Martin guitar or Taylor guitar ?

Discussion in 'Instruments' started by OhmStudyo, Jul 21, 2015.

  1. OhmStudyo

    OhmStudyo Noisemaker

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    Hi everyone,

    I play picking guitar since 12 years and i would like to buy a new guitar, cause i have started to work finger-style like Andy Mac Kee, Mike Dawes, Preston Reed, Antoine Dufour, etc ... since 1 year.
    A dreadnought i no really useful for this kind of playing style, a 000 from Martin or a Grand Auditorium for Taylor seems to me good.

    I have try this 2 guitars in my favorite guitar shop :

    https://www.martinguitar.com/model/item/75-000-16gt.html
    https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/314

    There sounds are magic but I have trouble to make a decision.
    Cause these guitars are really expensive for me and this kind of purchase is for life, i come here to have some advices from people who have already make this kind of decision in there professional/amateur life.

    Is there a lot of differences of Martin & Co and Taylor manufacturer ?

     
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  3. Pipotron3000

    Pipotron3000 Audiosexual

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    As far as popularity goes, Martin is considered a sure value (they invented dreadnought format and more) from 1833, whereas Taylor is from 1974.
    After that point, i'm pretty sure resell value will be almost the same. And quality on par.
    You really need to test them several times, with several days in between. Because they will sound different for sure :wink:
     
  4. OhmStudyo

    OhmStudyo Noisemaker

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    I have eared during testing this afternoon a more brighter sound on the Martin (same strings used) but i was more comfortable with the Taylor, but that may be because of the fact that I tried the Martin first. I'm a little shy and there were people in the store, I put a few minutes to be comfortable.

    You're right I'm going back tomorrow to try Taylor first.

    The dealer a the guitar store is also a luthier and told me Martin is a better manufacturer but hes arguments was not very clear.
    The difference in experience may be the solution, 141 years.
     
  5. fiestablue

    fiestablue Noisemaker

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    Hi,
    It's almost impossible to answer, I've got both guitars. But you should remember that in the same model, you'll find ten different guitars in ten guitars, so you MUST TRY before buying. I remember trying Taylor's guit in Guitar Center it took me hours to choose it. If you have love at first sight go go go for it. I would say, the taylor is more sharp and the Martin is more soft, they both have a incredible fragrance and sweet skin... if you find a good Martin go for it (remember I'm writing a good one). Good luck and give love to this baby...
    F.
     
  6. smoothripple

    smoothripple Kapellmeister

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    When I bought my dream guitar I tried a lot of great brands. I settled on a Taylor 814 partly because of how willing they were to custom build for me. As for the difference between guitars, playing with my eyes closed helped most in making my decision.

    Also, if you are interested in plugging into a mixer or such, Taylor has astounding electronics.
     
  7. peghead

    peghead Producer

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    Best Answer
    I've been playing acoustic guitar for 40 years and teaching it for 20. I have a few expensive models as well as some cheap ones too. If you think this is a lifetime investment there is little point in asking yourself if this guitar is more valuable than that one. Of all my guitars my favorite is also the most expensive (hand built for me) but my second best is one of the cheapest I have (by Epiphone).
    The best guitar is the 1 you cannot put down when you play it, and makes you wanting to play it when you wake up in the morning.
    Martin and Taylor are both top class makers to compare them with each other is like comparing BMW with Mercedes cars.
    Within your budget limit you need to find the one which speaks to you. The 1 which has "that" sound, regardless of the name written on the headstock.
    If the 2 guitars are equally appealing soundwise the next thing to look for is comfort, both for the fingers (neck scale and profile/size, strings spacing etc) and for your arms and body (guitar shape and size).
    If the 2 guitars also equal each other for comfort then the next thing is appearance (for some this would be n1 priority).
    Sound being equal, a great looking guitar will make you reach for it alot more than an ugly 1.

    Happy picking :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2023
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  8. OhmStudyo

    OhmStudyo Noisemaker

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    What custom made if I can afford ?

    Good advice thanks, i don't have thinking to do that.

