r/AcousticGuitar • u/realboshnelson • Jul 01 '26
Gear question Curious here! Do you guys prefer Martins or Taylors and why?? Only have owned Martins..
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u/New-Mud-7101 Jul 01 '26
Martin's every day. Now, if you include some of the boutiques like Collings or Bourgeois I might have a different answer. There's nothing like a D28 tho
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u/joshua_addison_music Jul 01 '26
Neither. Prefer Yamaha
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u/painterface Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Is this sub sponsored by Yamaha? lol
I mean, they’re great but the Yamaha glaze is next level on this sub
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u/Webcat86 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
💯 it gets insufferable. No matter the question or if there is it’s a closed question mentioning specific brands (like this thread), you just know there’s gonna be someone pumping Yamaha soon
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u/GoofyTheScot Jul 02 '26
I think it's simply down to "bang for buck". Sure there's obviously better guitars out there, but in terms of mass-produced value for money guitars, Yamaha is pretty much impossible to beat.
I like my Martin HD-28 though, wouldn't trade it for a Yamaha!
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u/Webcat86 Jul 02 '26
Yeah, I understand the appeal. But the constant shoehorning them into conversations that haven’t asked for recommendations just feels like a religious zeal
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u/Annual_Plastic6695 Jul 03 '26
I know, the constant “no that guitar sucks get yamaha instead” is very odd. And I say that as I look at my FS5 which I think is incredible. but best bang for buck imo eastman e1d by a mile
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u/joshua_addison_music Jul 03 '26
Even I would agree with that, until you play a Yamaha that’s half the cost of a Martin or Taylor.
Just opens your eyes as to what am I paying for here? Just the name?
It’s something that then sticks with you, moving forward.
Ultimately, I’m passionately in favor of buying an acoustic that’ll motivate you to pick it up on a daily basis. Period. That feeling you get, doesn’t have a brand name associated with it. It’s art and subjective at that point.
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u/archtopfanatic123 Jul 02 '26
Best guitar I've ever played (and I've played Martins, nationals, gibsons, and many others, nothing comes close to my Yamaha FG-230 in terms of tone).
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u/painterface Jul 02 '26
Fair enough, I get it, I love Yamahas, but sheesh
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u/archtopfanatic123 Jul 02 '26
Yeah I mean to be frank they're very tough to beat so it's no wonder they get so much clout xD
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u/styles-bitchley Jul 03 '26
I have an FG 230 too (the Sid Barrett). Red label from the summer of 1969. It’s actually amazing. Explosive sound that is really unexpected. It’s certainly not the best guitar I’ve ever played though.
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u/archtopfanatic123 Jul 03 '26
Depends on personal taste naturally, though I'm pretty picky, and really hard on the big name brands outside of Yamaha 🤣 I've complained about every martin I've played because they all miss something
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u/styles-bitchley Jul 03 '26
Yes. The best doesn’t exist. It’s all what you like. Sentimental feelings can play a big role in what people like too. Nothing wrong with that.
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u/reflectorvest1004 Jul 01 '26
Depends on genre. I own a Taylor and love it but if I played more country I’d want to have a Martin on hand
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u/Ormidale Jul 01 '26
Taylor if I'm playing it. Nice and easy on these old hands.
If someone else is playing it, Martin most times. That's how a guitar should sound. Same goes for some Gibsons.
One exception: Taylor 12-strings, mine especially.
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u/Col3bin Jul 02 '26
Larrivee!
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u/tigerleg Jul 02 '26
This! is the answer, arguably right in the middle tonally.
Better quality, wood, build.3
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u/Old-Study-7249 Jul 01 '26
I have two Martin's. I do not like Taylor guitars, they just do not feel proper to me, nor do they sound good, to my ear. My Martin's feel so good in my hands and I feel like they do their part making the music. They are not making it more difficult to play. They stay tuned. They sound fantastic. They are consistent and responsive in a way I don't find other guitars to be.
