Taylor guitars and sapele wood

[lex666]

Anyone have opinions about taylor guitars? how do they compare with Martins? What about sapele wood? How does that compare with rosewood?

I'm thinking about getting the Taylor 210:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/514964/

or the Martin D15 in rosewood:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/515888/

Thanks!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

I own both: two Martins and one Taylor. I love my Martins but I think Taylors give you more guitar for your money and the less expensive Taylors sound better and play better than Martins in the same price range. Lew

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

the Taylor tops (sound boards) are thin, whic make they respond quickly, hence gret tone. But on the long Run I wld prefer a Martin.

 

[Rstlessone]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

Both are excellent guitars. IMHO the Taylors are brighter sounding than the Martins. I love the sound of both for different applications. I find the Taylors to have an amazing action but the Martin can also have similar action with a good setup. The D15 in Rosewood will carry a deeper tone rich in harmonics and overtones. The Taylor may be easier to record. (Only My Opinion.)

Hopefully you can go and A/B them somewhere. I personally would prefer to try out acoustics in person. They can very drastically.

Hope this helps and good luck on your decision.

PS...I also find that Martins have a longer settling time than Taylors, but the wait is well worth it. Both are good choices.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

There's a reason you see so many Taylors onstage these days.

 

[mrfjones]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

i have a martin that has settled in and now i want a taylor for the reasons mentioned above. both sound great but different

 

[Bludave]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

There's a reason you see so many Taylors onstage these days.

Yes the reason is they give them away! :laugh2:

Seriusly they are both good guitars. I prefer Martins, I had a Taylor 615, it is one guitar that I sold that I really did not miss. Taylors in general offer the best in mass production. They are very consistant and are very well made. I also find the Taylors to be brighter than Martins, but I have played some models that I thought were very nice. IMHO Taylors are suited for electric guitar players. What I mean by this is they have very slim necks, like an electric, and usually have very low action. Electric players tend to prefer this in acoustics. I actually prefer higher action, "V" shaped necks and heavier strings on acoustics. Both are good choices and you would really be happy with either. I would recommend getiing a more traditional wood though, like Rosewood/Spruce, or Mahogony/Spruce. It cost more but sounds a whole lot better!!

 

[royd]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

As was said, they are probably similar in quality but represent different sound families... the Taylor being a bit brighter and more immediate with the Martin more complex and rich.
The Taylor will play more like an electric and probably sits in a band mix a little better (the more simple tonality finds a place in the mix without clashing with other instruments - which is one reason why you see lots on stage, plus the consistency and reproducability... if a Taylor gets stolen, you can go to the corner music store and find one that will sound and play almost exactly the same). The Martin will be a richer sound that would probably sound more full if playing solo.
Sapele is similar in tone to mahogany - very "woody" while the rosewoods are usually thought of as being more metalic with almost a built in reverb in the best ones.

 

[Shnook]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

I'm a fan of the Taylor's, but Martin's are very nice too. However, since acoustic guitars all vary in sound and feel, I'd highly recommend that you try and buy locally if you can. Just this weekend I bought a Taylor after trying out about 10 of them. They all had their own characterists and feel. I settled on a sweet little 312CE L7 over the higher priced Taylor's simply because it stood out the most in sound and feel.
With Taylor's, a 300-400 series model can sound and play as well as the 500 series and up. They just won't be as pretty. I personally like the Taylor's more than Martin's because I like a brighter tone. Let your ears make the decision.

 

[BluesNRock87]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

i too was once deciding on acoustics, and thought about the taylor 210. well, i ended up with the d15, it just felt better in my hands and i liked it. regardless, they are both great guitars

 

[seanguynj]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

i prefer taylors over martins. taylors have that... sparkle??? to the sound that martins can't produce.

 

[proxy]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

I like Taylors over Martins, granted I have only played a handful of each. However the Taylor just spoke to me, sounded so good, and it was so easy to play. The switch from electric to acoustic can sometimes make you feel like you have to work harder, but I didn't really feel as much of that.

Ultimately its like strats vs les pauls. Each to their own, go down to a shop and see for yourself.

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Taylor guitars and sapele wood

Even though I custom ordered my Taylor 314C-no-E, I'd recommend buying an acoustic only after you have a chance to play it. There's much more variation in tone between individual acoustics of the exact same model than with any electric.

Guess I just got lucky with mine... if the house were burning down, that's the guitar I'd grab because I can replace the others.

Chip