It's all good Lou, and I am happy for you, and of course you can do what you like. But seeing as how you started playing this January and according to this and this the 810 is the 7th guitar, i just hope it doesn't get the "axe" so to speak before it gets to sing for you! In the end it's the best for you too, so you can get comfortable with one guitar that can really encourage you to start playing like crazy! Playing the guitar is very fun, and I hope you have a long life of enjoying it nonstop, that's all!
If i could afford uber expensive guitars like taylors i would have purchased one as my first or second guitar with no hesitation especially if the price is almost half the retail! Good guitars are just so much better to play with whether you are a beginner or pro.
Id say good purchase and hope you enjoy playing it as much as i do drooling over it .
edit: i just read this is your 7th guitar lol. I agree with Jahn, let it grow on you cause taylors do sound very nice. If this doesn't satisfy you i dont know what will .
Just trade your Taylor for a Collings and get it over with. Or maybe a Golden Era or Marquis Martin, or a Bourgeois or a Merrill or a Santa Cruz. These are the next level of guitar (3k-4k). On the path you are on, you will be ordering a Kevin Ryan or an Olson or a Schoenberg or a Threet (7K-8K) soon enough. And then you can get a Kim Walker or a Manzer (15K).
I think for 5K you can get a guitar that will rival the greatest around. Try to find a used one. Preferably more than 10 years old.
Enjoy. If you are really sure and you can afford it, you might want to try a Kim Walker or a Manzer flattop. They are far too expensive for most players but you won't have to waste your time buying and trading 10 guitars a year anymore.
Probably better than all of these is a nice vintage Martin. From around 1960 and before.
If you are going to spend more than $1500 on a guitar, you shouldn't get it at Guitar Center.
This looks like a very interesting shop in your area:
They've got a number of old Martins... I would love one of those. I recently put most of my guitars on consignment. But I've got three or four left. Two flattops: One 1988 Andersen Brazilian and Engleman concert model and that recent Adi. and Mahogany Collings CW I posted in your Epi. thread. I didn't know you go through guitars so quickly. You might want to get a really, really good one and just keep it. Forget about the others. It's a good feeling to go to a shop and play some guitars and know that you prefer your own guitar to every single one they have. No matter how much your guitar costs or how great the guitars at that particular shop are.
I personally don't like Taylors (they sound to me like they are made of plastic). I would have kept the Epi.
Guitars do grow on u, and it hurts me every time i have to sell mine
From Seagull S6 (Beeaaauutiful mellow sound) i sold and got a Cole Clark fat lady 2 (much better pickups that i need and brighter sound)
Then my ibanez for a tele (love the tele, so dun realli mind)
I do miss my guitars a lot, and if i had the money, i'd never sell and keep buying
No guitars are easier/harder to play though, if u want an easy playing guitar, just take it to a guitar tech and tell them to lower the action, or get lighter strings
If ur still unhappy with the taylor, look for a seagull guitar and send the taylor over to me
I personally don't like Taylors (they sound to me like they are made of plastic). I would have kept the Epi.
Very well said and I agree totally. I got my Epiphone masterbilt back today with a fantastic Epiphone case. The sound is so much fuller than the 810 with much better bass and clear good bass. It has a way better balance to it. The 810 was all high end and not at all a full sound. Its not the money. I played a Martin d-28 I think is was a D and a few other high end guitars and said give me back my Masterbilt. So for the inconvenience they gave me a super Epiphany case with a built in humidifier in the case and a string humidifier with a super Epiphone case all for 400.00. The built in thing in the case is call I forget but it tells you the tempter in the room and in the case. Very cool
Originally Posted by Jahn one last seed of evil tho - since you mentioned Martins, the one to look at is the HD-28, which is the sweet spot of that company. forget the fancy schmancy bigger numbers like the 35, 41 and 45, trust me
Agreed about the HD-28. I have a 1980 HD-28 that I bought new in '81 (music store went bankrupt and I picked it up for $900 with case). The only other Martin I would like to have is the EC Signature 000 one. That is a sweet guitar. I also own a 1974 Guild F-50 but it's the Martin I always reach for even though I like the Guild.
