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  #1  
Old 12-05-2011, 08:54 PM
eden eden is offline
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Default MARTIN gpcpa4 Vs. TAYLOR 314ce

Hey guys, I can't decide between these two.. are there any real differences between them that make the Taylor a few hundred bucks more expensive?
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  #2  
Old 12-05-2011, 09:45 PM
kats45 kats45 is offline
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Do you have a chance to play both and compare?
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Old 12-05-2011, 09:50 PM
lmacmil lmacmil is offline
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I have not played either plugged in but acoustically, to me, the 314ce sounded way better. If you going to play primarily plugged in, it probably won't make much difference.
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Old 12-05-2011, 10:56 PM
SteveA SteveA is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eden View Post
Hey guys, I can't decide between these two.. are there any real differences between them that make the Taylor a few hundred bucks more expensive?
I A/B'd these 2 guitars quite a bit last month when I finally decided on a new Breedlove American C25 SME...(1/2 the price of the Taylor).....

I personally don't feel this particular Martin is much of a guitar at $1199....at every store I picked it up, I was really disappointed.......The action was lacking, playability was average & the neck a little big for me.....To top it all off the guitars really sounded rather anemic........

I kept giving these guitars a chance only because it said Martin on the headstock. I finally stopped looking at the Martin GPCPA 4, & simply realized this model is not for me at all......My Breedlove American C25 SME is far superior in every regard and I paid $899 new.........

On the other hand the 314 CE is an incredible guitar.........a great all-purpose guitar.....great action, tone, playability......neck is sweet.......if I didn't get such a great deal on my Breedlove, the Taylor was my choice, but it was way out of my budget..........

My personal opinion is these two guitars are not even close......the Taylor is superior in all aspects.......I'm guessing you probably need to check out the Martin GPCPA 3 to approach the Taylor 314 CE.....

I would definitely spend the extra money, because to these ears and hands it's not even close.............
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Old 12-05-2011, 11:19 PM
hotpocket hotpocket is offline
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Soley between thesetwo, I would say definitely the Taylor. Acoustically it sounds much better to me.
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Old 12-06-2011, 12:56 AM
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The 314ce by a mile. And I typically prefer Martins..
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Old 12-06-2011, 02:54 AM
Mr Peebuddy Mr Peebuddy is offline
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martin preferer here.

314ce is the better guitar of the two to my ears; i'd like to own one one day

BUT
in the price range, i'd have to go with a Sustainable Wood series martin. i find the tortoise color appointments, top toner, and solid cherry back and sides very appealing, and most importantly, it sounds great(i actually prefer it over standard 18 and 28 martins); with added electronics, i believe itll be around same price as the 314ce
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Old 12-06-2011, 04:26 AM
eden eden is offline
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I can get a s/h 310ce for about $500 less than a new 314...It plays really well but I wish it wasn't a dreadnaught. I'm really tempted to buy it because of it's price. It is the best quality and best playing guitar I can get for the money but it's not the ideal body shape. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Is it worth to spend an extra 500 and get a new 314ce. This guitar will be my all around giging and recording guitar so I want it to be versatile. My heart wants to go with a 314ce but financially a 310 seems like the best option.
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Old 12-06-2011, 05:11 AM
Mr Peebuddy Mr Peebuddy is offline
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well, if the martin sounds good, you can just get that.


you might want to try 1-series martins too then, i actually prefer them over the performing artists one; they just sound alot better to me as they tend to be brighter and clearer(i owned one.) try one and you'll see what i mean, if you don't mind the simple aesthetics, you may like what you see/hear

an om1gt with cutaway and electronics, solid top, back and sides with laminated neck(which is good as its stronger and more stable than mahogany.) would for a little over one thousand new. also made in USA, which is a big plus. this guitar would be the size you're looking for

the fingerboard and bridge is rosewood, unlike the gcpa, which is plastic.
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Last edited by Mr Peebuddy; 12-06-2011 at 05:17 AM.
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Old 12-06-2011, 05:19 AM
pandaroo pandaroo is offline
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I also did try these two out. 314 is more responsive I thought. I also agree that the 1 series is sounds better than the gcpa4. From the specs, the 1 series is scalloped braced, maybe that is why it sounds bigger to me.
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Old 12-06-2011, 07:26 AM
kats45 kats45 is offline
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I'm glad it's not just me because I thought the Martin sounded dead too, and I like Martins. The Taylor wins by a long shot.
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Old 12-06-2011, 08:16 AM
pitner pitner is offline
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I have a 314CE 12 string. It is really a great guitar both unplugged and plugged in. Nothing real fancy but a good tool to have in the box for those songs where a 12 really shines. As far as the 6 string version I can't say as I never played one. The ES system is cool and can go right into a pa without any DI needed.
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  #13  
Old 12-26-2016, 09:33 PM
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Default Different Guitars - Different Sounds

My favorite guitars are Taylor's BUT I appreciate Martin's for their unique sound. For comparison I used a Taylor 414ce and a Martin GPCPA4. I had to work on the Martin's neck setup but when I finished it played as well as the Taylor. As far as the sound they couldn't be more different but not in a bad way. Taylor's and Martin's have different tonality - bright vs. deep. That's their personalities and they should be appreciated and compared with that in mind. For plugged in sound the Taylor has the ES1 vs. Martin's newer Aura. Again both have excellent sound. I had to reset he Martin's jack socket so that my cord seated properly. I think that Martin's separate jack is a better solution than Taylor's jack in the strap button. Overall both are excellent guitars. My only negative is that the Martin's neck setup was poorly done and the jack setup was frustrating. An hour of tweaking put the guitar in the setup that it should have been delivered in.
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