GO Models

[timfitz63]

timfitz.....I'm a rhythm player. like you, so when you write, I "listen"...

Thanks, "krugjr!"  I appreciate the compliment!

For the record, I'm not saying the 818e is a bad guitar; or that it might not find a place in someone's collection.  Just that I can't seem to see (or more to the point, hear) it in mine...

...when you write "unbalanced", I believe I know exactly what you're saying.....I own, and love, a 2013 520e FE, a 2013 514e FLTD and a 2012 810e Proto.....along with their individual tones, "perfectly balanced" describes them all....we all have guitars not only for what they are but also for how we use them.....all things considered, there is a reason my 818 is the one for sale, while the others..........not so!

Your posts on your 818e FE have been curious to me; it seems that you liked it enough to have bought it in the first place -- and continue to find things that you like about it, but have maybe become disillusioned with it...?  Or perhaps you've simply found that you like your other guitars more, by comparison, than you like your 818e FE...?

[Jersey tuning]

Jersey.....the 2013 818e First Edition is the only 818 with Adirondack Bracing and , IMO, is far from colorless.....I play it side by side with my 2012 810e Proto (awesome sound) and sometimes I forget which of the two I'm playing....I also played the '13 818 FE side by side with the '14 818 and much preferred the '13....I'm one that has not warmed to the new 800 makeover.....curious which 818 you played...

The 818 was not an FE, so suspect it to be a 2014.  Out of balance boomy may be a better appraisal of the one I played.

[krugjr]

timfitz.....about my 818...yeah, I bought it to try it out, to compare it to my others and to see if it would possibly "replace" any of them.....I almost sent it back under the return policy but then decided to give it more time, try diff strings (80/20s and PBs), let it open up a little and try diff approaches like maybe have one guitar in a diff tuning, etc.....knowing from when I bought it I wasn't going to keep all four, it hasn't grabbed me enough to cause me to sell one of the others.....if budget was no issue, I would keep it in a heartbeat and find times where it would fit into my rhythm playing.....last couple of comments about the 818, strummer to strummer (and we all know all the GOs are unique) I play GAs, GSs and Dreads and I get the extra bottom out of all of them by sort of "pounding" on the strings and the bridge while strumming (make any sense?) that's my style...what I've noticed is the 818 kicks out all those beautiful lows I love just by strumming, without the "percussion style" pounding I described.....and that's a good thing, even though that's a diff way of strumming for me...I bought it to see if it would have all the balance of my 810 AND add the extra lows to it for an unplugged sound like none of my others....but it doesn't, and that brings me to my second comment...best way I can describe it, sometimes when playing the 818 (certain chords, bar chords or open chords, how high up the neck, etc) it seems like I hear 4 strings instead of 6, or 5 strings instead of 6, or I hear all 6 only some louder than others.....I hope that makes sense cuz that's the best way I can describe it.....whenever I speak of balance and/or note separation, that's what I mean, hearing all strings and all notes evenly.....that's why I've commented here a couple times that to my amateur ears, the GOs and their bracing may need a little tweeking over the next couple years, but what do I know, we're talking Bob Taylor and Andy Powers here, not krugjr! It's been said here many times and it is so true, there is no "one guitar" that would be perfect for anyone.....that's what got me into this situation, owning four great guitars (five, let's not forget the always useful mini) when I only intended to find two!

[timfitz63]

