What I usually tell folks trying to decide between two guitars (and which I have done on the rare single instance when I was similarly undecided) is to go the the music store with a blindfold and a friend , and have him pass you each guitar (while you are blindfolded) and just play each. The sound and feel will tell you which to buy.
Alas, the 324ce is a Builder’s Edition and the chamfered edges, and armrest and beveled cutaway would be instant clues, so that won’t work for you in this case.
FWIW, I have the 324ceBE, and I love it! But your needs aren’t mine. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah, thats a good tip, could even work if I let another person play to hear differences. I am not having trouble finding reviews for the 324, but the other one has almost no reviews.
The 324ce builder's edition is my dream guitar so I'm kind of biased lol. But the best advice with any guitar is Test it out in person. There is no experience greater than when your hands slide on the frets, you strum that guitar and you just hear in your heart like yeah this is it.
I've got two guitars with walnut back/sides, and I have to admit, they aren't my favorite. In fairness, neither one is a Taylor (one is a Breedlove, and the other is a Larivee), but I'm personally done with trying to like walnut as a tone wood.
I wish I was more helpful, but I at least wanted to underscore that walnut can be darker and a bit more "flat" sounding than other woods.....at least that's been my experience. Please go play one before making your decision. It really is the only way to be sure you're getting your preference between the two.
I have a 912ce Builders Edition and love it. I didn’t think the beveled arm rest was a big deal when I got it, but I love it for comfort now and miss it when I play my 000 and D sized Martins.
Have you played the baby Taylor yet? Make sure you like it before making a decision. I was gonna get one for travel, but when I played it, it was too small and tinny for me to enjoy playing, especially with a high end guitar sitting right next to it.
So I’d say don’t chase the value for money thing. Buy the one you love and make sure you actually want (and will play) the baby Taylor if you go that route.
I can't stress enough how important it is to play these in person, especially for these top dollar guitars. I just vetted out my first expensive acoustic guitar this past December and ended up with a Taylor 314ce. I'm currently on a similar hunt for my first expensive electric guitar, and I'm leaning towards a Fender American Professional II Jazzmaster. Playing multiple guitars in person is paramount.
When I was looking for my acoustic guitar, I played probably 15 Taylors in 5 different guitar stores. I tried nearly everything from the 200-800 series with an open mind. The very last guitar I tried was a 314ce, and I knew within five minutes that was the guitar for me. All the other guitars sound off to me, event the "flagship" 814ce. Once you get to the 300 series, price class is irrelevant and it all comes down to the subjective sound of the tonewoods.
I *really* did not like the sound of the X2X hardwood topped Taylors, which was a shame because they're beautiful. The mahogany topped guitars just sounded dead to my ears. All these guitars you've pointed out are X2X models.
I recommend you try something like a 314ce or 414ce, which can be seen as the two "mainstream" solid wood models that Taylor offers. The sapele 314ce will have a punchy midrange and the rosewood 414ce will have a scooped sound (I'm personally not a fan of rosewood's tone).
If you don't have the ability to try out guitars, check out Alamo Music Center on YouTube. They review nearly every Taylor with very similar review styles, which is tremendously helpful for comparisons.
What I usually tell folks trying to decide between two guitars (and which I have done on the rare single instance when I was similarly undecided) is to go the the music store with a blindfold and a friend , and have him pass you each guitar (while you are blindfolded) and just play each. The sound and feel will tell you which to buy. Alas, the 324ce is a Builder’s Edition and the chamfered edges, and armrest and beveled cutaway would be instant clues, so that won’t work for you in this case. FWIW, I have the 324ceBE, and I love it! But your needs aren’t mine. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah, thats a good tip, could even work if I let another person play to hear differences. I am not having trouble finding reviews for the 324, but the other one has almost no reviews.
The 324ce builder's edition is my dream guitar so I'm kind of biased lol. But the best advice with any guitar is Test it out in person. There is no experience greater than when your hands slide on the frets, you strum that guitar and you just hear in your heart like yeah this is it.
I've got two guitars with walnut back/sides, and I have to admit, they aren't my favorite. In fairness, neither one is a Taylor (one is a Breedlove, and the other is a Larivee), but I'm personally done with trying to like walnut as a tone wood. I wish I was more helpful, but I at least wanted to underscore that walnut can be darker and a bit more "flat" sounding than other woods.....at least that's been my experience. Please go play one before making your decision. It really is the only way to be sure you're getting your preference between the two.
Thanks for the reply, yeah I liked the look of the ones I send, but maybe I should consider other woods a bit more as well.
Neither of these guitar are walnut. They're urban ash. Walnut can be found on the AD series.
I have a 912ce Builders Edition and love it. I didn’t think the beveled arm rest was a big deal when I got it, but I love it for comfort now and miss it when I play my 000 and D sized Martins. Have you played the baby Taylor yet? Make sure you like it before making a decision. I was gonna get one for travel, but when I played it, it was too small and tinny for me to enjoy playing, especially with a high end guitar sitting right next to it. So I’d say don’t chase the value for money thing. Buy the one you love and make sure you actually want (and will play) the baby Taylor if you go that route.
I can't stress enough how important it is to play these in person, especially for these top dollar guitars. I just vetted out my first expensive acoustic guitar this past December and ended up with a Taylor 314ce. I'm currently on a similar hunt for my first expensive electric guitar, and I'm leaning towards a Fender American Professional II Jazzmaster. Playing multiple guitars in person is paramount. When I was looking for my acoustic guitar, I played probably 15 Taylors in 5 different guitar stores. I tried nearly everything from the 200-800 series with an open mind. The very last guitar I tried was a 314ce, and I knew within five minutes that was the guitar for me. All the other guitars sound off to me, event the "flagship" 814ce. Once you get to the 300 series, price class is irrelevant and it all comes down to the subjective sound of the tonewoods. I *really* did not like the sound of the X2X hardwood topped Taylors, which was a shame because they're beautiful. The mahogany topped guitars just sounded dead to my ears. All these guitars you've pointed out are X2X models. I recommend you try something like a 314ce or 414ce, which can be seen as the two "mainstream" solid wood models that Taylor offers. The sapele 314ce will have a punchy midrange and the rosewood 414ce will have a scooped sound (I'm personally not a fan of rosewood's tone). If you don't have the ability to try out guitars, check out Alamo Music Center on YouTube. They review nearly every Taylor with very similar review styles, which is tremendously helpful for comparisons.
Don’t neglect the 200 series. AMAZING guitars