Martin D15 vs Tacoma DM18 vs Norman B 5 06
CigarJim
acoustic guitar and I have to say, this group's sage advice is
invaluable. I've learned alot in the last couple of weeks. As said
before, I'm looking for a second acoustic guitar to my Takamine A/E
cutaway. I want a dreadnought for playing in the folk choir, family
get togethers, general noodling around and the occasional DEAD tune
:-) My price range is approx. $500-$600. I have played the following
with some thoughts.
Seagull S-6 Spruce and Cedar $330 w case
Middle of the road. No wow factor for me. Price can't be beat. Sound
didn't get deep enough for me.
Larrivee DO3 $899
What a piece of work! I could have played this guitar for hours but
the price was too high.
Taylor 310 $899
Set-up was out of wack so I didn't get a good chance to see how it
should have really performed but price was prohibitive.
Tacoma DM18 (NO hardshell case and USED w less than 1 yr of age) $550
Wow factor. The craftsmanship was very nice and it played well with no
real effort between flatpicking, barre chords etc. I could attack the
strings with no degradation of sound. I could stroke this baby hard
and everything sounded clear. Nice bass sound came through. Another
guitar I could play for hours.
Norman B 5 06 $595 w case
Another wow factor. Craftsmanship was spot on and the playing was
effortless. The sound was much more mellow than the Tacoma but in a
good way. I wish this company had a respectable web site where I
could glean more information.
Martin D15 $620 w case
Wow factor. The craftmanship was nice and it played well with no real
effort between flatpicking, barre chords etc. I could attack the
strings with no degradation of sound. Hard strumming revealed clear
sounds. I've heard this model can be trebly but I didn't hear it. It
had a very good all around sound.
I want to say sounds similar to the Norman?
So.....
I think I have narrowed it done to 3; the Martin D15, Tacoma DM18 and
the Norman B506
The Tacoma was REALLY nice but since the case is missing, should I
broach the subject to the shop owner of taking 100.00 off the price
for a case? I know these models are in the 800-900 range. I wish I
had more information on the Norman guitars and the Martin might just
be the best all around performer.
Also, these are the only guitars that I found (wanted to play) in my
region (Wilmington/Phila) Any help would be very much appreciated.
CigarJim
Aaron Ginn
> Tacoma DM18 (NO hardshell case and USED w less than 1 yr of age) $550
> Wow factor. The craftsmanship was very nice and it played well with no
> real effort between flatpicking, barre chords etc. I could attack the
> strings with no degradation of sound. I could stroke this baby hard
> and everything sounded clear. Nice bass sound came through. Another
> guitar I could play for hours.
I'd go for the Tacoma myself. You can easily find a nice, used
hardshell case on eBay or at a local store for under $50. Then you're
still coming out ahead of the D-15. Personally, I think the DM18 is a
lot nicer guitar than the D-15. I think it sounds nicer, and it looks
much nicer, IMO. I don't think you can find a better guitar under
$1000. I'm saving for one myself.
I haven't played the Norman, so I can't really comment on it.
Good luck,
Aaron
--
Aaron J. Ginn Phone: 480-814-4463
Motorola SemiCustom Solutions Pager: 877-586-2318
1300 N. Alma School Rd. Fax : 480-814-4058
Chandler, AZ 85224 M/D CH260 mailto:aaron...@motorola.com
misifus
are all good guitars. My personal preference is for Martin, but
if I were there, and the Tacoma or the Norman called to me more
that the others, I'd go for it. The prices you quoted were about
par for the Martin and the Tacoma. I don't know what the Norman
price range is, nor where they fit into the Lasido hierarchy of
instruments.
-Ralph
--
Misifus-
Ralph Seibert
mailto:rsei...@cox-internet.com
http://www.ralphandsue.com
Moores
La-si-do. Decent guitar for a decent price.
The D-15 is a Martin made of solids, 'nuff said.
The Tacoma is also made of solids and throws in a couple extras like
herringbone, bindings and a gloss finish. Seems hard to beat for the price.
I played it along the Martin and it is really close, the Tacoma having a bit
more sustain.
I took 3 months to finally buy my last guitar. Narrowed it down to a DM-15,
a Seagull M6 gloss and a Tacoma. I ended up with a Tacoma DR20E. American
made, quality and cheap! I don't think they'll be this inexpensive forever.
Just 1 opinion.
Steve
"CigarJim" <jim.ph...@netzero.net> wrote in message
news:37a3568c.0211...@posting.google.com...