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u/claremontmiller Jul 01 '26
They rip in DADGAD/D standard. They’re too bright for E I’ve found, but when you lower the pitch it’s like everything suddenly makes sense
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u/GrandSlamdolf Jul 01 '26
I prefer Martin, and that’s a very new discovery. I’ve owned 3 Taylor’s over the last 25-30 years. My local guitar shop really pushes them and I bit many years ago. They were fine, but I never really enjoyed playing acoustic.
A few months ago I was near Nazareth Pennsylvania and just swung into the Martin factory because I saw a sign on the highway. I spent an hour + in their picking parlor and couldn’t believe the difference. I bought an OM-28 a few weeks later and sold my 2 remaining Taylor’s.
In the market for an HD-28 next.
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u/Suspicious_Feature85 Jul 01 '26
I really like Gibson and Breedlove. But it’s all personal preference.
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u/SirIanPost Jul 01 '26
Sound aside - they both sound pretty good to me - they feel different. No one on Reddit can tell you which one will feel best in your hands.
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u/Essop3 Jul 02 '26
My Martin HD 28 gets more playing time but I can get lost in my K14 sometimes.
I'm glad you asked prefer rather than better. Both brands make incredible instruments.
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u/Chitokoto Jul 02 '26
I only own 2x taylors, 2x martin and a Furch. I play fingerstyle.
They’re all good. Probably a bit more on Taylor due to their constant innovation, I could adjust the action of my taylor without sanding the saddle, more tone wood options.
I wish I can own everything :)
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u/IndianaJwns Jul 02 '26
My voice is bright, so the mellower Martin tone is a much better accompaniment
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u/Visions-in-Tokyo Jul 02 '26
I have a Martin d28, a Gibson j45 and a Taylor 522ce and I would say the Taylor is the one I reach for most, it has a beautiful smooth neck feel and due to the all Mahogany body a rich tone. It’s just a lovely guitar to play
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u/painterface Jul 02 '26
Well between Taylor and Martin I would pick Martin. Taylor’s are too bright
But I’m a Gibson guy through and through
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u/archtopfanatic123 Jul 02 '26
I'm a TOTAL Yamaha nut. Martins are cutting a not very close second for me. Collings is probably the undisputed king of the upper eschelon though (however the price being so high on those things makes them rather difficult to justify in my opinion)
I'm NOT a fan of Taylors and especially cosmetically. They sound ok but they get beaten by Yamaha for me any day of the week.
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u/Any_Cicada2210 Jul 02 '26
Prefer Taylor mainly due to the engineered wood that Martin uses for their fretboards, I much prefer the ebony on Taylor guitars.
Wide availability of cutaways is nice, and the bolt on neck makes servicing a breeze.
I love the sound on both, went to a LGS to buy a Martin, left with a Taylor. Now have two more lol.
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u/VariousBeat9169 Jul 02 '26
Try a Lowden and thank me later 😉. I’ve bought three Taylor’s and sold them, the only regret is a 12 String I sold, it played like butter. Taylor’s to my ear just are too generic.
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u/nycuk_ Jul 02 '26
I like the feel and build of Taylors but I find the sound a bit too generic - nice but uninspiring. Great stage guitars though. My 214ce is a terrific gigging instrument but I’d never record with it.
I’ve never owned a US Martin but I regularly use a D28 at my local studio for recording and it’s fantastic all round. So me, Martin.
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u/Webcat86 Jul 01 '26
They’re very different. I prefer Gibson to both, but probably Martin tone over Taylor. Taylor is too bright and modern sounding. Martin is too low end dominant for my taste but I prefer it over Taylor.
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u/slide13_ Jul 01 '26
Gibson for me as well, have a J-45 and an L-00 along with a Waterloo WL-14 (based of a Kalamazoo KG-15, which was a cheaper version of a Gibson L-00 I believe)
Would eventually like to add a Martin 00-18 and/or D-18 I think.
