Official Luthiers Forum!

I agree with Zach and think that there is a disconnect here in what our individual interpretations of a factory guitar are.

To me a guitar that is not individually voiced is a factory guitar. This also means that Huss and Dalton (which I used to own and love), Collings, and a host of others including Lowdens are not factory guitars.

Guitars that are assembled and not individually voiced are what I would consider a factory guitar.

Funny how we compartmentalise the "factory guitar".

Lowden, Avalon and McIlroy are my favourite brands of guitar, but wouldn't have classed them as factory in the context of this thread. Funny.

I have an OOO-28EC #734. I like it for fingerstyle and like the deep Vee neck. It's nicer looking then the newer ones I've seen. But when it comes down to my favorite it the old work horse tobacco sunburst J45. I like the look and the tone. That's probably why a J45 is my next build. Although you have to play before buying. They are like any other guitar, some don't sound all that good and then there's the one you buy that does. To me it has a unique sound that I like. As for Taylors I had one too, a tobacco sunburst. But it had to go before the Martin or J45 when I needed some cash. If you ask me the J45 is the best buy for the money too compared to a comparable Taylor or Martin. When I got mine they were $1400 and a Martin $2500 and Taylor $2200.

Thats a tough one...
acoustic - probably a taylor i like the sound and i like the looks. (martins i like the sound, not keen on looks)
electric - soundwise i'd have to say telecaster looks maybe a parker
bass - i have a warwick thumb and i wanted it for 10 yyears before getting one

anyone played on one of the taylor electrics??? they could solve my not liking tele looks coz they are really nice lookin...

Hmmm... if I had to pick a factory guitar currently available I'd pick a Santa Cruz Tony Rice Pro model-- not because of any personal or professional relationships, I just feel that of all the factory made guitars out there, Mr. Hoover and his staff are doing things *right.* If I'm not mistaken, I think on the newest incarnation of this model they're even using hide glue. If I could choose a factory model which was available in the past, I'd travel back in time and get a 1 11/16", thinned neck, scalloped braced D-28 from the late 30's. (Bear in mind this would have the erroneously called "forward shifted" bracing-- what we call "standard bracing" should, in my opinion, be called "rear shifted.") I think the Martin factory of the 30's-50's comes the closest of any "factory" to what the independent luthiers are doing these days.

Now... my favorite factory guitar of all time? My Uncle Art's 1985 D-28. Most folks would look at it and not see anything unique... it is the first D-28 I ever heard, first real guitar I ever saw in person, first guitar I heard my Uncle, first guitar my Grandmother let me sneak into the other room at her house and play, first guitar my Uncle told my Grandmother to let me sneak in the other room and play...

It is the guitar we passed back and forth on Gran's porch until the mosquitos drove you inside, the guitar that smelled like unfiltered Camel cigarettes from being in Gran's house, the guitar Uncle Art told a sixteen year old kid who needed a real guitar to "Carry [it] home with you-- just don't forget whose it is.", the guitar I carried back to my Uncle's house on the day I last saw Gran when I said "I'll see you next time" upon leaving and had no idea that "next time," although I know is guaranteed, will not be in this world...

It's the guitar I grew up hearing, playing, and loving. Most importantly, it belongs to the man who taught me everything I know and am with regards to music. I have not forgotten whose instrument it is-- I happen to be the grateful custodian of it for a while. He's going to want it back someday. My hope is that one day when his time here is passed, he would know that I could care less if his guitar is a 1985 Martin D-28 or a $10 harmony from Rose's Dime Store or Sears and remember how much of my world is the memories contained and notes ringing in that guitar.

*That's* my favorite factory guitar.

A second vote for an Alvarez Yairi dread- mine's a '78 herringbone. Of the all other guitars I have played... there was once this small bodied all-walnut Breedlove at McCabe's in Santa Monica. I should never have taken it off the wall.....

chris

I have never bought a really nice acoustic steelstring, though I would like to get one of the Taylors like 314ce.

I have a 35 year-old Goya classical (trivia point: same instrument that Mason Williams used for recording Classical Gas) which needs a neck reset or rehab and refretting, otherwise has a nice soft tone. Cost $300 in 1972. (Gave it to my ex-wife so I guess I'll never see it again...)

I mainly play an Alvarez a/e cutaway classical (RC20SC)--because of the narrow nut width, radiused fingerboard and my fat fingers, it's not good for traditional classical repertoire, but it's GREAT for fingerstyle jazz, which is mostly what I play on it. It amplifies well too.

