Taylor 814CE - what else should I look at?

mags

Thanks Guys for the debate around older models v newer models.  The one I was looking at was a newer model and while I was procrastinating, it was sold to someone else.  The search goes on.........

imalrightjack

Got a 2016 412e-r recently. It's terrific. 

ToneControl

mags said:

I keep going back to an ex demo Taylor 814CE which is really nice.  Before I part with £2k+, is there anything else I should really try out in the same price bracket, either new or 2nd hand?  My other guitars are a Martin OM28 and a Taylor 514CE.  Looking for a general all rounder, with a tendency more towards a strummer.  All suggestions appreciated.

lots of better guitars for that money
Goodall, Bourgeois, Avalon, Lowden. 

imalrightjack

ToneControl said:

mags said:

I keep going back to an ex demo Taylor 814CE which is really nice.  Before I part with £2k+, is there anything else I should really try out in the same price bracket, either new or 2nd hand?  My other guitars are a Martin OM28 and a Taylor 514CE.  Looking for a general all rounder, with a tendency more towards a strummer.  All suggestions appreciated.

lots of better guitars for that money
Goodall, Bourgeois, Avalon, Lowden. 

Depends what you're after.  I tried tons of guitars before settling on Taylor. They just suit what I want perfectly.

ToneControl

imalrightjack said:

ToneControl said:

mags said:

I keep going back to an ex demo Taylor 814CE which is really nice.  Before I part with £2k+, is there anything else I should really try out in the same price bracket, either new or 2nd hand?  My other guitars are a Martin OM28 and a Taylor 514CE.  Looking for a general all rounder, with a tendency more towards a strummer.  All suggestions appreciated.

lots of better guitars for that money
Goodall, Bourgeois, Avalon, Lowden. 

Depends what you're after.  I tried tons of guitars before settling on Taylor. They just suit what I want perfectly.

They will suit some folks, sure
What did you try other than Taylor?

I forgot to mention Santa Cruz, they are amazing too

 I tried a Taylor as my first expensive brand, sold it at a loss, really disliked it
Boutique prices for (quite nice) mass-produced factory guitars

Taylor Pros: convenient pickups, consistent neck
cons: brittle sound, with not much dynamics, strange shallow file on edge of frets makes it harder to keep top E on the fret

imalrightjack

I think the Taylor sounds gorgeous. I tried Martin, Larrivee, Maton, a bunch more £2k plus ones. Taylor won on both sound and feel. Although I'm sure my ears tuned into the feel

mags

Just been to GuitarGuitars Martin experience and played a Martin DR centenial. Definately a contender for my £2k

woody

Everything ToneControl said.. so much better out there for the money.ill add mcilroy to his list and im very curious about rozawood too. Plus there are a ton of great uk builders out there.

mags

Thanks Guys for all the suggestions re makes I've never even heard of.  Think I'll slow down the desperation to buy a new guitar and spend a lot more time trying out all these amazing suggestions.  

ToneControl

Take your time
Go to the Acoustic music co in Brighton one day (really, it's worth a long journey, many travel 100s of miles)
they have the largest range of top-notch handmade guitars in Europe

spend an hour or two there, and see if you still believe that factory-made guitars can get anywhere near the hand-made work of the top 10-20 workshops in the world. It was a revelation to me. Some you don't like, some you adore, there are no "vanilla" ones

When could a £2k+ factory-made acoustic guitar possibly compete with the best makers working in small workshops? Not often. That in itself is OK, it's when factories expect hand-made prices for their products.  I have retained only one factory-made guitar, a Larrivee - that approaches the sound (but not feel) of a workshop-made guitar

thomasross20

Interesting the comment on the larrivee... I LOVE their sound but I admit I have played other guitars that are easier to play, though don't sound anywhere near as good..

ToneControl

thomasross20 said:

Interesting the comment on the larrivee... I LOVE their sound but I admit I have played other guitars that are easier to play, though don't sound anywhere near as good..

I had 4 or 5, basically because the Uk distributor sold off their stock cheap
They are very nice factory acoustics (as are Taylors), the one I kept was the SD-60, a 12 fret slope shoulder dread, which reviews call a tone cannon

I spoke to one of their tech support guys once, when I was looking for a Baritone, he told me he'd worked on the SD60s and they were special, and that the Baritones used the same body

WindmillGuitars

Avalon all day long - incredible hand built guitars

musicman100

I would look at used Collings all day long.

AuldReekie

ToneControl said:

I forgot to mention Santa Cruz, they are amazing too

+1 for Santa Cruz.  
I picked up a SC Tony Rice, second hand, last December for just under £2K.  More repsonsive and more dynamics than any Taylor I have laid my hands on

AuldReekie

ToneControl said:

thomasross20 said:

Interesting the comment on the larrivee... I LOVE their sound but I admit I have played other guitars that are easier to play, though don't sound anywhere near as good..

I had 4 or 5, basically because the Uk distributor sold off their stock cheap
They are very nice factory acoustics (as are Taylors), the one I kept was the SD-60, a 12 fret slope shoulder dread, which reviews call a tone cannon

I spoke to one of their tech support guys once, when I was looking for a Baritone, he told me he'd worked on the SD60s and they were special, and that the Baritones used the same body

I used to have three Larrives - CO9, TSB SD50 and OM09.  I only have the latter now, as the other two have been replaced as I switched to small builds (2 xForster, MciLroy) and Santa Cruz, but Larrys are great guitars, not just for the money.  I had to spend considerably more to get guitars that were just that bit better.

thomasross20

I tried some Lowdens yesterday. Very good but £3k minimum and my Larry was £750 and about as good...... 

WindmillGuitars

Avalon all day long - incredible hand-built guitars

BigLicks67

thomasross20 said:

I tried some Lowdens yesterday. Very good but £3k minimum and my Larry was £750 and about as good...... 

If your Larrivee is that good I would stick with it.☺

ToneControl

Avalon are world class UK-hand-made (Northern Ireland) guitars, I'd go to them before Taylor every time
I sold my Taylor, and now have 4 Avalons, that must confirm my sincerity on this