Where is the sweet spot in the Taylor line?

mburekenge

Looking for some wisdom.

I've had a Taylor GA4 for about 15years. I love that guitar, it's the guitar ove put most time in of all my guitars 

It's had a tough life and needs to be retired and replaced.

What do you consider to be the sweet spot for f the Taylor range in terms of price/performance?

Visually and vibe wise I prefer Martin, but I know that Taylors work for me.

Any wisdom appreciated!

Choivert

If I were you I'd be trying out a load of Taylors versus a load of Martins. Martins certainly are more expensive but I'd be tempted to get the guitar you love. Which may be a Martin by the sound of things. Although hard to tell what you mean by 'I know Taylors work for me'. 

As for actually answering the question about Taylors I'm afraid I'm not the person to give a decent answe. Apologies. 

TTony

The sweet spot ... in my experience, its whichever model is just a little bit more than you wanted to spend.

mburekenge

TTony said:

The sweet spot ... in my experience, its whichever model is just a little bit more than you wanted to spend.

Nail. On. Head.

mburekenge

Choivert said:

If I were you I'd be trying out a load of Taylors versus a load of Martins. Martins certainly are more expensive but I'd be tempted to get the guitar you love. Which may be a Martin by the sound of things. Although hard to tell what you mean by 'I know Taylors work for me'. 

As for actually answering the question about Taylors I'm afraid I'm not the person to give a decent answe. Apologies. 

Good points! 

Sadly I'm out of the UK, so try before buy will be impossible. In my experience, Taylors were pretty consistent in comparison with the Martins I played 

slacker

The sweet spot is a guitar that you know is right regardless of name and price. I've got a Martin om28e that was love at first sight.  I recently bought a Taylor gs mini that is really good for a cheap guitar. I did an open mic with it and it worked really well.

Tannin

Taylor seldom offers real bargains, but quite often offers good fair-and-square value for money. Note - I said "quite often", not "all the time" or "as routine". You have to pick and choose. An overview:

* Baby Taylor $850 (£440). A toy guitar. Amazingly good for a toy, and not expensive, but it is what it is. 

* Taylor GS Mini $1100 (£570) Still much smaller than any standard guitar but much more practical than the Baby. Still a toy but a toy for grownups. Worth the extra over the Baby, but still not to be compared to full-size guitars.

* Taylor 1 Series. None advertised currently. Have they stopped making them? Value as per 2 Series.

* Taylor 2 Series $1700 (£880). Remarkably good for what it is - a plywood-back guitar made cheaply in Mexico - and well worth considering as a knockabout second instrument if you can get a nice one second-hand, but crazy dear new. 

* Taylor American Dream mostly $2500-$3000 (£1300 - £1550). This is Taylor's new(ish) entry in the value-for-money stakes, and it's well worth considering if you are OK with a slope-shoulder dreadnought body style. (Never mind what silly name they call it, it's a slope-shoulder dreadnought.)  One I saw advertised - and by the best acoustic guitar dealer in the country no less - was a remarkable $2000 (£1050). That for a solid spruce top dreadnought, solid Ovangkol  back and sides, quasi-mahogany neck and Blue Gum bridge and fretboard, made by Taylor in the USA. That's good value!

* Taylor 314 $3200 (£1650) THE everyday bread and butter value guitar from Taylor. Well, not really "value" - in this country Maton and Cole Clark easily provide more for the same money, and you'd certainly want to check out a nice made-in-Japan Takamine for the same price or less, not to mention various Furch models - but far from outrageous and damn good guitars for a fair bit less than you'd spend on an equivalent-quality Gibson or Martin. Similar comments will apply in the UK.

* Taylor 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 Series. $3800 (£2000) and up into five figures Taylor distinguishes between these more by type and timber than by market segment. A given 4 Series instrument might cost more than a particular 7 Series one. Many are not crazy dear by current standards - I think Taylor's mainstream models have not been repriced upwards nearly as much as Gibson's, Guild's, and especially Martin's. (Look, for example, at what you are paying for a D-28 these days!) So worth looking at. And every so often you see one that really knocks your socks off and is nevertheless not unreasonable. (My local Taylor dealer has a 724ce in all-Koa for $4759 (£2470). I've played this gem and for what it is I reckon it is tremendous value.)

Summary: best day-in, day-out value Taylors are the American Dreams (if you like that sort of thing), the old faithful 314ce, and maybe the GS Mini (so long as you are not expecting too much from it). But you quite often see particular ones which offer out-of-ordinary value. You have to be patient but they do crop up.

