Tacoma DM-18

This is an update to my review from 2000. Dreadnought-style gloss finished all-solid wood acoustic -- solid spruce top with a nice rosette, solid mahogany back and sides, faux-tortoise shell binding. Mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard with neat inlays, rosewood "tone-shaped" bridge.

Everything you need in an acoustic and nothing you don't.

My Tacoma sounds better than ever after three years of playing. It still has the same overall characteristics -- shimmering but not shrill highs, deep bass and an articulate midrange. It has only opened up and gotten better. It's a little mellower now. The guitar has always been more inclined to sing than scream, but it just has a more pleasant sings better now. Same great sustain, too.

Take a Martin and combine it with a Taylor and a Larrivee, and you get a Tacoma. Phenomenal.

My guitar was set-up wonderfully from the factory and the guitar was put together well -- all properly bookmatched and no mess. I had some slight complaints with the rosette and inlays, but they were very, very minor cosmetic flaws.

However, the binding on my guitar has started to bubble a bit. I won't subtract any more points, but it's a strange thing. The rest of the guitar is immaculate.

No problems in the three years I've had it.

I haven't directly dealt with Tacoma, but I'll send them an e-mail soon about the binding issue.

I've been playing for 10 years now, and my focus has shifted mainly to acoustic. I've got a bunch of electrics from Fender (Strats and thinline Teles) and some Godins (LG and a Radiator), in addition to some other odds and ends. In addition to my DM-18, I have a Seagull S6+Folk, an old La Mancha classical and an old Yamaha classical.

My DM-18 is my favorite guitar. I have not come across an instrument that has matched it yet. Martin, Taylor, Larrivee, Alvarez, LaSiDo (Seagull, Simon & Patrick, Art & Lutherie, Norman, La Patrie)...nothing has come close. I used to think this guitar was great for the price...but it's great for any price. This may be the best bang-for-the-buck deal ever for such a high-quality, all-solid wood acoustic guitar. Tacoma makes professional-grade instruments. Mine has only gotten better.

This guitar was made in America in 2000. It's a standard dreadnought. It's got a solid top with mahogany back and sides. Mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard. No electronics, gloss finish. Thin neck with 1 3/4 inch nut. Killer tortise shell binding.

I have wide tastes in music, and dabble in things from blues to rock. I play this guitar in church. It's bright and punchy. The high's ring and the sustain is just incredible. It's got an absolutely beautiful sound.

Originally, the action was too high and there were some bubbles in the finish around the binding. Turned out the reason for all this was there was a problem in the neck and apparently the top was caving in. See below for details on this. This condition was due to the stocking dealer's lack of attention to the guitars he had hanging in his shop. He's out of business now. I stand by the company on this one. I don't believe it was built this way. I didn't recognize the problems at first or I wouldn't have bought it. Found out later.

I've just gotten it back from the factory, so I can't attest to this yet.

This company has one guy who deals with the customer on repairs, questions, etc. When I emailed him with my questions regarding the action, he recommended that I take the guitar to a dealer to have it looked at. As it turned out, it had to be sent back to the factory.

Remember, this guitar was built in 2000 and hung on a dealer's wall for three years until I bought it. Tacoma never questioned me. They took the guitar in, found the problems and fixed them. It took about 3-4 months to get the guitar back. I think that's fair, considering the amount of work that had to be done. Everytime I checked on the guitar, although it took a little time to get back to me, Leith always got back with me with an update on the guitar's progress. When I got the guitar back, the action was just like I like it, the finish was flawless and the guitar now has a "rebirth" date of 2003. This company stands behind their product.

I've played off and on for about 18 years. I've never really gotten into acoustic playing until the last year and a half or so. I was playing my little Applause acoustic with guys playing Martins, Taylors and Takamines. I was able to hear the difference between theirs and mine. I began shopping for an American made acoustic guitar. I played Taylors, Guilds, Gibsons, etc. I really liked the Taylors before I knew anything about them, and decided I wanted one after playing some. I just couldn't afford them. A buddy (a Taylor player) suggested the Tacoma. I found a dealer and played a couple and really liked them. However, I still couldn't afford them at the moment. I stumbled across this guitar at Eugene's, played it, loved the sound. I asked him what he'd take for it (he had $800 on the tag). Eugene told me he was going out of business and would sell it to me for $550. I quickly sold a couple of things to scrape up the money and bought the guitar. The only complaint I had was with the action and the fact that there wasn't a second strap button. Now that I've gotten the guitar back (still had to install a second strap button) I'm still sold on this guitar and the company. I have to agree with the other posters, you won't find a guitar of this quality anywhere else for this price. Even their list prices are fair! It stands right up to the Taylors, Martins etc. and everybody comments on the sound. Buy one before the price goes up. I'm thinking about buying a DM9 for a knock-around guitar. I'd also like to try one of the archtops.

