Taylor V Bracing - My Truth

[@pegheadproductions]

You’re spot on. The V-bracing intonation narrative is solely driven by marketing, rather than sound engineering or scientific principles. As an engineer and scientist, I find Taylor's claims to be illogical and in violation of fundamental laws of physics. This is not a personal opinion, but rather a rational analysis rooted in widely accepted scientific principles. I reached exactly the same conclusion as you: “V-bracing does not offer a solution to a problem that does not exist”.

[@j.dietrich]

Taylor's explanation of how v-bracing affects intonation is largely correct. The fundamental frequency of each string might be perfectly in tune to a reference pitch and the guitar might be perfectly adjusted for intonation at the 12th fret, but the instrument might still sound badly intonated due to tuning differences between the fundamental and the harmonics. Most of us have experienced this with old or badly manufactured strings - a single note can sound out of tune *with itself* if the string has inconsistent mass or stiffness along its length. Most players couldn't explain this phenomenon, but they readily recognise that bad or old strings just seem inherently out of tune, regardless of what their tuner says. The fundamental might be bang on at 0 cents, but the harmonics are all over the place. There is a mutual relationship between the top of an acoustic guitar and the strings - energy from the strings feeds into the top, which is modified and reflected back into the strings. The movement of the bridge alters the sounding length of the string and introduces significant longitudinal vibration. The speed of sound in wood (~4000m/s) is significantly higher than the speed of sound in air (~343m/s) which can lead to some extremely complex doppler and intermodulation effects within the box. A badly braced top can indeed sound poorly intonated. V-bracing does not "solve" this issue, nor is it a paradigm shift in bracing design, but it does introduce some useful options for the guitar designer. I agree that Taylor guitars do tend to sound somewhat sterile, but I think that's the flip side of their remarkable consistency. I've never heard an exceptionally good Taylor, but I've never heard an absolute stinker either. I think you are right to be skeptical and I would agree that Taylor have significantly oversold the benefits of v-bracing, but after studying an FEA model of the bracing pattern I had a real "doh, why didn't I think of this?" moment. It's a clever and elegant solution to some very subtle problems with x-bracing. Most of those problems can be overcome with careful hand-tuning of the top and braces, but that simply isn't an option in mass production. As regards the tone of a v-braced top, we are well into the realms of subjectivity. To my ears, the examples I've heard do sound markedly better than their x-braced predecessors, but that's purely my personal preference. I think that Guitarist magazine have done an excellent job of illustrating the difference on the 914CE: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZjMp5WohsSfr8k

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

I think we are coming at this from the same direction. They are sterile - but very consistent in build. I mention this in the video - with a Taylor you know what you are getting out the box - which is again, why they are so popular with shops who want as little hassle as possible selling the guitar.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

@@nihilistlivesmatter In reply to your last line. Exactly!

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

@@nihilistlivesmatter If you want to eliminate the tone that players have been listening to for the past 100 years feel free! There is 1 reason to develop the V bracing - something to talk about - which you need to sell guitars. Its not because its needed - its not because its an improvement - its because they can.

[@jullejohnjohn7121]

Man, your explanation of the physics are spot on. Ive been thinking about this, but couldn't exactly put it into the correct words. Thank you for doing that, and putting my mind at rest

[@joebleibaum]

@@RichardsGuitarshop The Taylor 914ce (with armrest) is one of the best sounding guitars I've played and I've played a lot of guitars in the store I'm working at. The Fishman in the old Taylor guitars was to complicated. Problem is that we tend to view things from the perspective of pro users. The first ES was easy to handle, had no feedback issues and did sound well up to the 5th fret. Good enough for most guitarists. With the latest version of the ES2 I had a hard time guessing that the PU is a piezo. I use the ES2 together with an instrument mic, so I have no issue with the ES. Regarding the intuneness of the v-bracing, don't forget the overtones. The v-bracing is producing less disharmonic overtones, making the note seem more true. To me as a soloist the sideeffect of the plus in intuneness is unwanted: the tone of the guitars with v-bracing seems to be thinner, even tough their projection is better. But who cares about projection, when you are playing amplified. With Andy Powers having reworked the guitars, the sound of the Taylor guitars has changed a lot.

[@ResoBridge]

I haven't actually played a Taylor V braced guitar, but every recorded demonstration I have heard sounds excellent - the notes are all even, they are powerful, they sustain well and the sound is very musical, exactly as Taylor are claiming. I think they have made a mistake in choosing to say the V brace system improves intonation. What they are talking about is the way in which the guitar reproduces harmonics with clarity and accuracy. However as I understand it those demos are made with selected guitars from Taylors most expensive range. It remains to be seen if they can make V bracing work consistently across their entire range.

[@telefan2]

As a Taylor owner, I found myself agreeing with most of what you say. Had 5 T5's, the fact that they come and go says it all. I also agree with the V Class bracing, is it REALLY better? a lot of the demo's don't say that to me. Certainly your comments are food for thought.

[@FilipeMoreira86]

Hi! My truth: I like Taylor guitars and after trying the V-Class models (all the way up to 814ce): - V-Class has more sustain but nothing you can't live without; - V-Class has less "dead spots" around the neck but again, nothing truly "magic"; - V-Class lacks the "bass" very much. I prefer the X-Bracing due to the fact that V-Class sound to me with "less" personality. I don't agree with you when you say "Taylor Guitars are sterile". I can understand that, however, if you refer to V Braced guitars.

[@rmzzz76]

This is subjective so what works for you, might not work for me in terms of personal taste. But to Richards Guitars point, when I think of "sterile" I think of balanced tone where all the notes ring the correct pitch, sustain about the same but lack any real character beyond that... To acclimated ears who have put hands on a lot of Martin's, Gibson's and boutique builds by Collings, Hus & Dalton, Santa Cruz, Lowden, etc.. Taylor's have "that Taylor sound". Bright, balanced tone, known for being easy guitars to be played with excellent intonation and reasonable quality tone, but not loved much by truly great players (I don't know one who prefers Taylor over other brands, none of my favorite players do) usually go for tone first... FYI I mention Lowden, Bob Taylor was a big fan of Lowden guitars before he designed his Grand Orchestra model, which is heavily inspired by George Lowden's O. Bob Taylor's biggest contributions to the guitar world were perfecting the bolt-on neck joint (or at least convincing the world that perfected it, again to my ears the tone isn't there) and of course automation in manufacturing to improve his margins.

[@R.L.Humpert]

I like the v class very much. It has incredible intonation. Now if you think it lacks bass I went with a 324ce and it has a mohagany top and it really brings out the bass sound. Is v class better than x? It’s not better but it’s certainly not worse and far from bullshit. Especially to those of us that have played them and spent a pretty penny on one. I think many people are just jealous too of Taylor’s success. Great company.

[@stephengaudreau599]

@@R.L.Humpert I have a V-class 324ce as well and I agree with you 100%. I think spruce-top v-class Taylors are generally inferior to their x-braced counterparts but a mahogany or koa topped v-class Taylor sounds amazing.

[@czh15]

Hi Richard, I absolutely agree with you. I was in the market for a new guitar and I was comparing between several guitars from martin, lakewood, eastman, takamine and taylors. Honestly, among the guitars tested I hated the taylors the most. Every taylors I played sounded thin and had this annoying chime in the mids which overpowers the bass and trebles. I don't know how these V-braced guitars will sound 10 years down the road, but for me they are really unbalanced with the mids being too loud and bass that is non-exsistent. The one thing I do like about these new taylors is that the trebles sound better in terms of pitch on the higher frets, with excellent intonation (at least to me), but I suspect that it is because the V-brace is so stiff they remove the 'overtones' and other frequencies, only leaving the main 'note' and this makes it more in tune, like what you pointed out, by stripping the sound down. This point actually got me thinking "Is being in tune really so important?" Consider for example the ultimate instrument in terms of richness of sound, the grand piano. Every piano key actually consists of 2 to 3 different strings that are tuned slightly differently in pitch (ie they are slightly 'out of tune.'). If I remember correctly one string is tuned slightly sharper while another string is tuned slighter flatter within the same key. Or just ask any professional piano tuners, they don't tune pianos to perfect pitch across every string and every key so to speak. And it results in notes that sounds very rich and in-depth. Maybe musical notes are not meant to be perfectly in pitch. In my opinion, notes sounds the best when it is rich with overtones and 'wider' spectra of frequencies that these V brace really destroys. The other thing that really bugs me is that there is a lack of empirical data that supports the supposed benefits brought about by these V-bracing. While musical preference is subjective, the stuff that Taylor claims, the 'improved' volume, sustain, delay.etc, all these are quantitative and can be objectively measured. I am not comfortable with how taylor claims it is louder and has better sustain but fails to provide the data to back up their claims.

[@harleyrider8084]

I have had numerous guitars over the years. Martin, Taylor, Alvarez, Seagull, Epiphone.......To me purchasing a guitar is an emotional experience. The guitars I purchase speak to me when I play them. That doesn't mean that one is necessiarily better than another. For me, Taylor guitars speak to me and I have been playing them over 30 years and have several different models. I have never noted intonation problems with any of my taylors

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

I couldnt agree more :)

[@glorioskiola]

There’s a pretty well known KZbin guitar teacher who one day announced he finally bought his dream guitar - a very high end Taylor, I think it is a delux 900 series. It cost him thousands (many) and I couldn’t believe how bad it sounded. He also owns an Orangewood or two, and that brand sounded better. (Very inexpensive certainly compared to Taylor.) But that high end Taylor made him deliriously happy. I guess that’s what matters. Thanks for the review. I used to drool over Taylors, now I have my heart set on an Eastman.

[@veloz7860]

I very recently purchased a 914ce LTD with Bocote back/sides, with V-Bracing (2022). I have mixed feelings about the V-Bracing. I think it achieves largely what it sets out to achieve: more consistent tone color across strings, more consistent volume across strings, better intonation, better projection.. just more accurate overall I'd say. But when I first played the guitar I did not like it that much. The tone seemed distant and sterile, and the sustain was not as really anything to write home about (although I do think the sustain is more consistent up and down the fretboard than other Taylors I have owned, which seem have sustain shortage on some strings/frets, especially the 6th string fretted at the fifth) Interestingly, when others played the guitar and I listened, I thought it sounded great. At any rate, I tried other Taylors and had eliminated the 914, largely because of the above "sterility" and the very high price of a Limited (the Bocote is gorgeous by the way). But oddly, as I played the others, that originally I thought sounded better, they didn't sound so great after all. Yes, some had great sustain, and others had a boomier bass, and some chimed better, but what really stood out to me is how inconsistent they were and how they each had little weird things like an overtone on some strings but not the others. In short, the 914 made me become aware of their shortcomings. I then went back to the 914 and it was an "aaah moment" as I realized how "perfect" the sound was.. consistent in so many ways, no stray sounds or overtones, just evenness every way you could mention it. And after getting the other guitars charms out of my head I ended up thinking this was a great guitar. And I bought it. Since then I've had moments where I've thought "Why did I buy this??" but then just as many other moments when I think "Wow, this is the one". I've thought about naming it "Engima" because of this. But I'm also noticing that I'm playing my other guitars less and less.. there is just *something* about Engima that keeps me going back...

