Taylor/Martin Question

[krugjr]

thought I'd ask.....for those of you with a Martin in your stable of Taylors, did you "sacrifice" one of your Taylors  (and it's tone) for the Martin (and it's tone) or did you just add to the collection?

[Earl]

More like I got rid of the Martins, in favor of acquiring Taylors.

[krugjr]

Earl.....which models did you get rid of? and did you end up with some ovangkol cuz it had "a bit" of that Martin tone.......or not really.....

[guitarsrsoawesome]

The Martin 000-15sm (all Mahogany) I had taught me how much I love mahogany's tone and led me to get rid of a Taylor GS8 (Rosewood/Spruce) for a Taylor 514ce (Mahogany/Cedar) which for me is the best sounding wood combination of the standard issue Taylors.  I no longer have the Martin either, but the hog/cedar Taylor is staying, perhaps because the cedar is a warmer sound than sitka spruce.  Closer to a Martin?  Possibly

[Rev Roy]

I sold my Martin D-28 so I could buy my new Taylor 814. LOVED that D-28, but that big dread body just wasn't nearly as playable as the Taylor GA. And having two high-end guitars just isn't in a retired preacher's budget. I've never regretted the switch. The new 800 series is fantastic...in tone and bling.

[sstaylor58]

I just recently sold my 324ce koa to fund a Martin OM-15 custom all gloss from LA Guitars.  Love the Martin, I still have 3 Taylor's, including a recent mini koa purchase.

[krugjr]

good to hear from ya, awesome.....yup, something about that cedar over hog sound for sure.....

sstaylor.....hmmmmmm, so there's someone who sold a Taylor when they found a nice Martin....Ted's good to work with...

Rev Roy.....I hear ya on the budget thing, tough when one has to go, been there done that...glad you found that 814....do you finger style or strum mostly!   oh, and hopefully preachers never "really" retire!

[Earl]

Earl.....which models did you get rid of? and did you end up with some ovangkol cuz it had "a bit" of that Martin tone.......or not really.....

I sold a Martin 000-16, an older 80's vintage D-28, and their weird aluminum topped resonator ALT II res.  As I got a bit older, my left hand grew to really dislike the Martin neck shape and width - it hurt to play for more than 20 minutes - but Taylor necks at 1-3/4" always worked fine. 

In addition, Martin fought me on warranty coverage for two different original-owner neck resets out of four guitars!!  One guitar needed a neck reset at one year old and the other at eight years old, and they resisted both times, so I am kinda mad at them permanently.  That is why I say "got rid of".  The only Martin that I have kept is the custom shop J-40, which is now a great instrument - after a neck reset, bridge relocation, and a bunch of other repairs of factory defects.  That guitar satisfies all of my Martin desires for this lifetime.

I ended up with my ovangkol 414 (my first Taylor) because of its awesome and powerful tone, not too bassy but still crisp.  And my particular example stood out even against other 414's.  I get offers to trade it for D-28's fairly regularly, but see no reason to step down in guitar quality.

[krugjr]

well stated on all fronts, even about the J40 and the "work" it needed to become a "keeper".......thanks, Earl.....

[quake17]

In my case added. None of my Martins have built in pick-ups and three of my Taylors have the ES. Very different sounds. Horses for courses, so to speak.

[fmbstrummer]

I added the 000-15sm 12 fret to my Taylor collection just for the all hog fix.  The 12 fret, slot head was the bonus here.  I have been unable to sacrifice any of the Taylors though.  I recently added a 518e which won out over the D-18.  The 518e is a monster. 

Fmb

[guitarsrsoawesome]

I added the 000-15sm 12 fret to my Taylor collection just for the all hog fix.  The 12 fret, slot head was the bonus here.  I have been unable to sacrifice any of the Taylors though.  I recently added a 518e which won out over the D-18.  The 518e is a monster. 

Fmb

that 000-15sm you have is amazing...i would play custom lights on it because it had so much growl that it didn't lose much bass and it was so stinking easy to play.  Hope you're enjoying it as much as I did mine...

[Gutch]

I went through a Martin phase about ten years ago.  Had a couple different Juber signature models -- Mahogany/Adi OM18c-LJ (tone seemed harsh considering the wood combination), EIR/Adi OMC28-LJ (played through 5 different examples of the model at Elderly to find the right one), a D28 Marquis (baseball bat neck that needed a reset though new), and the obligatory 000-28EC Clapton signature.  They were all good guitars, but none of them had the magic combination of great tone and easy playability.  The Rosewood Juber was the closest, but was very finicky when it came to humidity levels and needed a half hour of solid play for the top to loosen up and sound right.


End of the day, none of the Martins could provide what darned near every Taylor I've brought home gave me.  Lesson learned. 

[Willhubbs]

I love my Taylor 712e-fltd so much, but I'd NEVER consider parting with my Martin D-28 for any Taylor, I think as a manufacturer they just make an entirely different type of instrument and as much as do adore the Taylor brand more so, but Gibson/Martin just make more woody and natural sounding guitars, whereas Taylor make guitars with great clarity and a hi-fi balanced sound, AND have the best pickups money can buy.

[Christhee68]

When I was shopping for a pro-quality acoustic, I tried Martins and Taylors. I liked both. I think what swayed me toward the Taylor was the NT neck. I still would love to have a Martin someday but I don't think I would sell my 314ce to get it, though.