Tacoma DR20 Acoustic

2000 DR-20 Tacoma
Features:
Gloss finish
Solid Sitka Spruce top
Solid Rosewood back & sides
4-color herringbone wood top purfling
Rosewood fingerboard and "Tone Shaped" bridge
Rosewood peghead with inlaid Ivoroid logo
Ivoroid body and neck binding
D'Addario strings (gauges .012 - .052)
Gig Bag
Made in the USA

For my style of play it sounds wonderful. Rich, full sound and good sustain. I compared it, at the dealer, to Taylors and Martins with similar features, and was very impressed; and for upwards of 2000 dollars less, I couldn't go wrong.

The action was very high. I adjusted the heck out of the neck, but it needed the saddle shaved as well. I took it to a local shop to have it set up. Spending a few extra bucks solved the problem. It's water under the <i>bridge</i> now. ;)

Looks and feels like it is very well made. The finish seems very durable, and isn't easily dented. "For our gloss models, we use lacquer based UV polyester applied to the thickness of about three layers of standard paper. It is then sanded flat and buffed to a gloss. On our satin models, we use an acid catalyzed 15% sheen conversion varnish."
I had a strap button added. I'm glad they didn't put one on from the factory.

Have not had to call or contact them.

For those wondering what DR-20's <b>are</b> and <b>are not</b> solid wood, I have the list below straigh from the Tacoma web site. I hope this helps to avoid further confusion.
<b>Rosewood-
Backs: 1997 all laminated
1998 - Present all solid
Sides: 1997 & 1998 all laminated
1999 & 2000 cutaways laminated, non-cutaways solid</b>

If it were stolen I would replace it. I absolutely love this guitar! And for the money I simply can not complain. I look at Taylors and Martins as "over-priced". Not that I don't like them. It's just that I don't have a lot of cash to throw around.

1998 DR20, Rosewood back and sides. Its made with quality woods and tuners (Grover). Clear pick guard. It with a gig bag. It's a very nice looking guitar

When I purchased this guitar the sound was excellent. But that was then. It still has great sound when strumming, but gets buzzy when pickin, especially up the neck. I've had it set up more than once and that problem has not gone away. I always play medium strings, recently elixers.

Again, the guitar sound fine new, but I've not been able to get it back to that condition. Its not as if this thing has ever sat around for long periods of time, it's played several time a week. Its been to some top notch repair shops.

This guitar has aged poorly. It now 5 years old and two vertical crack in the top. The fretbroad has slightly lifted off the top. Granted I live in Michigan and it goes through all sorts of weather changes, but I've always tried to keep it maintained. I'm at the point where I'm bringing to look for another guitar, and it won't be a Tacoma.

I emailed Tacoma as soon as the action/sound started to head South. They simply responded, "take it to the shop where I purchased." This didn't help me in anyway. Next time I'm in the shop, I'll be looking for another brand.

This guitar is now 5 years old. Its been well cared for, and it plays poorly, sounds poorly, and is cracking (large cracks). I also have a 19 year old Guild thats been through everything, and it play like a dream. If the DR20 were ever stolen, that'd be fine with me as long as they didn't grab my Guild. I have a few friends with Martins, boy do they play and sound nice. I chose the DR20 because it had similiar features to that of Martins, and the like, and it was about half the cost.

See Previous Review "Stuart C"

The sound is very rich, and I didn't truly appreciate its depth until I played my friend's beautiful Taylor 514ce. It's sound was so thin, and the Tacoma DR20 blows it away!

In my previous review I had posted it as a '10.' I have downgraded it to an '8.' The reason why is the action is not very good. I need to have it re-adjusted. This is not necessarily a bad thing that the action is high, but it's not my style. Compare it with some Martin's. Many Martin's have VERY high action, but sound amazing. It all depends on your preference.

Very Reliable. Excellent finish that will last for YEARS and YEARS! One odd side note- This probably has nothing to do with the guitar, but it is just mysterious. The guitar came with D'Adarrio EXP lights. I played it for about 2 weeks, and then the 'G' string popped. Not a big deal-- I replaced the string, and then replaced all of the strings about a month later with Elxir Polyweb Light's. Two weeks later, the old 'G' string broke. I dont know what the problem is, but it's annonying. It's probably my playing style.

Haven't had any problems.

Very nice guitar. I am a little frustrated with the action right now, but I will get it fixed, and then I will love the guitar even more.

