Product: Tacoma DR16C
Price Paid: US $800+Tax used
Submitted
10/19/2003
at
12:56pm
by
Ray
Email: raymondjunk<at>yahoo,com
Features
:
10
2002 Cutaway Dreadnaught Acoustic
Made in USA
Gloss finish
Solid Sitka Spruce top
Solid Rosewood back & sides
Fishman Pickup w/Bass, Treble, Contour, Brilliance, Frequency, Notch
Tacoma's own Tuner - Good quality
Hard case (Aftermarket I think)
Good neck thickness - I might like 'em a hair thicker
Sound
:
10
Sounds like a dream.
I didn't even mean to buy a guitar that day, but I found this thing amongst Guilds, Martins, Gibsons and a San Jose and it sounded better than ANY of them - Hands Down.
Have used a Marshall Valvestate Amp to test out the electronics, and it hads the same great tone.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
This thing is stunningly beautiful.
There are no errors, flaws, etc. on the whole guitar. A corner of the tag on the inside looks like it's coming unglued (Oh NO!!!)
It has a gorgeous colorful Abalone Rosette that gives it a touch of extravagance, but without even approaching gaudiness.
Everything on the guitar is nice and tight.
The action is SOOOO low it practically plays itself. I think this was done after market.
My only gripe is that the action is so low that the low E buzzes the first fret if played hard. (Easily fixed at the guitar store)
Reliability/Durability
:
No Opinion
This is an area that I do not feel right about reporting on yet.
I have only owned this guitar for about 3 days now, and beyond that, Tacoma has only been making guitars since 1996.
Therefore, I do not know for sure just how reliable or lasting the guitar really is.
I can say that of the 4 acousice in my house, this one stands head and shoulders above the rest in quality and craftsmanship.
It seems like it will last forever.
I'll report back in a few years
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Again, i do not have the experience in this area to report accurately.
I do intend to contact the company about warranty info, etc.
You will certainly hear from me if they suck.
Overall Rating
:
10
When I found this guitar I was looking at Guilds.
I have always wanted a Guild acoustic.
I went to the store for strings and thought I'd play a few of their better guitars for a few minutes. I played this Tacoma, the 3 guilds, 2 Martins, 1 San Jose, a couple of Simon & Patrick's and a few others I can't remember. After I played them all, I only wanted to pick this one back up. It may seem like BS, but there was no comparison. This guitar has such a huge, warm sound to it that I put 20% down on it the next day.
When you look at this guitar next to a Martin that costs $500-$1500 more, the Tacoma is so much more pleasing aesthetically, that you might think that its sound must not compare to the famous sound of a Martin.
I felt I was able to write this review today because my Martin-toting friend came to visit for the weekend, and I had the opportunity to compare this guitar to his D-15. Though I did not expect it to be so cut and dry, I honestly felt that the Tacoma is superior in every way.
