Best acoustic guitar for worship

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Permalink Reply by Stevo on July 16, 2010 at 10:20pm

and i'm not all about just martins? really? I thought you hated them.

But I find it ironic that you're so bent on proving that there's a specific "Taylor sound" - that DC Aura that you play sounds less like a Martin and more like a Taylor than any Martin I know. I was going to buy one but thought it was too similar to my 710, hence the interest in an HD-28.

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Permalink Reply by Aaron Amico on July 16, 2010 at 10:41pm

hm, well? if you thought that particular martin sounded like a taylor then it must have. but i know mine doesnt, which is why i bought it. and though the dc aura you heard and mine are the same model, they are still 2 different cuts of wood. which will give them each a sound that is unique to them. im not sure why that particular dc aura would sound like a taylor.....unless it was a 700, 800, or 900 model. cause then they would be very similar in woods. but different in the construction. but, to each his own.

ive just been around enough taylors to hear a difference in the way they sound compared to other brands. call it a curse, call it a gift or call it nothing? but i can hear a difference.

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Permalink Reply by Stevo on July 16, 2010 at 11:24pm

Actually, the DCs I played sounded like newer 714 CEs, but with more brightness. I'm really stuck on the newest HD-28s, they rival Collings.

You keep missing my point - recent Martins have encroached on Taylor territory and recent Taylors have encroached on Martin territory. Folks are starting to notice this, but it's also creating better instruments from both companies. I don't find many Martins that I like until I start playing the ones that were made in the past 5 years.

Permalink Reply by Aaron Amico on July 17, 2010 at 12:13am

well, im glad youve found a martin that you want then. i havent heard the similarities, taylors still sound like taylors and martins like martins to me. but like i said before, to each his own. and if you enjoy a guitar, thats the most important thing.

though i have played martins that are older, a 1963 O-18 and 73 D-28, and some other dreadnoughts made before 2000, and they all sound similar. excluding the types of wood of course and the fullness of older models, none of them sounded like taylors.

i havent heard anyone else talking about how taylors and martins are starting to sound alike. quite the oposite actually, thats why my friends are switching to martins now. and not new ones either.

but, everyone hears guitars differently. so to some, the newer models of both companies sound similar and to others, they dont. its all subjective.

and thats also intersting that the martin dc auras sounded like the newer 714's, considering the taylors use a western red cedar top and the martins use sitka spruce. so the 714sw should be much warmer. and also that the 714's are a much smaller body shape to catch the tone. but again, we all hear things differently.

i hope you love the D-28 you wanna get. when do you suppose youll be taking it home?

Permalink Reply by Stevo on July 17, 2010 at 1:49am

Well, that's the amazing thing about the cedar tops they're putting out, they're very punchy and bright with a rock steady and penetrating bass. It goes against what we would expect.

I probably should take a step back and say that the over generalization - Martin Dark / Taylor Bright is what is hard to support today.

Don't know whether to get a Gretsch first or a Martin. If I had David's money, I'd drive to Gruhn in Nashville and play some MacPhersons.

Permalink Reply by Aaron Amico on July 17, 2010 at 2:04am

my dream guitar is a custom $19,000 martin with all the frills....... thats if i had the money.

Permalink Reply by Stevo on July 17, 2010 at 2:43am

How did you know they are two different cuts of wood?

Permalink Reply by Aaron Amico on July 17, 2010 at 3:52am

because they are from 2 different companies and each company gets their wood from specific sources. and even if they got their shipment from the same company, there would be almost no chance of the wood being from the same trees. each tree is going to have different grain, so each tree is going to sound different as a guitar.

i hope thats the answer youre looking for.

Permalink Reply by David Harrell on July 16, 2010 at 11:21am

Stevo...I bet your Taylor 710 with Brazilian is sweet. I love the sound of Brazilian Rosewood Back and Sides. I would agree with your comment about a 114. I think you really need to start with the 700 series to really get a feel for what Taylor's can offer.

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Permalink Reply by Stevo on July 16, 2010 at 7:00pm

David - The 710 BCE is a dream, it's very pretty with a bell-like tone. The Englemann top produces a loose action that is easy to play. It's equally at home recording or on stage. But I need to get a buddy for it so it's not out as often. I've had it in almost constant service since 1998.

As for your McPherson, the one shop in my town that carried them is gone. I'd really like to play some more.

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Permalink Reply by David Harrell on July 17, 2010 at 1:25am

I played every McPherson I could get my hands on until I found the guitar that I thought fit my style of playing the best. The Port Orford Cedar top (it's actually a type of cypress) has a little longer break in time, but I couldn't ask for a better sound and it has plenty of overhead. The Flamed Black Acacia back and sides sounds awesome, a little warmer that Mahagony, but not quite as much as Rosewood. Some of the models of McPherson I felt were a touch muddy, specifically those with Macassar Ebony back and sides.

McPherson was not on the radar screen. I had played Larrivee's (which I really like), Martins (including a D-45), Taylors, Gibsons and Collings and this McPherson was head and shoulders above anything I played (keeping in mind that it was that for my style of playing). For me, the McPherson is a dream.

The one thing we haven't addressed in regard to Barry's original post are strings...Medium versus Light, Phosphorus Bronze 92/8's versus 80/20's. If your sound is muddy, you can sometimes brighten it to cut through the band with 92/8's. Other areas that can impact your sound include your action, saddle and nut material, and type of pick you use. I really don't care for the Corian material Martin has used for the Nut on the DC-Aura. I prefer bone for the nut and the saddle (although my McPherson actually uses Ebony.)

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Permalink Reply by Stevo on July 17, 2010 at 1:53am

Yes, pick material has a huge affect on brightness / muddiness.

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