I am reviewing the Tacoma Dm-18. Made in 2002 in US. Solid spruce top and mohogany back and sides. No electronics. Gloss finish like the rest of the reviews. Neck is mahogany with rosewood fret board and bridge. Very nice abalone around the sound hole and fret markers.

I have been playing 30 years on and off. I play mostly rock and blues. When I first got the guitar, it sounded a like it has some buzz to it but after changing strings and bridge pins, the sound has opened up alot. I almost took it back to guitar center because of the sound but am glad I kept it.

I am still playing the guitar as it was set up from the factory. It seems fine to me. I play mostly acoustic and am use to that type of set up rather than an electric. There was a problem with the bridge pins that came with the guitar. There were 3 pins that had sharp edges and I had to take them off and file them down to get smooth edges. May seem like a minor problem but it is kinda shoddy workmanship and should have been caught in Tacoma's quality checks. Finish is really nice on the sides and back. On the front, the finish is almost 2 tone. It is darker on the right side of the guitar than on the left side. This bothered me at first but I have gotten use to it.

I only play at home so no comment on playing live. I think the finish will last a lifetime and will wear well with time. The tuning keys have Tacoma stamped on them so don't know who made them but they seem to keep the guitar in tune. In this price range, I think that this guitar is very well made and as durable as any Martin or Taylor.

I actually emailed the factory about a week after getting this guitar because I had questions about replacing the bridge pins and about the front finish difference. It took them about 1 month to repond but they finally did and answered all of the questions that I had.

I currently own 3 other acoustics, 2 laminate and a 1965 mahogany Epiphone that is great for the blues. I also have a strat, tele, and a Washburn J6. I don't play the electrics very often anymore. I think that overall, this is a very good guitar to own. It sounds very good after a little break in time. My guitar was probably 9 months old and had not been on the floor of the music store. I had been looking for an all wood, great sounding acoustic for under $1000 for about 5 years. I stumbled on Tacoma by accident and am very glad that I did. Guitar Center even threw in a case. I usually head right for the Martins when I'm in a guitar shop so that was what I was going to eventually purchase until I dicovered the Tacoma. I would replace this guitar with the same make and model if it were lost or stolen. I have no doubt that after a few years, these guitars are going to cost in the same price range as Martins and Taylors.

All the features are listed in previous entries. What sold me is the all solid wood construction and the impecable bracing. The quality of the woods used are very high as well.

This guitar has INCREDABLE tone and projection. It is a pleasure to sing along to because the natural volume of the guitar will never be drowned out by an unamplified voice, unlike cheaper laminate acoustics. The quality of tome easily rivals that of a martin or taylor for several hundred dollars less. Why pay more?

The action was a little high for my taste but I will lower that tonight. no biggie. Absolutely no visible flaws or evidence of shoddy workmenship. beutifully bookmatched top and back.

I know that solid wood acoustics are more fragile and tempermental than laminates and require more care but this guitar is well worth it. I WANT to take good care of it. I dont see any problems in thins area.

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I have been playing electrics for the past 15 years and have never owned an acoustic because I have very expensive taste. If it is not %100 solid wood then it is excrement. Hence, I have never been able to afford an acoustic I liked. Until now. With all the sound, tone and playability of a Larivee, Martin, Taylor or Breedlove at half the price how can you go wrong. It is the complete package and I will have this guitar until I die and If my children mistreat it or sell it I will haunt them for eternity.

Most of the features have been covered in previous posts, but I'll cover them again quickly: this is a standard dreadnaught with 21 frets, 14 clear. No electronics. It's ALL solid wood with a spruce gloss top and solid mahogany back and sides. The neck is rosewood with very nice looking fret markers. The tuners are labeled "Tacoma", so maybe they make them themselves. Good looking binding. The neck is not as thick as most Martins, not as thin as a Taylor. It's 1 3/4" at the nut, which I like. The pickguard is clear. Some people are turned off by the oddly shaped bridge and headstock. Don't know why. This guitar is beautiful in it's simplicity.

I'm not a professional musician, so my style is whatever I want it to be (soft rock, folk, some fingerpicking). This guitar has a full but bright sound, loud but clear. There's not as much bass a Martin, for instance, but the bass is very good and is sufficient for me. Very good mid-range and trebles. All-around great sound.

