Tacoma DM8C RoadKing

I think the first thing that caught my attention was the position of the Paisley hole at the top LH coner of the instrument. For the past 4 yrs since 2003, I would enter Musigrove Music Shop in Perth, Western Australia and run my fingers through the Martin's, Fenders and Tacoma's. The price of the DM8C at the time was AUD$1500.

The owner of the shop was very helpful in assisting me but at the end of my tour I would walk away empty-handed.
Last month, just before my 50th birthday, I happened to fly to Perth for work and yes found my way into the same shop again. I asked the owner if I could test out the DM8C to which he agreed - he then told me that it was on a special sale for AUD$750 - I did not hesitate at that very moment. Three years later, I was walking out with a guitar which looked quite unique, sounded great and lightweight constructed.
I have never bought a guitar in my life but have been given several over the years - received semi-acoustic(Yamaha & Aria) & 1 acoustic (Maison). The Maison was a great guitar and I would give that a 10 rating. However the Tacoma had a unique sound and I guess I fell in love with it. I wouldn't trade it for the $6000+ Martin's. For the type of music I played, the DM8C was just fine.

I've travelled with my Tacoma as normal luggage and have scored 2 airtrips in the past 4 weeks with it. I love it.

I think I've spelled it all above - great sound.One would think it had electronics - great bass.

Perfect when purchased.

Only had it for 4 weeks and so time will tell.....however, I would use it at a gig with no troubles. Unplugged - bring it on.

Only just recently purchased

I bought my DM8C 3 years ago here in Arizona for $450. I have played and used it a lot. I've flown with it as checked baggage back to the east coast. I think it's built like a tank. It seems much sturdier than my Martin D15, which I wouldn't want to take on an airplane. It really shines if you tune it to an open D or G. I think it sounds the best when this is done. At first, I was a little unsure of owning a guitar with a paisley sound hole, now I don't mind. I think the offset hole really contributes to the overall sound and tone. A great guitar for the money.

Like I said above, I usually use this one as my open tuning guitar. It sounds great this way.

It actually has some leftover saw marks on the fretboard. I think this adds to the Northwest charm of this instrument.

Built like a tank. Very worthy of being checked as baggage in a good hardshell case.

Never had to deal with customer service...

Also own a Martin D15, Martin DX12.

DM8C Roadking, no electronics

This is the best sounding guitar I've ever played. I traded my Takamine for this one. You couldn't ask for a better sounding guitar.
I've played $2000 Martins that didn't come close!

The action is great. a little buzz here and there, but less than any guitar I've ever owned. The finish is not much, but that is why it's sounds so good.

It's a light, fragile guitar. The back peice cracked where the two woods meet because my house is so dry in the winter.

I emailed them and asked them about the crack and they replied the same day. They seem to be very helpfull.

8years. I would definately buy another of these guitars. Matter of fact I want one of every color and model. I would say as of now I wouldn't buy another brand other than for my collection. This will be my main performance guitar!

TACOMA MODEL#DM8C ..PURCHASED (NEW) AT THE GIG SHOP, UXBRIDGE MA.,FOR
U.S.$577.OO TAX,AND HARDSHELL CASE INCLUDED. MODEL IS THE SAME AS MENTIONED BY OTHER RESPONDENTS,INCLUDED TONE BAR PICKUP WITHOUT EXTERNAL VOL/TREB/BASS CONTROLS. LIGHT SPRUCE TOP,MAHOGANY BACK AND SIDES,CLEAR PICKGAURD,THIN NICK. GUITAR CONTOURS BEAUTIFULLY,AND PAISELY SOUND HOLE AT THE TOP,ALTHOUGH UNCONVENTIONAL,FITS IN,AND SOUNDS GREAT. LIGHT SATIN SHEEN THROUGHOUT BODY AND TOP.
I PREFER THE DESIGN AND FUNCTION OF THE BRIDGE.I HATE PEGS,AND FOR ME THIS WAS JUST ANOTHER GREAT FEATURE OF THIS GUITAR.

