Which is the best acoustic maker? - Page 2

James W · September 24th, 2003, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc

I know I should not, but I love my D15.

Dale

I'll second that. I love my D15 as well. Shortly after buying it I saw Jay Farrar in concert and he was playing a D15 as was his guitarist (Mark Spencer from the Blood Oranges) who was also playing a modded 50's classic tele.

--James W

spyder · September 24th, 2003, 02:05 PM

Ho...upper end production acoustics...probably Martin, Gibson, Taylor... in that order.....lower end models, I don't know...they're all about the same to me....the *best* acoustic maker in the world is probably some old dude from Mexico or Italy makin' guitars way back in the boonies somewhere...later, spyder

davidp158 · September 25th, 2003, 01:52 PM

Best is hard to quantify, isn't it? Would it be based on build quality, sound quality, playability, cost/value, design/innovation, looks...what? Couldn't this poll be for our favorite instead of what we think is best?

Martin has a good history, but I'm not particularly keen on their low end to mid range guitars, and all of the new ones I've ever played were very stiff and needed set up work. The low end stuff is cheap and the high end stuff is grossly over priced.

I feel that Taylor deserves credit for making great production guitars and waking up the industry. Very good guitars, wide range of models, all reasonably priced. I don't care for the necks (too thin for my hands) and most of their guitars sound a bit harsh to me, but over time, they'd probably sound great.

The current Larivee guitars seem much better than what they offered a few years ago. I'd put them in the same league as Taylor, and prefer their necks and their tone over Taylor guitars. They have expanded their line a bit, and seem to be gaining popularity.

Obviously, there are many other guitar builders that could be on this list, but maybe the post was intended to narrow down "best" from the few builders given. FWIW, I just bought a Bourgeois Slope D, after trying a gaggle of Martin, Taylor and Larrivee guitars. Incredible build quality, ultra balanced piano-like tone, and easily the best playing acoustic I've ever laid hands on. Let go of brand names and just audition as many as you can. That's the only way to find what is "best" for you.

Dave Patterson

View Poll Results: Which is the best acoustic maker?
Martin	44	55.00%
Taylor	20	25.00%
Alvarez-Yairi	2	2.50%
Larriveé	14	17.50%
Voters: 80. You may not vote on this poll

September 24th, 2003, 02:05 PM	#42 (permalink)
spyder Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: chillicothe, ohio Posts: 530	Ho...upper end production acoustics...probably Martin, Gibson, Taylor... in that order.....lower end models, I don't know...they're all about the same to me....the best acoustic maker in the world is probably some old dude from Mexico or Italy makin' guitars way back in the boonies somewhere...later, spyder __________________ I'm not a luthier, but I used to play trombone with my jr. high band

September 25th, 2003, 01:52 PM	#43 (permalink)
davidp158 Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 354	Best or favorite? Best is hard to quantify, isn't it? Would it be based on build quality, sound quality, playability, cost/value, design/innovation, looks...what? Couldn't this poll be for our favorite instead of what we think is best? Martin has a good history, but I'm not particularly keen on their low end to mid range guitars, and all of the new ones I've ever played were very stiff and needed set up work. The low end stuff is cheap and the high end stuff is grossly over priced. I feel that Taylor deserves credit for making great production guitars and waking up the industry. Very good guitars, wide range of models, all reasonably priced. I don't care for the necks (too thin for my hands) and most of their guitars sound a bit harsh to me, but over time, they'd probably sound great. The current Larivee guitars seem much better than what they offered a few years ago. I'd put them in the same league as Taylor, and prefer their necks and their tone over Taylor guitars. They have expanded their line a bit, and seem to be gaining popularity. Obviously, there are many other guitar builders that could be on this list, but maybe the post was intended to narrow down "best" from the few builders given. FWIW, I just bought a Bourgeois Slope D, after trying a gaggle of Martin, Taylor and Larrivee guitars. Incredible build quality, ultra balanced piano-like tone, and easily the best playing acoustic I've ever laid hands on. Let go of brand names and just audition as many as you can. That's the only way to find what is "best" for you. Dave Patterson