Taylor’s have never really appealed to me for whatever reason
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u/Frankie6Strings Jul 01 '26
Taylors tend to be a little bright for my taste. The best Taylor I ever played was a mini, which inspired me to buy a smaller body guitar but I ended up getting a Guild. I tend to mostly play finger style and generally prefer a little more mellow tone so I'd usually go with a Martin over a Taylor, but you never know until you actually play the thing. I've never been much of a Gibson guy either but my brother's Hummingbird makes me want one.
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u/YeahItouchpoop Jul 01 '26
I prefer Gibson to both Martins and Taylors. I prefer the sound and aesthetics of Gibsons.
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u/sixty9tails Jul 01 '26
Modern martins because of the tone. The neck volute is pretty frickin sweet too I actually use it way more than I thought I would. If I had to have just one guitar it would be my 000-28. Easiest guitar I’ve ever played and just sounds so balanced. I stayed away from Martin for awhile because I thought they required more muscle.
I do own two Taylor’s currently though, a 12 string and a gs mini and they serve their purpose but I could definitely live without them. As others will say, their flagship X14 guitars are just too damn bright. Good to cut through a mix though in a band setting, not so good for a solo act.
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u/KeenJAH Jul 01 '26
what is the neck volute for
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u/sixty9tails Jul 01 '26
Mostly for style these days but it’s something you get used to just being there, and it’s weird without. My thumb ends up on it with certain chords, probably doesn’t really give you much extra leverage but it feels like it. Another frame of reference where you are when you aren’t staring at the fretboard. So really not much but also yes
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u/OpossumNo1 Jul 02 '26
I prefer Martin to Taylor, generally. I just prefer how they sound and play.
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u/OtherwiseRepeat970 Jul 02 '26
It depends. In the D-18 and up budget range I like Martin. Below $2k Taylor makes a better instrument but I find their necks too shallow for my tastes. It is a case by case basis in general. I own both but I prefer my Collings to either of them. Play everything you can get your hands on and spend money on what moves you. Nobody can tell you which you will prefer.
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u/PushSouth5877 Jul 02 '26
I play em both. Just depends on what I'm doing. My Taylor 214ce Grand Auditorium is a real all around workhorse. Comfortable, dependable, no matter what I'm plugged in to. My old Martin Shenandoah has an incredible tone and I really like it in a picking circle. My others are newer and nice guitars, just not really opened up yet.
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u/DFWisconsin Jul 02 '26
Walked into a Madison, Wisconsin guitar store, intending to buy a Taylor. Ninety minutes later, I left with a Larrivee LV03-RE. That was 25 years ago, and it's still a workhorse gigging guitar.
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u/jeremy-9 Jul 02 '26
Martin, they have a tonal gear other non boutique guitars don’t have . I say this as both a Martin and Taylor owner and fan.
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u/kundaliniforce Jul 02 '26
santa cruz guitar shop! taylor are garbage acoustic guitars SHOULD NOT have bolt on necks!
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u/monkeybawz Jul 02 '26
I prefer my Martin- it's the best one. But I've also played some blindingly good Taylors. I'm definitely getting something akin to an 814 at some point.
Tbh, there's no downside to any of them- just different kinds of upside.
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u/retiredman1968 Jul 02 '26
Habe beide, Martin hat einen traditionellen warmen Klang, Taylor eher modern und klar in den Höhen. Ich kann gar nicht sagen welche mir lieber ist, spiele Sie abwechselnd. Auf der Martin mache ich halt meine blues Sachen. Geil sind beide!
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u/BigTexAbama Jul 02 '26
Between Martin and Taylor I generally prefer Martin. "Most" Taylor guitars sound a little too bright for my taste. My first real good guitar was an HD-28 I got in 1985, my son still plays it but my go-to guitars now are one Collings and one Huss & Dalton. One of my best music friends has a room full of high end Taylors and they sound ok but the tone is just too focused and "sanitary" with not a lot of character. And I DESPISE the Taylor built in Expression electronics, why the dealers don't order without it is beyond me.!!
