Taylor Big Baby

[specialk]

I found a Taylor Big Baby locally. $275 with gig bag. I'm gonna go see it tomorrow night.

I've never owned or played a Taylor. Anyone have any opinions? I've heard Taylors are pretty susceptible to humidity/temp changes, but since these have laminate back/sides, maybe this model isn't as fussy? No idea on their necks, either.

Whatever, I will post what I find out later. I just thought $275 for a Taylor isn't that bad, is it?

Thanks for any help!

[specialk]

Pretty quiet in here. Maybe not a good sign.

Maybe be better off chasing that Ovation USA Elite 1778T?

[a.bandini]

I've got a newer Taylor 810CE and a 3 year-old Martin HD-28, and for whatever it is worth, the Taylor seems to handle the dramatic humidity and temperature changes around here better than the Martin does.

I've also got a '76 Martin 00018 and a Taylor 114CE in the house. The 114 has laminated sides, if I recall correctly (I'm not sure of the top) and it seems stable. I wish the old Martin was, but it isn't.

So, my limited experiences would say that my Taylors behave pretty well, and I'd buy another, once I get the money together to get the one I want. I'd buy another Martin, too. My take is that acoustic guitars move with the seasons, despite my best efforts to keep them stable.

[Ethan]

That's a pretty good deal on those. Well-made and sound really nice for the size. No offense to Ovation fans but no way I'd take an Ovation over one of those. Try it and see how you like it!

[JohnnyB]

The Taylor Big Baby, especially at $275, is a good deal for a very musically satisfying guitar. That said, the Ovation 1778T is in another class altogether. If all you have is $275, the Big Baby is hard to beat. If you're looking for a lifetime bonding relationship under $600, a used USA 1778T Elite T is DA BOMB!

[specialk]

Thanks, guys. The Taylor is about 45 miles away, and I wasn't sure it was worth the drive. I think it is now. Anyway, I'll be checking it out tonight and see if I can get these old fingers around it for more than 10 minutes,

I'll let ya know....

[JohnnyB]

Thanks, guys. The Taylor is about 45 miles away, and I wasn't sure it was worth the drive. I think it is now. Anyway, I'll be checking it out tonight and see if I can get these old fingers around it for more than 10 minutes,

I'll let ya know....

Basically, a Big Baby has a near dreadnought-sized front, but a shallower body at 4". This makes it more comfortable to hold, gives it a pretty big, clear tone, but is not as boomy as a typical dreadnought, and I consider that a good thing. Solid top, lam body, and put together like a Taylor, which is to say, very good assembly.

[hamerhead]

I have an Ovation and a Taylor. The Ovation plays great, the Taylor sounds great.

[gtone]

Never played a Big Baby, but think it'd likely be a great hacking-around, campfire kind of guitar. Probably do well for strumming, so-so for fingerstyle.

Did try the Taylor 214CE on a trip to Rapid City this summer and was very impressed. For the $800 asking price, thought it sounded very nice and played very well also. Neck was a little meatier/slower than the Ovation I played many years ago, but still, the Taylor had a refined, articulate quality to it. They've apparently switched to laminates on these lower end models a few yrs back, but even still, this guitar seemed like good value for the beans.

[JohnnyB]

I have an Ovation and a Taylor. The Ovation plays great, the Taylor sounds great.

And in general I agree with you, but the USA-made Ovation 1778T Elite T is sonically a major departure from the Ovations we're all familiar with. For as little wood as is in that guitar, it has an incredibly woody, airy, organic sound.

Still, a Baby Taylor at $275 is a no-brainer.

[specialk]

I have an Ovation and a Taylor. The Ovation plays great, the Taylor sounds great.

Love this description!

Thanks once again for all this info, gents! This is MUCH better than the crap stuff on harmony central.

As I have always loved Ovation necks, I could never get comfortable with their big bowl backs. Maybe the shallower bowls are easier, I dunno.

Since I’m a fairly shitty guitarist to begin with, I think I’d want to take tone/sound over playability. If I can kinda get along with this Alvarez beater a friend has been loaning me, I guess I can get along with the Taylor neck. The dude I’m buying it from sent this quote along, whether or not it be true:

“Thanks for attaching that image of the necks. I know the neck on the Big Baby is 1 11/16 inches according to Taylor's website. If I had to compare it to one of the images you attached, I would say it's most like image neck D. The one thing that Bob Taylor set out to do when he started making guitars was to make the easiest playing neck on the market. He wanted a neck that was not too thin, but also not oblong or difficult to fret. And, in my opinion (and most guitarists) he accomplished his goal.

The neck on a Taylor is truly a joy to play. It's very natural and fast and has a design to it that does not cause your hand to cramp up while fingerpicking or playing repetitive licks.

If I had my ideal guitar it'd be a Martin body and bracing with a Taylor neck

I would call a Taylor a medium neck because they're not too skinny.”