[@howardcrane5902]

I’m trying to figure out what the bracing has to do with intonation.

[@vitamindmusic607]

I am now a V Believer I have played every brand known to man since the 80's and the V paired with the Expression 2 is the bomb.. You haters are just snobs.. yes you lose a little bass bite than a Martin or Gibson..but the benefits outweigh it.. Come into the 21st century and Taylor is making the best .. hate it or not.

[@yargnad]

I've played over a hundred Taylors in my 27 yrs of playing and not one of them spoke to me - talk about consistency. I always give them a shot every time I'm in a shop and they never do it for me. Tone is very subjective and dependent upon many things, not the least of which is playing style. I cannot fathom paying those prices for something that doesn't satisfy my ears. Richard has stated many times throughout many of his videos that the best guitar is the one that inspires you. V class guitars aren't going to inspire every single player and even many/most players that do appreciate the sound of them aren't likely to be able to afford one anyways. Martins are quite inconsistent in my experience too and the only ones I've ever liked are far outside my budget as well. And by the way, massive fanboism doesn't make a brand any more desirable to me. My ears always tell me what the truth is in regards to tone.

[@macs7641]

dmuseing - in your opinion.

[@TheJoshSchneider]

I agree with you 100%! I really enjoyed your honesty and your video I watched it all the way through. The world needs more people like you! luthiers have been using the x brace design for damn nearly 100 years and for good reason. It works ! And you mean to tell me that Andi Powers has so thoughtfully just created this world class v bracing system that’s going to revolutionize acoustic guitar building? Pffffft! I don’t buy into it either. By the way I do like your selection and acoustic guitars as far as the Eastman, Stonebridge, Lowden etc... I’ve been watching some of Dana bourgeoise videos and my mind has been blown on how he actually voices his guitars. Great video!

[@GraemeCampbellMusic]

I have a Taylor 310 which I got back in 2002. It’s been played within an inch of its life all over in hundred of gigs and thousands of lessons, it has dings, the odd blood stain and it sounds phenomenal. However I have played on of the much higher end “bling” models and that was just...meh. I think I got a special one, but playing them in over time really does do something. (Not sure what the new ones are like though)

[@michaeldeaves7566]

Amen brother purchased my 310 Nov 2001 and to hear her today is this side of heaven!

[@johngalt6838]

Those woods will only improve over time. A new guitar will never replicate it.

[@christopherbailey5410]

Richard: I appreciated your viewpoint regarding Taylor's V-Class Bracing offering. I currently own 2 Taylor Acoustic Guitars, a 615CE (15 years old), and a custom build Jumbo (9 years old). Both guitars are absolutely lovey, play very very well and produce rich tones which please my ears. That said, I have other acoustic guitars that have unique voices, that too, sound amazing. In my lifetime of playing, and I'm 59 years old having began playing when I was 8 years old, I've learned that if the guitar fits me, if it feels good in my hands and plays easily, I'm going to want to play it. With respect to the hearing issue to which you commented, that's me; I'm that older guy. The frequencies Taylor is claiming to isolate are no longer available to my ears. If another player's hearing is capable of receiving those finest of frequencies he/she might appreciate the V-Bracing system. Thank goodness there are so many guitars from which to choose. BTW, I really do love my Taylor Guitars. Chris Indianapolis, IN USA

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

Hi! Thanks for your really interesting comments. Really appreciated and thanks for watching.

[@jamesdonalfaulkner]

I really like your videos and knowledge, Richard. I too am a fan of Eastman guitars. Sadly I no longer have the two I used to own. BUT, I did recently purchase the Taylor Grand Pacific 517 Builder's Edition WHB and a friend of mine who has a very good ear, but usually ignores me when I play, immediately spun round and said: "That guitar sounds very good". I certainly agree. That being said, a knowledgeable guitar salesman I know agrees that he finds the Taylor X-braced guitars are preferable... with, perhaps one exception -t he Grand Pacific 517, which, I think, was the first one. I'll be in your shop next time I get to England, if the virus scare ever goes away... Good luck!

[@Adipsia1]

Excellent video. The problem for most of us is that we don't listen with our ears, we lust after something with our ego... and after years of saving for that special thing, our personal investment in it far outweighs the cost. For many of us - whether it's a guitar, a car, a house - once we own it, any form of critique is taken as a personal attack. At the end of the day a guitar is a musical instrument and logically any choices between guitars should be based around how they sound and how they inspire you to pick them up each day. I've been a guitar snob for many years and it's taken me decades to arrive at the conclusions that you make in this video. The best guitars are invariably not the most expensive, the oldest, the most sought-after or the most hyped; nor are they the cheapest. People really should go into therapy before they consider buying anything that they perceive as valuable.

[@CarlosGonzalez-tx4cb]

Hi Richard, I agree with your point of view. I don’t play acoustic guitars, I spend more time playing classical guitars, but I hear so many recommendations and references for mass produced classical guitars. I have 2 handmade classical guitars and the store bought guitars don’t hold a candle to them. I own an Álvarez CY116 classical and many people swear it’s one of the greatest classical guitars. When played next to my handmade classicals, the tone sounds muddy and the basses sound dead. When that Álvarez is used as a reference point against other guitars in the shop, people say it is amazing. When I play it against my handmade instruments by independent luthiers, there’s a clear cut difference. I understand why you recommend Furch. This is the second KZbinr who recommends furch and I think that’s what I will buy when it comes time to invest in an acoustic

[@thefisherman2837]

I personally think the new grand Pacifics add a new tone and a new edge to the acoustic world. All the guitars I've owned and played these new gps for my ears and feel and connection are above and beyond and are very amazing. I still own a few x brace guitars and they work and will never die out. The new Taylor's v bracing on the gps to me sound like older guitars rearshifted x brace but more on point and focused. Nothing to fear I'd say.. let them do what they do as it's working. Variation in the acoustic world is more than welcome.

[@PaulEmmanuelMusic]

If v-class truly is “brighter and thinner” it may be something to consider if you are looking into owning a Taylor with a hard wood too such as mahogany or Koa but not wanting SO much of the lower/warm sound. Just a thought.

[@petermartinaitis8166]

Find it hard to believe that in the history of making guitars that every possible variation of bracing has not been tried at some point. It's like saying x bracing was the first and only attempt at bracing.

[@ParaBellum2024]

Excellent video Richard! I've long considered Taylor guitars to be the Emperor's new clothes. Regarding their suggestion that V bracing improves intonation: this is a classic marketing tactic, where the seller puts doubt or fear about the status quo into the buyer's mind (remember Radion washing powder? Their pitch was that 'with your current powder, your clothes may be clean... but do they smell fresh?'). Also, the Taylor business model has similarities with the vacuum cleaner company Dyson, in that they both introduce new products or design variations to solve problems, but once the problems have been solved, where do they go? The next step is, they come up with new problems to solve; problems that we didn't know existed, but which allow them to keep on reinventing themselves. A telling point for me in the Taylor V-brace is the cross brace on the guitar's back, visible through the soundhole: it's deliberately angled, supposedly for some tone-enhancing reason, but a blind man could see that its purpose is to let everyone know 'this is a V-braced guitar'. Over the last few months I've played both standard Taylors and V-braced models, and agree with Richard's comments about them being sterile. It's a great description. By comparison, I've bought a couple of Crafters, which are definitely not sterile. My maple-bodied GAE-9 is very loud, with overtones in abundance, while my mahogany bodied GAE-8 is a little quieter and more subtle, but has more dynamic range. I also have a Crafter TCO-35 and an all-solid Tanglewood dreadnought, and would pick any of these guitars ahead of the Taylor models. I've played one Eastman, and it too was excellent, although I didn't get on with the 45mm wide nut. To anyone contemplating buying a guitar, whether it's a Taylor or not, I'd recommend playing several to see which you like the best, before making a decision.

[@Kman1960]

I've seen the video you mention from "Acoustic Letter" and its awesome. It completely validated my feelings as well. I've played both 814ce V-Class and X-Braced and prefer the X-Brace hands down. V-Class Braced sounds thin and lacks the bass and mids the X-Braced has. I'll keep my 2010 814ce thank you very much!

[@rcattz5755]

Yep, totally agree, the bass is gone, my 2015 618e first edition blows the 618 and 818 v bracing away.

[@VisualparanormalChannel]

I think it’s a matter of preference. Tone is subjective and it is fine to have your opinion. If you like it buy it if not don’t. I like Martins depending on the woods used in construction. I like individual guitars by how they sound to me. I like some of Martin guitars voicing and at the same time I can appreciate the different tone of Taylor. All is good.

[@pauljohnson9260]

Visual Paranormal Investigations a musician would agree with you. Guitar collectors and blind sheep wouldn’t. LOL. 😂 😆

[@fordracing331]

I tried both the 814ce DLX x brace and v brace. I walked away with the discontinued x brace. Both played like butta...but the x brace sounded much more fuller unplugged than the v brace. A few years from now, I have a feeling the x braces will be sought after. They should offer both. I'm a mech engineer and I cringe how they came up with the idea to go with the v brace....watching water flow by a peer or something like that....whoosh. Regardless, I was extremely impressed with the quality, sound and play-ability of both versions.

[@zachswiftmusic]

After really learning about the tradeoffs we make with equal temperament tuning, and really becoming aware of the dissonances in our harmony in western music, I’m particularly grateful Taylor is thinking about the problem with intonation and the guitar resonating in tune with the stringed notes. I personally blown away by how I’m tune my v-brace guitar is compared to any other guitar I’ve played. I don’t say that lightly. Acoustic guitars are not instruments that are known for their intonation. And while the v-bracing doesn’t address equal temperament, it at least makes the tuning as pure to the equal temperament as an acoustic guitar can be, I think. As opposed to the guitar body resonating at destructive frequencies at different locations on the fretboard.

[@anthonynicholls1813]

I agree with much of what Richard states. I don't think V-Class bracing is BS though. I think Andy Powers may well have achieved what he set out to do. The problem for me is that he and Taylor aimed at the wrong goal and then tried to sell the endeavor like wide eyed mystics looking to recruit cult members. Firstly the premise of 'intonation is everything' is based on a false dichotomy which is; you can either have (a) a rich, expansive, characterful sounding acoustic that is a nightmare to record or play live with, or (b) a perfectly intonated acoustic that is idiot-proof for recording or playing live but is dry and characterless acoustically. This is surely a falsehood. Otherwise why would Andy Mckee play a Greenfield guitar (acoustically rich and warm with plenty of overtones), or Dylan Ryche and Ewan Dobson play Furch, or Criag Deandrea and Callum Graham play Lowdens? All richly voiced acoustic guitars that don't appear to be excessively difficult to record or play live with. Taylor would have us believe that all these overtones and character equate to acoustic chaos that must be suppressed in order to achieve perfect intonation. Perfect intonation at the expense of a characterful voice is for me a poor return on investment. I really applaud Andy Powers for his constant striving for innovative improvement of the acoustic guitar. But please Andy focus on giving the guitarist an inspiring and richly voiced acoustic guitar rather than trying to place a smile on the sound engineers face.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

I agree with everything you said and on reflection, if I were a professional editor I would not use the word I used. Everything I say is how I see it at the time and sincere. The BS comment was more a burst of frustration as I have seen all this re-branding and marketing so many times before. I could not agree more with your views and you put it far more eloquently than I ever could.