Lou, the Taylor 810 is a great guitar. You can enjoy it for the rest of your life. I have a Baby Taylor that I use as a knock around guitar and even it has a great sound and is very easy to play.
And Jahn, I agree with you about guitars having a soul, especially the acoustic ones.
Originally Posted by LTUCCI1924 I personally don't like Taylors (they sound to me like they are made of plastic). I would have kept the Epi. Very well said and I agree totally. I got my Epiphany masterbilt back today with a fantastic Epiphany case. The sound is so much fuller than the 810 with much better bass and clear good bass.
You're not the only one. They have that thin and "modern" sound that a lot of people don't like. Anyway, if you ever feel the itch to upgrade, I second all of tjkurita's excellent suggestions. Have fun playing Lou!
*bangs head against wall* One guy, one guy chimes in that he thinks a brand in general sounds like crap, not having heard your guitar personally (All individual instruments have their own character), and you go and take it back, having been really happy with it before?
I know you enjoy having GAS with headphones, it seems like you get a kick out of it, but it takes a good bit longer to get to know an individual instrument. It's true you can make a snap judgement in the shop, but that's only the first impression. Especially as a newbie to an instrument, it takes ages to really get to know it. You could even say that with a really good instrument, that process never really stops.
Originally Posted by plainsong *bangs head against wall* One guy, one guy chimes in that he thinks a brand in general sounds like crap, not having heard your guitar personally (All individual instruments have their own character), and you go and take it back, having been really happy with it before?
I know you enjoy having GAS with headphones, it seems like you get a kick out of it, but it takes a good bit longer to get to know an individual instrument. It's true you can make a snap judgement in the shop, but that's only the first impression. Especially as a newbie to an instrument, it takes ages to really get to know it. You could even say that with a really good instrument, that process never really stops.
I totally agree with what you said. I know that LTUCCI just wants a great instrument and I can relate to that, it's important to own an instrument that appeals to you so that you'd want to play it in the first place. That said, any high grade instrument only contains the potential for good sound, all of the sound comes from your hands, and from inside of you. The difference in mood conveyed by a lighter or stronger attack, how long that note is sustained can do wonders in making two players sound completely different on even the same instrument. A lot of people seem to forget that, and it always amazes me what some of the truly great players can do with just 3 or 4 notes.
Originally Posted by plainsong ......but it takes a good bit longer to get to know an individual instrument. .....You could even say that with a really good instrument, that process never really stops.
This is so true. I've been playing my HD-28 for 25 years and I find that there are times it still amazes me. The more you play an instrument the better it sounds. Maybe Lou really didn't like the sound of the 810 and if so why spend the money. He only knows a few chords by his own admission so the Epi will be fine to learn on. I spent my early years with a Yamaha fg-110 and then later with a cheap Fender acoustic (electric guitars are a whole different conversation). I learned a lot with both of those guitars but I can understand Lou's desire for a fine instrument. I dream of one day calling up Doolin Guitars and placing an order for a tricked out OM model but for now I'm very happy to own one of the best guitars I've ever played. Are there better guitars out there, of course there are but Ive learned to be satisfied with what I have and try to play the best I can with it. Playing guitar is just a hobby for me anymore but I love to play. Lou, I hope you some day find the instrument that really makes you happy. You'll know it when the hairs stand up on the back of your neck after strumming a few chords.
Originally Posted by plainsong *bangs head against wall* One guy, one guy chimes in that he thinks a brand in general sounds like crap, not having heard your guitar personally (All individual instruments have their own character), and you go and take it back, having been really happy with it before?
I was just giving my impression of Taylor after playing a number of them. Individual guitars do have their own character, but Taylor is a medium size factory guitar that uses a lot CNC in their manufacture. One of the benefits of this, as well as one of the shortcomings, is that they are very consistent from guitar to guitar. I have played at least 10 different Taylor guitars with a relatively wide variety of materials (all spruce tops, though) and appointments. They have a consistent "house sound" that I personally do not like. I can't be held responsible for someone else's buying habits.