So I’m heading over there tonight with cash in hand. I’ll be sure to y’all know how it turns out.

[specialk]

I'm back, and the money is still in my pocket,

The seller had mentioned a blemish on the top. The blemish turned out to be a poorly repaired crack 6 inches long. No thanks.

There's another one locally for $50 more and no issues at all. I'm checking it out tomorrow.

BTW, I really liked the feel and sound of the Taylor BB. I think I'm now on a quest,

[JGale]

I have two Taylors, both pre-NT neck. 414kce and an older 555.

Neither have shown much susecptability to humidity, but I do strive to keep them as close to 49% as possible.

The 414 is brighter than my Breedloves, but still the go to guitar to learn new fingerpicking licks. The Ovation is a really nice guitar with a flat pick, not so much for fingerstyle.

The 555 has the lowest action I have ever had on a guitar and it is a canon. I keep it in G and pretend my middle name is Leo.

[Punkavenger]

A few of my friends have those and they sound really nice for the money. Impressive. Great camping or bringing to a friends house for an impromptu jam guitar

[specialk]

A few of my friends have those and they sound really nice for the money. Impressive. Great camping or bringing to a friends house for an impromptu jam guitar

Yep, low maintenance, which is a big plus in my book.

Okay,

I really liked that Taylor I tried, even though the particular one I tried had some real problems.

I thought I wanted a parlor acoustic, but none of the few I tried sounded very good to my ears. The Taylor did. So I think I want one, and of course I will buy used to save a few bucks (much like my Hamer strategy).

What I didn’t like was that the action seemed set up for a slide player, it was so high. So here comes the question. Is it easy/cheap to lower the action on an acoustic? Is it just a matter of shaving the back of the bridge? Is it something I can do? Is it something any guitar shop tech can do? Or is it more involved?

Like I said, that Taylor felt really good and sounded great, except for the action height.

Easy/cheap?

I trust the wisdom here much more than anywhere else I know of. Set me straight, guys.

[Jimbilly]

Yes, you can lower the saddle, but be aware that it's a one-way adjustment, so do it carefully. I usually run the saddle across a big sanding block, I mark it with a shapie so I know how much I've taken off.

I had a Big Baby about 4 years ago, I thought it was a very good guitar for the money, I liked it.

In the $300 price range you can also consider solid top Takamines, I've had a few and always liked them, -still have one. The trick to id-ing a good Takamine is the S after the model number like F307S (two SSs is solid back and sides). A lot of sellers are pretty clueless, so there are some bargains around. Alvarez Yairis are also near that price range, I've had about 4, but every one had intonation issues (bridge on the wrong spot). The Yairis are so likeable, but bad intonation is a deal breaker.

I'd still be happy with my last Takamine D, but I found a H D28 P for cheap ($275 at a pawn shop, needing some binding repair), - that's an acoustic worth playing.

[specialk]

Thanks for the Takamine tips, Jimbilly! I've played a couple of good ones over the years, but didn't know about the S/SS designation.

I think I've found my Taylor Big Baby. $300, but she looks, feels, plays and sounds like a hundred bucks!

Oh, wait....

Anyhow, pics may be forthcoming tomorrow.

Thanks again, everyone!

[specialk]

Okay, you guys are gonna kill me,

After all this talk about the Big Baby, I didn't get it. Instead I got the Taylor GS Mini. What a great little guitar:

http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/gs-mini/

I finally made it down to GC yesterday. A good sale going on, BTW. They had several Taylors. I played 3. A DN-3, GS Mini and Big Baby. The DN-3 won hands down, but I didn't want to shell out $1k. I fully expected the Big Baby to be a close second. Nope, a close third. The Mini had it all, except just a hair less volume. No biggie for me. The tone amazed me. I really didn't expect what it sounded like. Not thin/tinny at all, but full and lush (at least to me, YMMV).

I started out looking for a parlor guitar. Got what I was looking for.

Thanks, everyone! Pics soon.

Oh yeah. Compared specs:

Taylor Dimensions

....................Grand Concert............Big Baby...........GS Mini

Body Width: ......15 Inches................15 Inches..........14 3/8 Inches

Body Depth: .......4 5/8 Inches.............4 Inches...........4 7/16 Inches

Body Length: .....20 Inches................19 1/2 Inches......17 5/8 Inches

Overall Length: ..41 Inches................40 1/4 Inches......36 5/8 Inches

[DaveL]

damn... didn't see this thread til too late... no don't like the big baby

at $300. My buddy at work has a 110 he paid $400 bucks for (new,

a few years back) and it sounds awesome and stays in tune great.

nice punch too. You can find them regularly at $400 ish or even 3

something on CL.

[tomteriffic]

I was going to suggest the GS Mini but thought it was out of your price range. Great call.