NGD: my first acoustic

VanWhy said:
What a great gift for yourself. I'm a little surprised not more love for Martin's. I actually work at the factory so I'm certainly biased. I still think Martin's are better overall but Taylor makes great stuff too. Either way it's got to fit you. And I'm glad you were able to find something that fits.
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I have a D28 with the 'in sound hole' mic/pizeo pickup I bought back in 2008. Tone Monster....
 
Joben Magooch said:
so long story short, my wife told me to pick an acoustic to get for my birthday this year. I’ve been playing guitar for close to 20 years now but never owned one. So I started shopping around….

I was SURE that my “vibe” when it came to an acoustic was something a little more “classic” styled. Like a Martin 000 or Gibson LG-2 type of thing, smaller bodied, no cutaway, etc and that the more “modern” styles weren’t me. For years anecdotally speaking (again having not owned one of my own) I was convinced that I was more of a “Martin guy” and less of a “Taylor guy” both in aesthetic and sound - I had it in my mind that all martins are classic and full and complex sounding and Taylors are “modern” and overly bright and lacking soul.

Anyways in practice I found the opposite to be true. I went to a handful of stores and tried more guitars than I could count. And while at the VERY high end of the range I did really really like some martins, i wasn’t trying to spend 3 or 4k or more on a first acoustic. In my price range I was really impressed by a lot of different Taylor’s. (And I also found that while I do like the aesthetic of a non-cutaway body more, cutaway is much more comfortable for me to play). So then it was just a matter of finding the right one.

I went back and forth between a lot of different models but ultimately found a great deal on one that checked all the boxes and really just felt just right to me. I just have a few pre-sale photos on hand at the moment but here it is - a 214CE-K DLX. Spruce top, layered koa back and sides. I am just over the moon. Wife of the year, let me tell ya!!
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That’s a gorgeous guitar. Congrats!
 
carlinb17 said:
Has anybody else added the Taylor sense to their guitar? I did a while ago and it’s great for watch humidity.
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I had a Tayor Bari-8 for a while and never bothered with that app. Instead, for the two high-end acoustics I have, I got a some of these Hygrometers from Amazon. I got them 2017 for about 12 bux each and still have yet to need to change their batteries. I just keep them in the cases. I got a couple extra to have sitting around the rooms I have my guitars in to monitor the temp & humidity in the open room environments as well.

Hygrometer.jpg
 
Harry Klippton said:
Are we just gonna gloss over this? What's that like? What do you do there? What else can you tell us? I need to know MORE!
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It's pretty cool. Me, my wife, and my brother have all worked there for 20+ years each. I've done pretty much everything there. My favorite was Final Inspection where you string the guitar up and test it. My education is I.T. so that's what I've been doing at for the majority of my career there.

If you're a music history fan the museum we have at the factory is awesome. So many Martin's have been a huge part of musician's lives and careers. Its a pretty cool thing to be part of. I recommend anyone who likes guitars to take a tour of the place.
 
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VanWhy said:
It's pretty cool. Me, my wife, and my brother have all worked there for 20+ years. I've done pretty much everything there. My favorite was Final Inspection where you string the guitar up and test it. My education is I.T. so that's what I've been doing at for the majority of my career there.

If you're a music history fan the museum we have at the factory is awesome. So many Martin's have been a huge part of musician's lives and careers. Its a pretty cool thing to be part of. I recommend anyone who likes guitars to take a tour of the place.
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That's pretty cool. I live like 15 minutes from the ovation factory and always thought it would be cool to work there.