timfitz.....about my 818...yeah, I bought it to try it out, to compare it to my others and to see if it would possibly "replace" any of them.....I almost sent it back under the return policy but then decided to give it more time, try diff strings (80/20s and PBs), let it open up a little and try diff approaches like maybe have one guitar in a diff tuning, etc.....knowing from when I bought it I wasn't going to keep all four, it hasn't grabbed me enough to cause me to sell one of the others.....if budget was no issue, I would keep it in a heartbeat and find times where it would fit into my rhythm playing.....last couple of comments about the 818, strummer to strummer (and we all know all the GOs are unique) I play GAs, GSs and Dreads and I get the extra bottom out of all of them by sort of "pounding" on the strings and the bridge while strumming (make any sense?) that's my style...what I've noticed is the 818 kicks out all those beautiful lows I love just by strumming, without the "percussion style" pounding I described.....and that's a good thing, even though that's a diff way of strumming for me...I bought it to see if it would have all the balance of my 810 AND add the extra lows to it for an unplugged sound like none of my others....but it doesn't, and that brings me to my second comment...best way I can describe it, sometimes when playing the 818 (certain chords, bar chords or open chords, how high up the neck, etc) it seems like I hear 4 strings instead of 6, or 5 strings instead of 6, or I hear all 6 only some louder than others.....I hope that makes sense cuz that's the best way I can describe it.....whenever I speak of balance and/or note separation, that's what I mean, hearing all strings and all notes evenly.....that's why I've commented here a couple times that to my amateur ears, the GOs and their bracing may need a little tweeking over the next couple years, but what do I know, we're talking Bob Taylor and Andy Powers here, not krugjr! It's been said here many times and it is so true, there is no "one guitar" that would be perfect for anyone.....that's what got me into this situation, owning four great guitars (five, let's not forget the always useful mini) when I only intended to find two!

OK, I follow you, "krugjr!"  I understand the strumming technique you're describing, but don't use it myself; in fact, I've been working very hard to strum evenly across all the correct strings for the chord.

But it sounds like (pardon the pun) we're hearing the same thing with the 818:  the lack of balance makes it seem like you're missing strings...  I've heard the same thing once before with another Custom Taylor Rosewood guitar.

Other woods (primarily Blackheart Sassafras and Maple; and to some degree, Mahogany) seem to work much better with the GO body than Rosewood; their natural sonic properties are better able to balance the boost in bass provided by the GO body.

[Buffadog]

I never realised I would be starting such an intrigueing and interesting debate when I started this post! It is great to hear the valued opinions and experiences with the GO's from so so many different people. The reason I first posted was that I was surprised to see some of the GO's becoming 'Legacy' models so soon after all the marketing presence around their initla launch; however what I'm hearing is that the Rosewood GO's just haven't gained the popularity of others and in particular it appears that the 618 is the most successful of the GO's (and when I initially tried tham all a year or so back it was the one that appealed to me the most too, but my head kept over ruling my heart so never pulled the trigger on one) - so I wonder what impact the re-voiced 618 GO will have on that situation, and will they keep the original 618 or will that become legacy too?

[timfitz63]

... so I wonder what impact the re-voiced 618 GO will have on that situation, and will they keep the original 618 or will that become legacy too?

The 618e, in its current iteration, will almost certainly become a 'legacy' model.  Can't really say how the 600 Series re-voicing will affect the 618e, though.  As Scott ("Guitarsan") pointed out somewhere on the forum (could be this thread), there appears to be some bracing changes coming for this model; but given the relative newness of the GO (which is an Andy Powers design to begin with), these may only be fine-tuning tweaks.  Guess we'll all just have to wait and see...

[Harley]

I definitely more of a "pick it up and play it and see if you like it" kinda' guy.

The minutia of the specs takes the fun out of it real fast for me.

[timfitz63]

Got the chance to play a 618e First Edition today, and compare it directly to a 'legacy' 618e.  Still gotta say I prefer the 'legacy' 600 Series guitars to the re-voiced ones.  The new 618e displayed the same 'Rosehogany' characteristics as the new 614ce I played:  impressively clear bass response for a Maple guitar, but 'clipped' on the treble side.  The 'legacy' 618e sounded more balanced to me.

But if you like the new 600 Series, you'll probably like the new 618 too.

[donlyn]

replied so as to be a reference to a similar topic,

"GS vs GO: noticeable difference?"

[eggman]

Howdy,

 In the Summer of 2013 I was on the fence between Martin's newly re-voiced D18 (Oh, that scalloped bracing!) and Taylor's new Special edition 518e GO, which cost around $400 more than the D18. After an hour of careful back and forth playing, this ex-lineman went with the D18. My '13 D18 remains the best sounding "new" acoustic I've ever played; it's that good.
 As for the 518e GO, someday I intend to acquire one, as Taylor seems to have a real winner on it's hands. That jumbo body is such a good fit for Mahogany. Lovely tone and playability.