Good set-up direct from the factory. I had the action adjusted right after I got it (like the other posters I found the original action a little high) but haven't had any trouble since. Everything matched up well. No flaws that I could find.

This guitar will survive almost any kind of playing that I can see. I believe that it will outlast me. If I was a gigging musician I would use it without a backup with no hesitation.

Only called them once. They answered my question in a timely fashion.

I've been playing on and off (mostly off)for 40 years or so. I've had several guitars over time (Martin, Taylor, Larrivee, etc.) and this guitar can hold it's own with any of them. If it was lost or stolen I would get definitely another one. I really like it's balanced sound. The only problem is that, because Tacomas are not well known back here in the Northeast, the resale value would be poor. That's okay, as I have no intention of ever selling it.

I purchased the standard Tacoma D18 - gloss finish - impeccable fit & finish; abalone inlays - beautiful crest shaped fretboard accets - synthetic ivory name inlay on head & synthetic tortoise-shell binding on all the places you'd ever want or need it (front / back / neck) No electronics (that's the way I wanted it)

Drop dead gorgeous sound; strumming & picking. I played about 20 guitars from $500 to $3,000 and the Tacoma DM18 (new one) came in second to a ~15 yr old well-kept high-end Martin dread. (MTV custom edition with spruce top, and 1/2-1/2 rosewood & mahogany back)

3rd place for sound went to a Taylor 314. The Martin was richer and mellower; the Taylor was a little cleaner (less resonant but still great tone & intonation) I found the Tacoma's sound to be clean enough to easily hear individual notes within chords etc... and the added harmonics and resonance in the Tacoma were so gorgeous... (really wonderfull sound - they hit the balance just right) The Martin had everything the Tacoma had; and managed to be even richer and a little mellower - but then again - with ~15 years of seasoning and at ~3x the price the Martin would have embarassed itself had it not excelled beyond the Tacoma. No surprise there, other than the fact that the Tacoma represented itself so well against its costly & well-seasoned relative (Tacoma was started by a former Martin luthier; hence a "relative" of it IMHO).

Fit, finish -- 12 on a scale of 10 for a guitar in this price range. On a sliding scale where the fit & finish & "some craftsman made this instrument" appeal of the mid-priced Taylor-314 was a 5 and the high-priced Martin Special Edition was a 10... this guitar was in the 8+ category. Astounding quality / matched grain / inlays were flawless - fretboard was beautiful & you CANNOT see seems in this guitar. (or at least - that's the way mine is) Actually - I take that back, there is about a 1.5" long area on the back of the guitar where if you hold it up to a raking light you can tell that it is not one piece of wood. As a hobbyist woodworker I was beyond impressed with the craftsmanship. Deep rich gloss finish too...

The action was too high, and so the initial intonation was off increasingly as I moved up the neck. There was >1mm of relief in the neck and even though I had pretty much decided to get the guitar - I asked if we could adjust the truss rod so I could try it with proper action. Here's the cool part - it turns out that their in-house luthier is none other than Kent Henry (former lead guitar for the great 70's rock group Steppenwolf) Very nice guy - he shaved the saddle and adjusted the truss rod just by look and feel - and within ~10 minutes he had the thing sited in to exactly what I wanted. Absolutely brilliant work. Fast action, No buzz - phenomenal... Although, to be clear, I have to credit Mr. Henry with the guitar's action, as the action truly was too high from the factory. I will not fault Tacoma for this though, because it takes guitars a while to "settle in" and at any rate - a good luthier can work with this high quality instrument to make it sing.

I don't gig on guitar so I have no knowledge of what makes a guitar "gig-proof" I have gigged/travelled with woodwind instruments but can't speak to "guitar-gigworthiness" I will say that the Tacoma standard hard case looked pretty solid. The hinges were stamped metal, but the case overall looked strong enough for non-professional use. If I were to start gigging on guitar - I'd get an Anvil case. There is no substitute for a pro-case; everything else pales in comparison. As for the guitar itself, I can't imagine that a guitar as well constructed as the DM18 would fail to perform under reasonable gig conditions with proper protection.

Haven't had any problems - so I have no opinion regarding customer support.

Overall rating is excellent. My guess is that if Tacoma survives the transition from small company to large company - it will take a lot of market share from the big players in the premium acoustic guitar market. (IE, if it keeps the quality as it expands its product line to include less expensive instruments and increases its production capacity - and if it is a well run company that keeps its accounts current and its growth capital / debt in line) If this guitar were to be stolen / lost etc... I'd replace it with the same exact model - no doubt about that in my mind. It makes me want to trade in my business degree for a van and a band. Very alluring instrument - go play one & you'll see what I mean.

nice detail with the inlay, tortoise shell, etc

almost flawless, great tone. big volume, crunchy bass and singing highs. as mentioned by others here, the sustain goes on and on.

here's the issue I had. I was used to a bit narrower neck. I came very close to returning it for a lower end martin. in the end though, the DM18 really forced me to become a more accurate player with the wider neck and now I'm glad I adjusted to it. you cannot be sloppy with this guitar and still get great riffs.

this is a guitar crafted with quality

?

a solid value. no need for weeks of hassle comparision shopping. just buy the DM18

This is unquestionably one of the best built instruments I have had the pleasure to own. The attention to detail is marvelous! The Tortoise binding, the beautiful inlay work and the finish are top-rate. Tuners are small, but well-made. Transparent pickguard. High-quality Mahogany and Spruce. Rivals Taylor and Martin for overall construction.

I was a die-hard Martin enthusiast. I always ignored Tacomas; primarily due to ignorance. In a moment of curiosity, I actually played one... Believe me, once you've played this instrument, you will have a hard time walking away. The highs are crisp and defined, the lows are rumbling and thick... and oh the sustain!!! Probably the most balanced instrument I have ever played. If you are looking for a comparable instrument in a Martin or a Taylor, expect to pay over $2000.00. The price is unbelievable for the quality. I am sure that once these little beauties receive the recognition they deserve, the low price point will be a thing of the past.

Setup on the instrument is good, but the action was considerably high. A simple saddle adjustment solved this problem (I like low action)... No fret buzz, no change in tone. Beautiful sound!!! The finish is absolutely gorgeous. The tortoise binding on the body and the neck is a class touch. The abalone inlay on the fretboard, soundhole and bridge pins is a great complement to the overall look of the instrument.

Haven't had it long enough to test durability, but made of solid, high quality woods. Tuners seem solid. Would definitely gig with this guitar.

I've played steel-string acoustic guitar for about 20 years. I own a Martin, have played the entire Martin line, as well as many Taylors and Larrivee's. This is without question the finest instrument for the money you will find. Buy one before the price goes up... :-)

This is a Tacoma DM18.You probably know all the specs by now.
Dread with Spruce top, mahogany sides and back. Gloss finish, tasty inlays. I think Tacoma makes their own tuners. They seem to fine. I would prefer a bigger tuning key. It is similar to the old style standard Gibsons.(not like a Grover or premium).

I got my first guitar in 1964. My frieind had an old Gibson and I had to have a Gibson. I saw a J45 Cherry sunburst in the local store window and fell in love. I have been playing professionally for over 30 years. I played every Beatles song they wrote then moved on to play every rock song I could. I love the sound of an open chord and simple songs on acoustic guitars. The Tacoma impressed me with it's big rich bass and sparkling highs.

As previously stated, Tacoma does not set up their guitars with low action. It is still easy to play but for me as well as many others here it needs to be lowered to have the playability like a Taylor. I brought mine down (lowering the bridge) and it does play much better. The trade off is if you really dig into the low strings you will get fret buzz. My solution: live with it. It adds to the character. Whatever. The guitar is finished beautifully. That is the primary reason I picked up the guitar in the first place. The abalone inlay aroung the sound hole is very tasteful and the herringbone binding accent is beautiful. In addition the tortiseshell bindings give it a unique look. I wasn't crazy about the darker bindings at first but I am warming up to them. One other point. The Tacoma DM18 has mahogany sides and back. The sound of Mahogany is typically brighter than Rosewood. Rosewood usually had a deeper bass. As you read on you will see how I compared several guitars. I have a theory that I am proposing to anyone who knows. I have always looked for tight straight grains to be the better and more attractive woods. The mahogany on the back of the guitar I ended up with (after comparing the exact same models) is not straight and close. It is more like Brazillian rosewood is nature. The grain is not that tight and is by no means straight. The back is standard two pieces that is split down the center and mirrored. The grain is almost knot like. The pattern is eratic and asemetrcal. It bothered me at first but sonically it was superior to identical models. Any thoughts luthiers?

I bought this guitar for gigging. I was looking for an "inexpensive" guitar that I could use for local club gigs. I wanted to spend less than $800 and hopefully closer to $500. After playing every guitar in Guitar Center, Sam Ash and Mars music I had finally settled on a Larravee D03 which sold for $600. I really fell in love with the Larravee. It has a light resonate body and great action. The guitar just sings and has a very even tone across all the strings. Even in full chords the sound of every string was very defined. I compared the Larravee to Martins and Taylors and was very happy with my choice. I took the guitar home for a week and played it no less than 10 hours a day. Larravee D03 has a satin finish that at first I disliked but I found that the satin finish seem to make the guitar have a lighter, more resonate feel and did not grab at bare skin or your shirt like the gloss finish. I felt great to hold and play.
The reason I am telling you so much about the Larravee is that I ended up taking it back to get the Tacoma. I was back at Guitar center and could not pass up spending some time in the acoustic guitar room. I had looked at the Tacomas when I had shopped but did not find anything that knocked me out. This time I picked up the DM 18 and was immediately impressed. I picked up a Larravee D03 like mine and did a side by side comparison. After playing the Tacoma the Larravee sounded a little boxy. The Tacoma had a richer fuller bass and more shimmering highs. I decided this was not a fair comparison because I felt that the Larravee D03 I had bought had the best sound from all the ones I tried. So I went home to get my Larravee and returned to do futher testing. The results were the same. My Larravee sounded and played great but side by side the Tacoma just sounded better. The Tacoma had more fidelity, better projection, more bass, more highs and the sound seem to sustain forever. I walked out with the Tacoma but I have to tell you I feel like I left a friend behind. For the money I do not think the Larravee D03 can be beat. The Tacoma DM18 was about $150 more. Aside from the tone difference the Tacoma finish with it's tastful appointments really makes the guitar a standout. The herringbone edging and the abolone sound hole ring as well as the other details I have already mentioned also helped to win me over. From what I can see the guitar is built very well. I have no doubt it will hold up to any playing. The gloss finish is deep enough to protect it for a long time.I do have problem with the gloss finish. Strickly personal. I got use to the satiin finish and now I would prefer the way it feels.
I haven't pulled it out yet but the strap button looks to be removable and is predrilled for a 1/2" socket for pickups. Great idea! All guitars should come this way.
As a side note: Not feeling really 100% confident that I had made the right decision to take back the Larravee, I went to another Guitar Center in the next town to do some more comparison. (Yeah I know. pleas send the name of a good shrink). I took my new guitar(Tacoma DM18) and compared it to the Tacoma DM18 at the other store. I have to say that acoustic guitars are a very personal choice. The character of one guitar is heaven to one person and hell to another. Comparing the 2 Tacoma DM18 confirmed by belief that no 2 guitars sound the same. The one I had purchase at the first store was (IMO) a much better sounding guitar. If I had tried out the one from the second store the first time, I never would have had such a high opinion of Tacoma guitars. I have to say most people would not go to these extremes and would have been trilled with any of the guitars I tried. Again it's very fine increments I am talking about and it is very subjective. All I can tell you is choose your price point and try out everything untill you choose a new price point.

I tried to reach Tacoma today I was told a tech would call me back. I have not heard from them yet but I have lots of questions when I do hear from them.

I have had lots of acoustic and electric guitars. I don't ever remember what happens to them. I usually just see someone playing a guitar and say" I use to have one of those" Maybe I left it at rehearsal one day or loaned to somebody. Whatever. The only acoustic I have kept are my first guitar(Gibson J45) and a Martin D35. I can't say if I would buy another one if lost or stolen. I love the guitar but it's kind of like people. It's always nice to meet someone new.

Basic Dreadnought, not overly fancy-but not as plain as the DM9. I like the gloss finish better than the satin finish on a lot of lower end models.

Beautiful sound. That's what sold me on this guitar! A little brighter than the Martin's, in my opinion. I imagine it will tend to mellow some with age.
I played several Martin's and Taylor's to compare with this guitar, and I think only the Taylor's sound as good, maybe. But in this price range, they don't compare!

Action seems set up well for me. Plays very easily. The finish seems to be flawless.

I think this guitar would withstand live playing without a problem. I don't perform anymore, except for a few friends so I won't be able to test it. I don't think a backup would be neccessary.

Haven't had any luck yet with emailing the company. Just had a couple questions. Perhaps I should drive over and knock on the door. I live about 5 miles away.
Excellent warranty, though.

I've been playing for over 30 years, although I haven't been playing as much in the last 10 years. That will probably change now! This guitar makes playing a absolute joy! I play a little of everything from classical to rock and folk. Guitar responds well to fingerpicking and flat picking. Seems to just sing sometimes!
If it were stolen, I'd have to chase them down and kill them. If it were lost, I'd be heartbroken. And yes, I'd buy it back in a second!
I played some of the more expensive Tacoma's, and I don't think they sounded any better! (personal opinion, of course) I did like the Roadking, though! This one just has a better tonal range.