I never thought about Martin a single day in my life until my mother-in-law asked me to hold onto the "family guitar." It turned out to be a Sigma DM-2. Do you know anything about those? From what I understand, they were Martin's import brand starting in the late 70s and made in Japan, later moving to Korea. The one I have is D-18ish supposedly. It sounds really good and made me think I'd like a real Martin, but I'm content with it for now
 
VanWhy said:
What a great gift for yourself. I'm a little surprised not more love for Martin's. I actually work at the factory so I'm certainly biased. I still think Martin's are better overall but Taylor makes great stuff too. Either way it's got to fit you. And I'm glad you were able to find something that fits.
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Been on the Martin Factory Tour a few times. Always a great time. I usually stop by the luthier supply place afterwards and occasionally get some wood or whatever.
The factory seems like a fun place to work, but alas it would be a 6 hour commute for me.
I certainly love Martins, so if you were looking for Martin love on the forum, here it is. Don’t own any, but my absolute #1 dream guitar would be a 12 string D-35 with a maple neck and flame maple center wedge, tuned down to C# standard of course.
 
Bricksnbeatles said:
Been on the Martin Factory Tour a few times. Always a great time. I usually stop by the luthier supply place afterwards and occasionally get some wood or whatever.
The factory seems like a fun place to work, but alas it would be a 6 hour commute for me.
I certainly love Martins, so if you were looking for Martin love on the forum, here it is. Don’t own any, but my absolute #1 dream guitar would be a 12 string D-35 with a maple neck and flame maple center wedge, tuned down to C# standard of course.
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“I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin‘ about half past dead”
 
I bought my son a Taylor GS Mini about ten years ago and was shocked at how big it sounded. I love shorter-scale guitars in general, being a Gretsch 6120 and Duo Jet fiend, but the GS Mini is truly amazing.

I used to sell Martins. I worked in a guitar store and we imported a LOT of Martins and I sold most of them. I met Chris Martin IV a few times when he travelled here and he seemed to be a lovely down to earth fella. And a good friend of mine is a huge Martin fan. He says Taylor are good but have "that" sound... Well if they sound like a GS Mini I LIKE "that sound"!

Truth is that apart from an O-16 NY Martin I have never played one which really does it for me. They have a "perfect" kind of zingy, bright clarity which sounds good when strummed but they just don't do it for me. Too "nice". I have even owned a couple of Martins thinking that I would grow into them. Nope, didn't work. The best acoustic I have ever played was a Santa Cruz OO. A lot like the Martin O-16 NY but with bucket loads more character, attitude and power. I play more pick and fingers style and the amount of low-end power coming out of that Santa Cruz was astonishing, along with big fat mids and just the right amount of bite. It didn't boom, it barked. And it wasn't a fluke. I tried one in Rudy's years later and it was every bit as good.

But back in the real world of things I might be able to afford I like the GS Mini and the GT in Urban Ash I tried. The GT is a great concept - similar to the GS but scaled up just a little so I don't look like I'm playing a uke. If I buy an acoustic guitar that's probably what I would get. Beautiful playability, plenty of room to adjust, and not so jingle-jangle as a Martin.

Another contender might be a Gibson J-185. Lovely chunky sound.
 
jimilee said:
I had a Martin ex or do something something. Bought it for a steal, flipped it a year later and doubled my money. My wife was pissed, she hates when I sell guitars.
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My wife used to love it when I sold gear, the. She realized i just earmarked that money to spend on other gear.

The few Taylor’s I’ve played I’ve really liked. I have a hard time justifying spending a ton on an acoustic. And I sold all my old good ones long ago (I’d like to go back to my 20’s and slap the shit out of myself). I picked up a Chinese made Breedlove a few years ago which I’ve really liked. Maybe one of these days I’ll check out their higher end stuff.
 
Locrian99 said:
My wife used to love it when I sold gear, the. She realized i just earmarked that money to spend on other gear.

The few Taylor’s I’ve played I’ve really liked. I have a hard time justifying spending a ton on an acoustic. And I sold all my old good ones long ago (I’d like to go back to my 20’s and slap the shit out of myself). I picked up a Chinese made Breedlove a few years ago which I’ve really liked. Maybe one of these days I’ll check out their higher end stuff.
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The Chinese Breedloves are nothing to sneeze at! They’re all solid wood and play really well, unsurprisingly.

The Taylor Urban Ash is a sleeper too.. I’d like to buy one for my next acoustic.
 
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