[joeybcdt]

I bought a "new", actually used, Taylor 810 a few days ago. Very nice guitar.

Just for grins I thought I'd compare it to my Martin HD28 and my Guild G37 Maple. I put new Elixers on the 810. It sounded great. Compared to the Guild with old strings....still a little better. Compared to the Martin with VERY old strings waaaay better. So I put some new Elixers on the Martin. Head to head with the Taylor. Very few differences. Both sound and play beautiful in different sorts of ways but both outstanding guitars.

The big surprise for me was that the old Guild stood its ground even with old strings. This guitar has been my workhorse for over 20 years and it's still going strong. I put this guitar on "lay-a-way" when I was 18, 21 years ago (for you youngsters out there: do a search on layaway. You'll be amazed at how old folks used to buy stuff.) It took me 6 months to get it at $860.00 including OHSC. I tried to sell it a number of times in the local classifieds for $350.00. Thankfully no one ever called.

Lesson here? Big bucks don't automatically mean big quality. It took me 21 years to realize the quality I was raised on.

Joey

[pimp_vince]

congrats, is it one of those revoiced ones, i heard those ones are simply incredible bluegrass mahines. regardless, i've got a 310 myself, love that booming low end! i'd love to get my hands on a better taylor (maybe a 12 string) or a nice martin soon. but that's tough when you're 17 and jobless.

[annoying_2001]

congrats, is it one of those revoiced ones, i heard those ones are simply incredible bluegrass mahines. regardless, i've got a 310 myself, love that booming low end! i'd love to get my hands on a better taylor (maybe a 12 string) or a nice martin soon. but that's tough when you're 17 and jobless.

i want to get a 12 string taylor too....which is also very hard when you're a 19-year-old college kid w/ no job.

[pimp_vince]

i'll be in that same spot in two years.

[stuartmerenbloom]

Lesson well learned....$$$$$should NOT dictate what is good vs. what isn't I guess the guitar companies hype and ads and stuff make some people think that if it costs BIG bucks, it MUST be good.

[dadfad]

I have an old '71 Guild D-40. Like you said, it's a work-horse, but with great tone and playability. Not my favorite country-blues guitar, but still very nice (it is my favorite finger-style Dropped-D guitar for some reason) (I don't mean that easy-barre chord crap! ) Guild was (and still is, but to a lesser degree) a quality maker.

(And Joe, I had a $29.99 Kay guitar in lay-away at K-mart in 1966! )

[stuartmerenbloom]

hey dadfad......there having a blue light special on estaban guitars @ K-Mart..you better hurry

[dadfad]

hey dadfad......there having a blue light special on estaban guitars @ K-Mart..you better hurry                 

They were all gone, Stu, but I got a rain-check!