[@stevenglenn9926]

The intonation issue is not as you described. It is not the strings or even the position of the chords/notes that you play. So the idea is that if you play a G or C across multiple positions up the fretboard, the V-brace stabilizes the notes in a way that allows them to have a good balance of sustain and volume and maintain a solid tone for each note. I liken it to a standard light bulb that has a broad range of frequencies and a laser that has coherent light. The coherent light has more power and focus. This is what I got from all of this jargon. I have had X braced 814 BCE's and am going to try the 814ce. We will see. I do appreciate your views and experience. Thank you for them.

[@charlesmerkey123]

So, I've tried four V bracing Taylors and the only one that was above expectations was the AD27e, I tried 2 324's and a 322 and I was painfully disappointed. I just returned the 322 I wish Eastman made all solid Mahagony guitars consistently and for left handers. I have a E10SS and am waiting on an ac322ce to arrive, but the E10SS is one of the best guitars I've ever played. I posted a V class question on a Taylor forum because I questioned if the V class bracing was the issue. I have a great 314 from 2004 and I had a 2001 114 and it was off the charts. I'm glass I'm not the only one questioning the V bracing.

[@Gbomb82]

I own a Taylor guitar and I have zero problem with your opinions and view Richard, I just find you informative and completely not influenced by marketing. I love my guitar, and you've never once made me feel like I shouldn't. Just wanted you to hear some positive feedback and know we aren't all insane defensive people.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

Hey!!!! Bless you Graham. What an incredibly kind and considered response. Honestly - fantastic. Today I received a whatsapp from Erika. She is the daughter of Stan. They are the father and daughter team behind Dowina guitars in slovakia. The messages received were sent from Stan to Erika - to me! The pictures? Photographs of figured ebony that Stan had personally selected in Valencia. Tapping every top to find the best resonance. In his excitement he sends them to Erika who wants me to see them for some custom works of art they are producing for me. These guitars will retail at £1999. Its a world I LOVE. Every day is so exciting. Stan speaks very highly of Bob Taylor. He has been working on some eco projects to ensure sustainability of the woods used in guitar production. I am a little cynical and wonder whether he is looking to be the godfather of rare woods!!! lol... See? Such a bloody cynic! However there is a genuine positive outlook which Bob Taylor is at the heart of - so hats off to him for that. I always say there is a world of difference between me who has to sell products I fall in love with - and an end user (player) who finds a guitar in a shop - connects with it and falls in love. To suggest that cannot happen with a Taylor would be beyond belief and I have never questioned or judged anyone who owns a Taylor - they should rightly be proud of their guitar! On a personal level - as you have already mentioned all I can do is give my view and and share my experiences to help provide a balanced overview of the options. Anyway.... thanks again for the feedback. Really appreciate it.

[@Gbomb82]

Richards Guitars your love and enthusiasm for the instrument is genuine and infectious. I find the influx of negativity in the world disappointing and getting upset because someone is speaking their truth seems a waste of energy to me. I’m a fan of your videos and your love of guitars, I’ll certainly continue watching. Have a great day!

[@markstanbrook5578]

Coming to this video late. Do own an 812CE but it’s nearly 30 years old and I think the age helps. Not going to say you’re wrong though. I’m sure there are much better guitars out there. You’re right about over-tones. The mixture of harmonics makes the waveform (character, tone) of an instrument. Without them all instruments would only create sine waves and you wouldn’t be able to distinguish a guitar from a cowbell. There may be some reasons to try to dampen certain frequencies to avoid feedback (see notching on some pre-amps) but trying to ‘fix’ intonation ... marketing mumbo-jumbo.

[@johnjones-uc3ni]

It's been 5 years and X bracing is still alive and well!

[@scottfishkind5335]

I commented before about 8 months ago and since then, in my search for a dream guitar, I ultimately purchased a Furch Yellow Master's Choice Gc-CR. Anyone who suggests, as I've seen in some comments, that people are jealous of Taylor are making a statement based on bias and emotion. I am not a Taylor hater, I actually own a Big Baby Taylor and love it. It's a great guitar for the price and I'll never part with it! Because of that, purchasing a higher end Taylor was my initial goal! But the Furch, which happens to have X- bracing, simply blew away any V- braced Taylor that I've ever heard! Why? Because there are a variety of factors that contribute to the sound of a guitar. The bracing is one very important factor, but also the way Furch voices their guitars, their overall attention to detail in every aspect of the build, from the tone woods, to the system used to join the neck (CNR), to the type of finish used etc. It's the combined synergy of all those elements! V- bracing to me seems unfortunately like a gimmick. I was so excited when I first heard about the V-brace and when I finally played one I felt disappoinment both in the sound and in Andy Powers and the way he hyped it! He sounds very passionate in countless videos about the whole development, how he was at the beach to go surfing and was inspired by what he noticed occuring in the ocean which was a revelatory moment etc... But I had to let my ears make the decision not the hype and at least for me the sound was really thin and unidimensional. The Furch on the other hand sounded three dimensional, resonant and rich, and that's why, when I was choosing my dream guitar the Furch was hands down, no contest, a superior instrument. If there are folks who love their V- braced Taylor, I respect that is what speaks to you. Even in the realm of Furch, Cedar speaks to me more than Spruce, and beyond that, Cedar- Rosewood was more appealing than the Furch with Cedar-Mahogany. But still, every all-solid Furch I've played or heard has that three dimensional, resonant quality. So ultimately it's personal choice. But the notion that V- bracing is intrinsically some magical thing... That feels like a snake-oil sales pitch!

[@thebubster0312]

This is just another tonewood type argument in solid guitars but in acoustic guitars. I've got a Levin guitar I bought in the seventies. Its been smashed so many times I stopped using professional expensive services and with books and more importantly internet instructions I now do it myself. The old Levin still sounds great bur so does the small body Harley Benton electro I bought for £180.00 with fishman. So what I'm saying is don't get ripped on brands. Richard I've rambled yeah your right.

[@ronnance]

Andy Powers created the V-class bracing system to solve the problem of having to sacrifice volume for sustain and vice versa. He states that the intonation improvement was a pleasant surprise. Have you taken the time to listen to Powers explaining and demonstrating V-class bracing? Your vid conveys that your opinion is based on reading the thoughts of others and your understandably cynical view of large manufacturers/marketing departments. Bottom line-V-class bracing does enhance sustain without sacrificing volume while improving intonation issues, especially on frets 8-14. That last point can be easily observed with a quality tuner. Btw-I own and play a lot of brands of guitars, including both X-

[@darrenrobbins8356]

One of the problems of being left handed is that most guitar shops (Richards guitars being the exception to this rule) dont stock that many lh guitars so that means lh players are more dependant on guitar reviews than rh players. Yes you still get the chance to hunt down the final consensus to ensure it works for you but you can’t as a lh player review some of the “also rans” unless you have a lot of time on your hands and are prepared to travel. So many marketing ploys around for most things you buy that reviews are an essential part of purchasing items in this day and age but guitars are a very personal thing and tone for me also needs to match up with playability as too many acoustic guitars are not play friendly.

[@colintraveller]

I watched a review of new range of acoustics recently ...And i was astonished see that a shop was selling LH models more than RH Models . The Tooling is the same used to make any guitar and yet why in the chuff are we LH folk blatently charged more . And the irony is we live in a era where companies can't discriminate against folk for all sorts reasons .. but it's fine n dandy for shops to charge more because the person is Left handed .

[@darrenrobbins8356]

Good point, charging more for lh items should be made illegal.

[@tedc6694]

Thank you so much for releasing this video. Ive spent the day shopping for a taylor or larrivee and it helps me understand why the memory i have of taylor didnt quite match what ive heard today from the new taylor, of the same model, compared to the past

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

Please check out Dowina and Furch on my site... I promise you will be glad you did! World Class hand made acoustics from Europe.

[@gradun123]

This has been an interesting video and discussion. I too was somewhat intrigued about the so called intonation problem and don't like the idea of reducing the overtones in an acoustic guitar to help solve this as Taylor appear to be doing with V class bracing. However, like you Richard, I've yet to play one. I do agree with you that Taylors can sound a little sterile but not all.. I have owned many acoustics over 40 odd years playing including Martins, Taylors, Faith, Sigma, hand built Brook, Recording King. Also Furch. A year ago I decided to spend money and trade instruments in on a more high end guitar. What did I end up buying? A Taylor.. Why? One main reason was by now I was fed up buying guitars which didn't have the stability or build quality of today's Taylor guitars. Their excellent neck joint means that if the neck angle is ever a problem, there is never going to be the huge hassle and expense of resetting a dovetail jointed neck as in some other makes. I am also of the opinion that yes, there are cheaper guitars out there which sound great out the box but at the expense of stability. Built too lightly or not sufficiently braced, the top starts to belly up. My Furch was the worst! Within a year, the top was starting to pull up raising the action too high and calling for a neck reset. Perhaps an isolated incident? Am not so sure. A friend has a road series Martin dreadnaught. About 2 yrs old now. One of the best sounding Martins I've heard incidentally, the top is now starting to pull up making the action too high. I've seen a Faith Venus recently with the same issue. I've seen it happen with a 00015M and a Martin D-1 I owned. So I've ended up with a Taylor 424ce-K Koa after trading in a nice Martin and another Taylor. This was after trying out many guitars from all the usual big names. Tone? This was the first koa guitar I'd ever played. This particular guitar (I tried two the same) has a wonderful deep warm bass approaching dreadnaught territory. Even deeper bass than an 816 I tried, usual taylor nice sparkle at the top end and great neck with immaculate fret work and really just impeccable build quality. A friend with me said the sound appeared to just jump out of it! A year in with a lot of playing under it's belt, it's still absolutely stable, although I've learned the importance of tying to keep it at a decent humidity level and still plays and sounds very good. There are better sounding guitars out there or should I say different sounding guitars, but these I think are good reasons why Taylor guitars are right up there and why I would be happy to buy another.. I should really try one of these V Class instruments.. If only I had the dosh..

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

Hi. As the largest Furch dealer in the UK - when I say large - I mean in terms of experience since they have ever been available in the UK (I was the first shop to sell them) and volume (I have sold more than any other dealer by far due to my passion for them). Are you in isolation RE top lifting? No. Was it a fault? No. Can it be avoided? Yes. So the concept of a top being TOO lightly braced is very much personal. One person may be happy to keep their guitar in a reasonable environment IE not too dry / not too wet and reasonable temperature and not expose the guitar to drastic changes. Another person may not be able to do so or care not to do so - they will have problems. I have NEVER experienced a Furch with a lifting top that hasn't settled immediately once left in an environment with correct humidity. Taylor guitars however HAVE to be produced like an iron horse because they are made for the mass market, mass volume and need to be as strong as possible to deal with every environment - also they need to take into account the lack of knowledge many end users have in terms of maintaining their guitar. Taylor themselves understand tone and strength are fighting against each other - The more fragile - the better the tone. Anyone who cares for tone understands this and is more than happy to accommodate the sensitivities of the specialist product they own. I equate it to someone waiting for the guitar when they have bought it from me. One person will moan because they wait 2 weeks. Appauling service - won't come back. The other is overjoyed that we care enough to spend over an hour in our workshop making the guitar play to the best of its abilities. They appreciate a good workshop is busy - and it takes time to get through the system. The first person doesn't appreciate the work we do - the second does. This is exactly the same with the Furch body bracing. One appreciates the sensitivities of getting the best tone - the other doesn't. It is not in Taylors interests for you to appreciate this fact so they will talk about "structural integrity compromises" - Its their way of scaring players into buying a robust, solid framework with less tone - As it suits their volume approach.

