Andy P
C.O.G.
Posts: 4,982
My main instrument is: Taylor 312ce, Guild D25, Deering 5 string banjo
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Post by Andy P on Jan 28, 2023 21:12:18 GMT
Some of you will be aware that last year, in a moment of weakness (if not madness), I bought a Fender Jazzmaster Acoustasonic. Well it seemed like a good idea at the time and the online video reviews were very encouraging. I wouldn't knock it, it's a very impressive thing and the range of acoustic tones is highly impressive, although I had the most fun with the more "electric" overdriven tone in position 1. But...if you're making a guitar to make a range of sounds available for acoustic players, which apparently is its raison d'être, why would you build it a neck width of just 42.8mms? It was just impossible to play cleanly. Of course I should have considered that before buying it, but my mind had gone by that point. Last week I popped over to GuitarGuitar in Edinburgh (a mere 35 minutes drive away) to buy some strings, which of course is code for to try out some guitars. Now I don't know how you people feel about Taylors. I've always had a somewhat sneering attitude towards them - you know, mass-produced, overpriced, etc., the same as I feel about Martins to be honest. Maybe you feel the same. So what made me pick up a Taylor 312ce 12 fret? I really don't know but I'm glad I did as I was completely blown away by it. It just sang. And so comfortable. I tried a 322ce all mahogany, which was very nice too but lacked the zing of the 312. The full size version also didn't quite match it. I was very patient, I went home and did some research and watched lots of videos as I was determined not to be ruled by impulse. The process of making a decision to have it took a whole 24 hours! The Jazzmaster went on eBay and I got a quick sale. I also decided to trade in my Breedlove OM/CRe as it was going to be redundant. I picked it up on Tuesday and after just a couple of hours playing it sounds even better. I'm sure I could have saved money by taking my time and picking something up second hand but after getting shafted on a pre-used Lowden a few years ago, I would never have been 100% confident. The scars remain. So here it is: spruce top, sapele back and sides, 24-7/8" scale length, slotted headstock, V-class bracing.
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Post by Derick on Jan 28, 2023 23:51:47 GMT
Congratulations on the new Taylor, beautiful guitar, you are a very lucky man enjoy. Let us all know what you think of the little beauty, in a couple of weeks time.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Jan 29, 2023 0:16:36 GMT
Congrats on what seems to be a great new addition Andy! Small body 12 fret slotheads can be great guitars acoustically as well as looking lovely, and no doubt you'll be giving it a spin playing out soon to test it plugged in. Have fun getting to know each other! Keith
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Welshruss
C.O.G.
Posts: 477
My main instrument is: Turnstone, Wandering Boy & Santa Cruz
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Post by Welshruss on Jan 29, 2023 1:23:29 GMT
Congratulations Taylor make great guitars. My main guitar for ten years was a 2000 714CE and my kids share a GS mini. All my acoustic guitars are now 12 fret slot heads. If a guitar speaks to you then all the better.
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Post by vikingblues on Jan 30, 2023 13:39:14 GMT
Congrats on the guitar! Funny old thing, finding an acoustic guitar that really suits. Never know what it might be, and you just need to find that one guitar that suits you so well regardless of who made it. I've often liked the sound of a Taylor when played by other people but as yet I've not managed that when I play them, and I've not encountered that particular one that might be the right fit. I've had much the same experience with Martin guitars too, except there was one second hand one that could have been the one for me, but I didn't have the funds at the time. Have fun getting to know each other. Mark
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juliant
C.O.G.
Posts: 327
My main instrument is: Lowden L23
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Post by juliant on Feb 1, 2023 9:54:53 GMT
I had a Taylor for a while, which I had swapped for a Larrivee. It was a lovely piece of craftsmanship, a fancy anniversary edition OM with all the trimmings, but to me the sound didn't match the build. It was, well, just "OK", which is less than I'd expect from an instrument costing over £3k new. And that's been my experience of every Taylor I've played, so I guess they're just not my cup of tea.
The Larrivee (an SD-60 TSB), on the other hand, had bags of character and was a delight to listen to. Unfortunately the neck was far too wide for my small hands and most uncomfortable for me to play now that arthritis is setting in, so it had to go. But I'd have it back in an instant if it had a narrower neck!
One of my tests for keeper guitars is whether I find myself just holding the thing and playing individual notes and simple chords, and just listening to the sound the wood makes.
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Post by fatfingerjohn on Feb 1, 2023 11:06:53 GMT
I agree there is a bit of a feeling that Taylors are not the 'real thing' once you are in the somewhat higher price bracket; and I do find that some of their marketing blurb is a bit anal and over-indulgent. But I've had my 310ce now for about 10 years and continue to love it. As a dreadnought it is a great strummer; I tend to use it as my workhorse when strumming is the main requirement. The neck profile and string spacing is just right for me and I have copied this with my lovely hand built Lacey from Francis. I find Lacey is a bit nicer on fingerstyle and slower stuff. No doubt variation on string type affects this as well.
So I'm in the 'love my Taylor' camp. Yes, they may be more mass produced and the promotion guff a bit fanciful, but the build quality shines through.
