My dream guitar:
A Taylor 714ce
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Great choice ! Do you play mostly fingerstyle? The cedar top would be awesome for that. I have a 2003 814ce with the Expression System and a sitka spruce top and love it.
Not sure how experienced you are, so ignore this if you already know.
IMHO the best way to buy a guitar is on the used guitar market. It is also best to play it before you buy it. I bought my used Taylor unplayed, however, off the internet from Buffalo Brothers in CA. Taylors are prety consistent IMHO and so you have a decent shot of getting a good guitar. I wasn't disappointed, and with a large volume dealer you have a good chance of returning it if you don't like what you get.
Guitars get better as they age, and so I have never found it important enough to pay extra to get a new guitar.
Play as many guitars as you can while you are looking. Stop in every guitar store you can find wherever you go. When you play several different guitars in the same setting you can really hear the differences. Pick a few of your favorite songs and play them on every guitar to hear the subtle differences the way you play. If you are going to play it amplified then plug them in and hear how the different pickup systems sound through an amp.
I loved shopping for a guitar almost more than I liked buying one. If you find the right store you can play $30,000 worth of guitars and walk out on cloud nine. (Although I did usually buy a set of Elixirs or a pick to pay them back for letting me sit there for an hour.
Recommended places to shop.
- Guitar Centers (carry Taylors to play but not many used ones - make friends and you can get them to let you play the expensive ones. Mostly they stock $300 - $500 models from other makers.
- Artisan Guitars in Franklin - No Taylors, but Bourgois, Collins, & Santa Fe. High end and great stuff.
- Fretted Instruments in Birmingham (Linwood) - Mostly Martins, but just a great shop with lots of used guitars.
- Search the Internet. Plenty of reputable shops that market through the web. Some have some pretty good return policies. (i.e. Buf Bros will give you full trade in credit on any guitar you buy there when you buy a more expensive one from them. IMO they aren't risking much, as we always want MORE guitars as well as better ones, but it does protect you from a lemon.) Most will also post detailed pictures of the one you're buying if not sound files.
- Use Ebay for price discovery. Watch all of the Taylor 714's for a couple of months and track the final sale price. This will let you know what they are really worth based upon age, model, etc. Plus I just like to look at guitars ! I couldn't bring myself to actually buy one off there, but it was great to see what certain guitars were worth.
Anyway - Have fun - I have bought two guitars this way and loved every month of it ! (It takes me a long time to make a decision !)
GBO !
and you'll learn what a dobro is.