[@gradun123]

@@RichardsGuitarshop I understand what you are getting at Richard. Responsiveness and structural integrity is a bit of a trade off with mass produced guitars. And yes, Taylors are perhaps built more solidly to withstand the effects of temp and humidity changes. Perhaps living in SW Scotland is worse for guitars than other parts of the UK! All I know is that I could never get the top on my, I'd said Furch, it was actually a mahogany/cedar Stonebridge (same guitar I guess) to come back down to a decent level. Tonally is my Taylor inferior to the Stonebrige I had? I'd have to say no. Subjective of course but I find it beautifully balanced and refined with a warm deep bass through to a bell like top end. Though I think this particular one is a bit special.. I can honestly say that for me looking for a comfortable do everything guitar, this is without doubt the best guitar I have ever owned. If you can be bothered you can hear this particular guitar here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooOZpX-djt59bsU Best listened to with decent headphones. Only a little reverb has been added to the raw recording with a Zoom H2. Regards, Graham

[@kevingreene6893]

Interesting opinion Richard, however, it is worth bearing in mind that every individual [guitar players and audiences] hears the tonal qualities of a guitar based on their interpretation of sound. Of course, this is ultimately based on each individual's inherent "likes and dislikes" in relation to sound. The best advice I was given, and have passed on to many a friend alike, is to play as many guitars as you can before making your final decision to buy. However, and this is the really important part, once you have bought your guitar, and played it for some time, your knowledge and appreciation of "sound quality" derived from hearing and playing your guitar will develop. And it is this development that will influence your next buying decision. So, in reality, once you start looking for your NEW guitar, you will also be looking for a NEW "sound quality". Perhaps this is what Andy Powers was trying to achieve with his V-Bracing? Through his own experiences of hearing and playing guitars over many years, perhaps Andy was looking for a subtle change in tonal quality - "sound quality" and as such, his X-Bracing achieved that for him? Now for those who can hear and appreciate the subtle difference in "sound quality" - job done. For those who cannot hear the difference, then this leaves a question mark over the whole hype of this new X-Bracing and the impact this may - or may not - have on the intonation [maintaining the tuning of the guitar as you move up through the fretboard] of the guitar. I own a Tanglewood Parlour TW73 BNA [no longer in production] and love it to bits! This guitar suits me to the ground and revived my interest and playing at a point when I was going through a genuine slump!! A few years back I finally invested in an Avalon Guitar, which just blew me away in terms of sound quality, build quality and playability. Interestingly, I was reviewing Lowden and Avalon Guitars [once the same bunch of luthiers - as you know] simultaneously in Belfast, and following some serious consideration, I finally invested in the Avalon at the same price point. And, last christmas I invested in a Taylor 312ce 12 Fret Limited Edition NAMM 2018 guitar. This guitar is simply awesome! This particular guitar provided a different sound quality from either of the other two guitars. With a lovely combination of a Lutz Spruce Top and Blackwood Back & Sides, this particular guitar provides me with the best qualities of the other two guitars in one package. And believe me, that was a really hard task to achieve! Like I said earlier, once you start to develop your knowledge appreciation of "sound quality" [in relation to guitars of course], you then begin your real journey of discovery in the world of the GUITAR...

[@nellatrab]

V braced guitar sounds weak! PLEASE READ THIS! First of all V bracing patterns have been used and tried by many luthiers for years albeit in many variations, but basically the main V braces...it is nothing new. Having compared many Taylor V class guitars there are some drawbacks...placing so many braces within the largest vibrating part of the bout can mute some of the frequency vibrations patterns. The Taylor bracing change when measured for displacement, velocity, and acceleration did show some degradation in the lower bout vibration patterns as compared to X pattern bracing. Sustain was sometimes increased only in certain examples. We found no further accuracy of intonation due to V bracing vs X bracing. Notes high on the neck were not perceived to be any more forthcoming, clearer or vibrant as stated here. We did find that some guitars in both V and X bracing due to wood selection and builders had superior up the neck clarity and resonance, but only as I said due to wood grains and torrification treatments. We tested several top brands, which included Martin, Taylor, Eastman, Yari, Yamaha, Mc Pherson, Goodall, Bourgeois and Breedlove and a few other small luthiers examples. I surmise that Taylors need to change there bracing pattern may have to do with business and not so much about making a better guitar. It appears that the V class bracing is also less expensive to manufacture mechanically. Taylor's have always been known for a sort of vanilla tone due to it's manufacturing process. And, that much of the information spoken here is the interpretation of a dream that one man has. The addition of inspiration from the ocean probably has nothing to do with the scenario. By the way when CF Martin started experimenting with fan bracing back in the 1840's he had moved several of the braces according to the Spanish style fan bracing into a Vs both reversing the V at the top and bottom to accommodate the new style bridge pin design, settling on the X brace pattern which he surmised sounded better freeing up the top, also adding strength to the top. If you watch the Martin Museum Tour right here at 7.12 minutes you can see one of his experimental V braced tops on the workbench from the 1800's! Finally, I urge all of you to do your own comparisons not on You Tube, but only in person with reasonably like woods, sizes and environments braced with Taylor V and other X braced guitars to see what you feel.

[@fielder8412]

Very interesting video. I've only recently started watching your videos and I'm enjoying them all. Plus, I watch them all the way through! I like your frankness and honesty and I like your slightly haphazard, unedited style. It's refreshing! I've been thinking a long time about getting a Martin and several times I've added one to the basket of a competitor website, only to remove it at the last moment. My own take on V-bracing has always been that it was just a USP gimmick that Taylor could put up against Martin's X-bracing - which itself may be just a gimmick too, I wouldn't like to say. But, having watched your various videos, I'm now thinking about several other brands, and aiming to buy from you. Thanks. More videos please!

[@zumbaRdie]

You have a valid opinion and I appreciated all the honesty. I have owned 3 Taylors and always thought a Taylor was the best guitar ever made based on quality, price and playability. I sold the first two and got my third one which is a Mini GS mahogany for travelling and every day playing. I thought this guitar was the best ever, better than the previous 2 that I have sold. This Christmas I was thinking of buying the AD22e and I believe this model have the V-bracing. I have compared it to the 000-15M of a Martin at the same price point. I did a lot of researched and thought at one time, why would Taylor changed from X-brace to V-brace. Why would anyone re-invent a wheel? I tried every AD22e I could get my hands on, and they all sounded the same and play the same. I did the same with the 000-15M and like you said, they are not consistent with their tone. However a few days ago when I got a hold of a brand new 000-15SM. The Martin was on another level and I ending up buying it. I came across this youtube video of yours and made me feel so good knowing that I bought the right guitar in my opinion. I agreed with you Taylor use the V-bracing as a way to create a new and improved way of building guitars that will differentiate them in the market. People will always buy a Taylor for their unique tone and others will hate them. I for one, have always wanted a Martin and have now found the guitar of my dream with the 000-15SM. Here is the question for you. the Mini GS by Taylor is their best seller since the day they were released. They have a C bracing which was a concept by Andy Power, how do you explain their tone coming from a small body? I want to hear your opinion on this. Thanks

[@begelston]

Hey Richard, thought you might appreciate knowing that I recently returned a v-class 914ce after playing it for a few days. Despite being a beautiful piece of art, it didn't play like the punchy, bassy, x-braced 914s that had inspired me to buy one in the first place. It was thin and unremarkable for a $5000 guitar with a grand auditorium body. After 2 years, v-class bracing may work on some guitars with certain body shapes but not this one. You nailed it - the emperor has no clothes and few retailers want to admit it.

[@ebbo51]

totally agree with what you are saying, I have a taylor gs mini which l love and have a Gibson j36, different sizes and sound and not over expensive , and you can spend thousands on an acoustic and electric guitars. Then you get sellers like harley Benton coming along that sell guitars at no money at all, which are not bad sounding. my point is, you may be a play at home guitarist, like myself, who does not need to spend a fortune on a guitar. however, I still love guitars that are well made, who ever the maker is, and l think most guitarist are like me. l'm 70 now and have been playing a while and when guitar intonation became the new big idea, I did not know what they were talking about! not all new guitar concepts are bad and we do live in a capitalist world which has given most of us a good life, so if guitarist want to buy v bracing guitars and have the money, so expensive, so be it, but its not going to make them a better guitarist. just found your site and really enjoy the chat. thank you.

[@DustinLaffertyTV]

You are right on the money. Solving problems that don't exist. Taylors are fun to play with like apple watches, but it's a huge marketing machine. Every year they have a new invention that is way better then the previous year to create urgency. "So shame on you if you bought the 2012 model cause the 2013 model blows it away!"

[@BuckFu]

I can definitely tell a difference in how the x braced guitar sounds and how the v braced sounded in the acoustic letter vid you referred to. It comes down to the fact it does produce different tones so I wouldn’t say the Taylor speil is b.s., I would say that if you like bassier throat to your strumming, play standard x bracing; if you play where you want clear tones for fingerstyle or solos, v bracing is going to have more crispness, but if you play a lot of strumming, it’s going to miss those fuller tones.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

It was an unedited video as all mine are and unscripted. The word bs was the wrong word but what I am trying to say is the whole point of developing it is bs. Ie there is no need for it. It was only developed to create a talking point and to look like something new is worth buying into. Maybe I mean the hype is BS.... Its basically me saying don't be quick to be duped into marketing. You want a brighter guitar? Go for maple. You want less bass for for an OM. I just want to provide perspective and get people thinking

[@mikiho6000]

Thanks Richard,as it's always good to see both sides of the coin. I totally agree with you, that V class is not almighty. So according to your opinion, do you think that there is some model in Taylor lineup that V class really improved? According to the comments , people always state that V class improves sustain and intonation, but degrades the bass expression and Taylor known boomy low ends. So based on that and also what I've heard ceder and mahogany tops models can get some improvement by V class (e.g. 514 ce) but for Spruce top models especially with non Rosewood back an sides V class can be true tragedy. What do you think? Thanks for your feedback :)

[@mojobrando]

I bought into the hype and was dreaming of playing a V-Class guitar. after a couple months of waiting I played 1 and probably 8 months later now Ive played about 8 V braced guitars. They were all a let down. If you are a cowboy chord strummer disregard my words, infact I think you a lot of people will be happy with these guitars but If you play single note runs beyond the 10th fret its a very different unfulfilling experience. That notes pinch off and are not strong or articulate. Something about the design really creates an inconsistent fretboard that drove me nuts trying to get single notes to ring in an inspiring way,. Feels great at 1st through 5 frets though with great note seperation.