ALTHOUGH THIS IS THE FIRST HIGH-END ACOUSTIC I'VE PURCHASED,IN MY FREE TIME,I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY AND COMPARE ACOUSTICS.AND AS WITH THE OTHER'S I AGREE THIS GUITAR SOUNDS BETTER THAN GIBSON'S,TAYLOR'S AND DEFINETLY BETTER THAN MARTIN'S.AND I BELIEVE IT PLAYS BETTER,AS WELL. FOR THE SIZE,THICKNESS,AND WEIGHT OF THE GUITAR,THE BIG BASS AND SWEET TONE IS ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE.THIS IS WHERE THE SOUNDHOLE POSITION OFFSETS IT'S LOOK ,TO IT'S FUNCTION.

THIN,WIDE NECK..GREAT FOR FINGER-PICK'EN. PROVIDES (AS THEY SAY IN MASS.) WICKED,AWSOME ACTION. 100% SOLIDLY BUILT,NO SEEMS,NO GLUE,NO
BUZZ OR DEAD NOTES.PICKUP IS CRYSTAL-CLEAR. GUITAR IS READY FOR YOU TO
BECOME THE NEXT ..TONY RICE.

I AM CONFIDENT THE WORKMANSHIP WILL HOLD UP. ONE SLIGHT DOWNFALL IS THE THIN SATIN COATING. THIS GUITAR WILL DING FAIRLY EASY, BUT THAT IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH POOR QAULITY... I BELIEVE THAT PART OF THE BASS AND TONE OF THIS GUITAR IS DUE TO THE LIGHT FINISH. IF IT WAS SEALED/COATED MORE THAN IT IS,I BELIEVE IT WOULD DAMPEN THE QUALITY OF THE SOUND.

HAVEN'T TRIED THE FACTORY CUSTOMER SUPPORT. THE OWNER OF THE STORE I PURCHASED THE GUITAR FROM SAID BRING IT BACK ANYTIME DURING A ONE YEAR PERIOD, AND HE'LL DO ANY ADJUSTMENTS FREE. SO,OTHER THAN FOR HIS SHOP I CAN'T GIVE AN OPINION.

I'VE BEEN PLAYING FOR 12 YEARS. MOSTLY BLUEGRASS,FOLK AND BLUES. BEST GUITAR (BY FAR) FOR THE PRICE RANGE. FOR ME THIS WAS THE BEST ALL-AROUND GUITAR I TRIED. THE SINGLE-CUTAWAY, AND PICKUP, WAS JUST AN ADDED BONUS TO A GUITAR THAT PLAYS AND SOUNDS BETTER THAN MODELS COSTING OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS. I'VE ONLY HEARD ONE ACOUSTIC THAT I LIKED BETTER,BUT COST 3 TIMES AS MUCH AND THAT (SORRY WOOD PURIST) IS
THE...RAIN SONG GUITAR. THE ONLY REASON I GAVE A RATING OF 9 FOR THIS TACOMA IS,JUST LIKE IN GYMNASTICS...THERE IS NO PERFECT 10.

This is an all-solid wood cutaway dreadnought guitar, spruce top with offset soundhole and mahogany back and sides, equipped with the Fishman preamp pickup system. (Tacoma calls this the E4 electronics package) My purchase price also included a hardshell case, leather strap and a cable. This is a very distinctive looking guitar, in that it has a very oddly shaped bridge, which Tacoma claims gives the ideal frequency response to each string (and on short acquaintance, it does!), the trademark Tacoma offset soundhole, and a VERY LIGHT satin finish and no binding at all. Gives the thing a deceptively raw look; in fact this guitar is so well put together it's scary. I think the nearly unfinished look really shows the beauty of the woods and the quality of the workmanship anyway, so to me this was a selling point. The neck is a thing of beauty to play, it actually feels a lot more like an ES335 electric neck, thin neck with a wide face. Exceptionally good for fingerstyle, cause it spaces the strings a little wider than most.

The reason I'm not giving it absolute top marks for features is that the bridge design takes some getting used to. There are no pegs, just three horseshoe-shaped routs in the saddle. You put your string ball into the middle and slide it into a groove, kinda hard to explain but you can see it on Tacoma's website on the hi-res pics. While I'm sure there was a logic to this design, in terms of tone or whatever, in practice this makes changing strings a little challenging to those of us who have never seen this kind of bridge before, because getting the strings to stay locked in as they should be is harder than you think until you figure out EXACTLY how the ball has to sit. Give yourself about an hour the first time you change strings.

I fell hard for the unplugged sound of this axe. The mahogany makes it fairly bright, and it's amazingly responsive to touch. I play a lot of fingerstyle stuff (James Taylor covers, old folk songs, acoustic blues) and this baby is with me every step of the way.

