General Music Chat

So my wife got her money back for the crappy ebay banjo she got me for my birthday, we headed up to Nashua today - convenience has the Guitar Center in teh same shopping center as Trader Joe's, so she went food shopping an dI went guitar shopping.
AS she hands me the cash that she spent on the banjo she says 'you have my permission to buy any instrument'. Hey, she said it ...

I knew the GC did not have the Taylor 310ce in stock (I had looked online earlier this week - no local GCs have it), but also saw it discounted $150 this week, for some unannounced reason (or mistake). There was also a $150 off anything over $999 coupon - usually Taylors (and most name brands) are exempt from these.
SO I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. Played a 210ce they had, but it's laminated back and sides didn't have the same sound as the solid wood 310ce. SO I asked the sales guy about the 310ce, and the coupon. He went to the computer, started plugging things in, made a call, and said they could do it! So $300 off the usual $1699 - how could I refuse? I have seen music stores sell used 310ce's for more than that. So, GC gift card, some left over cash on gift cards, and the Taylor was ordered, should have it in less than 2 weeks.
Wife was a little pissed, but then I took her to the dress store next door to
Trader Joes and bought her some clothes....
Most I have ever spent for a guitar (although not my most valuable one). Can't wait for it!

BTW, sold the last of the 'big' equipment I bought for Instant Karma - the vintage Kawai synthesizer. So that was: Shure in-ear monitor system, behringer 2x12 amp, and synth - sold the in-ear at a loss, but the synth at a profit, so broke even on that stuff.
Claimed used warranty on the Fender acoustic-electric, so the money from that (which I used towards the Taylor) offsets the little stuff I bought and still have - 5-guitar stand, 'shorty' mic stand to mic the amp, amp stand, chorus pedal, etc.
So overall it was a good learning experience, hadn't worked with such a bunch of talented guys for long term in a very long time - the annual benefits I've been doing with some talented guys are just that - annual, with no more than a handful of practices followed by one show.

So first GC tells me the Taylor is backordered. Check on the order yesterday and find 'NA' in the delivery info, sent an inquiry in and get a reply that this 'model is discontinued are there any other models I am interested in?'
WTF? They f*cked up, and listed this model twice (once with the $150 discount I took advantage of) - the guy at the store noticed this, and said, 'hey, why not get it?', got me the additional $150 weekend discount and processed the order. This same Taylor model (now only shown at the regular $1699 sell price) is in stock at all the local GCs except the one I went to. I called 'BS' in my reply and told them they were trying to renege on the sale agreed upon and that the model is not discontinued at all.
Will see if I get a reply when I get home tonight.

So first GC tells me the Taylor is backordered. Check on the order yesterday and find 'NA' in the delivery info, sent an inquiry in and get a reply that this 'model is discontinued are there any other models I am interested in?'
WTF? They f*cked up, and listed this model twice (once with the $150 discount I took advantage of) - the guy at the store noticed this, and said, 'hey, why not get it?', got me the additional $150 weekend discount and processed the order. This same Taylor model (now only shown at the regular $1699 sell price) is in stock at all the local GCs except the one I went to. I called 'BS' in my reply and told them they were trying to renege on the sale agreed upon and that the model is not discontinued at all.
Will see if I get a reply when I get home tonight.

That's when you want to go in there and beat the sh*t out of them for bait & switch. Dude...Get your money outta there, tell them to f**k off and give it up on Taylor...find another brand. Taylor aint all that. Been to their 'factory" in San dog... Believe me your better off with a yamaha...at least they sustain their line of offerings

This is not about Taylor, it's about GC. Interesting to find this webpage when I did a google:
http://platinum.guitarcenter.com/Guitar ... rodId=7355
This page doesn't come up when you search the model on the GC webpage, but the inventory checker shows a few around.

I've played Yammies and was not impressed with the sound at all acoustically - not enough to even try to plug one in.

This is not about Taylor, it's about GC. Interesting to find this webpage when I did a google:
http://platinum.guitarcenter.com/Guitar ... rodId=7355
This page doesn't come up when you search the model on the GC webpage, but the inventory checker shows a few around.

I've played Yammies and was not impressed with the sound at all acoustically - not enough to even try to plug one in.

Damn Guitar Center ...Get your money back ANd tell em to f**k off . GC aint all That. You can get your taylor directly from the factory at San Dog...at least they wont bait & switch ya

LOL!

It's all ok now. V/M and email from GC.com guy - the 'low price' deal was supposed to be for 'last year's model' - in other words, floor stock/demo. They are sending a brand new model. The advantage of GC is that if I open up the case and find a f*cked up model, I can say 'replace it' while I'm there, no opening up a UPS-delivered box to find a problem and have to ship it back, etc.
Taylor factory - list price $2248. My GC price out-the-door $1399.00 (normally $1699 everywhere) - sounds like a deal to me!

http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/310ce

Cool beans Mike... love new gear... even used gear. But I would've gotten a Martin!

I've never been a big Martin fan. For anything less than $1300, a/e, you're only going to get HPL back and sides on a Martin.
I went with a friend to get her first acoutic guitar something like 25 years ago. Then about 10 years ago she got a Martin - think it was about $1200 and not a/e. When I played it I was not impressed with the acoustic sound at all, I thought my old Epi had a better tone (granted it has 40-year-old aged solid wood).

I had a 1976 Martin D-28 for many years. I had problems with the neck but the guitar had the best tone of any acoustic I ever played. Check it out at www.bandmix.com/juleslochland

An aged Martin is a beautiful thing. If you like the warm earthy deep tones. Even the lower priced ones feel so good.
Taylors seem to have a brighter outlook on life... in how they sound. jmo. All that matters is what sounds good to your ears.
But me i'm just a playin on a poor mans gibby... (that would be my Epi)

Picked up the 310ce last night. Sounds fantastic at home acoustically - even my wife admitted it sounded better than my Fender acoustic (I started giving her lessons on it).
Plugged it in quickly at GC to ensure it worked, but haven't done so at home yet. That's one thing that attracted me to the Taylor - the Express system (uses a dual pickup system in the body, 1 side can be shut down to give a more-normal piezo sound, if desired). Gives what I think is a much more natural-acoustic sound when plugged in.

Pictures later!

Epi puts a really nice (E-Sonic2) pup system in their Masterbilt models.
http://youtu.be/Cg3NS7p88aQ