[@stuartandrews4889]

Finally! Is the answer I’ve been looking for as to why I’m struggling with note definition on 214ce around the 9th and 10th fret? drives me mad.

[@anthonyrocha7938]

Just watched the same video with the 2 guys comparing the V and X Taylors. The player did qualify his opinion later in the video, saying that for playing out the V braced guitar might be better, since you can control the bass (or lack thereof) better. The X-braced guitar, he thought, would be better played acoustically, or with other instruments in a group setting. But, at least acoustically he preferred the X-braced Taylor. I own a Taylor 614ce, and I'm selling it. I don't like the neck, but, more importantly, I don't like how it sounds electronically, and I bought it to play out. It's ok when played acoustically. It's a nice contrast to my D28 when I record, but I'm buying a Martin D16 E to play out with, and I can't afford to keep both. I find the Taylor to be well made and beautiful, but a little thin and high-ended. I've had my D28 for almost 50 years, and I prefer the sound of the Martin. And I really prefer the Martin neck. I fully agree with Richard that your average listener, and even musician, isn't going to fret, so to speak, over a slight flaw in intonation.

[@stevec.1802]

Rich, It’s about time we’ve seen a video about bollocks in advertising. Loved your video so much I watched it twice. We’re always hearing about the same shite, different product these days. Standard X bracing is my personal favorite on a Martin or a Taylor. Even my older Martin D-28 has standard X bracing, and I don’t feel the need to buy a forward shifted/prewar dreadnought. Thank you for your point of view and experience. Now we need to hear a similar observation about pedals.

[@evanpaulsmithfalconfogolin6147]

I played 3 v class braced guitars,...They were very flat sounding, and lacked volume and sustain compared to what I myself seek. Perhaps their best purpose is an active and crowded loud stage where the signal from the acoustic will be put through as much filtering as a pop stars vocals but.... at that point what is the point? As a builder and study of acoustic guitar construction I see future developments possibly enhancing what has brought us to this point in history, but I believe that path is quite different to the direction Taylor has gone with the v class system.

[@rsaragosa]

Thanks Richard I like your videos and I appreciate your candor. I think I see people making the mistake of stating this is my truth which would conclude that there are many truths. I don't think that is the case I think people should just state that what they are saying is their opinion and leave it at that. I value your opinion because it is based on a lot of personal experience. I know there a lot of guitars out there that are not mass produced which are awesome but the problem is they are not readily available to play for all of us. So we as players tend to form our opinions on guitars that we are able to get our hands on and that we can try personally. That being said if we had a chance to try as many guitars as you have been able to we would certainly come away with probably different and unbiased opinions. Thanks again for your work and effort I would certainly go to visit you if I could, thank you.

[@tom5216]

Agree with you about Taylor’s expression system Richard. I have a Taylor 414 Ltd edition rosewood which had that system. Didn’t plug it in much as I didn’t like the sound. Needed to plug it in for a gig one night and whoomph, nothing. I’d been told by other owners that this was quite a common occurrence. Taylor couldn’t fix it as they no longer carried spares. They did however take the guitar and replace the whole system with their current ES2 and levelled the frets and some other stuff for about £300. The ES2 is a much better system and I now love that guitar. Taylor make excellent guitars and I have 3 of them but I’m now looking at Furch and Dowina.

[@chrisb3k1]

So much snake oil out there in the guitar market. I appreciate you taking the time to talk on some of these issues. All the more important given how embedded you've been in the business. And with all the paid promotion on KZbin, you just never see an ounce of criticism given about ANY products. It's a real problem. I'm sure we can all think of many youtubers who never say a negative word about any guitars or gear...is everything THAT great?! Surely not! Good lord. So it's nice to come across some counterpoints to this stuff. I like what Driftwood guitars are doing on KZbin: he buys an acoustic guitar with his own money and then reviews it from a super critical level and at the end saws it open to show us what we never get to see with the bracing and soundboards. It's great.

[@chrisb3k1]

And bravo to you for being honest with you customers! Can't say I see that much in my experience.

[@ricardosotosan2279]

I have compared a 314 x braced with a 314 v braced, and I liked the x braced better. However, it was the complete opposite with the 814. The 814 v class sounded better to my ear.

[@rmextorf]

I have several Taylor guitars. Thank you for your insights. This will help me be a better listener as a guitar enthusiast.

[@bradleyclark5086]

It might be that Taylor are attempting to stabilise their soundboards. Martin has great issue with X braces; soundboard stability, with string/ bridge rotation and humidity (variations of). It could be said that stability is sacrificed for 'tone'. Many makers sacrifice amplitude for strength. Stability is improved with braces that run with the soundboard's grain, so there is less differential with the soundboard. I really like my D28, but it is unstable. Martin finish with nitrocellulose, Taylor with UV cure polyurethane. I prefer the sound of modified nitro: That which envelops the entire guitar to a great degree determines the acoustic outcome. And not just braces. The most tech time consuming challenge for acoustic guitar manufacturers is neck set, angle, unless Spanish style. More so if the soundboard is unstable. This often explains attempts to stabilise.

[@IndigoJo]

I just saw one of Anderton's videos on the Taylor V-bracing and it was the first video of someone demonstrating a Taylor who could actually play! Most of the demos on American guitar shop websites feature people who can't hold down a bass note to save their lives. Whether they're playing a Taylor, a Lowden, a Furch or anything else, their bass notes sound like dull thuds. I played a 314, I think, at Anderton's and was impressed by the sound quality; it was definitely *high* and bright but I don't think it was soulless or sterile. But most of their high-end guitars were dead because the strings hadn't been changed forever. I was seriously thinking of getting one of the 00-28s that were on special offer but it was underwhelming.

[@scottfishkind5335]

Great content...I did watch the whole thing btw! I have a Big Baby Taylor which I love but I have other brand guitars which I love as well. I am always open to trying other guitars and let my ears and how it feels be my guide and not the brand. I recently played a V-class 314 at a local Guitar Center in Nashville and found it completely underwhelming! It sounded thin and sterile to me. I totally agree with you that the whole V-class bracing thing is more about marketing than anything else! If someone likes how they sound and that's their preference, I respect that, but for me I feel the X- bracing brings out a more complex range of overtones which sounds considerably richer!

[@michael1]

Well yeah it's opinion not truth. Odd that anyone can have reached middle age without knowing the difference. Pontius Pilate struggled too with the idea that there's one truth but lots of things are a matter of opinion - although to be fair to PP he was saying it to a guy who heard voices telling him he was the son of god. Although if you can tell something is or isn't good without hearing it live or playing it you've a set of special skills. I know a fair amount of youtube videos go through the motions of pretending you can hear what it's like before you order it online but it's a mistake to think that works. Bottom line is, the better that mass produced guitars get the less point there is to people selling the others. It's like Plek - if Plek works and if Plek is needed and once you can make Plek so that it doesn't need a tech to hand hold it, the moment a factory like Cort added Plek technology to their production line most of the reason musicians were paying for boutique guitars would disappear (and a lot of guitar shops with them) - you'd probably still sell expensive hand crafted guitar shaped furniture to middle aged people with lots of money who can't and don't play them though but most musicians are skint.

[@PreacherAtArrakeen]

Hi Richard, I've had 2 Taylors that I sold, a 2001 310, and a 2016 316. They were good, at the bottom of Taylor's solid-wood food chain, but I didn't like the way they recorded, and there was something that just bugged me about them. The 3rd one I kept, a 320, because it doesn't really sound like your typical Taylor. It has a nice deep bass (not something Taylor is known for), and is great for drop D or DADGAD. I almost decided to sell it and put the money toward a Martin D-18, but I would've had to sell another guitar along with it, and selling 2nd hand on the internet is annoying and frustrating. So, I nixed that idea. I'll never own another Taylor. Given the automation in the build process, I don't think they're worth the money. I'll probably try a V-brace just out of curiosity, but I'll never spend that much money on a guitar again. As for Furch, the ones I've tried were underwhelming, too. Even one of their higher-end models failed to thrill me. The 'sound of an acoustic,' to me, means Martin. And yeah, I've gotten a couple of dogs from Martin which were immediately sent back to Thomann. It's interesting, though, how susceptible I find myself to well written PR. After going through about 30 guitars in the last 10 years, I've learned to take 'The Blurb' with many grains of salt. I find it refreshing to see a retailer call bullshit on a marketing gimmick. Good on ya. If I were to recommend a guitar to someone for a lot less than either a good Martin or Taylor, I'd recommend an Eastman. I had the E10D, and it was a mindblowingly powerful guitar, that still had incredible dynamics. But it was slightly larger than my D-28, and not really comfortable for an old fart like me. Anyway, I've just ordered an Eastman E10OM. TFOA offered me a price I couldn't refuse. If I were in Britain, I'd certainly be curious enough about you and your shop to drop by, but alack and alas. I've also played a couple of bad Eastmans. Their frets felt like falling down a flight of stairs when doing runs up the neck. Bottom line is, best thing is to try before you buy.

[@PreacherAtArrakeen]

quick follow up: I checked out the Acoustic Letter demo. That was hilarious. My impression, after listening to a few examples: very tight, focused would be the positive attributes I would give it. But I think you are spot on with your descriptor 'sterile'. That is what bothers me about Taylor guitars. I've had the same thought on occasion.

[@SiggyMe]

I agree with your points. People sensory vision, hearing, taste seldom approach the degree of detection that meets what is being sold to them. I once sold speakers and amps systems. When I did a blind test most couldn't hear the different between a modest and expensive costing systems. The specs on the expensive system looked dynamite on paper however did fall on deaf hears. For instant 4K TV is rubbish because the human eye doesn't have the physical ability to detect detail at that level, that right. I am a neurologist and should know. Hearing is the same way, perfect intonation to whatever that means, degree of precision doesn't exist to our nervous system can't match electronic measuring devices. As far as intonation the string is the main energy and intonation center that is intoned directly. However, sound waves propagate at different wavelengths or harmonic multiples off those adjusted strings and move into different parts of the instrument thus giving various intonation centers their influence is vanishingly small when compared to the main influence of the actual string intonation. Yes I have played and listen to the V system and hear a difference as I would between any two guitars. In the end it comes down to what pleases the ear of the beholder. The ear knows nothing about the theory only about that it hears which is more actually correct what the mind thinks it hears which may not be exactly what's going on anywhere else as in the ear or in the instrument if you get or not my drift. Cheers!

[@thongamchan775]

Hi Richard, I totally agree with you about the Taylor V class guitars which have been hyped so much about better intonation and better sound production. What I can say from my end after listening to so many Taylor guitars in the past one year, is that V class Taylor guitars are unable to produce its typical lovely Taylor signature sound anymore. I already expressed my dislike of Vclass bracing which has spoilt the true signature Taylor sound. I thought I am an erratic person as majority seems still approving Vclass bracing in Taylor but I still have nostalgia as to how non Vclass Taylor guitars sound like before.

[@kleahy106]

Lots of expensive acoustic guitars being sold due to the pandemic. As far as I’m concerned, the art of playing good guitar has approx. a 95% failure rate. I’m waiting to buy those new second hand expensive $1880 TAYLORS for $300.00 soon. Love it!