Finally, Taylor's quality control is second to none. I can think of half a dozen guitar makes where I'd happily buy without playing first (and a whole stack where I would do no such thing!) and Taylor is at or near the top of the former list. Very consistent, and always beautifully set up.

mburekenge

Thank you @Tannin that is really helpful

guitarjack66

Does it really need replacing or is it a case of GAS?

TTony

Tannin said:

Finally, Taylor's quality control is second to none. I can think of half a dozen guitar makes where I'd happily buy without playing first (and a whole stack where I would do no such thing!) and Taylor is at or near the top of the former list. Very consistent, and always beautifully set up.

Agree with the rest of that post too.

I've currently got 3 Taylors, and have previously had another one.  All very different guitars/ranges.

My current thought process for a new acoustic started with a 314ce though I've currently been diverted towards Furch and Eastman (but decision still to be made as a 312ce has also entered that thought process).

You can criticise Taylor and say that they have their "own sound", are just mass-produced factory items, or that you're paying for the brand and all the marketing (etc) that goes with that.  Which is all true, but not necessarily bad points. 

I've had better (faultless) customer service from Taylor (both new and sh guitars) than any other brand.  And their consistency of quality is also better than any other brand.  Those are all costs that are effectively "hidden" in the purchase price, but I'm happy that they run a business that can provide those levels of post-sales support and quality.

crunchman

guitarjack66 said:

Does it really need replacing or is it a case of GAS?

This

A well played in guitar will probably sound better than a newer one (if you like the Taylor sound).

Getting a refret, neck reset if needed (easy on Taylor as they are bolt on) etc. will be a lot cheaper than buying a new one.

JayGee

I think @Tannin is being somewhat harsh on the 2 series, for my money they’re way more than a knockabout second instrument and (laminate back/sides and country of origin notwithstanding) I think they’re a very solid buy at their price point.

Although of course I would say that as I bought one new… :-)

sev112

Remember that the laminate/plywood back and sides of the 100 and 200 series have radiused/arched backs (whatever the correct terminology) which really adds to the volume / sound.  Those series really are good guitars, as are the even lower priced Academy series.  They brought a solid walnut top into the Academy series last year which looks a very good guitar, and my guess would also tame the Taylor brightness a bit if you want that

thomasross20

Their sapele guitars are their best ones imo and they're only cheap because of wood snobs (who got this one wrong). 

Tannin

JayGee said:

I think @Tannin is being somewhat harsh on the 2 series, for my money they’re way more than a knockabout second instrument and (laminate back/sides and country of origin notwithstanding) I think they’re a very solid buy at their price point.

Although of course I would say that as I bought one new… :-)

For the same money, there are much better instruments from other makers - fine guitars equivalent to Taylor's 3 Series. For the price of a 2 Series Taylor I can buy all-solid guitars from Furch (Czecho), Dowina (Slovakia), Pratley, Maton, Cole Clark (Australia), and many others. Taylor 2 Series guitars are good for what they are - quite possibly the best mass-market laminate guitar out there - but they are priced such that they are fighting out of their weight class. At around 500 quid they'd be more than competitive. 

mburekenge

I'm living in Kenya and don't have access to someone to do work like a refret. The neck has warped so I definitely need a new guitar.

The Ga4 I have uses the laminate back and sides and sounds fantastic. Will go for an all solid model next

crunchman

mburekenge said:

I'm living in Kenya and don't have access to someone to do work like a refret. The neck has warped so I definitely need a new guitar.

The Ga4 I have uses the laminate back and sides and sounds fantastic. Will go for an all solid model next

If you have issues with heat and humidity warping a neck, then an all solid guitar might be asking for trouble.

earwighoney

mburekenge said:

I'm living in Kenya and don't have access to someone to do work like a refret. The neck has warped so I definitely need a new guitar.

The Ga4 I have uses the laminate back and sides and sounds fantastic. Will go for an all solid model next

Ga4 is all solid.  IMO the old Taylor GA3/4 were some of the best models they made.  I regret not getting a GA3-12 back in the day. 

Not a Taylor, but I'd recommend the Yamaha LS/LJ16 models. They have 3 or 5 ply laminated necks, and the necks are rock solid. 

Stratavarious

I had a long session with a 312ce Grand Concert with cutaway.  I like the 12 fretted sound.   It was excellent,

In the end I had two others and left it.  My wife told me off for not getting it.

I also played an Academy which was surprisingly good.   

I did play a lot to find the standouts though, even those of the same model.

Kittyfrisk

I think the Baby James was the sweet spot.

JRgtar

I’ve got a 114, and really like it. I think the American Dream series is really attractive in terms of price and spec in the Taylor line-up. Maybe there is a premium paid for the brand, but - if I’m honest - I like the brand. Furch and Maton both tempting also, as is a Martin 0015m. Someday I may treat myself to one of those I’ve mentioned.