taylor t 5

oldskoolchop · #1 11-19-2011, 06:53 PM

has anyone played these guitars, and do they do as they claim and give great acoustic and electric sounds, or does it do many thing ok but is not really great at any of them? does it give a great clean sound for an electric?

rpguitar · #2 11-19-2011, 06:59 PM

I've had two and sold both. They're excellent instruments, but the marketing kills the concept for me. They are "eh" as acoustic guitars and "hmmph" as electric guitars. They do not possess the classic tonal signature of either one. Like I said, taken as a unique creature, they're cool. But I did not bond with mine because I kept wanting them to be something they were not.

In particular, I kept wanting a classic jazz tone, and the magnetic pickup is not near the end of the neck, making it too bright for that. Plus, the lipstick variety is not known for its warmth.

Tom Karol · #3 11-19-2011, 07:35 PM

Oops, double post - see below!

Tom Karol · #4 11-19-2011, 07:39 PM

I've mentioned this before, but i was intrigued by the concept and configuration of the T5 a few years ago but thought it was way overpriced. I ran across a similar design from a Korean company called Crafter and bought it for about 1/3 the price. Mine looks like the picture below. After spending $40 to have the nut slots cut a bit deeper and the fret ends smoothed out it plays really well. The acoustic sound both amplified and unamplified is nothing to write home about, but the electric sound with the blend slider 3/4 of the way towards the magnetic pickup is a really nice single-coil jazz flavor with the piezo just adding a bit of air implying a bigger body. The pre-amp is effective but awkward to reset on the fly. So I use it for solo and duo work only. The one I have is a Crafter SA; there's also an SAT model that I didn't like as much in terms of sound and feel. I haven't tried a bunch of them, so I can't vouch for consistency between different samples of the same model. I liked it enough to buy a Crafter 335 clone as well, which with the same aftermarket setup issues addressed is also a very nice guitar. They don't market the brand too aggressively in the US, but I believe they have a presence in the Euro market.

oldskoolchop · #5 11-19-2011, 09:14 PM

tom so i checked out the site and did you get the lipstick or the p-90

oldskoolchop · #6 11-19-2011, 09:16 PM

just answered that myself sa=lipstick sat=p-90

Tom Karol · #7 11-19-2011, 09:40 PM

Yes, I have the one with the lipstick pickup. I actually got the one with the P90 too after that one, but I didn't like it nearly as much and traded it towards the 335 clone. The 3/4 lipstick-1/4 piezo blend has a fat mellow twang with rich lows and nice high-end sparkle sort of like a bizarre combination of Charlie Christian and Chet Atkins.

vanboy · #8 11-20-2011, 02:32 AM

View this Hybrid guitar

michael kelly hybrid special - Gearslutz.com

Tom Karol · #9 11-20-2011, 07:05 AM

Just a followup after sleeping on my last posts: I agree that the marketing of this type of guitar can be misleading. Instead of being able to do everything well, I think of it as being more of a one-trick pony. It's actually constructed like a small (15") thin-line semi-hollow with an acoustic bridge. As I said above I get basically one distinctive (electric) jazz/pop sound from mine, which is great for solo and duo work. For larger ensemble work, I think I'd need a volume pedal with it. While I like the distinctive sound and feel of the Crafter SA, my Tele-type and my 335-type are both actually more versatile. (The Michael Kelly looks like an interesting design.)

Tom Karol · #10 11-21-2011, 09:59 AM

This thread has got me to thinking - damn you guys! Since I use this guitar much like a full bodied hollow arch-top, maybe I should trade it towards one!