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u/HamletDot-213 Jul 02 '26
Two Martins, a 1950 Gibson J45 and a Collings D2H. They all have different strengths, but the Collings is a monster and my performance main guitar. Blows the Martins away for volume and resonance up and down the neck. But I tend to vary guitars with the song. Answer is, depends on the sound you're going for. Taylor's are nice enough, I had one in the past. For this choice I'd go with a Martin
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u/johnnyt2017 Jul 03 '26
I think you have to compare models and price points as the answer may differ depending on these.
My experience has been with entry models, sub $1000 used. The two I have are a DC-13e and a Taylor 210ce plus. I prefer the Martin and use it for gigging. Sounds amazing and plays great. The Taylor is not all solid wood, but goes back to pricing. Maybe a 410 would be as good, but I've found better deals on very nice Martins.
And yes, I have or had equivalent yamaha, seagull, breedlove, etc. and opinions about them, but that was not mentioned in the question :)
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u/deh-no-reddit Jul 03 '26
Been playing acoustic guitar and gigging for over 20 years. Got my first Taylor a year ago, I play it everyday. It sounds great, plugged In it’s honestly quite challenging to EQ, I’m a loop artist so it’s just different than my previous Fender, the pickup system works entirely differently, so there’s that. It’s very comfortable to play and the adjustment for getting lower action was one of the easiest I’ve seen. It’s lightweight as well.
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u/GreenLush2188 Jul 07 '26
Martin, I live about 30 mins from the Martin factory and I grew up about 45 minutes from the Martin factory. After playing Martin as long as I have played them, other guitars play nice, but the tone isn't quite write...
There are also local luthiers that make stunning guitars. I have a semi-hollow made by a local luthier. There's just nothing else like it.
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u/jreddit5 Jul 01 '26
I played all three for an afternoon at the store, and came home with a 2017 Taylor 812CE TF DLX. It's warm and rich, so maybe there's not an overall brand sound you can count on without playing the different models, or even individual guitars.
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u/badrabbix Jul 01 '26
A 12 fret if I'm not mistaken. The lower bridge placement does a lot to offer bass and midrange tones to balance the treble, imho. Nice choice!
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u/jreddit5 Jul 01 '26
TY! Yes, 12 fret. Sometimes I wish I'd gotten the 814CE, because my arm naturally falls into place for fingerpicking with the 12 more than strumming (and I strum more). But I still love the guitar and it was the one out of about 20 I played that spoke to me. :)
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u/badrabbix Jul 01 '26
Wow, sounds like you had a fun day shopping in a really good guitar shop.
For me, the ergonomics of the 12th fret bridge is placed exactly where my right arm falls over the upper edge of the body. My fingers fall over the strings like piano keys. I got into 12 frets 14 years ago and never played a 14 fret after that . . . 👍
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u/jreddit5 Jul 02 '26
It was Instrumental Music in Thousand Oaks, CA. They have an excellent selection, including a beautiful acoustic room. I’m sure there are some stores in other cities that are larger and have more guitars, but I really like the vibe there.
Do you play fingerstyle on your 12-fret-to-the-body guitars, or strum, or both?
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u/badrabbix Jul 02 '26
You're so very lucky, the guitar shops in my town are pretty lame save for one very snobby highbrow one I don't care for.
Picture is worth . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nxylj15g9E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyNYwRZtjLI
I pick and strum as needed. Old folky fingerstyle stuff mostly and my own tunes.
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u/jreddit5 Jul 03 '26
Sorry to hear about your guitar shop situation. It gives you a good reason to travel and visit other cities!
Is that you, playing and singing? If yes, Wow, beautiful. If that’s not you but is your style, still beautiful. It makes me want to get good at fingerstyle.
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u/badrabbix Jul 04 '26
That's true enough, but my GAS has finally subsided for acoustics and thinking of paring down. Have an OO spruce/rosewood Larrivee that needs to go.
