Who is your favorite guitar manufacturer?

[Cindy]

We all have things we like and dislike about guitars (and manufacturers). So what company/companies are your favorites? And why?

Personally I'm a big Taylor acoustic guitar fan. There's something about the tone of a Taylor acoustic that calls to me. I have yet to find a Gibson acoustic that I like. And as for Martin acoustics, the only one I ever liked was a laminated, low-end acoustic. None of their solid wood guitars have appealed to me when it comes to tone. 

And Bob Taylor sometimes leads the way when it comes to environmental concerns. Taylor Guitars no longer goes for prime ebony (unstreaked). When he saw a bunch of trees that were felled and lying on the ground, he asked why they weren't being used. The reply indicated the wood was streaked and that no one would want it. He decided to use those trees which is why there are more streaked fretboards on some of their guitars--which is something else I prefer. 

Plus their bolt on necks are terrific! 

So who do you like and why? 

[UncleHammy]

I like Martin dreadnoughts, they have a very distinctive sound that most other guitars can not compare to.

Don't get me wrong I love my Taylor 416 with a Rosewood body but, if I could afford Martin D45 I would have one and never play my Taylor again.

I have a Martin D25K which is a great guitar but it has a much brighter tone with the Koa body than a Rosewood body.  

[Blue Dog]

Martin Man here two. I have tried to play Taylor guitars and Gibson Guitar. but never found but one I liked and that one was the one Steve plays. Because on the 1 3/4 neck. I know that they are not set up . and probably would like them after set up. But the price stops that. cant afford the take chances on them working out. I like Martins. Blueridge . and Takamine  ( but they are heavy .)  I like a deep bass guitar . and I can fix the high side with strings.  But I don't like my new martin DC Aura Gt with the Aura Plus. It has 12 Different sound mics to chose from and its just to much. all to bright. Will be sending it down the road soon  But still a Martin Fan

[Grog]

I can't pick one. they all make some good guitars. From Squire to Epiphone, they all have some great guitars.

I play my Martin more than my other guitars. But I am limited in that I am a lefty and the manufacturers will not do all their lines for you in left handed. Taylor thumbs their nose at you from my experience.

[Cindy]

1 hour ago, Grog said:

But I am limited in that I am a lefty and the manufacturers will not do all their lines for you in left handed. Taylor thumbs their nose at you from my experience.

Taylor makes lefty guitars an option for at least some of their models. Finding one in a store might not be so easy though since there isn't a big call for them. And finding limited editions might be more difficult in lefty models, too. 

What is it about your Martin that makes you play it more?

Edited January 12, 2018 by Cindy

[Don]

I have found nothing better than my Larrivee L.  Just a good all round guitar.

 

[Ice9]

I've grown very fond of Ibanez over the last few years. I have 3 Ibanez guitars and I'm so impressed with the quality and attention to detail even on the low end budget range.

[Oldjock]

For acoustics I like the Seagull brand. Well built (like a tank),  sound good and great value for the dollar. With my large hands, the 1.8" necks are quite comfortable. Best of all, I'm not afraid to take them anywhere.

For electrics I am drawn to the Paul Reed Smith (PRS) brand. Stunning looks and beautiful sounds.

Basically I look for an economical guitar which is comfortable and sounds good to me. An expensive guitar will not make me sound any better.

Henk

[fray]

I have 2 Takamine guitars, ETN 10cbc and a Tf340sbg.  Like the bigger neck on the "340" and it is also very loud.  The on board electronics also appeal to me.  

[Don]

2 hours ago, Oldjock said:

For acoustics I like the Seagull brand. Well built (like a tank),  sound good and great value for the dollar. With my large hands, the 1.8" necks are quite comfortable. Best of all, I'm not afraid to take them anywhere.

For electrics I am drawn to the Paul Reed Smith (PRS) brand. Stunning looks and beautiful sounds.

Basically I look for an economical guitar which is comfortable and sounds good to me. An expensive guitar will not make me sound any better.

Henk

I have a Seagull and am impressed with the tone and build,

 

[Plantsman13]

Grog,

I see you're a lefty and this site pops up as lefty oriented.  If vintage is out of your comfort range, perhaps a great trade-in guitar is to be found.  I am not a lefty, so I can't speak of any dealings with them.

Reference sites are always fun to browse...

https://reverb.com/shop/alexs-gnarly-locker

[Plantsman13]

Hmmm.  I play my Taylor often and appreciate their commercial quality of build.  Rotator cuff surgery on two shoulders makes dreadnoughts difficult; so smaller bodied builds are more comfortable to play.  I find wood combinations to be of far more interest when trying to feed my G.A.S. attacks.  As for loud from the git-go, a laminated guitar can't be beat, but I lean toward solid wood for longer term nuances.   I own a Bourgeois OM and feel Dana can build and voice a guitar with some of the best.  However, if someone "forced" a Collings C10 Deluxe (mahogany with cutaway) on me...I'd have a hard time turning it down.  

All of this said, I like to believe Stephen Stills was thinking of his guitar when he penned, "Love the one you're with"!

Edited January 14, 2018 by Plantsman13
Stephen, not Steven

[Odie]

20 hours ago, Cindy said:

We all have things we like and dislike about guitars (and manufacturers). So what company/companies are your favorites? And why?

Personally I'm a big Taylor acoustic guitar fan. There's something about the tone of a Taylor acoustic that calls to me. I have yet to find a Gibson acoustic that I like. And as for Martin acoustics, the only one I ever liked was a laminated, low-end acoustic. None of their solid wood guitars have appealed to me when it comes to tone. 

And Bob Taylor sometimes leads the way when it comes to environmental concerns. Taylor Guitars no longer goes for prime ebony (unstreaked). When he saw a bunch of trees that were felled and lying on the ground, he asked why they weren't being used. The reply indicated the wood was streaked and that no one would want it. He decided to use those trees which is why there are more streaked fretboards on some of their guitars--which is something else I prefer. 

Plus their bolt on necks are terrific! 

So who do you like and why? 

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany: Perfect for what I do. Now Taylor sends a magazine every few months or so and enjoy the articles. Good mellow sound. Watched a You Tube comparison of this one to same model but different wood (Rosewood, I think). Several made comments that "can't tell the difference." Not so, had to listen closely, and I could. Seagulls are good as someone already stated  but sold mine to get down to three. Usually pick up the Taylors at a store but very seldom Gibson or Martin so don't know. Can't see owning one of those for the price as I have another totally different expensive hobby. 

Edited January 13, 2018 by Odie

[Grog]

20 hours ago, Cindy said:

Taylor makes lefty guitars an option for at least some of their models. Finding one in a store might not be so easy though since there isn't a big call for them. And finding limited editions might be more difficult in lefty models, too. 

What is it about your Martin that makes you play it more?

The do make some lefty models Cindy. Hard to get though. I had an easier time with Martin. Yamaha, you can buy lefty acoustics in stores. I have one. Wrecks my fingers I find. My Martin is easier on the fingers, slightly wider Nut for  Finger Style and it has a built in tuner. I just don't play my SG or Strat as much. Also My Martin is a "Performing Arts Series" so it has a cutaway and it is also not a Dreadnaught. Easier on the arms.

Edited January 13, 2018 by Grog

[Grog]

2 hours ago, Plantsman13 said:

Grog,

I see you're a lefty and this site pops up as lefty oriented.  If vintage is out of your comfort range, perhaps a great trade-in guitar is to be found.  I am not a lefty, so I can't speak of any dealings with them.

Reference sites are always fun to browse...

https://reverb.com/shop/alexs-gnarly-locker

Thanks Plantsman. I did list this site, on the L&M Guitar site, as a resource for lefties.  http://leftyfretz.com/

A lot of information on this site. I even learned that the founder of Gibson was a lefty.

[V7#5b9]

My current guitar set comes from various manufacturers: D’Angelico EX-DC (semi-hollow electric), Carvin DC145 (custom shop solid-body electric), Ibanez AKJ95 (hollow body electric) and a replica of Epiphone Paul McCartney 1964 Texan (acoustic). Each guitar is different so it’s hard to compare makers by guitar type criterion. I like them all. They are well made, provide excellent playability and sound great. I hesitate to pick one manufacturer over the other, but if I was pressed hard to grade them by their sound workmanship, I would place them in the following order: #1 Carvin, #2 D’Angelico & Epiphone, #3 Ibanez.

[bwillard]

Another question I don't think I can answer.

 

Ben

[matonanjin]

26 minutes ago, bwillard said:

Another question I don't think I can answer.

 

Ben

That is not the answer I expected from Ben.     And it wasn't "Fender" I expected either.

[Blue Dog]

I don't know who made this guitar. But I like to have one,

[John Wells]

I have a Taylor 714ce and love it. My dream acoustic would be a MacPherson (with the off center hole), but I have too much money tied up in guitars already. But ahhhh, the tone of a MacPherson. Lotsa luck.

