LeftyBassist.com

I'm looking into buying a mid+ acoustic. I tried a Taylor 114e and really liked it.
Like, I could actually play it because of the scale and neck width. And it sounded great.

I didn't like the Martins and others that I tried. Do any of you have experience playing
acoustic guitar? Or know if the difference is big enough to go from a 1-series to a 2- or 3-series?

Other brands? I heard good things about the Guild, but it's made in China. I didn't play a Gibson.

TIA!

pete

Yes, I play acoustic, and I do have a couple I'll be selling soon, particularly a gorgeous custom made and rare Larrivee D03R with maple swirl inlays on the bridge. Larrivees are great affordable guitars with their own sound.

My take on Taylors: I love the GS mini as a great little travel guitar. But Taylors, to my ears, have a very clear, defined, but sterile sound, borderline thin and too bright on some models. I like their 416 and above series, much fuller and bigger bass. I used to own a 214 and sold it. Just not full sounding and/or organic enough. And the 315 was okay, but nothing I'd rank higher than other brands. Their dreadnoughts have also bene fairly lacking, though they have a new dread out now that sounds damn good in the videos (Grand Pacific acoustic).

I also used to own a Guild GAD50 Chinese guitar. Great guitar for the money, really loud and well-made, but a very different tone than my other acoustics with a noticeable mid range bump. A great strummer, but it was hard to get subtlety out of it. It was a very powerful guitar. I believe the GAD150 is the newer version.

I'm a Martin man. IMO, you have to own a Martin to fully appreciate them 'cause they are rarely impressive in stores. The strings are usually dead and the action is high out of the box. When I bought my D28, I honestly didn't know if I made the right decision. I got it for a good price (and it's a stunning D28 in Autumn Burst finish), but it was difficult to play and kind of dull sounding. Once I filed the bridge saddle down a touch and slapped a fresh set of strings on it, it came alive. This is THE sound of a dreadnaught, IMO. What a classic acoustic should sound like, and it's a hard guitar to put down. Martin lovers form a unique bond with their guitars, and now I know why. The thing just seems to understand me and where I want to go next, LOL. So don't give up on Martins.

There are so many variables to consider when buying an acoustic, (which is why I own 6 of them because they all vary in sound, size, and style), so try to pinpoint what it is you're looking for. What body size, shape, will you be strictly strumming, finger picking, or both? Nut width, different tonal characteristics of woods, etc.

I have to agree with PJ about Taylors, you want one that's in the 500 series and up, but they aren't cheap, even when you find one used. i also have a couple of Martins - an HD35 and a HD-28-12 (12 string) and they're both excellent guitars. But again probably more than you want to spend. You may want to look at something like an Ibanez AE245LNT https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AE245LNT--ibanez-ae245-left-handed-natural-high-gloss . Had one for a bit before i returned it because I got a killer deal on a Gibson J-45. The Ibby sounded amazing through my board on headphones, and recorded really really well. Through PA speakers it sounded almost as good. i also liked the sound of it unplugged. However, the neck profile is very thin - apparently that's the case with all Ibby acoustics - and I don't think my hands would take to that well after a few hours of playing at a gig.

However, i'll have to disagree with PJ a tad as I've always been a sucker for the Gibson tone and have gassed for an SJ-200 for years lol. Not that Martins aren't classic ...

Which bring up the question of what tone are you looking for? I'm a big fan of maple or rosewood bodies because i prefer the brighter tone. Mahogany bodies not so much, unless the top back and sides are all mahogany.

there's so much more to consider when buying an acoustic as PJ mentioned.

I agree, my GS Mini Mahogany is my go-to acoustic when playing at home. I love it! I also have a Baby Taylor (it sounds as small as it looks, but is a lot of fun to play and easy to carry around), and played a 314 a number of times that I liked a lot. But you have to like their bright, modern tone.

Wow, what a plethora of awesome, valuable info. Thanks guys!

I think, at the end of the day, I liked the Taylor, but I'm also thinking about budget, too.
I can get a 3-series for $1,800, but I can get a 1-series for $700, or a 2-series for $900.
I'm not sure what the tonal/build differences are.

I liked the bright, loud tone of the Taylor. I have big hands, so the largest neck profile would be best.
It's not like we can just go to Guitar Center and try all of these models. I never realized that there were
so many styles of acoustics even from the same manufacturer.

pete

The 1 and 2 series are made in Mexico, to keep pricing lower. And I believe they have laminated backs and sides.

Dem's fighting' words, Marc!

I didn't comment on Gibson because I've never actually had the pleasure of playing/owning one, so I didn't feel qualified. (And if I did, I'm afraid I might retire my dear D28!). At best, I've tried a couple upside down, and really couldn't give an honest opinion under those circumstances. But here's what I know: Listen to all your favorite classic acoustic recordings. If it ain't a Martin, then it's likely a Gibson.
The J45, SJ200, L00, these are all classic, iconic guitars.

That's one reason for me to think about a 3-series. They're fully made in the US plant and use tone woods.