[@lesterfalcon1350]

"I'm not a physician, so don't shoot me if I get this wrong, I'm bound to get the wrong". Physicist!

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

Did I say that? Add it to the list of verbal faux pas!

[@gregsanders7064]

Taylors Vbracing has been the best selling feature for Martin guitars. IMHO v braced is sterile. Long may Xbrace sing.

[@javiergarcia6726]

I agree here with you Richard, if there "ever was an intonation problem" with pre-v-system guitars, why all acoustic guitar lovers dream about owning a real vintage guitar? food for thought. Also, you mentioned Anderton (channel I follow because they are entertaining and feature amazing players), you might want to check this out. Not long ago, Andertons published a video comparing a high-end Taylor (8 something, Grand Auditórium etc) retailing at 5k to a newly launched Sigma copy (or "inspired by Taylor..." to be politically correct) retailing at about 600 quid. Danish Pete and Ariel, presenters and genious players, were particularly impressed to how the "affordable" Sigma compared to the mighty Taylor that decided to replace the strings, just in case the Sigma´s were fresher. after replacing the strings (I believe Elixirs), were really impressed, so they decided to do a blind test, because Anderton blind tastes, as we know. Hold on, time and time again both Ariel and Peter preferred the Sigma to the Premium Taylor, actually every single time, and they ended the video just like that, kind of speechless. I sent the link to a friend of mine who owns a Taylor, just for fun, and... anyone guess? that video is not available in KZbin any longer. I am sure Taylor was not happy at all that Anderton claimed that an affordable 500 quid copy made in china using laminate back and sides could be preferred to their most Premium product by two respected professional players. I kind of guess Andertons had to make a business decisión. This said, any chance to see some comparisons between Furch and Eastman, there are not many dealers of these brands in Spain. Great video

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

I am so sorry I never replied to this! As you can see I pinned it as I felt it was so important. You highlight so many things in that feedback which is so important. This video is the most unpopular one I have ever done .... by a long way!!! However that is because I know its being down liked by all the people who have invested their money into one and its easier to be negative toward me than question their life choices. This video however is here purely to help provide an insight into my views based on 24 years in the industry and as I say I was a large main dealer for Taylor - I know them, the voice of their guitars and you cannot get away from the fact that they are mass produced guitars and any mass produced guitar on this scale can simply not provide the same level of tone as a hand made guitar. Frankly its TOTALLY insulting to boutique guitar builders to suggest a factory knocking out guitars on this level could come close to the instruments produced by a guy hand selecting the tone woods, tap tuning the tops, cutting the bracing to suit the grain and so forth. People just conveniently turn off the part of their brain that questions all this!!! Anyhow... Belated thanks for your wonderful insight and feedback. Much appreciated!

[@jimgodofbiscuits]

Sure people, with money as in, not me, lust after vintage instruments, but that has nothing to do with a company producing a new sound. Some people call the lack of intonation across all frets in a chord- "confusion" and what makes it sound rich. I agree the V class is not as rich in that way. Will be interesting to see if they pull back and start offering X bracing as an option again. That said, I fell in love with the 314ce V class in a shop and then had trouble finding one once my wife and I agreed a full solid wood is a lifetime purchase and I got a great deal at 300.00 off at my most locally located non-chain music shop. It has a very mid-range focused sound which is exactly what I needed for my preference and style of playing. It does have really good sustain as well, which makes playing notes under a chord or harmonic very nice....but I digress. It us all preference and opinion. I would bet the same blind test could be pulled off on eastman with much cheaper guitars as well. I once owned a bargain all laminate Alvarez that sounded as sweet as an all solid wood...to my ear anyway. I am not sure of Richard's obsession with dissing Taylor...what about Martin or Gibson or Simon and Patrick (sometimes i get those names reversed fyi), or Guild or Seagull or......on and on. Martin is definitely still more revered and the standard in my part of the world....maybe even Gibson as well by many. I have heard someone say why...i can't verify it but wondered if you knew his obvious and biased sounding deal with Taylor...Martin's are just as expensive so...waiting for that comparison.

[@rmzzz76]

Taylor is known to be bullish with dealers over this sort of thing. When you're the vendor of such a big brand product you have leverage over your dealers and they might not threaten them, but even a kind request to remove a video is going over the line because it leaves the mind to wonder what the consequence will be if the request is not honored.

[@scottfishkind5335]

Do you have the title or link to that Andertons video? I'm really curious to watch it!

[@gunscratch]

Sorry, I’m a bit late to the party here. Many years ago I fell for the Taylor hype/advertising; I wanted soooo much to be part of the Taylor “family” unti I tried them. I just couldn’t get any decent bottom end to give a balanced sound. Ended up buying a Fylde Orsino. Then a few years later an opportunity came up to buy a Taylor 818e; it was one of the first 100 Grand Orchestras and I fell in love with its sound and playability. I got a great deal on it but if anything happened and I had to replace it I have to say, I wouldn’t. They just don’t represent value in any way, shape or form. Taylor have great advertising to hook you in but at the end of the day remember, a lot of that money goes to the Scientologist cult. This is something they don’t advertise and only something I found out after getting my Taylor. It’s probably why what is basically a mass produced guitar is so expensive. I agree, for the most part they are pretty sterile sounding acoustically. They are the vanilla ice cream of the guitar world - very popular, hard to dislike entirely, and far from exciting (unless you count getting a buzz from the name on the headstock). Then every so often they have to find something new to keep you hyped up about and peak interest in the brand. But no matter how many sprinkles or how much strawberry sauce you add, it’s still vanilla underneath. As I say, I love my 818e, it’s my everyday go-to guitar but it’s no Santa Cruz or Froggy Bottom. It’s good to hear an honest opinion, and it’s something I’ve been saying for years, even as a Taylor owner. That said, I haven’t tried the V-bracing but a friend that did was pretty impressed, so much so he bought another Larrivee!

[@markbailey8252]

I've played dozens of Taylors, both 6 and 12 string, over the years and never yet played one I've actually liked. Your description of their sound as 'sterile' is absolutely bang on: in fact I'd go further and describe the Taylor sound as 'lifeless,' and often with a horrible mid-spike that I find deeply unpleasant. I also think they're absurdly expensive for what are in essence factory-made guitars and I can't understand why anybody would pay that much money for a mass-produced instrument. Were I in the lucky position to be able to drop a sizeable four-figure sum on an acoustic guitar I'd be going to the likes of Fylde or Brook and ordering a custom, handmade instrument to my own specification that would blow the likes of Taylor out of the water. I genuinely can't understand why more people don't go down the luthier route when spending significant sums of money on an instrument as opposed to buying a guitar off the shelf.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

❤trust me - you can afford it. Please investigate Dowina guitars 😊please also watch my recent video when I visited their workshop in Slovakia . Mind blowing

[@markbailey8252]

@@RichardsGuitarshop Hmmm, possibly, though to be honest, I'd rather support UK-based luthiers wherever possible were I to be spending that kind of money. No disrespect meant to Dowina, whose guitars I'm sure are sensational, but I'd really like to support the British guitar industry in these difficult times. Incidentally, on a related note, I enjoyed your video where you compared a Taylor 6-string to a number of Eastman guitars. I own an Eastman AC330e 12-string that I actually bought while I lived in China from a local friend who was an Eastman dealer. It required a bit of work to get it playing perfectly (including a new nut), but once fettled it was absolutely sensational: easily up there with the best 12-strings I've played from the likes of Guild, et al. A truly world class instrument for a fraction of the price the likes of Taylor charge for their guitars. It's also a thing of absolutely beauty: top-quality construction and amazing standard of finish (mine is in near-unobtainable sunburst and both looks and sounds stunning).

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

@@markbailey8252 Well I suppose it depends on context but when you say ="that kind of monet" you can buy a totally hand made guitar from Europe - bespoke build from less than £1500 which you certainly cannot do in England - and its much healthier to be supporting European builders who have a passion for actually building their instruments thant £2000 for a mass produced guitar from the USA, I understand your feelings and of course if it was possible to buy anything close to a Dowina from England of similar quality I would. I sell Auden for that reason - They are part produced in China (hand made in a small workshop) and completed un the UK workshop - so thats really cool. I was heavily let down by Lowden - so that didnt end well - and I suppose UK builders often sell direct maybe..

[@bzbzob]

Sold Taylors Martins Gibsons Guilds in the 90s and many Taylors would come back cracked on the front seam and Taylor scolded the buyer for not keeping them humidified. Was a dry climate. As far as I know, most daily players keep their guitars out. If you can not build a guitar that won't crack... Plus yes, they were consistent, but just really weak sounding. They were gorgeous though, that is for sure. Everything else needed set ups and stuff, but they were built better and had the sound (some better than others) that was expected from each brand. I recently tried to talk a friend out of buying a Taylor 800 but he did. He bought an 80s Martin a few months later, trying to sell the Taylor now.... I played his Taylor when he got it and I liked it I guess. Played his Martin and I could not stop playing, it was amazing and inspiring, as almost always. I mySELF then went out and bought a Martin, it had been a few years, I had forgotten! It's killer. Yes, we sold a bunch of Taylors too, they were really popular and kind of the new kid on the block and great marketing, Leo Kottke, etc......

[@bzbzob]

One thing FOR Taylor is some people say they like them better for singing because it does not get in the way, and I have heard some recording people say they are evenly balanced and easy to record in that aspect, some acoustics are boomy and hard to control, so there is that. I had no issue selling them until the crack thing stared happening. If someone falls in love with a Taylor what can you do, and their heroes play them, you know, its cool... Easy to record, good for singing, was a selling point then, or we made it up, can't remember!

[@Fredwitrave]

"Get back on track Rich." Fun!

[@philippmueller7390]

Great Video! Would like to see a review on some Lakewood guitars!

[@Aecarvalho007]

The video was a bit extra lengthy, could have been condensed just to state what pertains to V bracing Vs X bracing, tone-wise, volume-wise and intonation-wise. A physician is different from a physicist 🤦‍♂️😂 Also as a luthier (I have a regular X braced guitar), I've felt that the V bracing solves one problem better than others, the warping of the top over time, it's somewhat similar to a violin's bass bar (guitar strings don't just push the bridge inwards near the sound hole but also push the bridge facing the endpin side outwards), also this bracing is only pertaining to the guitar's top plate, you can still make the guitar have harmonics, a non "sterile" sound with warmth and depth, it all depends on how well the braces are tuned and how well the top will distribute the string vibrations and tension and which regions of the top will move. I'm not in anyway endorsing Taylor guitars, it's a different taste and one can have it sounding great even with this new bracing, and as mentioned earlier, the only way to determine it factually is to hear it using blind tests in homogeneous conditions.

[@thomasgreaves176]

Definitely hitting the hammer on the head here Richard. As an engineer, I can see the economic and production advantages of v-class. I can also get a good head around the business model. But my feeling is that Taylor are becoming the new Yamaha (an electronics manufacturing company!!!). It's just corporations selling product. Who wants a guitar without overtones? This is how we choose between identical models from the same production run. Maybe sterile guitarists playing sterile music to a sterile audience....

