ya i got a yamaha-150 guitar and its pretty old hard top acoustic

and it sounds rlyyy nice cuz its a pretty old guitar

Imo, my the guy who sings in my band has a Taylor 314ce grand auditorium. (1650), it is an absolutely amazing guitar. I have a Taylor 214ce grand auditorium (1000). It is basically the same thing but the sides and back are laminate instead of real wood. They both are great, but I prefer the 314.

not all guitars. guitars made from solid woods (top back and sides) age well. laminates sound even shittier after 10 years. but you are right the brand of guitar means nothing. the design, craftsmanship and materials decide the quality of guitar. martin and taylor both get more orders than they know what to do with. their answer is to hire more luthiers and use more automated assembly. find a private luthier if you have the money, otherwise look at smaller companies.

id play both of these before you pay a grand for a basic martin or taylor:
blueridge br-160 or br-180 (china)
seagull


you could have got a solid woods guitar for much less. its like looking for shoes but only looking at the nike brand.

This post was edited by juliusjuice on Jul 7 2009 05:49pm

Well I meant it as a general rule of thumb, there are exceptions >.< But the way he was talking made it sound like ONLY Martins improve over time.

i've played a lot of acoustics, but my martin definitely takes the cake in my opinion. maybe it's because it's 10 years old and i got it for $270 off of some douchebag. a few friends of mine have the laminate, cheaper martins, and while they sound very good, they definitely don't compare in my mind. i'll also second juliusjuice on seagull guitars. i've played a lot of them whilst browsing GCs, and they're really solid guitars for about $400. just really what everyone else said, play a bunch and make a choice. a martin is nice to have, don't get me wrong, but a lower end martin is just like a lower end gibson guitar; they have a little less soul and care involved. taylors that i've played have sounded really dry to me, and they were older, well kept guitars. if that's what a taylor starts to sound like over time, i'll stick with martin.


sorry for rambling, hope this helps.

Taylors are extremely lively and bright, and that is the main reason why the people who don't like them, don't,

Martin will sound more warm and bassy.

Try Alvarez. Imo they are great guitars, and with your budget you could get an absolutely kickass guitar from them. Like a few people said, don't just buy online without trying it if your not sure, go to a guitar shape and compare, some may look good but feel awkward or have a slow neck. while others sound nice but feel too light, or too heavy, or any of the other countless reasons why any individual likes or dislikes a guitar. I like my Alvarez plainly because its a solid wood guitar, the binding and inlays are nice but overdone, a very straightforward acoustic with great tone, plus the matte finish on it makes it hard as hell to scratch, and you can almost feel the woodgrain, which for some reason I like a lot.

ya i have an alverez its a very good guitar i like it alot
acoustic/electric

Sorry not a guitar guru. nn rage.

Crai more plz, don't discuss stuff you don't understand >.<