A Change of Mind About the 918

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Trading a guitar you like for a new one you want makes little sense, even if that new guitar you want is the 918e. The thing to do, if possible is to add that 918e to the stable without getting rid of any keepers. 

[cedarkoa599]

I have heard all of the models and the 918 is the least impressive. The other two are va va voom, especially the 518 and I wonder why that is?

[cedarkoa599]

Last Saturday, I drove back to New Hampshire from my home in Maine to pickup the 918e. Two days earlier I had called the dealer to make sure he had received my check for the difference between the trade-in value and the price of the 918e. The dealer confirmed he had received it. Once there, since I had the acoustic guitar room to myself, I decided to play my guitar one last time. After a few minutes I put it in its case and picked up the 918e and played it.

This time, what stood out was not only  the overall high volume of the grand orchestra guitar and the strong low notes but the fact that the wound strings, while not as muffled sounding as guitars from the brands with a long heritage, were more muffled than my Engelmann spruce / Brazilian rosewood grand auditorium. As I played on I began to realize that the muted highs of those strings would bother me more than the guitar's virtues would please me. I did consider the grand orchestra guitar would still complement my other grand auditorium guitars but also realized I probably wouldn't play it very much because of the reduced shimmer.

I decided to keep my 16 year old Engelmann spruce/ Brazilian rosewood, grand auditorium guitar and the dealer graciously wrote me a check for the amount I had sent him earlier in the week. Nevertheless, I was embarrassed for having uncharacteristically changed my mind.

I learned to play on a classical guitar so when I turn to a steel-string I certainly don't want a mellow sound but even my bespoke classical guitar, made with spruce from Germany and maple from Canada, is brighter than many classical guitars that I find too muffled.

The grand orchestra guitar is truly impressive. I think it is likely that the bracing of the grand orchestra will become as significant a development as X bracing. I would love to be around when someone shows up at a bluegrass meet with a 918 to see the reactions.

I bet you are glad you realized it before it was too late! You sure have a great guitar that I would never part with! Glad everything worked out for you!

[Herb Hunter]

Trading a guitar you like for a new one you want makes little sense, even if that new guitar you want is the 918e. The thing to do, if possible is to add that 918e to the stable without getting rid of any keepers. 

If buying the 918 without trading in one of my guitars were an option for me, the title of this thread would be: I Added a 918 to My Guitar Collection.

[Herb Hunter]

...Do you have any pics of your Brazilian?
davidc

Here is a photograph of my Brazilian rosewood grand auditorium:

[Edward]

Hmmmm, braz and full ab binding....   I vote for more pics, all angles, in HD; purely for the sake of full disclosure, mind you.


Edward

[mgap]

Hmmmm, braz and full ab binding....   I vote for more pics, all angles, in HD; purely for the sake of full disclosure, mind you.


Edward

Agreed!

From what I see this guitar is a lifer. 

[Scriptor]

I decided to keep my 16 year old Engelmann spruce/ Brazilian rosewood, grand auditorium guitar and the dealer graciously wrote me a check for the amount I had sent him earlier in the week. Nevertheless, I was embarrassed for having uncharacteristically changed my mind.

There have been times when I should have changed my mind just like you did ... I commend you for taking the time and honest assessment and being willing to change your mind at the last minute ... these are big decisions for most of us ... nothing worse than getting a guitar home only to realize you are disappointed in some way ... also, pretty cool to learn you like what you already have ...

[Herb Hunter]

Hmmmm, braz and full ab binding....   I vote for more pics, all angles, in HD; purely for the sake of full disclosure, mind you.
 

Edward

[Herb Hunter]

I appreciate all the supportive comments I have received. Thanks.

[Cindy]

Yeow!!! That is one STUNNING guitar, Herb! The abalone looks especially colorful. Is it regular abalone or something else? And for the record, what fretboard inlay design is used?

I love the smiley bridge pin formation, too. Have any idea why Taylor switched it?

[Herb Hunter]

Yeow!!! That is one STUNNING guitar, Herb! The abalone looks especially colorful. Is it regular abalone or something else? And for the record, what fretboard inlay design is used?

I love the smiley bridge pin formation, too. Have any idea why Taylor switched it?

Thank you for your complimentary comment.


The fretboard has Taylor's Byzantine inlay pattern and the inlay material used was select abalone. There are several species of abalone with paua having the reputation of being the most colorful so it is likely that the species of abalone used on my guitar was paua. This is reflected in the fretboard guide which shows the byzantine pattern on the last page and identifies the inlay material as paua:


http://www.taylorguitars.com/sites/default/files/2012-Inlay-Guide-taylor-guitars.pdf


I'm not aware that the bridge ornamentation has changed for guitars ordered with the Byzantine inlay pattern.

[Edward]

WAIT one minute here  ...full ab front, back, and fretboard extension, with byz inlay, in paua shell, replete with real Braz RW and AA Engelmann top ...and you wanted to trade for an off-the-shelf production-line GO?!!!
You feeling ok, Herb??   Apparently you're now feeling much better since you clearly came to your senses ...lol! 

FWIW, I have a Custom DN with the paua shell on the front (only, not the back, unfortunately), and it is a stunning shell,  seriously iridescent and changes hue/intensity given the angle ...very reminiscent to the RT's green-heart abalone.  Gorgeous stuff this paua!

OK Herb, suffice it to say you've got an amazing stunner there.  Clearly the tone is where any guitar is at, so suffice it to say, you've got a double threat: serious beauty and tone you love.  How can one not celebrate? 

Edward

[Joseph]

Yeow!!! That is one STUNNING guitar, Herb! The abalone looks especially colorful. Is it regular abalone or something else? And for the record, what fretboard inlay design is used?

I love the smiley bridge pin formation, too. Have any idea why Taylor switched it?

I agree Cindy! That is a stunning guitar Herb!..and I love the old pattern for the endpins. I don't know why Taylor changed it. My 1998 415 jumbo looks great with it. The 2009 GS custom has the "updated" straight pin layout. I definitely like the older smiley look... It looks more like a custom guitar would. Now... if we could just get Taylor to change the headstock design to look like Bob Taylor's "R Taylor" snakehead design, that would be awesome! Straight pull on all the strings over the nut...and a beautiful design...taking away that bunched up look on the bass and treble E strings, especially on the GS with a 1 7/8" nut width. Last week I put new strings on the GS, winding the outside E strings on the opposite side. It is just an experiment, and it is a bit confusing tuning, going in and out of dropped D tuning. It does look better...just a bit weird.   

[cedarkoa599]

Hmmmm, braz and full ab binding....   I vote for more pics, all angles, in HD; purely for the sake of full disclosure, mind you.
 

Edward

OMG never give that one up! What a beauty!