Would buy another one, and then adjust the action RIGHT AWAY!

I own a 2002, Tacoma, Washington built DR20. Solid Spruce top, Solid Rosewood back, sides, bridge, and fretboard. Mahogany neck. Tacoma tuners. 1 3/4" at the nut, easy-to-play neck that reminds me of another well-known guitar that begins with a "T". Mine came with a Tacoma gig bag and D'Addario EXP lights. Dot fretboard markers, Ivoroid binding on body and fretboard, inlaid rosette and headstock. I loved the looks of this guitar before I ever played it.

I am a beginner, and originally went looking for a guitar with a 1 3/4" nut because my short, fat fingers were having trouble isolating strings on the fretboard on my 1 5/8" Dean. I am learning both flatpicking and fingerpicking, and this guitar is great for both. This guitar had me with the first strum! Wonderful bass and crisp highs, the tone is out of this world. I played Martins, Taylors and this DR20. This guitar won in the tone department hands down!

The factory set-up was perfect for me. The action is medium-low, with no buzz when strummed hard, and the neck plays easily. I've looked this thing over many times, and except for one or two small spots of glue on one inside wall, it is perfect. The braces and kerfing are perfect, and as clean as they come. The finish is gloss, except for the neck, which is satin for greater playability. The inlay work is very neat. Earlier Tacomas were said to have a problem with the saddle being too low for much action adjustment, but it looks like I could set the strings down on the frets and still have some angle on the strings at the bridge. You change the strings, play them in a little, re-tune, and it stays tuned, period.

As a beginner, I don't gig, but the workmanship seemes solid on this guitar. It is a light guitar, but has a well-put-together feel.

I originally bought a Tacoma (a '97 model), and when I got it home noticed an almost imperceptable lifting of the bridge on the treble side. I contacted my dealer (who had no more guitars like mine), and they contacted Tacoma. I received a call from a Tacoma Rep within the half-hour. He offered to repair or replace the guitar, my choice. I chose the latter, and received this wonderful guitar a month later. It's almost as if they took my comments and hand-built this guitar for me.

As I said before, I am a beginner, but I can listen to different guitars and tell the difference. I'll take this guitar over any other I have played at twice the price. I would be devastated if this guitar was stolen, and would try to find another just like it. I can't see myself owning other than Tacoma guitars if they maintain this fit, finish, and sound with their guitars. I enjoy playing with my Martin and Taylor playing friends and watching their faces turn green with envy. They can't believe I was able to get a guitar of this caliber at the price I paid. They all want to play my Tacoma, even my guitar instructor, who plays a high-end Taylor that cost more than my first car!

This is a 2002 DR20E4. The 'E4' is for the Fishman Prefix Plus Preamp. This is a guitar. The abalone is beautiful on this guitar, and the wood is absolutely beautiful. This guitar definately is equivalent to a Taylor 810e. There is just one difference, $1300 dollars more, and some gold plated hardware thrown in there.

It is perfect for my style, which is a lot of strumming, as well as some Dave Matthews type riffs. It sounds fantastic! The sound is extremely deep and rich, with crystal clear highs, and some amazing sustain. I have also played a DR12, which is basically the same guitar, minus the gloss finish, and a few cosmetic differences, I think this sounds much clearer and richer.

I've heard many stories about poor action from the factory. I talked to the guitar tech who ordered my guitar, and he adjusted the action before I received it, and it plays just as easily as any Taylor out there.

This guitar will be extremely durable, I am a little cautious, like most owners of nice guitars, simply because it is so dang nice. But the gloss coat, I think, adds greatly to it's durability.
The finish is very thick, and extremely durable.

Never tried.

Basically this guitar doesn't really stand out that much if you were to line up a: Taylor 810, Martin D-28, Larrivee L-09, and a Tacoma DR20; But if you notice, every one of the guitars EXCEPT the Tacoma, has a list price of at least $2300, which is a little out of my price range. In short, this guitar is an amazing value, and probably THE most overlooked guitars for the value!

It's a USA-made dreadnought, solid Sitka spruce top, solid East Indian rosewood back and sides with a solid mahogany neck and a nice rosewood board and bridge. The gloss finish is GORGEOUS- it really brings out the grain of the wood. I picked this out over the DR12 (which is essentially the same guitar) because the neck felt a little faster, the cosmetics were nice, and the tone was just a little bit more resonant. Oh, and the full binding, abalone rosette and wood herringbone are all sweet.