Plug it in and the Fishman makes it even better. 3 band EQ w/sweepable mid, and a frequency cut that's designed to work as a feedback eliminator but can actually can make a huge difference in your sound. And the noise factor is non-existent; I even plugged mine into a Fender tube amp, which used to produce the most ungodly hiss when I tried this with my old acoustic, and there was nothing until I cranked the guitar volume up to about 8.

Overall: if you are looking for the classic Martin dreadnought sound, you will probably find this guitar just a little too bright unplugged. But if that's the sound you're looking for you're probably not even shopping for cutaway guitars in the first place. And once you plug in you can get ANY sound you want, period.

Since this is the first unbound non-solidbody axe I have ever considered, believe me I was all over this thing checking the fit. And obviously it was a labor of love. Tacoma has a really good reputation for workmanship, and guitars like this are why, because there was not one single problem anywhere. No rough fret ends, no oddities in the fit of the top or back, just stellar woodworking as far as the eye can see.

I will be having it set up only because the action is a little high for my taste. The factory did a good job setting it up though, the intonation is spot-on.

I have no experiece with Tacomas, so this remains to be seen. I think it's the thin finish that makes this guitar FEEL very delicate compared to a conventional axe. And with the lack of binding, I will be taking VERY good care of this axe, keeping it cool and hydrated at all times because I don't want the top flying off. I suspect, though, that it's like the first time you hold a baby, when you're afraid to so much as blink lest you drop the kid or squeeze too hard, but then over time you realize you've been being ridiculously overcareful.

Analogies to the side, it's well made, the machine heads and strap buttons are very solid, and I will be gigging with it and most likely it'll be fine. The other guitar player in my band always has his acoustic, so I will not be completely without a backup anyway.

I have seen some mixed reviews on this, so I think instead of using the company directly I will probably make a habit of going through the store I bought it at, if service issues ever come up. I highly encourage anyone in southeast MA or RI to use that store BTW, the Music Machine in Easton MA, because they have taken really good care of me on this sale.

I had always wanted to try out a Tacoma, suspected I'd love them, and lo and behold I was right! I've been playing for 18 years, playing acoustic for about 85% of that time, and for what I do this guitar is a borderline holy grail. Especially with the Fishman Prefix, which was the feature that put this axe over the top.

If it was stolen, or if my vague concerns about its durability prove to be founded, I would buy another Tacoma for sure. Maybe not the very same model, which is being retooled slightly for re-issue this year as the RM6C (or something?) anyway. I found Tacoma's DM16 very impressive when I demo'd it, and I wanted to try out a Chief but none were in stock. So if the worst happens I may end up with one of those someday... but if and when the time comes, I will also look around for another Roadking, because this guitar is just plain sweeet.

I bought it as a backup road guitar. My main road guitar is a '71 Guild D35. The Tacoma quickly took over as my main guitar. I like everything about it. A few glitches in the beginning. I found the internal pickup connections to be a bit dicey. During the first tour with the guitar, the pickup went out on me during a show. It turned out to be one of the connections which are plug-ins, not soldered. Good idea in theory, but I play really hard and do a lot of (intentional) thumping on the top with the ball of my palm. The vibrations worked the connection loose. Easily fixed by my normal guitar guy. Just a drop of solder on the lugs. No problem since.

One other (minor) problem with the pickup is that one of the wires isn't secured and flops around a bit inside. Again with a lot of hard playing, I was getting a click when it would bounce agains the inside of the top. Again easily fixed. Just a tiny clip glued inside to hold it down.

I like the pickup itself.

Outstanding. Great acoustically, extraordinary balance between the strings. Responds equally well to soft and hard playing. Very impressive.

Amplified, it's equally outstanding. Great balance and dynamic response.

Additional note: A guitar sounds different to the person playing it and the person in front of it. A nice touch with this thing is that - because of where the sound hole is - the player gets to hear really good sound as well.

Couldn't be any better. It's plain, but elegant and very very well made and well designed I think. Nice looking, nothing rough in the construction. Everything's just like it should be.

Don't know yet. So far so good and it's in constant use traveling and playing

Have tried to contact the customer service department many times for informational reasons. Have gotten a reply only once (email) and that was to tell me how busy they were and whine about how short staffed they are. No answer to my questions, just a promise that they'd get back to me (which they never did). Have tried many times since, and have never gotten a reply at all.

