Taylor Kool-aid

[Strumming Fool]

But when I read Acoustic Guitar magazine I am stirred by heretical emotions and visits to local guitar shops have tempted me to stray from my faith in the Taylor patented New Technology (NT) neck.  I am sorry, but I like that my guitars remain in tune long after I last tuned them. 

Still, I am tempted to stray by the pantheon of legendary guitars. How can all those who don't play Taylors be wrong? 


Bill

I have a couple of Taylors with pre-NT necks that also stay in tune forever, so the NT neck is only part of the solution. There are other great brands out there that feature guitars that stay in tune due to their overall quality. These may not necessarily include the "legendary" brands. There are several very well respected guitar makers who use some version of a bolt-on neck that should be worth your consideration as well. 

As for others who don't play Taylors. they're not wrong. They just like something different than what Taylor has to offer.  Why not "place your toe in the water" of some other brands, and see what else may "float your boat" besides Taylor! I did, and I had a blast while it lasted....

[JimmerO]

Should I purchase a (horror) non-Taylor guitar,

Yes.

will I be cast into the lake of fire? 

For sure!  But it's not so bad in there.  We're having a heckuva jam session.

Seriously, I really like my Taylor 714CE.  I love the tone, I love the intonation, and I especially love the way it plays.  There are some other Talyors that I'm interested in as well especially the 12 String variety.

But when I take my Martin HD-28 and strum it I just can't get over how sweet the tone is.  The playability isn't that far off the Taylor and the intonation is exceptional as well. 

Those two guitars have very different characters but I love them both.  I also have an Ovation Legend that is quite different and I love for other reasons. 

If they all sounded the same I'd keep the best one and sell the rest.  But individual character is what I want in my instruments. 

So go forth and play some other instruments...why not.

[Strumming Fool]

But when I take my Martin HD-28 and strum it I just can't get over how sweet the tone is.  The playability isn't that far off the Taylor and the intonation is exceptional as well. 

Back in 1980, I bought a new HD 28 (picked from 5 in the store) in NYC. In my mind, it was my first real guitar. It was a beauty - classic looks with a wonderful, sweet tone - and it had the best smelling rosewood I have ever experienced! Friends would ask to smell this guitar in between songs during jam sessions. Fond memories of that one - so I can relate!

[michaelw]

until they bring this flavor back
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-KOOL-AID-RASPBERRY-PACKET-UNOPENED-/121457624736?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c477046a0

it'll have to be "twisted" for me
http://www.shopfoodex.com/koolaid-blue-raspberry-lemonade-packet-p-37743.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Merchant%2BCenter&utm_campaign=Feed&gclid=CMSCkc2XtcECFfLm7AodwCoAUA

unless that one has been discontinued too
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/products/productinfosearchresults.aspx?catalogtype=1&brandid=25&searchtext=kool-aid%20powdered%20&pageno=1

i've played new out-of-box martins that were easier to play than some Taylors after a minor
neck relief adjustment & gibson hummingbird that really should have followed me home, but
back then it was the same $ as a current 510e (& now, i'm thinking maybe i should have done it) -
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-GIB-SSHB-HCNH?src=Y0802G00SRCHCAPN&gclid=CM6-stadtcECFbPm7AodYi0A8g

but having come across a few lemon grove era square shoulder 510s for a fraction
of the $ i don't regret it for a second & yet, for little more than what a current 510e
runs, i'm thinking 518, wide compression grain sitka top & HP package, but i'll wait &
see if the 3.5 mil trickles down to the 500s (maybe on a LTD model, with a B-grade adi top )

i had a larrivee D-05M & a C-05 (late 90's) which i would have liked to have kept, but other
circumstances required that they move onto to greener pastures, but i have a 98 SWD (non-GT)
that's not going anywhere, not because of the "heritage" or that it's "not" something else, nor
am i a blind, brand-loyal fanboi, not that there's anything wrong with that, but when i buy i look
for tone, playability, build quality, aesthetics, customer service, company backing & affordability,
no matter who makes it, where it's made, what it's made of or how it's made (i.e. bolt-on neck or not)

i've tried & owned enough of them to know what my personal preferences are & at
what point the diminishing returns are to where i cannot justify the overall value per $,
but this may mean absolutely nothing to someone else because their preferences
may be, & most likely will be, totally & completely different & to that end i call "no joy"

if it "speaks" to you & it's within budget, regardless of the name on the headstock, be a 26 year old nike ad


play what you like,
buy what you love

ymmv

[Christhee68]

My late grandfather was a famous bluegrass picker. He always played Martins. The guitar I remember most of his was a D-35 and I'm pretty sure he probably had a D-28 and D-18 stashed under his bed too. So to me, my entire life, when someone said "Guitar" it meant Martin.

When he died, it was understood that the grand kids would get the instruments. Since I am the oldest, I figured I would get my pick of the litter. When the funeral was over, we returned home and found that all the instruments were gone. I'm not sure where they went, but I still have the hope in the back of my mind that one of his Martins will make it way to me some day.

Fast forward to the present day where I am a semi-professional musician and I just bought my first "real" guitar--a Taylor 314ce. I played a bunch of Martins during the shopping process, but I decided if I was going to be spending my own money on a tool for my business, I was going to get a Taylor. What swayed me was the NT neck, and believe it or not, the Wood and Steel Magazine, which I have been getting from my local music store for the past several years. I have really learned to appreciate Taylor's technology and the way they do business.

I would still love to have a Martin, but I'm still looking to inherit one. At this point, since I'm spending my own money, I'm going with the Taylor all the way.