I’ve been a forum member since January but this is my first post. I recently retired and have rekindled my interest in the guitar after years of neglect. I’ve been on a quest for the ideal instrument to replace my old 1980 Sigma DR-28 which is a little hard on my fretting hand: the action is set low but the neck profile is too deep for me. At first I thought a Martin would be the only thing for me but I soon found that all their neck profiles were too deep and the sound was not much better than my D28 replica. I then started playing Taylors and found I liked the brighter sound and the playability. In January I ordered a 414 with a 1 11/16 nut from Jim at GR (based on Forum testimonials). I really liked the balanced sound but it didn’t quite have the low end of rosewood and the narrow nut didn’t completely solve my problem. In June a Taylor Roadshow came to town and I had a chance to play just about every combination they offer. I discovered a slim carve, short scale, 1 ¾ nut EIR/SIT GC that felt and sounded great. I worked out a deal with Jim and did a BTO for a GA with the same basic specs plus adi bracing, shaded edgeburst, koa binding, wedge and rosette, bone saddle/nut, black button Gotohs, ebony headplate with gothic inlay, large diamond fret markers, AA grade woods, ES, and kitchen sink. The Guitar arrived at GR and I should have it in a few days. I’ll do a NGD post with pics in the General Forum when it arrives.
My thanks to this forum and it’s members for all the valuable insight offered here. It’s really got me excited about playing again! Also major thanks to Jim at GR/Podium for working with me on this quest. I was sorry to hear about him no longer being a Taylor dealer but I’m sure he’ll do well with his other brands.