I shopped around Martins, Larrivees, Taylors and a few other high end acoustics. The tone from this guitar really surpassed that of competing guitars costing twice as much. I play a little of everything- jam rock, blues, jazz, country- and this really excels at whatever you give it. The tone is rich, and resonant with a really crisp, full bass response.

The setup I got was really nearly perfect. Maybe that's just the Elixirs. I did think that the action was just a tad too high around the 12th fret. Almost perfect, though.

I haven't had it long enough to really evaluate its durability. It feels solid, though.

Haven't tried.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd be really pissed because I spent a good chunk of money on this thing. Then I'd buy another. Tacomas in general are really fantastic values. C.F. Martin, watch your back.

1997 Tacoma DR20, new, old stock: 20-fret dreadnaught with a solid sitka spruce top, rosewood back and sides, all with a gloss finish, satin neck and peg head, Gotoh tuners. Someone in one of the other reviews says the 97 models had laminated bodies, but if thats true, it's extremely hard to tell. Beautiful abalone inlay around the soundhole and on the fretboard. Simple but elegant.

When I received it, the guitar had Martin Light gauge acoustic strings on it. It sounded like the best Martin I ever played. I put Elixir's on it next and guess what? It sounded like the best Taylor I ever played. The truth is, it sounds like the best guitar I have ever played. I would put it up against any highend name brand guitar for sound. The "tone shaped" bridge and curvy head may not be the norm for looks, but note for note, it will compete and win over most of them. It has incredible bass and crispy high's with sustain that goes on forever. My style leans toward Eagles, America, Fogleberg, or any other acoustic stuff. For what I play, I couldn't be happier with the sound.

This particular guitar did not have a pickguard, which strangely enough keeps me from beating up my guitar. I bought this on E-bay and was worried it would get to me with crummy action, or scratched, or with some sort of hidden problem. There were no surprises. The woods are beautifully matched, the neck was perfectly straight, everything was great. The case showed up a bit worse for wear, but that was it.

I'm a garage guitarist, so I don't know how it would truly hold up on stage. Without the pickguard I wouldn't be as hard on it. Fit and finish seem like they will last for decades.

I have sent 2 e-mails to Tacoma with no response. I was hoping to transfer the warranty, but their website says to contact your local dealer. Compared to their competitors, they would do well to have better customer support via e-mail at the very least. Otherwise, I have a cousin who is an outstanding guitarist and professional service and repair technician. If anything major needs fixing, I'll be sending it to him.

I was actually saving up for a Taylor 410CE when I discovered the Tacoma's. I have spent many a free moment at all the local music stores trying out the various guitars. I thought I had found "it" with the Taylor. However the Tacoma sound is wonderfully consistent across the whole range of their models. I have been lucky enough to play several different models, and all were incredible.

This was an incredibly lucky purchase for this price. I accidenally found this one on E-bay. The seller did a poor job listing this guitar. He spelled Tacoma wrong and didn't list the model number, which means hardly anyone noticed it. I've been playing about 25 years and I also own two Alvarez guitars which I will probably part with. I hardly play them any more. I intend to add a Fishman Dual Coil soundhole pickup to it to run through my Fender Acoustasonic. If this were lost or stolen, I would be heartbroken, because I doubt I would ever get a deal like this again. However, I would definately purchase another Tacoma.

Eventually people are going to figure out that feature for feature they get a super acoustic guitar for less money than the other high end guitars. If you have lot's of money for a guitar good for you, but if you have to value shop like me, take a hard look at Tacoma.

This is a beatiful guitar. Made in Tacoma, WA, it is a 20-fret (14 clear) dreadnaught with a solid sitka spruce top and indian rosewood back and sides, all with a gloss finish. Tacoma has been selling wood to guitar makers such as Taylor for years, and then they decided to start making guitars. I'm not exactly sure how, but the bridge is set up differently than any other bridge you'll see, supposedly to equalize the high and low E strings. Again, one of the most beautiful, elegant guitars I have ever seen.

I mainly strum and flatpick, and the guitar is perfect for that. It has a fuller sound than any of the Martins I had tried. I found it equal to the Taylor 614ce, which costs about $2400. Definitely a full, rich sound.