FFJ
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andrewjw
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Post by andrewjw on Feb 1, 2023 17:31:37 GMT
Really good to hear Andy! Andy P Welcome to the Taylor fan club.. The Taylor GC7e like this I bought from Jeff jangarrack not so long ago continues to impress me...the short scale together with a lovely neck profile and action makes for fine playability and although I use it mostly for fingerpicking it works well for a bit of strummage too. And it sounds great both acoustically and using the expression system ..having tried it with various different makes of strings it seems to work best for the sort of music I play with Santa Cruz low tension strings .
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juliant
C.O.G.
Posts: 327
My main instrument is: Lowden L23
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Post by juliant on Feb 1, 2023 18:15:18 GMT
I agree there is a bit of a feeling that Taylors are not the 'real thing' once you are in the somewhat higher price bracket; and I do find that some of their marketing blurb is a bit anal and over-indulgent. But I've had my 310ce now for about 10 years and continue to love it. As a dreadnought it is a great strummer; I tend to use it as my workhorse when strumming is the main requirement. The neck profile and string spacing is just right for me and I have copied this with my lovely hand built Lacey from Francis. I find Lacey is a bit nicer on fingerstyle and slower stuff. No doubt variation on string type affects this as well. So I'm in the 'love my Taylor' camp. Yes, they may be more mass produced and the promotion guff a bit fanciful, but the build quality shines through. FFJ I quite agree about the build quality, which tends to be first class. And, of course, the world would be a very boring place if we all liked the same things!
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Andy P
C.O.G.
Posts: 4,982
My main instrument is: Taylor 312ce, Guild D25, Deering 5 string banjo
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Post by Andy P on Feb 2, 2023 17:52:15 GMT
Thanks for all the comments about my new Taylor, all very interesting and I enjoyed reading them. Yes juliant if we all had exactly the same tastes there would only be one brand of guitar and that would be very dull. A couple of mentions above of the neck profile and it's just right for me. I'm finding the guitar perfect for finger-picking and it's also in no way overwhelmed by light strumming. Like a quality larger-bodied guitar the strings all blend together beautifully to produce what sounds to my ears not like a collection of six notes but one multi-faceted one. That probably sounds like boll nonsense but I know what I mean. My heavy thrashing days are well over so I don't need it to cope with that kind of abuse. I'm liking the Expression system through my Acus One8 and the EQ controls are nice and responsive. andrewjw I didn't know Santa Cruz strings were a thing. I can only find them at Thomann and Amazon US and they're certainly not cheap. I see their strap line is "Gauge means nothing, Tension means everything" and they accordingly don't tell us what the gauges are! Is there a UK dealer?
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andrewjw
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Post by andrewjw on Feb 2, 2023 23:26:29 GMT
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Post by grayn on Feb 3, 2023 6:52:57 GMT
Congrats on your new Taylor, I bet it sounds really sweet. I guess we all pick up prejudices concerning guitar makers and even countries of origin. One of the best guitars I have ever seen and played, in a shop, was a Taylor. Largish body, slot headstock and some sort of exotic blackwood. I remember seeing it every time I went in the shop, thinking wow! gorgeous. Then one day I picked it up and was very relieved that it felt, played and sounded every bit as good as it looked. It was 3k+ but was worth it.
Have fun.
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Feb 3, 2023 7:53:09 GMT
Lovely looking guitar, Andy. Always loved the look/build quality of Taylor guitars, and I've had one or two pass through my hands over the years. They can sound gorgeous too!
I just bought a couple of sets of Santa Cruz strings from Fretsounds - I have a slight concern about them, and I'm not sure if it's a problem or a feature! When I strung it up, none of the strings were marked/labelled, so I had to guess which string went where (gauge means nothing except when you're fitting them apparently - hard to tell the tension when they're coiled up in the pack) I'm not (very) thick, so I naturally assumed the E string was paired with the G, A with the B and D with the E (looked like that was what was intended). After fitting them I realised I must've got the B and E strings mixed up - couldn't get the B tuned at all. I switched them and got them tuned, but with a surprising amount of rattle from the B string. It felt loose - really loose. I got my vernier caliper and measured them - B and E strings were the same gauge, so the B ended up at a really low, unplayable tension. I found an old Martin B string in my stash (0.16") and fitted that, and all was well,
but at £20 a pop, I was surprised this was an issue. Haven't done anything about it yet as I only fitted them this week, but when I saw your discussion about them here I thought I'd share.
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Post by Onechordtrick on Feb 3, 2023 13:08:44 GMT
If you’re purely in search of lower tension then Newtone Heritage are actually lower tension than the Santa Cruz parabolic. 131lbs vs. 156. Not a rigorous scientific analysis as the respective sets have different gauges.
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juliant
C.O.G.
Posts: 327
My main instrument is: Lowden L23
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Post by juliant on Feb 5, 2023 12:55:04 GMT
If you’re purely in search of lower tension then Newtone Heritage are actually lower tension than the Santa Cruz parabolic. 131lbs vs. 156. Not a rigorous scientific analysis as the respective sets have different gauges. I really like the Santa Cruz strings, although they are pretty darned expensive, and I ought to try the Newtones.
Needing lower tension because of the arthritis is one unfortunate aspect of getting older, but on the other hand my hearing packing up as well means that I'm not as fussy about how things sound any more ;-)
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