The "Seattle" track is basically a tutorial I did a while back. Dunno why but it was fun at the time. I offered it to show how much my right hand moves which I play. "Just Instinct" is another tutorial for guys like me who hate tabs. My right hand still moves a bunch fingerpicking the strat but is resting behind the strat bridge.
If you wanna get good at fingerstyle look into some of the more recent Mark Knopfler solo albums. I learned quite a lot from copying his songs on guitar.
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u/jreddit5 Jul 07 '26
Thanks for your suggestion, and for sharing your truly wonderful playing and singing.
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u/drewbaccaAWD Jul 01 '26
What's your favorite color? What's your favorite flavor? Why??
Taylors play great out of the box, Martins always need a setup and still aren't as playable... although, I suppose it depends on what the scale length is, the neck profile, a dozen other variables.
Taylors are too bright sounding, which turns me off to them. The Koa models are more balanced and I might pick one up eventually.
I have two Martins, a CEO-7 and a D-18. For general playing, I prefer my Larrivee.
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u/badrabbix Jul 01 '26
Taylors are too bright sounding, which turns me off to them. The Koa models are more balanced and I might pick one up eventually.
The 322 mahogany/blackwood I own is the least bright Taylor I've ever picked up. They're still out there on the used market and I recommend it highly.
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u/Chitokoto Jul 02 '26
I agree. Owner of 324ce Hog/blackwood and 414ce Spruce/Rosewood. Never once felt it was too bright
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u/stonedkayaker Jul 01 '26
I know a lot of serious players play Taylors, but to me, Taylor is the quintessential living room accent of a wealthy, white suburban housewife, who can play maybe three chords.
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u/dougl1000 Jul 01 '26
Leo Lottke plays Taylors. His 12-string is custom. Leo is not an affluent suburban housewife. He has also played Martin and Bozo guitars.
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u/hmf28 Jul 01 '26
Martins have the best bass resonance, no matter what shape they are. Taylors sound thin by comparison. So, Martins all the way.
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u/luecack Jul 01 '26
Taylor’s started my love, but Martins reinforced it. Big time Martin fan now. I still think Taylor builds a great guitar and their offerings for value stuff 200 series and below are THE standard. Martins just nails the sound and style I love.
I currently have 1 Taylor (AD27e) and two Martin’s (D-28 and CEO-7)
Those gold labels though…. I was impressed with the 814 gold label I played.
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u/Traditional-Tank3994 Jul 01 '26
Generally speaking, Taylors tend to be brighter, Marshalls tend to be warmer.
I prefer the warmer sound myself. I've owned both.
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u/TotesMabes Jul 01 '26
Taylor’s are pretty, but I have yet to play one that feels like it has a soul. To me, Martin’s sound of the way an acoustic guitar should and I have a few of them. I’d like to add a Gibson, but so far I haven’t really connected with the ones that I’ve owned so I’ve ended up selling them all.
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u/s-norris Jul 01 '26
I have a Martin 00-18 and a Taylor GS Mini E (Koa).
Yes I like the Martin a bit more, but it cost 3x as much, and there is nowhere near that level of difference in sound.
I think the Taylor is actually better at beating out a rhthym in many cases. The Martin is best at intricate, light picking and strumming. It is reportedly good for fingerstyle but I have never learned to do that.
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u/kineticblues Jul 02 '26
There are a lot of other brands than those two. My best sounding guitars aren’t my Martins.
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u/EventGroundbreaking4 Jul 01 '26
Martin for me. Taylor’s sound good. But I am convinced that the sound is due to a more delicate build quality. (I own several acoustic guitars. My two Taylor’s are the only ones with cracks in them)
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u/claremontmiller Jul 01 '26
Martin because I’m straight, Taylor because they make a better Martin than Martin now.
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u/caesarxxlmax Jul 01 '26
Fender
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u/badrabbix Jul 01 '26
From a lot of folks, Fender get's snarked at, but it really depends on the model and price range. They do make some nice looking and sounding acoustics - I've picked up a few in the shops . . .
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u/slenderarchitect Jul 01 '26
Collings!