I know a lot of y'all are guitar players so I thought y'all could help me out. I've been playing guitar for about 6 years now and now that I am somewhat decent at it and can afford it, I decided to graduate from my $300 Alvarez and buy myself a nicer guitar. I'm looking to spend around $1500 to $2000 on an acoustic and right now am looking at primarily Taylors or Martins. Though I've played for a while, I really do not know much about guitars besides brand names. What should I be looking for? I'm a pretty hard strummer and like brighter sounds as opposed to a dark bass sound. I prefer a lower action since I have small hands :X. My friend suggested a Taylor 314-CE but I'm not sure how I feel about cut-aways. I like how they look but I think dreadnoughts sound better. Any suggestions? Should I perhaps think outside the Martin-Taylor box?
Typically, Taylors tend to have brighter tones than those of Martins, I believe. Are you looking for an acoustic-electric? Or just full acoustic?
Martin, Martin, Martin. Yes, they have a slightly darker tone overall, but that is more than made up for by the smooth action and purity of sound. Don't get me wrong: Taylor makes a fine guitar, too. But I would invest in a Martin every time, given the chance. I'd like to upgrade at some point, but I must admit: I'm pretty happy with the rig I've got: Ovation Celebrity Super Shallow CC48. Not real pricey, and plays like a dream. Me likey.
If the original poster is looking for a brighter tone, then he should go Taylor. Personally, I'm a Martin man since I like warmer tones. I bought mine in 1994 and it's aged beautifully and still sounds/plays incredible.
It's at the high end of your price range, but play a Gibson J-45 while you're at it. GC has it for 1999 right now.
Guitar Center is having a deal where if you buy anything over $300, you get 15% off: http://gc.guitarcenter.com/promo/memorial-day/ I guess it's worth mentioning that I've owned a Taylor for a couple of years now and it still plays beautifully.. Just trying to give Taylors some rep If you want something other than a Taylor/Martin, definitely check out Seagull acoustics. I played one a few weeks ago and it was difficult for me to put it down. Good luck with finding a guitar and make sure to try every one possible before choosing, you don't want to have any regrets!
I actually heard about this and looked into it but it has a giant list of excluded brands including Taylor and Martin . Thanks for the advice though!
Here's another vote for Taylor. I'm one of those people who is horrible and doesn't change my guitar strings for a loooooong time and my guitar still sounds nice and bright. I have a 414 CE and I love the thing.