I didn't buy the guitar directly from a shop; it was used, so I don't know how much of an effect that had. However, compared to my last guitar, the action on this is great. It is low enough to easily bar and slide, yet hardly ever buzzes (only when I mess up :) I looked it over and I can't see anything wrong with it.

I've played it a lot over the past two weeks, but I couldn't really tell you how it's going to stand up. The guy that had it before me had it for a year, but he hardly every played it, so I'm not in a position to say how long it will last. I trust it, though.

No Idea

I've been playing guitar for about two years now. I started with a Fender and wanted to upgrade after a year. I spent a year looking around at other guitars, not wanting to spend more than $800. I practically bought a Martin D-15, in fact went to Guitar Center to buy it, but found there a Tacoma DM-9. It impressed me so much that I put off buying the Martin to play other Tacomas, and found this one, which satisfies everything I want in a guitar. If I lost it, I'd be enraged, and would find whoever took it and take it back. If that didn't work, I'd buy another one. Like I said, it's one of the best I've played at ANY price.

I looked for a solid top guitar for about 2 years. My budjet was around 1200. I was very pleased that Tacoma made a guitar with this amazing sound for less than 800!

This guitar is perfect for blues and for soloing over another acoustic(besides the fact that it is not a cutaway). It sounds amazing when miked. I have yet to try it with a pickup. One area that it thrives in is a reggae type up strum. The highs sound extreamely vibrant.

The action was very high when I first got it. This was adjusted free of charge from my dealer. If I did not get the action fixed It would be a pretty cool guitar for open cord slide playing. The action wasn't to high to play and the strings were high enough off the frets to play with a slide.

Very durable! I treat it very carefully but I have the feeling that it could be droped a few times.

Very good. They gave me lots of advice on this guitar and answered my emails within hours!

I've been playing for like 6 years but I have taken this guitar to a dude who have played for 35 years and he loved it. He told me that I would have this guitar for ever. As one who plays metal and more rock style music, I am surprised that I value this guitar so much. I would enter a building on fire if this guitar was in it while letting my Ibanez s470, 90's Fender strat, and my 47 Gibson lap steel burn, seriously. I compared this guitar with the Laravie, Taylors, Yamahas, and Deans in it's listed price range 800 to around 1300 and I chose this one not for the cheeper price but the sound.

A 2000 DR20 made in Tacoma Washington. Solid spruce top with solid Indian Rosewood sides and a one piece Indian Rosewood back. It has a satin finish with the clear pick guard which looks very cool. Standard dreadnought size. Tacoma's own tuners which are very nice! A good hardshell case was included. Many more feature at www.tacoma.com

Great full sound. Very balanced. I play a mix of flat picking and finger picking, both styles sound equally as good. I installed a Fishman RareEarth dual coil (humbucker) which I think gives it a very natural sound when plugged in. Also, I changed from the Elixir strings to a Electric Jazz string (EJ21) which gave the guitar a very balaced/full sound when plugged in.

The finish is perfect and it seems to be well put together. The woodwork is terrific and the bookmatched is dead on.
The factory set-up was pretty bad. The action was high and uneven. The action on my other guitars are set pretty low so this made it difficult to play right away. The guys at Ken Stanto Music in Marietta, Ga. did a great job setting it up for me for NO CHARGE. They also installed a strap button on the neck for $3.00. I mention this because I noticed that in some of these reviews people are being charged for set-ups on new guitars and up to $10-$15 for a strap button. Because of the factory set-up I can only give it 9.

Built to last period. When playing live I usally have my Takamine 12 string with for certain songs so I there is almost always two guitars. If I did not have a secon guitar I would not worry about back up. The only things I would bring for backup is extra strings and batteries for the Fishman.

Great feature - the warranty is lifetime and transferrable. Because of the quailty of the guitar I do not think I will ever need the warranty. I did email customer support with some question and they responed very quickly with my answers.

100% solid rosewood guitar made in the USA for under $800. This included a hardshell case. That alone is a great value but add in the craftsmenship and great sound I feel it was a steal. I compared it to all of the Top end guitars and know why Tacoma has become the thrid best selling guitar in the US so quickly. I had about a $1500 budget when I went shopping for a new guitar and figured I saved $750 and did not compromise quaility or sound. More to spend on an amp.
If this guitar was stolen I would quickly back capitol punishement for guitar thieves. I beg borrow or steal to replace this guitar. My only hope is that as Tacoma grows that it will be able to keep the pricing far for such a great guitar.