[@guitardude4700]

Appreciate your opinion. We look for differing opinions on here so carry on. 👍

[@lifeofadragracer-2851]

First thing first Guitars have never bin Intonally Perfect when playing different Chords. They have just bin close enough for all to tolerate that's why some chords always sounded tighter than others that being said Taylor decided to fine tune the intonational Parts of A Guitar Discovering that the V-Class Bracing Allowed them to do Just that. On the Beautiful X Bracing Guitar what you are hearing is the wonderful Vibrato imperfections which gives you that Vibrational Tonal differences that we All Love. The V-Class Bracing Strips All those Vibrato Imperfections that Most of us Love to here From A Guitar the problem when doing this Now you end up with A Guitar that ends up sounding to Perfect crisp & to Clean Sounding like A Robot Sounding instrament Losing the Emotional Parts of the Guitar what Talor needs to do now is Bring back some of that imperfections Vibrato Sound to re-introduce Emotions back into there Guitars & while doing so they will beable to control what Vibrational tones they would like for each Series of Guitars Making the Taylor once Again A Top Dog in the Line up of Guitar Companys. ofcourse these are Just My experiences & opinions so what's everyone's Take on this how do you think The V-class Bracing will effect the industry. Do you think there will be other companies jumping on the band wagon creating there own Percise Acoustical Instrament. Or will they stick with tradition.

[@dmar3651]

I agree with you for the most part, except for the pickup portion. Idk about the origin Expression System pickup, but the ES-2 and ES-b are clearer than most Fishman Piezo picks that are widely available. The sonitone, sonicore, Matrix and presys systems sounds rubbery and muddied.

[@grahamhaynes4284]

Being retired, with plenty of time on my hands, I watched all of that. I like Richard's ramblings about his experiences. Tone is possibly the most personal and subjective subject but I do know that a pleasing tone will inspire playing. Of course, the issue these days is that the recognised manufacturers are struggling to compete on price, with brilliant quality coming out of the far east, so they have to come up with something different and hope that we are sucked in. I'm as guilty as anybody else, because my OCD kicks in if the headstock hasn't got a big name on it but I do own great Tanglewood, Faith and Eastman guitars, so I'm trying to kick the habit. I wonder if Robert Johnson worried about his tone?

[@gchampi2]

V bracing? Looks remarkably similar to a ladder bracing system, as used before X bracing became common. Ladder bracing can have some advantages tonally, as it is inherently more flexible than X bracing, but ladder bracing also has some structural disadvantages for the same reason. That's why ladder bracing fell out of favor when steel strings became common. Early steel strings were a LOT heavier than modern strings, and would commonly distort the top of ladder braced guitars. X bracing, being inherently more rigid, could handle the increased string tension of steel strings over time. From the manufacturers p.o.v this was a good thing, as it reduced warranty claims. As a result, I'm dubious as to the longevity of V braced guitars. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a lot of bellied tops in a few years time - even more than in the regular Taylor line...

[@adrianbeale]

My thoughts exactly. This (v bracing) is untested in the long term, it looks mechanically unsound to me.

[@scottgibbs5903]

I have a Taylor GS Mini, which I love. For a 3/4 size guitar, the tone is fantastic. Nevertheless, for the money, there are better options than most Taylor guitars. I find their tone to be thin.

[@lappleman]

Love my GS mini. I've had it for about 7 years and the sound has really matured.

[@keestoft250]

I agree, I believe Bob Taylor discovered something quite magical with the GS mini. Even taylor skeptics own and love them. They are so toneful and built with laminated back and sides, making me a little cynical about the general theory sold to us that all solid guitars are always better.

[@buggy627]

@@keestoft250 I have a mini and a 416ce and it’s a huge difference. I never even play the gs mini because the sound just doesn’t compare

[@RonaldMarceau]

Thanks for your opinion. I'll definitely do the research and tests.

[@lmawd]

Not as big as a standard guitar so more comfortable to play and passable for both chords and picking. There are tons of cheaper better sounding guitars than this Taylor BB but the size is great. Any suggestions for a similar size guitar which is suitable for both chords and picking to replace this Taylor please?

[@dennisk9307]

Between the Taylors X and V their is a very different tone (not marketing IMO and if the intent was I can say the result in tone was a masterpiece result based on that). To me the V has more sustain and arpeggiating is very pronounced compared to my X and Martin D28. I really like the new Taylor 814CE V Braced Dlx. Amazing tone and perfect for what I need in a sound. Like martins but a bit more muffled and compared to the Taylor.

[@JtotheP68]

People worry too much about this sort of things. Just think how many amazing records have been made with 60’s Hummingbirds and J45s that had those horrible plastic non compensated adjustable bridges. The market has to constantly reinvent the wheel in order to sell units. I own a 15 year old Taylor Big Baby, it’s a great guitar that at the time cost relatively not a lot of money. I would probably not buy an expensive Taylor, they just don’t float my boat, I feel a similar way about PRS, but that’s another can of worms.

[@russellmoxham5625]

This has been worth watching--thanks--but also like a masterclass in death by waffle without your actually going off topic. Anyhow I've ended up here because I've been looking at Gibsons (as usual) with bright-tonewood backs and sides, and found none that quite fit the bill. I don't like playing long-scale guitars but, as far as short-scale Gibson options go, maple J-45s don't especially to me. I don't like the aggression of a J-185 or the imposing clarity of a J-35 either, plus the Gibson walnut options are now gone or inferior. Anyway I often prefer 12-fret guitars and most of the Gibson options are 14 fret. The thing is, I kind of like the sound of some Taylor 612s online and seemingly don't have a problem with V-bracing there. The effect doesn't put me off as a Taylor lover, because I'm not a Taylor lover. V-bracing possibly makes for more clarity--and less complexity, yes--and sometimes does seem to scoop the mids but leave punchy highs and lows, all of which may work well for someone who wants a guitar that will, say, maintain focus but can be made to sit back in a mix and not yell or drone on in the mids. I can imagine getting something at least vaguely resembling a direct, aggressive or semi-aggressive Townshend or possibly Cat Stevens/Yusuf Gibson tone from a 612, probably more so with the V-bracing. But the 612 is not necessarily going to extort attention and swing its dick around the way a big Gibson might. These Taylors can be lyrical or harmonious guitars, if you know what I mean, but they're not all necessarily sprinkling upper-harmonic pixie dust all over the place, as if every song has to be about a wistful unicorn, and to me as a Gibson lover, that's fine or even good, even if it's because the sound I'm hearing is not what I would typically expect, and often shy away from, in a Taylor. My point, I suppose, is that there is probably no good or bad here. There are only preferences, context, etc.--as we probably do all realise, actually. I'm not inclined to think that a new bracing pattern that allegedly dampens upper harmonics more than other patterns is necessarily worse (or better) than any of those. It depends what role and what kinds of music I want to play on the guitar, and anyway there is probably a whole lot of room to--no intonation-related pun intended--fine-tune the outcomes here through string choice in particular. So now I've matched you for death by waffle! All the best. P.S. I'm not sure whether there's a conflict between your waxing lyrical about harmonic complexity but also saying that as a species we have insensitive heating and that intonation is therefore not generally a problem. Oh, and--physicians aren't the ones who do physics. Physicians are the ones who look after guitarists when they party too hard 😊.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

Thank you for highlighting any inaccuracies in my use of the English language. It will please you to know I am aware that a physicist is someone who is engaged in the world of physics and wont sit through the entire video to find where I said it - I will take your word for it and thank you! With regard to the conflict of interest in comments - No? Everything is relative and my comments were honest and true to my experiences. Each fact being "true" but it doesnt mean we cannot enjoy the sound of a nicely layered acoustic "voice"? The Taylors new system is literally designed to reduce the overtones you hear. For me thats as much as I need to know - and to this day (years after this video) I havent heard a Taylor that has impressed me personally.

[@hollywoodactress]

Great to hear you take on it. I have not tried one yet, but I rarely shop by brand, has to sound and feel good. Doesn’t matter who makes it. But I definitely could never spend a few thousands on one acoustic, as there is so much quality gear for under a thousand.

[@theocorfiatis8456]

Firstly I made it to the end of the video, so I guess I'm in the minority haha. Secondly I thought I was going crazy after looking for a decent fingerpicking guitar and going to all the music shops, trying Taylors. Gibsons, Martins, Yamahas, and most of the mass produced brands and no longer being able to find ones that I really liked. I have an early 2000's Martin D-16 for strumming, a new 1950's Gibson LG2 for fingerpicking, a cheap Yamaha FS800, and a Martin DCME cutaway. After a lot of recording and soul searching I decided to sell everything but the D-16, which is a half decent guitar which was faulty from the factory and played like a dull razor until I found a tiny stone lodged under the saddle ! Now it sounds very nice indeed. So I agree that Martin quality control is lousy, but not as lousy as my new Gibson LG2, which was touted as a "Vintage" 1950s guitar recreation, with amazing tone and vintage glues and techniques used back in the stone age to make guitars bla bla (I learnt a hard lesson here to never believe anything the marketers say). The reality is that you can use this guitar as a barometer or hygrometer, because every time the weather changes, the guitar either decides it is playable or it buzzes like a dentists drill, even though it's been set up perfectly to spec and frets have been planed etc. The sound of the instrument is "nice" I have to say and as clear as a bell when it decides to play well. But even keeping it in a temperature and humidity controlled environment doesn't seem to help, I just want to play the thing without phoning the weather service to check the long range forecast. The Martin DCME is basically not even worth mentioning, it has so many faults. This brings me to the $200 Yamaha. Amazingly it plays well, consistently and sounds like every other inexpensive Yamaha I've ever played and can be counted on to do exactly what it was meant to. Yamaha have good quality control, their low end guitars are far more consistent than anything Martin and Gibson seem to be able to put out, I'm not saying better sounding, but definitely more consistent. This brings me to Taylor and my dilemma. I've tried so hard to like Taylors. For 7 years, I've gone to shops, tried literally every model from their 100 series to the 900 series. They are very "nice" to play in terms of the fretboard action and feel. As for the sound .... Just before they introduced V-bracing I spent many hours trying out the full range of Taylors. As the price went up, the sound got better on the X braced Taylors, and I got to a happy medium when I hit the 500 series, where they sounded great without being too expensive. My favourites were the 700 - 800 series though.. Fast forward to about 1 years ago, when I did the same exercise, but this time with the V-braced versions. There was not one guitar that I liked the sound of. Not being a young guy, I genuinely thought my hearing was crapping out from playing in metal bands with the volume at 11. So I went online and looked at comparisons between X and V braced Taylors and heard EXACTLY what you've talked about in your video. X bracing had harmonics and overtones, V-bracing was lacking in the overtones (I think Taylor market V-bracing as having "Focus" whatever that means). I still like the way they play though especially compared to Gibsons, and that's where my dilemma comes in. For fingerpicking some of the higher end V-braced Taylors sound pretty good, but the minute I strum a chord, something sounds horribly wrong, no harmonics. When I was in London, Denmark St I had the chance to try an A.B Manson Magpie acoustic. OMG!!!! I tried it against every Gibson, Martin, Taylor and any other brand in the shop. The Manson guitar blew the rest away in terms of its sound which was rich and clear and I could strum and fingerpick equally well. I almost cried when I had to leave the shop, because it was about 4 times more than any of the other brands and I couldn't afford it. So I have a pretty good idea what an amazing acoustic sounds like. I want to find a shorter scale guitar for fingerpicking which also sounds like, you guessed it.... a guitar, not a boxy little ukulele.... excuse my sarcasm, but 1 month ago I tried an 816ce Taylor, and it's nearly $4000 USD, not exactly pocket money. For fingerpicked styles it sounded about as good as a $500 generic guitar, but not exciting and definitely not as good as a modern Martin or Gibson. Then I strummed it, and wow, it didn't really sound like a guitar to my ears, the sound was just weird and uncomfortable. I agree with what you've said 100%. So it still leaves me with finding a nice playing guitar that sounds good. I'll look into Eastwood, Lowden, Auden, Lakewood etc, and of course Furch which I'm really digging the sounds of right now. But very few dealers here seem to have any of them in showrooms, so hard to try one and mostly only by appointment in NYC. So the search continues. And thanks for your honest post, we could use a bit more honesty like this on the internet.

