and maple is my favorite back/sides wood. only thing I don't like about it is that the high E doesn't come across very well under medium strumming. it's fantastic at fingerstyle though !

[EGBDF_Paul]

very nice ! I have no shops like that near me. I envy you !
and maple is my favorite back/sides wood. only thing I don't like about it is that the high E doesn't come across very well under medium strumming. it's fantastic at fingerstyle though !

I was moping about having to go 30 miles but when you put it that way I guess I am fortunate.

Appreciate the feedback on the maple.  It'll be mostly finger style playing for me. I hope it will be what I think it will be.

Semper Fi

Paul
USMC 1974 - 1978

[stepchildusmc]

your welcome brother ! I love my maples. I have a GA and a GS. both are excellent fingerstyle players. notes are piano like.
yeah, for me, it's a day or two trip to find decent music shops. both shops near me have only a few taylors. ones 45 mi. away, the other's about the same but I have that big darn 'ol lake Champlain in the way.... ferry trip.. still not a fan of boats !
so I drive down to NYC area... 5 1/5 hr drive. then over to Philly for more shops( after a pilgrimage to the Tun's tavern site of course). finally back to my little hole in the wall in upstate NY just south of Montreal. that's a lotta driving to "just check some out"

[Ciarre]

Possibly the solid mahogany with cedar top was a 514? Anyway, if you were looking for brighter sound you made a good choice. My 514 is awesome but I sometimes wish for a less subdued sound. Congratulations!

[Edward]

I've personally found maple (and koa) to be the most polarizing of wood choices: people love it or don't much care for it. 

I'm in the former camp, but just like any wood, it's gotta sound "right" with the guitar in your hands as koa and maple are the two woods I would never buy without playing first, whereas I would (and have) rolled the dice on many other woods and have been find, IMHO.

So to your question, what I love about maple is it is a forward-sounding wood, offering fast/snappy attack, and a tonal "presence" that is so very clear and deliberate; likewise a strong midrange that never allows the tone to get "buried" or lost.  It's that fundamental tone's dominance and the lesser harmonic overtones that I find alluring, while others feel its lack of overtones is a deficit.  And keep in mind many seem to call maple "bright" or "thin" ...this can be true with some guitars, but IMHO is too often over-applied as some mistake that emphasis on the fundamental as thin sounding when, in fact, it's big-toned but decaying faster than with a guitar replete with overtones. 

So many variables with maple (not unlike other guitars, really), so like any voice, it's best you hear/play for yourself.  FWIW, I used to think maple sounded best on big-bodied guitars, then I fell into the most glorious-sounding GC-sized maple that debunked that misconception in a heartbeat.  This "little" body has big and round bass notes, a thick/defined midrange that clearly stands forward, yet overall is not what anyone would consider bright as it has a very crisp top end with clear "outline" around the notes, but is never jangly.  Heck, it seems even the trebles have girth to it (yes, I bought it ).  And yes, mine would be stellar for fingerstyle.  So don't let the generalizations or "conventional wisdom" sway you: the maple guitar in your hands either does it for you or misses.  Hope that gives you something to think about

Edward

[129Jayman]

I love the looks of the 600 series guitars with the big leaf maple backs and sides. I have been informed that those who get the most out of them are those who play finger style and that pic players like me find them to be annoyingly bright. I don't play finger style but if I have to to get my hands on a big leaf maple guitar I will!

Jay

[EGBDF_Paul]

I've personally found maple (and koa) to be the most polarizing of wood choices: people love it or don't much care for it. 

I'm in the former camp, but just like any wood, it's gotta sound "right" with the guitar in your hands as koa and maple are the two woods I would never buy without playing first, whereas I would (and have) rolled the dice on many other woods and have been find, IMHO.

So to your question, what I love about maple is it is a forward-sounding wood, offering fast/snappy attack, and a tonal "presence" that is so very clear and deliberate; likewise a strong midrange that never allows the tone to get "buried" or lost.  It's that fundamental tone's dominance and the lesser harmonic overtones that I find alluring, while others feel its lack of overtones is a deficit.  And keep in mind many seem to call maple "bright" or "thin" ...this can be true with some guitars, but IMHO is too often over-applied as some mistake that emphasis on the fundamental as thin sounding when, in fact, it's big-toned but decaying faster than with a guitar replete with overtones. 