Next to Cingular (the cell phone company) it's the worst customer service I've ever experienced.

I've been playing for 35 years and have been on stage for 30 of them I never planned to buy this guitar, but when I was shopping for a backup, this was one that I tried. Immediate sale, and it took over as my main stage and travelling guitar. Great sound, great looking, fun to play. Incredible balance. Easy to play even with heavier strings (I use 13, 17, 26, 36, 46, 56). I was very surprised to get a guitar for under $1000 (well under, I paid $650) that I'd put on stage.

One minor complaint: I thought the absence of bridge pins was a great thing when I bought it. I've changed my mind about that because sometimes when you break a string the winding around the ball end is wedged in and is difficult to get out in a hurry.

Bottom line: Absolutely love the instrument. Complaints are few and minor. Good points are HUGE. Customer service blows.

Mine is just like the one in Patrichs review.
I agree with everything That Pat has said, and my other guitar is a Taylor 912!

Nice deep tone, bright (I need that fingerpicker with poor nails), clear, typical mellow mahogany sound, lots of volume for little finger pluck, in short a great fingerpickers guitar.

I like a clear tone free of fret buzz, so I put some shims in under the saddle. Other than that I've had to do nothing. I find regular light 80 20 bronze strings to be the best, the phosfer bronze is too bright for me. I've have to raise the action on every guitar I ever bought, including the Taylor 912.

Even thought this guitar is plane, it is beautifully put together, no visible glue, smooth spruce braces, clean curfs around the edges.

I play live only for my own amusement, but this guitar stays in tune well between playings, and seems quite durable.
Finish is thin and poor, and the guitar bruises easily.
I would use in on a gig, I would depend on it.
This is a lightly built acoustic machine, and should not be jumped on.

I have had no issues. The store I bought it from was very good though, and they got me the correct case for it, while letting me use another (almost fit) case.

35 year, Taylor 912.
I bought the guitar after playing a few pieces on it. I was looking for a cheap guitar that I could take anywhere, but wanted something that sounded good, and had deeper bass than my Taylor.
I love the tone, and the playability, and the 1 3/4 nut width for fingerstyle. The fingerboard is great for fingerstyle and feels like the several Lowdens I have tried out.
It was the best sounding Acoustic in the store, much better than the other Tacomas.

A great cheap guitar!

Mahogany back & sides, spruce top. This is the one with the weird paisley soundhole. This one has a active "Tone Bar" pickup on it (no external EQ or volume controls). The guitar looks plain...seriously plain. It's really part of the appeal of this box, really. I'd rate this lower than 10 for features because of the minimal controls for electronics, no trim around soundhole, etc. etc.
Don't worry, cause this guitar is cool for other reasons.....like:

I bought this guitar pretty cheap on Ebay, cause I wanted to try one of these out. I played one in a guitar store, and thought "well, this is a neat guitar", and wanted to try one out on a long-term basis.
And man, this guitar "drips with tone". I ain't kidding.
I also own a top-line Takamine (EF325SRC), have had Ovations, Guilds, Epiphone.. and well, even the Tak is miles behind the Tacoma in tone.
Every string rings out, clear as a bell. Incredible sustain. Lots of volume. Resonate tone. (Can I borrow some more positive adjectives, please?). No, I've never owned a Martin or Taylor, but have played a bunch, and this homely guitar sounds as good as the ones I've played.

To me, this is the first guitar that I've owned that has this type of almost-heartstopping tone. It's addicting.

It's used, but it's in perfect shape. Great deal for $400.00 (included the case). Slight fret buzz on a couple of frets, which I will get fixed. Other than that, the workmanship from the factory appears flawless.

The guitar is light, and not sure if it would take a beating (not that I intend on giving it one). It's got that satin, clear pickguard, and who knows if it will hold up under years of hard strumming.

I've emailed Tacoma twice. Sad to say, I have not heard back either time. I did advise them that I bought it used, so maybe they're more inclined to kick in with the original buyers. Hey, I just had a couple of questions!?

I've played about 34 years, but I'm no star. I am old enough to appreciate a esquisitely fine guitar, and honestly this is my first.
I will be thinking about buying another higher-line Tacoma in the future.