[@garyevans9688]

Richard, with having so much combined experience with so many excellent acoustic guitar makers, how would you rate the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson range of acoustics in comparison to Eastman, Furch etc.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

I really do not want to sound cynical but I will try and give you an honest answer as best I can ..... oh god hear goes..... "Inspired by Gibson". Well.... Gibson has one of the worst quality control reputations I could mention. They are a greedy horrible company whose own employees often hate the people they work for. A culture of greed and detachment creates resentment by the employees and doesnt lend itself to consistent high quality and proudly presented instruments. If I were to have a new range - the last thing I would want to have it inspired by is Gibson. However - Having the word Gibson on the headstock - or a closer link to the name - will sell more guitars. I think really thats all you need to know. It ticks a box. An important box. Sorry.... I didnt avoid sounding cynical :(

[@kevinratliff7881]

I agree with everything in this video. Play before you buy! Had a Taylor 214, couldn’t keep the action nor the intonation consistent due to the screw on neck system on all Taylor’s. Most high end Gibson’s I played sounded like a cardboard box. In short, my Martin D-35 2007 is a tone machine. The build quality is excellent that includes a dovetail neck joint and has never needed set-up. Having said that, every Martin is different.

[@salvatorevitale9165]

Very useful video. I personally perceive the Taylor brand exactly as you say. I own a Martin D16GT and it plays very well after 10 years I purchased it. Guess I was lucky. Now I am looking at buying a smaller shape guitar and I was thinking of Alvarez brand (Masterwork series): any idea about it? Great channel and great video!

[@LukesVintageRC]

I think it depends on the guitar and yes it’s all subjective but strange I have Martin d28 Marquis beautiful guitar but I love the mass produced Taylor 224 too even more so than the 814. And now I’m in love with Cort earth mini Adirondack topped ebony fboard. This is amazing guitar that’s 225 bucks hand crafted in China. I get more compliments on that than all. The sound is warm yet articulate. My only gripe is the frets edges need sanded but otherwise 👍

[@cmcg5788]

I have a 2015 Taylor 320e that I purchased because it beat a Martin D-18 and a D-15M and kept up with a D-28 in terms of volume, playability, fullness and low-end, surprising, since it's a solid mahogany top, solid sapele back and sides (it also cost 1/2 of what the D-28 cost). What I've heard in playing the v-class - including the Grand Pacific - are guitars that sound more constricted--I think Taylor's lost both volume and low-end with this move. I agree with the player on the Acoustic Letter video-it's been my impression too.

[@roostershooter76]

I've physically been to Taylor and toured their factory. The only thing that raises the price of a Taylor vs. another brand is that they are 'Made in the U.S.A.' and their Marketing Budget cuts into their product price point. In other words, they have to charge $500 more per guitar in order to meet their marketing budget. I have also had the opportunity to visit the Alvarez factory in China, on a previous business tour that was in close proximity, and the Alvarez Masterworks series are held to the same standard as the Taylor 314 and up, built here in the U.S. 'Made in the U.S.A' is a Marketing Ploy in and of itself.

[@UncannyAleman]

roostershooter76 Where did you get that $500 figure from? Or were you speaking figuratively...?

[@HC_GUITAR]

I have a Crafter cts155 nylon string guitar with l.L.R Baggs preamp which sounds amazing for £600. Tried numerous Taylors.,Takamine,Yamaha etc . None of them sounded as good plugged in as the Crafter. The v. Bracing system does sound like marketing bs. If it so revolutionary why is it only on their high end models. The acoustic letter video validates what you mentioned Richard about the sound being stripped away.

[@ED-wj5tp]

No matter what you think of something there will always be the guy who doesn’t like it. The playability alone will sell a Taylor and for the best guitar , it’s the one you pick up and play the most , because you just love playing it. Opinions are like elbows and a holes, everyone has em.

[@2000SkyView]

I am disappointment with Tayor's direction as well, you are not alone. I purchased a 110 that is amazing for what it is... I'm wishing i made the leap for something in the 300 series at the time. I think the X brace sounded much better than this "new and improved" V brace. Sure the V brace has a place, but to replace the X brace is a shame.

[@romeovelasco4151]

Are you going to dump the x brace?

[@Ravenscaller]

I've just come out of your future in 2021 where everything is different. First I'll hope you are still in business and haven't been pushed out by the pandemic. Second I watched all the way though and thought this was a hoot. This is exactly why if you are going to be dropping down a shovel full of money you really should play the damned guitar yourself live and in person but now there are fewer shops and what are left have a fraction of the inventory. In the high end room the wall however is full of Taylors with a couple of high end Martin's and one Gibson. Even the on line big box stores have wait lists and deposits for Martins that may (or not) be delivered 6 months from now. You can scratch off the 10 D-28s you should have been able to pick from. You will be lucky to get one and a big hassle sending it back if you don't like that particular one. Intonation is pretty much just an issue if you like being hypnotized by watching an electronic tuner more than playing music.

[@PJ-ff5jy]

I tried a Taylor 314ce V brace recently and didn't find it an engaging warm instrument, it left me cold. The build quality is excellent, it was the neck I didn't gel with, I can't put my finger on what it was exactly that didn't grab me. I found it souless, it lacks personality is probably the best way to describe it. Anyone else feel the same or am I the only person in the UK to think this?

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

Its SO funny..... Not a week passes where customers don't comment on the fact they have travelled aroun all the city centre stores - tried hundreds of guitars in some cases and found it so difficult to find a guitar they connect to.... then suddenly find themselves in my little shop finding it hard to find one to take home because they love them all!!!! Trust me - you are not the only one! However - people who own Taylor guitars have invested a lot of money and I can totally understand it going down like a lead balloon when I say maybe there are other choices available at that price point. When you put a question mark over someones life choices people can become very reactive. What you will find is people who find this video BEFORE they make a purchase will be really grateful. People who watch the video AFTER they have made a purchase will hate the video. Hence why its so ridiculously unpopular- by far my most unpopular video on my channel I can't do videos purely to gain likes though - that would make my channel no different to every other retail channel out there. I will never forget when I used to sell Taylor guitars - A chap bought one for his 50th Birthday. He was gutted.... He picked up the Furch - fell in love with it but STILL bought the Taylor because he said he had to get it out of his system and he had always promised himself a Taylor. I totally understood his reasoning - and respected it. Its the same with Gibson - When you have owned one you can be dismissive about quality etc but if you have never owned one - you will always want one - warts and all!!! I do get it and respect the power of the history etc. Hmmmm I am waffling again! Thanks for the support on my view! lol

[@PJ-ff5jy]

@@RichardsGuitarshop Totally agree with you.

[@mouselim72]

Finally, another reviewer who is honest. Is V brace different? Yes. Is it significantly better? No. If it's really that much better, then Taylor had to get rid of all their x brace guitars.

[@Lowdenjim]

Given your feelings and admiration for Lowden guitars Richard, would you say that the unique tone of a Lowden has something to do with the "A" frame bracing and the so-called Dolphin cross-braces George Lowden chose to use?

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

To be totally honest I didn't mention this in my video because the very very last thing I want ANYONE to do is associate a Taylor tone with that of a Lowden! I believe the unique tone of a Lowden comes from the fact that they are made with love and care by people who really want to achieve perfection with incredibly limited numbers made. Lowden have done the 100% opposite to Taylor which is to maintain the original ethos of the very first guitar made, produced by hand. Lowden could have gone down the exact same path as Taylor but the man at the top clearly wanted to keep his product real and true to his personal standards. YET you pay as much for a mass produced Taylor as you do a Lowden! Bizarre

[@Lowdenjim]

@@RichardsGuitarshop Interesting topic Richard; I've just been listening to George Lowden's explanation of design features, wood combinations and guitar bracing. Clearly he believes his A-frame bracing and attention to thinner, smoother and scalloped cross-braces have a significantly positive affect on the unique sound of his guitars. I wonder if anyone thought his new design concept was "Bullsh**" and marketing hype at the time. Like you, I hate bull and marketing hype, and I certainly agree that much of Taylor's sales pitch is OTT, but I also appreciate good design and positive innovation and their V braced versions do sound significantly different.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

@@Lowdenjim I create these videos in the moment. I do so when I am angry and frustrated as I was in this case. Read the mags the hype etc. Even the designer when you see him interviewed looks like he has walked out of a marketing for beginners course. I would not have said BS and wish I hadn't. The entire system that Taylor are in is BS which is how do you pretend a mass produced guitar is also boutique and worthy of its boutique price tag. Comparing lowden and Taylor is an insult to Lowdens inyegrity. They have kept their low level production and kept true to the immense quality of the originals. Taylor are a total sell out. There is nothing about a Taylor I personally enjoy and have literally never found anyone in all my years who would take a Taylor over my recommendations when played side by side so it's hard for me to take them too seriously

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

I own a Taylor 110e and have gigged it for years. X braced of course. Bought a new taylor 324ce v class a month ago and it's an amazing guitar. Is it better than an x braced guitar? Idk but I did play a $5000 Martin recently that my new taylor 324ce blows it away.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

I think that is largely the problem. Taylor guitars ARE very well made guitars even if I do personally feel they lack soul. Martin are ridiculously overpriced and incredibly variable in their quality and tone. I’m not at all surprised in that situation it would confirm you made the right choice.

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

@@RichardsGuitarshop yes indeed

[@halfglassfull]

I respect that you are a veteran in guitar retailing but i was hoping to hear you say you actually played a V braced Taylor as opposed to listening to demos on the internet. That being said I will admit I was within minutes of dropping 4k on a new Taylor V braced but could not put my finger on why it did not sound right. I played many in several different shops and the old bracing just sounds better. One shop wanted way more for the X braced 814ce model (limited supply?). The best I can describe is that the bell like sound I think the Taylor has is gone and it now sounds more focused and projects more but if a Taylor sound was considered sterile by some, now it is just less alive. Perhaps you are right with your comment that the v-bracing removes rather than enhances in its attempts to achieve better intonation.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

Thank you for your reply which shows that maybe a combination of video evidence and 24 years of personal experience 10 of which selling Taylor guitars is enough to make an informed decision. I would also be the first to put another video up when I find any further evidence to the contrary

[@Seewoodcrypto]

He hasn't. How can one use video audio to crap all over sound.