gov Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 it's funny--i know nothing of the metro this or that. what i can tell you is this. I have a 46 epi archtop that was a family pass down, had two yamahas, two classical guits and a few electrics over the years but never had a super nice flat top and i always wanted one. a few buddies have martins but for whatever reason i never liked playing them. thought they sounded good but never enjoyed the behind the guitar experience. fast forward--have a son, want to get a real nice guitar to enjoy with him and ultimately pass down. so when it came time to get one, i had my mind set on a taylor. not sure why--maybe because they were the only other one hanging in the pricey room with martins so i gravitated there. i had visions of going into the store, playing a few and after trying maybe 5, picking up the one that i would ride into the sunset with. but it never happened. i went to over a dozen stores over a few months and played every taylor i could get my hands on. none of them spoke to me--i all thought they sounded lame (no other way to say it). then one day i'm sitting in a GC killing time while my wife is at a baby shower. i played every guitar in the room to the same effect--meh. i had earlier seen the gibson's on the wall--two songwriters and a j45. i tried the two songwriters--nice players but so so tone. lastly i picked up the j45. sparks.... well i didn't buy that one but i now knew what i wanted and she was a burst of a different color. i saved more money and visited about a half dozen more shops until i found the one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telemaster03 Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Sometimes it's best to reach your own conclusions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 'cause every guitar is an individual. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 it's funny--i know nothing of the metro this or that. what i can tell you is this. I have a 46 epi archtop that was a family pass down, had two yamahas, two classical guits and a few electrics over the years but never had a super nice flat top and i always wanted one. a few buddies have martins but for whatever reason i never liked playing them. thought they sounded good but never enjoyed the behind the guitar experience. fast forward--have a son, want to get a real nice guitar to enjoy with him and ultimately pass down. so when it came time to get one, i had my mind set on a taylor. not sure why--maybe because they were the only other one hanging in the pricey room with martins so i gravitated there. i had visions of going into the store, playing a few and after trying maybe 5, picking up the one that i would ride into the sunset with. but it never happened. i went to over a dozen stores over a few months and played every taylor i could get my hands on. none of them spoke to me--i all thought they sounded lame (no other way to say it). then one day i'm sitting in a GC killing time while my wife is at a baby shower. i played every guitar in the room to the same effect--meh. i had earlier seen the gibson's on the wall--two songwriters and a j45. i tried the two songwriters--nice players but so so tone. lastly i picked up the j45. sparks.... well i didn't buy that one but i now knew what i wanted and she was a burst of a different color. i saved more money and visited about a half dozen more shops until i found the one. Of course, while it is best to form our own opinions about every individual guitar, I agree with you Gov. I think after awhile you begin to develop your ear and an appreciation for a certain kind of sound. I think many who enter the fray experience what you did initially, many more Taylor's and Martins available. Some stop there after having sorted through countless model and wood choices, but many want to be sure they've heard from at lleast one more brand name. Many who get to that defining moment have become educated (guitar) consumers and recognize the Gibson sound. Of course, we should not generalize, but most who can afford a Gibson (new, used, whatever model) and get one would agree the sound is superior to Epiphone at least! Many would go so far as to generalize and say they prefer it to Taylor. I have been tempted Many Times to get a cheap Martin or Taylor to keep behind the couch, but never have. And I guess at this point I've decided life is too short to not play the best guitar you can. "Best" not being a brand limiting definition, but being defined by whoever is paying for the guitar at that moment of truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 "Its human nature to want to categorise and compartmentalise things, also with guitars and styles. Hence you have .. Martin: Bluegrass Gibson: Blues, Country Taylor: Sensitive metrosexual type, thingie music" Don't forget, Taylor: open tunings, new age, Taylor Swift, Quiche eating, mani-pedi nails, designer clothes, etc., etc.....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Taylors are the girl you meet at church and take home to introduce to your mom and dad. Gibsons/Martins are the girl you meet at the bar, and that's where you keep meeting her. The Taylor girl is all pristine and pure of heart. The Gibson/Martin girl is a bit on the tramp side, loves wearing halter tops , rides a Harley, calls things as she sees them, been there and done whatever, will ask you to come home and stay the night, and she's not afraid to get a little raunchy. My kind of lady..............I've owned two Taylors. Both very, very nice guitars. Well-made, good tone. True, they are perceived to be on bright-sounding side, and likewise I think they pay a price for that perception. Again, very nice guitars, just not "me." And in all sincerity, I cannot warm to the Expression sound system. Also, I don't bash Taylors. Excellent instruments. Just not for me. I remember the stories of Taylors imploding because the tops were too thin. What bunch of crap that was. They're good guitars and a lot of folks really like them and they don't implode.. ............ If a guitar and "you" cannot have a personal and emotionally intimate relationship, you've got the wrong guitar. If someone doesn't understand what "personal and emotionally intimate relationship" is referring to, than I suspect you are playing the wrong instrument. I'm not the kind of guy to look inside of a Gibson or Martin and get paranoid because there's a smear of glue in some dark corner. Nor do I look inside of a Taylor and get all happy and excited if it looks clean. None of that is important to me. I want a guitar that I can personally identify with. A guitar that is an extension of me as a person. Gibsons do that for me (except for the Songwriter, which I consider very Tayloresque). Most Martins do that for me also, except for the ones made with pressed-wood-materials they came out with several years ago. .......Anyway, not a thing in the world wrong with Taylors. Real nice guitars. Just not the guitars for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Gibson - A favorite of guys playing bad 1970s southern rock and passing it off as country and senstive singer songwriter types. Martin - Beloved by guys with visions of some grizzled old guitar player toting a case held together by twine dancing in their heads and sensitve singer sogwriter types. Taylor - Adored by guys in worship bands and who love recording studios and sensitive singer songwriter types. All new/newish Martin, Gibsons, and Taylor guitars are the nice girl you meet at church or a country club and take home to meet Mom. Unblemished and largely untouched by hands other than those of the owner. Regal Big Boys and Harmony Sovereigns are like the bad girls you meet in bars. They could be had by anyone, not just the well-heeled. Often a first love they are not the guitar you ended up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 You guys are over thinking this..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 You guys are over thinking this..... That was the point I was trying to make with my last somewhat ridculous post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honky Dawg Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I play a Taylor and a Gibson. There are songs that sound like crap on the Gibson, but just sound so sweet on the Taylor. Also, the other way around. I enjoy the differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Joe Ely came to town last night and I caught his show. Joe is pretty much the antithesis of a metrosexual musician. The need to classify Taylor owners in such a way probably says more about the insecurities of the person making such statements than anything else. (Sorry for the crappy phone pic, but I'm sure you can get the point.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yggdrasil Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I had a Taylor once - fairly high end xxxth anniversary short scale mahogany/cedar. Sounded very good, just didn't speak to me. Happy & Artie (RIP) Traum use Taylors on numerous blues instructional DVDs and get great tone. Trite to say, but maybe it's all in the fingers, not the steel or the wood...(after all,Jorma played OVATIONS in the late 70s! :-) but, I wouldn't buy another Taylor myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telemaster03 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 The need to classify Taylor owners in such a way probably says more about the insecurities of the person making such statements than anything else. =D> =D> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 .... The need to classify Taylor owners in such a way probably says more about the insecurities of the person making such statements than anything else. .... Not counting one comment, there are no other comments saying Taylor players or owners are metrosexuals. The topic is Taylor guitars . - not Taylor owners/players. Also seeing comments on the type of music members most associate with certain guitars brands. I have heard people describe Taylor guitars as fashionable or METRO guitars. Whay is that? What would Gibson be? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 BK, I find it hard to understand the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliasphobias Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I'm in the camp that agrees that they are fine guitars and play well. I had a Taylor, 400's series, Pao Ferro, dreadnaught many years ago (20?) it was the closest sounding to my Gibson J50 at the time. I had others but they seemed to bore me eventually, in the same way that coated strings bore me, if you follow. I just couldn't seem to evoke any personality from them. That said, a big hats off to Bob Taylors' build innovations, and consistent quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Not counting one comment, there are no other comments saying Taylor players or owners are metrosexuals. The topic is Taylor guitars . - not Taylor owners/players. Also seeing comments on the type of music members most associate with certain guitars brands. Good point. We're talking about guitars. Not the owners. Don't recall anyone going after a Taylor owner.