    I would like to capture hit i make on my guitar, on my Ovation directly connected to my sound card, i don't record finger-style hit. i have to record on second track with a mic (i'm going to buy a better mic than my SM-57 from Shure). A piezzo mic can solve my record problem ?
     
  9. studio5599

    studio5599 Producer

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    Taylor Guitars are known to Age better, time goes by they sound even better, i personally would go for the Taylor ! Why'll Martin is Great the Taylor has a truly magical sound :wink: and is a secret weapon in a lot of studios that you'll here on countless Hits
     
  10. Army of Ninjas

    Army of Ninjas Rock Star

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    Personally, I prefer Martin. I've played a very old D-45 and a D-41. Very impressed at how they age.
     
  11. ovalf

    ovalf Platinum Record

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    Martins sound exceptionally in studio while taylor is made with laser rays, fucking modern :rofl:
    I recorded hundreds of guitars and the only that surpasses my Takamine special are the Martin.
    The obvious choice is Martin, but it really depends the sound that matches you musical identify, the sound that you have to persue is the one who touch your heart.
    One more advice: when you choose a model go to every store that have the model and play, if they have more than one in stock ask to play all.
    I gone to every store that I can until I found my Takamine, was the top model at the time and none of the top takamines I played/recorded sounds that good :wink:
     
  12. Resonance

    Resonance Newbie

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    A piezo fitted will do a great job but you need a mic'ed track also to get some control for mixing and that lack of air to the sound. A decent boundary mic can match the quality of some quite expensive mic's , it's been a revelation to me how fantastic these cheaper mic's can be and my guitar recordings have gone up a level to a more natural sound with minimum setup time involved. You can even fix them to the body as well as walls or a perspex board and all with decent but different results.
    Good luck choosing the guitar, try some other makes too if there in shop, you'll at least get to compare why your paying the extra and you sometimes can find a gem one off for it's model range that could surprise you if your very lucky.
     
  13. Enoch007

    Enoch007 Kapellmeister

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    Look.. I dont mean to be that guy but if a Martin D-28 was good enough for
    1. The Beatles
    2. Elvis Presley
    3. Hank Williams
    4. Neil Young
    5. Jimmy Page
    6. Bob Dylan
    7. Joni Mitchell
    8. George Jones
    9. David Gilmour
    10. Jerry Garcia
    11. & God knows how many other countless artists
    Then that should probably speak for itself...
     
  14. OhmStudyo

    OhmStudyo Noisemaker

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    Thanks all for your advices and share your opinion made with your experiences. It's exactly I expected when I come on this forum.

    I will share you my decision take with my ears and my feelings.
     
  15. Zenarcist

    Zenarcist Audiosexual

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    Where are you located? I'd take a look at Furch guitars.
     
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  16. OhmStudyo

    OhmStudyo Noisemaker

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    France, i don't know this guitar maker. Thank for the discovery. I 'm looking on there web site. Comparatively with Martin and Taylor, they use the same wood for the same category of price. Spruce & Rosewood. And they made Grand Auditorium format like Taylor do , 000 for Martin.

    I cannot try this manufacturer, but thanks anyway.
     
  17. Rhodes

    Rhodes Audiosexual

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    Buy none of them...

    Since there is no love at first sight, an You are unsure, they are probably not the best ones around.
     
  18. OhmStudyo

    OhmStudyo Noisemaker

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    Not wrong too.

    You know, i was so exited to have take the decision to buy a guitar that would make me wake up to play, when i was arrived to the store, i was like a teenager at a Justin Bieber concert. :rofl:

    So thing i have to try these guitar more quiet, alone and more longer.
    I had a crush on the two mentioned above
     
  19. Zenarcist

    Zenarcist Audiosexual

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    You will get a very good price if you take a trip to the factory shop Brno :wink:
     
  20. ptpatty

    ptpatty Platinum Record

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    I swear :wink: by my Taylor!
     
  21. Rhodes

    Rhodes Audiosexual

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    Try the same models in another shop if You can find them.

    see if You can try some other brands too ...ie. Alhambra should be easy to find in France, and they have some great sounding guitars.

    anyway, take your time...
     
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