I just wanna play like Adrian Legg. Is that too much to ask?

pete

I play a Martin HD-28, had it for 20 years, and it gets sweeter all the time.

I was surprised at how good the offshore Martins sound. The necks are easy to play too. I'm thinking of buying one for those times when I don't want to take the holy HD-28 for a knock around.

A side note about Gibson acoustics. It seems to me the quality coming out of the Montana factory has literally skyrocketed in the last 2 or 3 years. I also ordered an L-00 at the same time as the J-45 just so I could compare the two. Sonically they were very similar, with the L-00 being lighter on the bass as you would expect, so back it went as well.

A few years back - like 5 or 6 years ago - I was on another hunt for a Gibby, but everything I tried sounded dead and lifeless. And I tried a bunch of them from Hummingbirds to parlours. I don't know what changed, but they have def upped their game quality-wise. While at NAMM this year I got to play a Lefty Hummingbird; Hummingbird studio; L-00 studio; SJ-200 studio; and another J-45 non-Studio. Wasn't too impressed with the Studio series. They are good guitars, but don't quite have that classic Gibson chime I look for. Had the wife play about 6 righty models so she could see what all the fuss was about. Now she gets it lol.

If you ever get to play a J-45 made with horse-hide glue on the bracing and/or back and sides, you'll notice a huge difference in the tone. But good luck finding a lefty one, I never have. I've only messed with righty's on occasion. You could probably order one made that way but its a very spendy option last time I looked.

Lastly, if you (or anyone) do plan on spending $$$ on a high end acoustic, I'd wait for Sweetwater's summer time Yellow Tag sale. You can negotiate killer prices with them. That's how I got the J-45

Yeah, I think I may have decided on a J-45 Studio, especially since I was front row last night for Richard Marx and he was playing
a Gibson.

pete

Yes I do. My go to is a Is a Gibson SJ 200 Montana vintage tint. Stupidly expensive and without a doubt the finest musical instrument I have ever owned. Plays like buttah. Bought it from Sweetwater the sales guys name was Damon (a lefty) played all 3 they had at the time and gave me his opinion.
I will say that I would take a Taylor over a Martin at similar price points. Both of my martin's have had neck issues. I guess that's what happens when you use a crazy straw for a truss rod. In all fairness Martin did repair both no charge. I do own a Taylor 514ce that I use live for a couple of open tuning bits we do. A very nice guitar in its own right.

Actually, I ended up buying a Taylor 314ce from Sweetwater. It was as top-end as I wanted to go.
I'm looking forward to trying it!

Thanks again for all of your help.

pete

Congrats! I'm sure you'll dig it.

So, I got the guitar on Thursday and opened the box on Friday.
The guitar plays beautifully - exactly what I was hoping for -
but take a look at this photo. I missed this on the Sweetwater site,
but it's there as plain as day. This is what Sweetwater said:

This is XX responding on behalf of XX. I looked at the photos of your guitar. That is not a blemish according to Taylor. That is part of the natural coloring of ebony. Taylor is making a big push to use the parts of ebony that most people reject due to the color. If you would like to return the guitar because you don't like it that is possible, but again, this is not a blemish and lots of guitars have that look.

But I can't tell if that's an ebony veneer or the African mahogany. Thoughts?

pete

what do the specs say it should be?

It does look like ebony. Ebony is often bleached, I appreciate the natural look on this.

Seems to be splitting pretty fine hairs trying to define "blemish" to exclude a stark discoloration like that.

Personally, I like it. But I'm the guy who pays extra to get instruments made out of moldy wood.

So I guess the question is your commitment to it and the prospect of resale.

The border between the light and dark doesn't look very natural to me. Looks very haphazard. But I'm no expert on ebony.

Just to add to the discussion, I play acoustic guitar almost exclusively now. When playing bass, I was never that picky about neck widths and profiles, but that really changed when I started playing more acoustic guitar, especially fingerstyle. Now I won't consider buying a guitar if it's less than 1 3/4" at the nut and 2 5/16" at the saddle. (if anyone's selling a lefty guitar that meets this criteria, please let me know).

Martin makes a lot of vintage-inspired models with big/wide necks. I play a 2014 D-18 Golden Era and a 1966 0-16 New Yorker (factory lefty!). I also play a Chinese-made Recording King R06; a 000 long scale with a huge neck - paid $200 for it.

I've had and sold a Martin HD-28, Taylor W-14, and a Garrison G50 - all very nice. The Taylor did not sound thin to me, maybe because of the walnut body. But... the guy who bought the Martin HD-28 also played his Taylor 10 for me (can't remember which series it was) and his Taylor DID sound very thin compared to the Martin.

I also never felt comfortable playing acoustic guitar with a pic. I like bare fingers on string. Once I learned fingerstyle - slowly, patiently, using tabs and videos - a whole new world opened up. It's pretty much all I want to do now. Lots of Travis picking. Sometimes I still feel like I'm playing bass, because I am, with my thumb. And just like playing bass guitar, timing, consistency and groove are most important. Much more than getting the melody notes just right.

To add one more thing; I haven't played a Larrivee (yet), but based on reputation, they are probably the best value out there.