Tacoma DM9

This is a 2000 Tacoma DM-9. This is ABSOLUTELY the best sounding Acoustic Guitar for the money and better sounding than guitars at double the price. I give it an 8 only because it doesn't have the fancy soundhole, fretboard or binding inlays. BUT IT IS PERFECT for me because my goal was the best sounding guitar.

I love this guitar. I always look forward to picking it up every evening. The sound is full and rich. The sound, I feel, vibrates more cleanly because of the satin (no gloss) finish. I can almost go into a self-induced trance when picking great licks like (Eagles - Love will Keep us Alive, Faith Hill - Breathe) along with their chords.

Perfect setup. I love the action. Solid frets and larger fretboard to accommodate my large hands (A BIG PLUS IN MY PURCHASING DECISION).
The fretboards on Taylor's and especially Martins were a little smaller which means I have to be more precise when hitting notes/chords. The Tacoma DM-9 is more forgiving WITHOUT compromising quality of sound.

I'm concerned about the Satin finish, I admit. Yet, I'm a novice guitarist and I'm going to take REALLY good care of this guitar and don't anticipate performing live. I'm 100% confident in the Reliability/Durability of this guitar, no doubt about it.

Tacoma is "the new kid on the block" that has begun to make a name for itself. One tends to get better service from the smaller companies. I hope I'll never have to find out.

I've been playing for a year. I started with a cheapy Carlo Robelli, which I got rid of and my other guitar is a Alvarez RD-20 Acoustic Electric. If my DM-9 was stolen, God help the person who was responsible (ha ha) and I would buy another one. As stated previously, I compared it with higher priced Taylors and Martins. Actually, I was very close to purchasing the Marting D-15 (The All Mahagony One), but the Tacoma DM-9 was still the Best Sounding & More Comfortable Guitar (because of my larger hands). I'm now a loyal Tacoma guitar player. In the next 3-4 years, I can see myself with also a Tacoma Chief and a Tacoma DR-20.

THIS GUITAR FOR 500 BLEW ALL THE 1000 PRICE RANGED GUITARS AWAY!!!

FULL@BIG GREAT SOUND!!

Brand new 2000 model Tacoma DM9 made in the USA, 14 fret access, solid sitka spruce top, solid mahogony sides back and neck, satin finish, dreadnought. Tacoma mini tuners (I've heard that they're actually Grovers, enclosed and of very high quality). The neck fits my big hand perfectly. Came with a very nice molded plastic case.

It was the best sounding acoustic guitar I could find within my price range, and the best sounding acoustic I could find for hundreds of dollars over my price range. I was trying a lot of guitars with laminated back and sides, but solid spruce tops and wasn't satisfied. Finally they dropped an $800 Taylor with all solid woods in my hands and I fell in love, but I couldn't afford it. I also played a comparible Martin (same price and features) and it didn't sound as good as the Taylor. I was dissapointed. My price range was below $500. I tried solid top Hohners, Seagulls, a formica Martin DXM...the list goes on and on. Then I found my Tacoma in a shop in Lemoyne... I liked it just as much as the Taylor. The sound is so full and balanced. I play blues style music and this guitar works perfectly for this type of music. I am now of the school that believes that nothing beats a solid wood acoustic.

The guitar was set up perfectly from the dealership. The top is absolutely gorgeous sitka sprice. Everything is perfect. This guitar is a work of art. It has tortoise-shell binding around the body and fretboard. The frets are finished off beatifully. Everything is of the highest quality, as you would expect for a handmade USA made acoustic.

I have no interest in playing live so I wasn't looking for a guitar with any pickups in it or anything. Most of the guitars with electronics in my price range sounded miserable unplugged. Everything is solid and well made.

I've emailed them with questions. The first email got a response the same day with the specs (The guitar isn't listed on the website yet), and the second email hasn't been answered yet.

I have been playing for 20 years and I've never had a really good acoustic. My other guitar is a Washburn BT9 solid body electric, which is a very nice, well dressed up version of the cheap BT series...sort of like a Ford Escort with leather and sunroof and a better (Mazda) engine option. If it were lost or stolen I would buy another as long as the build quality and sound were as good. As I said before, nothing in this guitars price range can compare to this, and very few guitars that are $3-400 more than this guitar are as good. It's exactly the guitar I wanted.