I also don't necessarily buy into the whole "get to know the instrument" stuff. The more important factor to me is whether the guitar is broken in or not. Most solid wood guitars take at least 3-4 years to begin sounding their best. It is a tool for making sounds and needs breaking in. Sometimes I am willing to wait, sometimes the guitar goes back and I try to find a different one. That's why I prefer vintage and used flat-top guitars. They are generally already broken in and sounding and playing much better (better balance of tone, more responsive to a lighter touch, somewhat looser and more open sounding and feeling). In a new guitar, I try to find a guitar that I am willing to play during it's "bad years" in the beginning. I try to find a guitar that I like from the beginning and that sounds as close to the older guitars I own and have played as possible. It isn't until I have lived with the guitar for a while (12-24 months) that I find myself getting emotionally and musically attached to it or ready to sell it because it wasn't right for me. All of the guitars I have owned I have owned for a minimum of a year or two before I think about replacing it.
It doesn't look like Lou has found a guitar that has satisfied him from the beginning so he continually searches and searches. My advice to him would be to go to a better shop than Guitar Center. Some smaller shop where the guitars are set up properly and where he can play for a few hours without the banging of drumsets in the next room and other people practicing Yngwie Malsteem licks at ear bursting volumes in another. And then play as many different kinds of guitars as he can with a general idea of what he likes and dislikes. It takes a lot of time and a lot of playing and I cut my teeth on a $300 Ibanez that my mom bought for me for two years before I even considered myself worthy of a higher end instrument. Then it took me another year of playing in a lot of shops and learning about what makes guitars sound the way they do and what I like before I finally decided on a Gibson J-45. That was something like 10 years ago. I've moved on from that guitar. But when I got rid of it, I knew why and I knew what I was looking for to replace it.
Give yourself time, Lou. Find a guitar that you like and stick with it a while and be sure to have a reason for getting rid of it. If not, just keep it and get more, rather than trading all the time... Then live with them all and keep the ones you want. That's the whole thing about the hobby! It's nice to have lots of guitars (actually, I'm minimizing my collection lately) as long as you take care of them for the next owner (or for your children).
tjkurita
HI: After playing those high end guitars I now really appreciate my Masterbilt. It has a very full sound with good bass. I would take my Masterbilt over any of them so called high end guitars. I just came into a good sum of money so thats why I looked at other guitars but regardless of my money my 400.00 Masterbilt sounds best to my ears. The salesmen gave me back my Masterbilt and for my trouble he also gave me a semi hard Epiphone case with all blue felt inside with a built in thermometer in the case and a humidifier for my guitar strings. Just a beautiful guitar case. I had 3000.00 with me to spend but my 400.00 Masterbilt stoled the show. My Masterbilt has bone saddle and nut plus bone pins and has a very good and long sustain sound.
Jahn
Good I hope we are friends again. LOL. I am finding it easy to strum up and down and with different patterns. I bought 12 palmer triangle 63mm med picks that are a bit softer that the med picks that I had and they seem to let me strum much better. I also bought a small rubber thing that goes between the strings above the nut. You put it there and twist it on and it holds 2 picks ready for use but I find if you put it on the left extreme side then with one pick in it on the right side it is more balanced looking.
Now I always have my pick on my guitar so I don't have to look for it. Oh the picks have an eagle on then and the picks are white. I also am keeping my humidifier in the string hold when I am not playing the guitar so the all wood don't dry up.
The wood is solid seika spruce top with solid mahogany sides and back.
I was told to take good care of the all solid wood guitar.
Besides that Fender strat I shouldn't have sold, my only other wooden instrument was the Buffet E45 clarinet. Now I realize that a wooden horn sees much more in the way of moisture by default, but are humidifiers really neccessary for one or two guitars in constant use? I thought it was a luxury thing, something to stay in tune a bit longer or if you have some uber-expensive guitar on display.
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