My other main axe is an Epiphone Joe Pass Broadway made in '99--IMO best archtop for the money. The natural maple has mellowed to a lovely butter color. I used to have a Gibson ES-175 which I foolishly sold about 20 years ago, however it was not as smooth to play or as nice-sounding as the Epiphone.

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Without music life would be a mistake.

~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

I consider factory guitars to be guitars that were made in a factory..

Collings has my vote....!

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

hi there
my first steel strung box.
A ‘60 Levin Goliath spruce and r/wood.
With individual THREADED saddles. For string height adjustment.
Geordie

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some tunes on acoustic and guitar synth.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGeordieAdams
http://www.myspace.com/geordieadams

yeah, im not sure exactly how you classify a factory guitar. i love goodalls, santa cruz, froggy bottom, etc., but im not sure i would call those factory guitars. in fact i, dont think i will. i have no idea how many guitars they make a year, where they are made, who voices them, etc. they just seem a cut above the average "factory" guitar to me.

that being said, i really love my 98 taylor W-10. it just loves alternate tunings!

the new taylor GS is a really great sounding guitar. i believe the same shape as the r. taylor? maybe not.

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sweat the small stuff.

I'll second Bourgeois guitars ! I recently did a re-fret on a JOM-C model and thought it to be a very,very nice guitar. The guy who owns it brought by two more of his Bourgeois collection when he came to get his guitar and they were unbelievably Great sounding guitars ! I'm a new fan of Dana Bourgeois !! Here's pics of one of them....

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

After visiting the 12th fret in Toronto and having tried many guitars, I consider the Bourgeois' phenomenal guitars. Then comes the Collings. We're talking 3K+ price point. Bellow that, I would mind owning a nice Larivée.

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

I would not consider Bourgeois guitars to be factory guitars…
Pantheon is a small production shop, not an assembly line factory. Everybody there is kind of multitasking, have built guitars and some have their own career on the side (J.Slobod). Output is fairly modest at between 7 and 9 guitars/week, and every instrument is conceived, voiced and tweaked individually.
I am sure it also applies to SCGC, Collings and other "small" production shops that may even be a bit bigger.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Estaban - because it would make me stand out in a crowd. Wait a minute . . . aren't they all handmade by Mr Estaban himself

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

There's a lot of votes for Taylor, but I'm going there anyway! Of all the guitars hanging on the wall the clearest was a Taylor! All the way around.

You want to hate it because it is "big corporate guitar". Little Bobby Taylor and his boys have done their work. I played a 515ce and was greatly impressed with the distintion of tone without losing depth from the lower registers. A lot more presence than even the Martins, but I've said before, the Martin has a mellowness I respect but don't prefer.

I played H&D, Santa Cruz, Larivee..., Taylor beat them all! Between the neck joint, bracing system, peripheral relief cut, Taylor seems to be raising the bar for a factory guitar all the time.

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

You don't say...*cue dramatic flamenco music*

I never would have known you were into Esteban...

True, they are not assembly line guitars but I just wanted to mention them anyway.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Tommy Emmanuel seems to get his TE Maton to sound OK

Wish I could get my sweet ol 79 Maton Colonial to sound near as good. I am confident that if Tommy and I were to exchange guitars, he would at first be well pleased. I am also sure that I would manage to make his TE1 sound even worse than I do my lovely ol girl and I am completely certain that as nice a guy as Tommy E is, upon hearing me play he would quickly take both guitars from me, would frown and look me up and down disapprovingly and would then growl as he ban me from ever playing a Maton again, oh well

Cheers

Kim

That's all fine and dandy Kim! But we can't get too many Matons over here! They look like fine guitars! I'm dieing to try one!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

This is the first Matron that I have seen, available, in the US. It looks like a very nice guitar and the blackwood is something that we don't see very often on production guitars. If it is still available the next time I visit Elderly it's on my "check it out" list.

http://elderly.com/vintage/items/20U-11464.htm

Wow that Maton is ridiculously cheap. RRP on that would be around $3,500 and you'd typically see something like that selling second hand on eBay for around $2,200-2,500.

The Maton Australian Series is probably my personal favourite. I can go either way on dreads but this one plays great and has just that right amount of bling.

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Richard
http://www.guitarmaker.com

Yes!!! and I also had a 1979 AY 9 string dread. EADGgbbee. I loved that guitar. Lost in a house fire in 1986 and never found another one

My De Jonge SSS because it rocks. Sergei and Devora have their 19 kids making guitars, so that is kinda like an assembly line ain't it.

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John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds