Tacoma DM10

Satin finish, mini chrome tuners, rosewood fingerboard, nickel frets, tortoise binding, pretty plain looking guitar. Dread shape. Solid spruce top, Mahogany sides. Clear pickguard.

No frills, just what you need for an acoustic.

I got it as a factory "defect" (side and back finish flaws) for $200.

This guitar is one of the best sounding guitars I've ever played. Good string balance, excellent intonation. It's just a nice, punchy (yet warm) guitar that blows everything else in it's price range away.

Unfortunately, the nut was cracked (did I mention I got it as a factory defect?) and I had to replace it. The action was nice, but buzzed... I fixed that with the new nut.

I'm not going to rate this category because I got a very "rare" specimen.

Because it's a no frills guitar, there is less to break :)

I sanded down the sides and back (finish flaws) and installed a Fishman Classic II pickup. The guitar is built very nicely! I would definately play it just about anywhere... plus, I don't even have to worry about it getting dinged up... It's not invincible though.

I've been playing for over 15 years now. I'm still an amateur, but I have very good ears... this guitar sounds amazing.

Right now, my action is a bit high and I wish it had a cutaway (although some argue that it messed with the sound)... those are the only gripes I have about the guitar.

I really wanted a Larrivee C9 or something along those lines :) But I did not have $2500 to drop on a guitar (if I found a deal that is!). This guitar suits me just fine. If I want to play up the neck, I'll just grab my electric :D

I'm not really a good one to ask for features. Us made, solid wood. Is it going to do my laundry, no. My dishes, nope. Does it make noise when I strum and sound better than most guitars I've evey played? Absolutely. Does it cost an arm and a leg? Not when I bought mine, but they do cost a bit more now.
Abalone rosette, all solid wood, would've been nice to get a line down the back, or even a three piece back but it plays awesome after a very slight fret dress I did on it a month after getting it, and sounds awesome, I played it so much I almost wore a hole through the top...

The sound is amazing to me, really different than any other guitar I've had and believe me I've had plenty. Its very harmonious, very silky smooth, but yet very loud and punchy, mine has an especially punchy bass response.

Absolutely flawless, no issues with the finish. I've heard stories about finish problems with tacoma but not with mine.

Ok, here it gets a little sketchy because I did not keep the guitar humidified enough, and drug it around festivals and campfires and all. The top cracked, but was repaired no problem under warranty by Tacoma before Fender bought them. They even put a pickguard on for me where I almost wore a whole through the top, god I love this guitar...Got it back in like 8 weeks or less. Has never cracked again yet. It doesn't seem as solid as a Martin, but then some people tell me that Martins are not road guitars. Right now it has at least one broken brace somewhere, I'll have it fixed and keep bangin on it, sounds better than ever for a 7 year old guitar. Go figure, I'll give it an 8...

My guitar store buddy handled the repair and there was not problem, but now Fender owns them so I couldn't tell ya. I've heard good and bad...

Well no guitar is perfect and I keep trying guitars out every time I go to the store and I still love this one, as beat up, scarred and played to death as it is, it sounds and plays unbelievable still to this day. If I knew that these guitars were only made to last for 8 or 10 years, I'd still buy them, they're not that expensive and they feel great, nice wide fretboard, good action, etc. I'm really not into looks, just playability and sound and I'm very satisified.

This was an early model Tacoma DM10 before they started using letters in their serial numbers. A solid top acoustic, satin finished, with tortise binding around the sound board and the neck. Mahogany back and sides. Small button tuners and spruce in laid "tacoma" on the head stock. Tacoma gig was included. I bought it on Ebay for $300 and sold it almost immediatly.

The guitar was a cannon, blue grass loud. But it was so hard to play. The fret board on the Tacoma Dreadnaughts are 1 3/4"s(1.75") that's just too wide for me to get comfortable with. There is a combination of the break angle and the head stock angle that makes the guitar very hard to play. Harder to play than a stock Martin. Even after lowering the stings and putting on light gauge strings it was hard to play and I am use to playing acoustic. In my opinion the easiest guitar to play is a Takamine. But they are braced so heavily that you give up a lot of acoustic sound. The Tacoma has lots of sound but it was just difficult to play. So sound wise I'll give it am eight.

Fit and finish were excellent. I bought the guitar used but it was just like new. It was just unplayable. Even with lowered action and lighter strings the guitar sucked. I mean I can put heavy stings on a Gibson or Martin and play all day long. But the Tacoma was stiff. I played a new model at a store and the same thing it was just unplayable.

The guitar seems like it would hold up well. The finish is very thing and allows the guitar to vibrate nicely. The guitar was a cannon!

I called Tacamo in Washington state, they referred me to an Arizona service center which is the Fender Service center. They were a mess. If you bought a new Tacoma and had to have warrentee work done. I don't know what you'd do. The guy I talked to didn't have the model on the computer! I think the DM10 was pretty much their standard model. So I'll have to give them a "1" here.

I have been playing off and on since 1971. Started on an Ovation acoustic, and had a great Morris Guitar from Japan that got lost. I play jazz etc. and folk songs but the Tacoma although loud and finished nicely wasn't a keeper. I was glad to sell it.

I purchased this guitar from Elderly's Music in Lansing Michigan. I would highly recommend this store. What I decided I liked about the DM-10 was the price. Considering it's an American made acoustic, 6-700 dollars was pretty good. The sound is great string to string. Tacoma offers several dreadnaught guitars, but strangely, even the lowest in the line (DM-10) has the same bracing as the highest priced models. I liked that. It has a solid spruce top, and mahogany back & sides. Satin finish. Playability is great, and you can bend the snot out of the strings.

Sound is open and full. I play fingerstyle, and mess around with different tunings. It all sounds nice w/this guitar. It has a nice sound, with a bit of grunt when you hit the bass strings hard. The pressure changes seem to effect it slightly. I have noticed the action will go up and down depending on the weather I guess. I guess this is a normal thing for all guitars, but it seems more noticible with this guitar.

After almost two years of playing this guitar, I pulled it out of the case and found the satin finish coming up on some of the binding. I have always kept it in a case, with silicon gell inside in the summertime. Nothing I have done to this guitar could have caused this. I went to the Tacoma website, and found this is now a discontinued model. I could not talk to anyone. I had a dealer give me an 800 number recently, only to be referred to another number that isn't toll free. I suppose my next step will be to call that number. I have as of yet, talked to no one at Tacome about the concerns I have with this instrument.

I ahd a local and well trusted guitar repairman tell me it would be 275 dollars for a refinish on a satin guitar...just the body, but the finish is now popping up on all the binding, and the neck also. The only info I can get from Tacoma is to send the guitar to Indiana, pay 50 dollars to ship it to Washington, and they will evaluate it, and do whatever they do. I want to know more before I plop 50 bucks down on shipping. Will they refinish it? Will they just send another? If so, which one? They have discontinued this model, as I said. I do not like the idea of somebody else picking out the guitar I am going to play.

As far as I can tell, there is no way to actually talk to a human easily at Tacoma manufacturing.

I love the sound of this guitar! I love the way it plays. I( am really disappointed with the finish, and now I am wondering if I would have been better off to buy an older used guitar in the first place. For 6-700 dollars I'm quite sure I could find a beautiful acoustic if I was even slightly patient.

2004 Made in the US, 14 frets to the body. Solid top, sides and back. Glossy finish on top, satin on the sides (nice satin though, much smoother than the satin on the DM9) No electronics. Same as every other DM10. It has some silvery pearl type stuff around the sound hole, which I don't really care for but most people like. It
definitely makes the guitar look nicer. Came with a hardshell Tacoma case.

I like to play all kinds of music but will use this guitar mostly for folk and roots type of music. I listen to a lot of Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo.This guitar has a terrific sound, as good or maybe better than Martins and Taylors that are twice as much. The highs are shimmering and clear, the mids are great and the bass is nothing to scoff at either. Even enough to satisfy Martin purists. Put this guitar into an open tuning and it'll sound much fuller than only one dreadnought.

The top has a few imperfections in the wood, but that adds character to it. The action needed very little tweaking and was just right after that. The tuners, back and sides, and rear strap nob are all terrific and the DM10 has a nice, simple binding around the whole top and the back of the guitar. The only thing I wish would be better is that the hole carved in the bridge for the saddle is ever-so slightly too big, and the saddle isnt quite snug enough in there
to win a ten but an 8 for everything else is still pretty damn good.

This guitar would stand up live, and the hardware seems very solid, and the finish couldn't be better. I expect it to just sound better with age, (I've heard that most solid wood acoustics do.) Just like any instrument, it shouldn't be beaten around, but if you treat it like a $900 guitar should be treated it will last probably longer than the person playing it.

I've never dealt with Tacoma, but the people who have and write reviews on harmony central don't seem to have too high an opinion of them. However, the customer service at American Guitar Boutique, where I bought it, was first rate, so i'll review them instead. I first purchased a DM9, but the wood in the fretboard was so rough it was almost unplayable. I brought it in and they let me exchange it for the floor model of the DM9. I took that one home for about a week, and while it was better than the first guitar, I still wasnt totally satisfied with it and decided that I wanted to upgrade to the next model. This was the DM10 and the $250 difference is incredible. The neck, back and sides are much smoother, and feel more durable too. The gloss top is the biggest reason to spring for the DM10 instead of the DM9. Felix at American Guitar Boutique was the guy who ordered it in for me from Tacoma. If you live in the Twin Cities, I'd recommend checking them out. The store's products run toward the spendy end, but they will take care of you until you're happy.

I have been playing for about 6 years, I learned on a cheap classical acoustic and then got a Squire, after a couple years with that I bought a hot-rodded american series fat strat, and a good amp. I'm mostly an electric player, but hope to improve my fingerpicking and various other acoustic techniques now that I have this guitar. Honestly I don't think anyone makes guitars as good as Tacoma's for the price. But that might all be changing, Pricing has jumped considerably (like $400 dollars on certain models!!!) in the last year. So if you're in the market, buy now while they're
cheap(er).

Apparently they're discontinuing the DM10 and I got the last one in the warehouse. Its a shame because if anything ever happened to this guitar I'd want another one just like it. If you are thinking about getting an acoustic guitar, I'd strongly recommend you try one of these, you won't be disappointed. And if this business about Tacoma discontinuing the DM10 is true, then there are a very limited number of these guitars left.

Please note: Most everyone who likes a guitar enough to buy it is going to write a favorable review of it, which is why so many 9's and 10's show up in the ratings. That having been said, I'm still gonna give this guitar a 10 overall because I think it deserves it, and for the money you won't find a better guitar anywhere, at least thats my opinion.

Made in 2002, this DM-10 is all solid with Mahogany back & sides and a Sitka Spruce top. The wood is gorgeous and perfectly bookmatched. It came with the customized LR. Baggs E3 pickup system. Neck is solid and the nut width 1 3/4 and great for fingerpicking. Although it lacks a ton of eye candy, it does have full tortoise shell binding on the body & neck, a beautiful abalone rosette and a gloss top. Simple yet very nice.

The sound is where it's at right! The Tacoma Dreads have a very nice, full sound. Not an overpowering Bass, but enough to satisfy even a Martin fan. The mids & high on the DM-10 are outstanding and the sustain forever! I have had several high end guitars and this one is up there in the top 2. I got it for a great price and am going to keep it.

Action was a tad high from the factory. A quick tweak of the saddle and I was there. The frets were surprisingly finished and the feel & action is great. The woods are beautiful and the finish flawless. I haven't seen one blemish thus far. Like all solid wood guitars, it smells good too!

The guitars are built in the USA of all quality materials. I see no reason why it will not last a lifetime. The warranty is for life and is transfferable. I have had it for about 7 months and it gets better and better.

I've heard other folks complain about customer service. I have little experience here as I have only asked a few questions, but have always got an answer.

I see no reason not to give the guitar an overall 10. The finish, sound, dependability are all fantastic. I am on my second Tacoma and would buy another. The value/price ratio is hard to beat for a factory guitar.

My DM10 was purchased in 2000 for $434.00. Wish I could buy a carload at that now. It has 14 frets to the body and is a solid spruce top with bearclaw figuring. It has a gloss top with the abalone rosette. A standard DM10

The DM10 shames a lot of the higher priced guitars, although it is on its way to being pretty high priced itself. It has unbelievable highs and lows with a pretty decent bottom end. Its action is comparable to the Martins and in some respects the slightly wider fret board gives you more room to work. I have fat fingers. It is a versatile instrument that can be used for bluegrass style or for fingerpicking. I would like to buy my son one but who can find them now.

Action is good. Comparable to Martin. I don't know how you could make it better without it buzzing. Everything else was great.

Three years and counting and it hasn't skipped a beat.

No need at this point.

Off and on for about 30 years. I am currently making acoustic guitars and I own two Martins, An Ovation Celebrity 12 String Acoustic/Electric, Gibson Les Paul Studio. I have no regrets in buying this instrument, and if something happened to it yes I would buy another. I love to play it and it has the volume and sound that appeals to me. I compare this to the Martin D series 16 thru 28. It matches very favorably with them.

YEAR MADE:1999 IN THE USA, TACOMA WASHINGTON. I RECEIVED IT IN OCT. THAT YR. IT HAS 20 FRETS.SOLID SITKA SPURCE TOP.THE DM-10 NOW HAS OPTIONS FOR ELECTRONICS,4 DIFF.ONESCHECK TACOMA WEB SITE. I DID NOT GET A PICKUP FOR MINE.THE BODY IS MAHOGANY AND NECK IS AS WELL,WITH A SATIN FINISH,DREADNOUGHT STYLE BODY.THROUGH BODY BRIDGE.CLOSED GROVER STYLE CHROME TUNERS;TACOMA BRAND.THE NECK IS NARROW EASY PLAYABILITY WITH A ROEWOOD FINGERBOARD. NO ACCESS.

IT'S A MATCH MADE. I DO LIKE OTHER GUITARS BUT PREFUR TO PLAY THIS TACOMA, IT SUITS ANY STYLE OF ACOUSTIC PLAYING,REALLY WITH GREAT WARM BASES AND DEMANDING MIDS AND HIGHS, AND I USED A VARIETY OF STRINGS... EXP'S, ELXERS,MARTINS,GHS AND OTHERS. FOLK AND ALT,ROCK ACOUSTIC,FOLK BLUEGRASS AND BANGING RYTHEMS. I HAV'NT USED MUCH IN THE WAY OF AMPS, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES, THAT MACKIE HAS BEEN AVAILABLE FOR PLAYING.I HAVE HEARD THAT FENDER ACOUSTIC JR. AND THE DM-10 ARE AGOOD MATCH. I HAVE PLAYED ALSO ON THE CRATE AMP AND THER EWAS NO TWANGY SOUND AT ALL.

THIS BOX CAME FROM THE FACTORY THE WEEK IT WAS BOUGHT AND NO FLAES WERE FOUND.EVRY DETAIL WAS IN PLACE, JUST CHANGE THE STRINGS RIGHT OFF.I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT TACOMA HAS BOUGHT ITS WOODS AND HAS ITS OWN.BEING IN THE PACIFIC NORTH.THEY HAVE VERY OLD GROWTH TREES.
THE BRIDGE IS MADE AND POSITIONED TO EFFECT THE SOUND OF THE TOP "NARROW ON ONE END AND WIDER ON THE OTHER" AGAIN CH' WEB PAGE.

WELL GOOD QUESTION I'VE BEEN TOLD BY SOME THAT IT MAY NOT AGE WELL. COULD BE POSSIABLE BUT IT DEPEND ON HOW ONE TAKES CARE AND HOW MUCH ONE PLAYS. I WOULD AND HAVE GIVEN THIS GUITAR TO PLAY WITHOUT A BACKUP.

HAVNT USED

I WOULD REPLACE THIS GUITAR WITH ANOTHER DM-10 MAYBE USED.I WISH IT HAD ELECT ON IT. I THINK I LOVE THE SOUND OF THE BOX ,I DON'T CARE TO MUCH FOR THE SATIN FINISH BUT PREFUR IT OVER THE GLOSS. CAMPARED WITH THE WASHBURN, ALVEREZ, GUILD,
CHOSEN FOR ITS PLAYABILITY AND FEEL, SOUND IS WARM NOT BUZZY. FLUID TRANSITIONS

Made in the USA of all solid woods. 2002 model Dreadnought body, Sitka Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides. This particular guitar has the LR Baggs E3 electronics. The controls are: volume/high/Mid/Low and phase. Very nice controls and is customized for the Tacoma guitars. The top is gloss and the sides are satin. Nice tortoise shell binding on the body and neck. The abalone around the soundhole is beautiful.
The tuners are small, smooth and work very well. This guitar is rather basic, but with full body and neck binding, abalone around the soundhole make it a VERY nice basic guitar.