[Cindy]

1 hour ago, John Wells said:

I have a Taylor 714ce and love it. My dream acoustic would be a MacPherson (with the off center hole), but I have too much money tied up in guitars already. But ahhhh, the tone of a MacPherson. Lotsa luck.

I'm not sure what initially sparked my interest in Taylor Guitars, but it had to do with a news article I read. Then when you began posting about your 714ce, it piqued my interest! Up until that time, I hadn't played one...or any big name such as Martin or Gibson. One day I decided to do a comparison between these 3 big companies. 

There wasn't anything tonally by Martin or Gibson that I liked; however, there were several Taylor models I absolutely loved! And as you continued to post about yours, my interest grew into a huge passion. Eventually I got one, then two, then...well...I had several. 

My favorite is my GA3 that I bought at a pawn shop. It has a small hole in its side and a number of dings on the top, but I have yet to find anything as pleasing as its tone. So thanks for giving me Taylor Guitar GAS! Now that I have this one, I no longer suffer from that affliction. 

[bwillard]

Quote

There wasn't anything tonally by Martin or Gibson that I liked; however, there were several Taylor models I absolutely loved!

Although I have a love for Gibson guitars, I don't really care for the acoustic models.  I REALLY like Taylor acoustics.  I have a 210e that sounds great.  Someday I will probably upgrade to one of the higher series of Taylors.

Ben

[Mike Hoodenpyle]

I guess I don't really have a favorite brand. I've never been a Martin guy, but I ran across a D-28 a couple of years ago that's fantastic, so it's in the stable. The best Martin I've ever run across, to my ear, was an M body if I recall correctly, basically a OOOO. It was amazing, but I wasn't in the market at the time. That was over 10 years ago, but it still feels like it's "the one that got away." My all-time favorite is my Breedlove Oregon Concert, all Myrtlewood. It blows me away every time I play it. I've played guitars from most major brands, the aforementioned Martin and Breedlove, as well as Taylor and Gibson, that highly impressed me. But I've also played some from all those brands that were absolute dogs. The most consistently good guitars I've played have been Larrivees. I don't remember ever having played a bad one. From their 03 to 09 and 50 and 60 series, all have been good, some great.

[NeilES335]

Although I love my Gibson ES-335, and Gibson guitars in general, my Godin 5th Ave Kingpin comes a close second. (even though it costs 2/3rd less..)

Godin Guitars are manufactured in Canada (bias admitted) at several locations in Quebec, and 1 location in US. 

They make several brands of very high quality instruments including ;

Seagull (moderately priced acoustics that are very popular)http://www.seagullguitars.com/

Simon and Patrick (higher grade acoustics ) http://www.simonandpatrick.com/guitars.htm 

LaPartrie (classical style) http://lapatrieguitars.com/ 

and of course, Godin ( Solid body, Semi - hollow body and, hollow body archtop electrics, and the very popular and unique "Multiac" series)

 http://www.godinguitars.com/godinwhatsnew.html 

The build quality is second to none (in my opinion) offering exceptional tone, innovative electronics, and amazing value!  

My Godin is really my "go to " guitar, so easy to pick up and play, with great looks and tone.  It's very possible my next guitar will be a Godin product... Check them out.. you'll be happy you did.

From Wikipedia;

History[edit]

Godin started building Robert Godin's guitars in 1972 in La Patrie, Quebec. The head office is located in Montreal, and they build instruments in six factories in four locations—three in Quebec and one in New Hampshire.

Godin Guitars makes instruments under several different labels. Norman makes entry- to mid-level acoustic guitars. Art & Lutheriemakes entry-level budget acoustic guitars. The Simon and Patrick brand make mid- to high-range steel-string acoustics. La Patriemanufactures classical guitars. Seagull makes solid wood entry- to professional-range acoustic guitars. Guitars under the Godin brand are primarily mid-range to top-of the-line electrics that are made of high quality wood from the northeastern part of North America. They have many models that feature synth pickups (MIDI-equipped^[1]) and some with piezo pickup-equipped bridges. Godin has synthesizer pickups as a standard feature in their high end models, and many of their electric models use piezo-acoustic pickups integrated with the bridge assembly.

Godin's guitars have won several awards, including Guitar Player Magazine's Editors Pick for the LG, Exit 22, and Freeway Classic.

[Cindy]

One of our local stores used to carry Art & Lutherie (and still might). One of my friends bought an Art & Lutherie acoustic for their daughter many years ago, and I was quite impressed with its quality. And of course Seagull makes excellent acoustics as well. I'm not familiar with any that have electronics though. Yes, the mother company really does a great job!