So many variables with maple (not unlike other guitars, really), so like any voice, it's best you hear/play for yourself.  FWIW, I used to think maple sounded best on big-bodied guitars, then I fell into the most glorious-sounding GC-sized maple that debunked that misconception in a heartbeat.  This "little" body has big and round bass notes, a thick/defined midrange that clearly stands forward, yet overall is not what anyone would consider bright as it has a very crisp top end with clear "outline" around the notes, but is never jangly.  Heck, it seems even the trebles have girth to it (yes, I bought it ).  And yes, mine would be stellar for fingerstyle.  So don't let the generalizations or "conventional wisdom" sway you: the maple guitar in your hands either does it for you or misses.  Hope that gives you something to think about

Edward

Thanks for the very informative feedback Edward.

I loved the maple I played in the store. First couple of strums I thought "bright" but I did not think "tinny". Played some lead riffs with no negative reaction. Noodled around with a short medley of various finger picking stuff and I still felt the same way. The only thing that kept me from getting it was that it did not have the ES2 electronics. So I ordered one. The question then becomes .... will it sound close to the one I played? The demo guitar had 80/20's on it and I'm almost sure that the new guitar will have the straight PB's on it. That may account for some difference and I'll take that into account.

In my brain and IMHO there are songs that are not meant to compete with overtones (Dust in the Wind, Windy and Warm, etc.). The notes are meant to be clear and distinct. This is what I'm looking for.

Interesting point on the maple GC because that was exactly my concern. Maybe I wanted a larger body guitar. After playing the 612 CE I felt that it exceeded my expectations as a predominantly finger style guitarist. Ultimately, time will tell.

Care to name that GC?

You're a much braver soul than me because I wouldn't roll the dice on any big ticket guitar.

I heard the generalizations and read a lot of fancy adjectives trying to be PC about the sound of a maple guitar. I played it and I enjoyed it and that's all that matters to me. Perhaps because it is a Taylor didn't hurt either 

Paul

[EGBDF_Paul]

I love the looks of the 600 series guitars with the big leaf maple backs and sides. I have been informed that those who get the most out of them are those who play finger style and that pic players like me find them to be annoyingly bright. I don't play finger style but if I have to to get my hands on a big leaf maple guitar I will!

Jay

I know what you mean about the looks. They look different yet attractive. I had to be very careful to not let that sway me too much but I'd be a liar if I said that it was not a factor.

I think the only time this guitar will see any kind of pick is if I'm playing a finger style piece with strong full barre strumming passages. Fortunately, I don't know any of those at the moment  but I have have one on my list to get to. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has something like that that would be fun to play.

Paul

[Edward]

Hi Paul,

Well as for rolling the dice, if I buy w/o personally demoing I will only do so if I find the right deal for me, knowing full well that if I don't bond I will sell it but won't lose my shirt.  So far so good as there are a few guitars I love and still own as keepers that I got this way, and others that eventually found their way to new owners.  No regrets; someone else should enjoy those fine guitars that simply weren't my taste

Given what you've said about overtones, I think you're the perfect candidate for a fine maple guit as you clearly know what you want to hear.   Since you asked, that "GC" I spoke of is an R.Taylor style-2, engelmann top and quilted b/s.  Stupidly stunning in its appearance ...hahaha.  That beauty is what caught my eye at first, natch.  But I am serious when I say I demoed this guit against maybe a dozen other equally/higher-priced fiiine guitars (over and over again, wanting to be sure I was taking home the tone and not the looks), and this style-2 is the one came home with me.  Funny as it was the first one I picked up, and it withstood the gauntlet and walked away the victor

FWIW, I am primarily a strummer/hybrid strummer-picker.  Perhaps 5% of what I play involves bare fingers picking.  And this RT really "does it" for me.  It's not my "play-out" guitar for a variety of reasons, but it is the acoustic I always reach for at home: whether to work on music, learn a new song, or develop a new riff or whole tune.

I hope that 612 does it for you!  Let us know how it works out 

Edward

[stepchildusmc]

that is an excellent summation on the properties of maple Edward ! thank you !