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I have still NOT tried one! So no review from me. Every time I am at the shop where they live and I think "I'll try one of those Taylors today", there is crowd of guitarist banging away on them and I can't get near them without giving a football type tackle. They sure are unpopular! BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Nilppeznaf Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Surely it all about the sound and tone a particular guitar will make ? Every Taylor I have heard just sounds to ' clean' to me..if ya know what I mean I have a Hummingbird..maybe the ' cleanest' sound of all the Gibsons ? but still it has a certain soul and warmth that i have heard no Taylor come close to ? each to their own... and they are usually well priced for a quality instrument..probably why they are so popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Well I gots two of these unspeakable horrors (Taylors) Personally speaking, I don't care that most of yous guys don't like em. I like them, they work for me and I get a lot of compliments on how these sound when I'm playing them I think I'm done with this topic. Next! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 I started this topic, not to bash Taylor guitars, or the people who play them. I was just asking a question about the metrosexual reference. If you play Taylor guitars, more power to you. Thats awesome. I dont think anyone who has responded to this topic has bashed Taylors. I think we all have respect for Bob Taylor and the great guitars he builds. I love the GS mini,and the volume chord they have. We all have to find what works for our playing and style. Some Taylors, some Martins, some Gibsons, etc. Some us us have a mix of different brands of guitars we play. Taylors are great guitars, enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarrr Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 95% of Taylors are electric-acoustic and 100% are poly finish.... nuff said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevet Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I'll add my experience here. And for the record, my guitar that I dearly love and feel great attachment, is NOT the same as either the girl I took home to mom OR the ones I met in bars. They're GUITARS, and I love them, but GIRLS win hands down. Ok, I had been playing a lot, mostly acoustic. I had some electrics, and they were really good guitars (Gibson Les Paul, Fender American Strat Deluxe), but I never played them. My acoustic, that I played all the time, was a Samick. I like that little guitar, one of the few made by Samick that actually has the Samick name on it. Very well made, nice tree of life inlay on the neck, solid spruce top, rosewood back and sides, bound all around, gold hardware. But, It seemed if I was investing in top tier guitars, I should invest in a top tier acoustic, since that's what I play mostly. I was originally looking at Taylors. Played a lot of them all over. didn't find one that really got to me. So I also played Martins. Great guitars. But didn't find "the one". At that time, I thought of Gibsons as (1) great electrics, and (2) the old acoustics my grandfather played. Didn't even consider them. Then, one day in a music store, I asked a guy if I didn't want a Taylor or Martin, what else could he recommend that was at that level. He said Gibson. I said ok, and I tried a few. One was a Songwriter Deluxe cutaway. I really liked it. So over the next two months or so, I continued going to music stores all over the country and playing a lot of guitars (Gibsons, Taylors, Martins, Larivees, Breedloves, high end Takamines, etc. And in EVERY CASE, the ONE that got me was always a Songwriter Deluxe cutaway. I was very impressed with the consistency I found; I played at least 10 different examples of it, and that one was ALWAYS the one I liked best. So I bought one. I know everyone is different, but for me, when (1) I wasn't even considering Gibson initially, and (2) EVERY time I got one it was the one I liked best, tells me this is the one for me. Not knocking Taylor or Martin, but for me neither came close. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I started this topic, not to bash Taylor guitars, or the people who play them. I was just asking a question about the metrosexual reference. If you play Taylor guitars, more power to you. Thats awesome. I dont think anyone who has responded to this topic has bashed Taylors. I think we all have respect for Bob Taylor and the great guitars he builds. I love the GS mini,and the volume chord they have. We all have to find what works for our playing and style. Some Taylors, some Martins, some Gibsons, etc. Some us us have a mix of different brands of guitars we play. Taylors are great guitars, enjoy. well I don't really have a problem with any of this. But Taylors get no love 'round here... and I'm really ok with that.. I don't take it personally... I've never played a Taylor that I didn't think played and sounded good to my ears. OTOH, I've never picked up a Martin (for example) that I ever felt I'd buy - they tend to fight me, they're fantastic guitars, they just don't "fit" me right. it's all good... that's what variety is for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 95% of Taylors are electric-acoustic and 100% are poly finish.... nuff said ??? what is your point Tarrr? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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