I have owned numerous guitars and my favorites have been a Taylor and another Tacoma. I personally like a brighter sound. I would say the sound of the DM10 is similar to a Taylor 310. The Taylor may be a bit more refined, but the Tacoma holds its own very well. This guitar can be fingerpicked or strummed hard! It has a nice sound in all ranges. The LR Baggs electronics sound great also. Its new, so I know the sound will only improve as most solid wood guitars do.

The finish is excellent. No blemishes or glue showing. It feels very tight. The wood is beautifully bookmatched. The frets were great and dressed well. The custom LR Baggs EQ is unique and very classy unlike some of the plastic EQs. The action was a bit high for my style, but a trim of the saddle and I was happy.

The guitar is built to last. It feels and looks very solid. The finish seems top notch also. Tacoma has only been making guitars for about 6-7 years, but they are the 3rd largest manufactuer of solid wood guitars in the US. I expect them to get better with time.

I previously owned a Tacoma DR20E and emailkd Tacoma with a question. I got a response back in 3 days. I have never had to send one away for work, so I can't really comment on that type of service.

I really like Tacoma guitars. It is my second one. I have owned Yairis, Alvarez, Harmony (antique), Ibanez, Taylor, Epiphone. I really think they are a great guitar at a bargain price. I can't afford a Standard or Vintage series Martin or an expensive Taylor anymore, so the Tacoma was just right for me. Sit down and play them against guitars costing more and you will be impressed.

This is a 2002 dreadnought made in Tacoma, WA, U.S.A. Solid sitka spruce top, solid mahogany sides and back. Rosewood fingerboard and interesting "tone shaped" bridge. Very nice abalone rosette and pegs. Rosewood head with inlaid ivoroid logo. This guitar comes with gloss top and satin back and sides. It has Tacoma's VS bracing system, which means they are triangular in shape which gives them equal strength to a rounded brace with less mass.

I play mostly classic rock and country music. The sound out of this guitar is very impressive. It projects a beautiful full sound. Bass is powerful, mids nice and distinct, highs are shimmering. This is what sold me on this particular guitar. I also tried a DM18, which has a few more appointments and gloss sides and back. The DM10 had much better tone all around than the 18. So if you are looking at Tacoma's, try a few of the same model to get the sound you are looking for.

I read other reviews that said the action was a bit on the high side. The action on this particular guitar suits me perfectly. Not as low as a Taylor, but very playable. No excess glue anywhere, very clean inside and out. Tortoise shell binding looks beautiful. One small nick on the back, could have come from careless person in music store. Other than that, it is perfect as far as I can see. Comes from the factory with Elixir strings, which I prefer and the store threw in a couple of new sets. Intonation is right on up and down the neck.

Have owned this guitar a couple of months now with no problems so far. Comes with a limited lifetime warranty. Feels durable enough. Had strap button added to heel at shop, they seem solid as well. I don't gig, but would imagine that you would always carry a back up in case of string breakage.

I have not dealt with Tacoma so I can't really say.

I looked at a lot of other guitars before purchasing this one. Comparable Martin, IMO, would be the DR16GT, which will run you about $1,000. The D15 Martin felt like a very fragile instrument, no binding or any nice appointments on it. Couldn't get excited about it. The 310 Taylor was certainly nice, but the overall tone on the Tacoma was better to my ears. Gibson's start at $1,700 and I have 4 children to feed, one of which also plays. The D03 Larrivee was also very nice, but not nicer than the DM10.
I have a thing about buying American, so that kind of eliminated pretty much everyone else in this price range. I also own a U.S. made G & L Legacy HB, which is another beautiful axe. My criteria when looking for a dreadnought were: solid wood all around, US made, tonal range, playability ( especially after coming from an electric ), and overall looks.
All of the guitars listed above, with the exception of the D15 which looks like a generic Martin, would be wonderful guitars to own. I simply felt that the Tacoma was the best bang for the buck.