Hi there Cloud,
First off, welcome!
Secondly, my apologies: I believe I inadvertantly edited your last reply here. Argh!! Clumsy with the mouse this morning ...
so sorry, friend. Huge mea culpa on my end!!!
...or at least part of your last message:
I guess the main thing I'm really just trying to find out is what people think about the sound of Taylor dreads overall and also the new 700 series dreads in particular. Again, other than the 110s and 210s, there just doesn't seem to be any other Taylor dreads around here to try out.
Anyway, thanks for the input.
Yup, the tough part you need to tackle first is which sound you're shooting for; you narrow your field this way and can then go from there.
Since you asked about dred opinions, I gotta say I have never wanted to own a Martin dred in decades of playing. I like them well enough when others play them, some even sound great IMHO in others' hands, but for myself (an apparently to my hands and tastes), I find them generally boomy and too mid-scooped, or some even a bit thin in spots and lacking "something" in its voice.
Taylor dreds: I've found them hit and miss, personally, and I've owned two (and tried a few others in shops but likewise don't see many T dreds hanging on walls). Where the Martins boom and seem mids-deprived, the two dreds I've owned had lovely mids and highs but just didn't produce the lows that a dred body is purportedly designed to deliver. I tried strings and saddle swaps and just couldn't get more of the bottom I wanted from what is supposed to be a "big" voice. All the signature Taylor sparkle and clarity was there, but just missing low-end ooomph.
Third time's a charm? I now have a dred I love! It's a Custom-DN (I didn't spec it, but bought it that way) and this dred finally delivered what I was looking for. Bottom end was big, yet focused and controlled, never boomy; mids are present and defined with lovely individual note separation, and highs that sparkle ...not so "taylor bright" as some Ts are often derided by folks, but a crisp top end that defines the "edges" of the notes beautifully. OK, yeah, it's gorgeous looker, but so was my Ltd ...the tone has gotta be right on for me or said gear goes out the door.
One note on the new 700s: engelmann. That's yet another factor, and a significant one in that changes the voice of T's newest dred. I love englemann for it's less "zingy" top end and added mids over a sitka-topped Taylor D. I own a GC with engel and love it (I love cedar tops which explains my preferences), but have yet to try the new 7s, so you'd do well to hunt down one of these for a test drive.
All that to say, I can't help ya
None of what I said can translate to helping you find
your tone, and my descriptions serve as little more than loose generalizations. And FWIW, I just just recently played a few dreds at a Road Show: again, one I liked, others I were lacking for my tastes. So there you go. You just have to keep pluggin away and trying as many as you can get your hands on. It's a good search; enjoy it!
May I ask, though, have you played Martin and Taylor dreds side by side? Aside from tone, the feel is markedly different. That difference is one of the main reasons I never have owned Martys over the decades, and for the last few years have come to only own T acoustics. The feel, alone, may help you determine which fits you better ...then go from there. Hope that gives you a few things to think about. And if not, forgive my rambling post ...that's what happens on a lazy morning with a 20oz java in my hands
Edward
