Tacoma DR38

The detail with this guitar is top quality. The binding, bracing for sound, wood quality, and inlay make this instrument really stand out. It is everything that an acoustic should be. The E2 pickup is very natural sounding, and it does ot require any holes cut into the body of the guitar. I guess when it comes to features, it's all about retaining the integrity of that pure acoustic sound. Let's face it, most of us learned this the hard way with guitar amps. The tube might take up room, and be somewhat simple in nature, but such Godly tone!

Perfectly matched. The boom is the bass; yet, it does not smoother the mids, or highs. The sound is well balanced. I play a variety of music styles. Blue Grass, Country, Blues,gospel, and classic rock. This guitar simply sounds great.

Beautiful looking back,front,and sides. The attention to the grain is evident. No flaws. I bought it used from Eldery Music in Michigan. Chances are they could have fine tuned the action. I really don't know.

I most likey won't play base ball with it, but it feels really solid.

It is a 1999 model. Tacoma sold out to Fender. I doubt there is any one to call. Also, I doubt there will ever be a need to call.

I've been playing for 25-30 years. I bought, sold, and played every name brand guitar you can imagine. I've had vintage Martin,Gibson,and Guild. I've owned many Taylors. When I buy an instrument, I always keep in mind that it could end up with a new home later down the road. That is why I always a guitar at a bargain price. This guitar is every bit as good a quality guitar as a Taylor 710/810. However, I bought it for less than half that amount. Word of advice to buyer: This won't last long! Guitar players might take their time catching on to certain concepts, but they always figure it out sooner, or later. These high end, pre-Fender Tacoma guitars will be very expensive in the near future. You need to get one now.

Got my DR8 in El Cerrito, CA. After hours and hours of playing Taylors / Martins / Seagulls / Takamines / and more guitars at similar price range, I felt the Tacoma DR38 ruled over them. The only guitars I liked better were Taylors at almost double the cost. Paid 1100 for mine. Love it til death do us part. One problem new is the intonation has become buzzy throughout the middle of the neck. Always used Earthwood med/lights or lights. But this problem had led me to adjust truss rod to no avail. Neck is straight. Believe it now requires a nut adjustment to get it back to that thick dark heavy lush top heavy sound I bought it for. Anybody have this happen? Also looking for the best way to electrify this guitar w/o cutting any holes into it. Overall I rate this guitar at a ten.

The barre chording is magnficent up and down the neck. Particularly in the low end and natural harmonic outputs.

pretty guitar. Many compliments. Many wonders about the invisible pick guard. Silver machines instead of gold rock. Abalone is added bonus.

Mine took a heavy hit right off the bat. A friend kicked a small hard ball accidentally? right into it while I was playing. It was a very hard hit. Only left a small indentation that to this day ticks me off bad.

I wrote aletter and got a call response within a couple weeks. Not bad.

resonance in dark tones is remarkable. It is great for heavy players. Not a childs toy.

2004 Tobacco Sunburst Dreadnought. No Electronics at this time. High gloss finish over spruce soundbard, solid rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard and bridge. I had wanted it for a while and with fender buying them out I wanted a pre-fender model. Comes with deluxe case and trussrod tool. Case is so, so . Doesn't really close right, but is adequate. Does not compare to the hardshell cases I have had in the past. A very light guitar. A nice break from my old F512 Guild. Dinged a point for the case.

This is where it excels. Unbelievable sound and as incredible as it sounds it just keeps getting better. I prefer Martin Custom Light strings and they sing on this guitar. Although I have only had the guitar about 2 months I have well over 100 hours of playing time on it. The sound is such that I can drag out a set of strings about 3 weeks before I start wanting to replace them. The action is set low to where on ocassion there is a slight buzz, escpecially when maybe I get a little carried away with my playing. Plays and records well. On digital recording studios with a mic it records great. Works really well on lead too, probably well get a pickup soon. No point deduction on sound.

A slight scratch on the fingerboard or at least it looks like one. It occurs in the same direction as the grain so it is difficult to tell. Otherwise flawless. The gloss coat and tobacco sunburst are phonomenal and the back side transition areas show off both the paint and the rosewood grain. A beauty. Maybe a point for the slight scratch as 10 to me is perfection.

Even though I try to be extremely careful I have banged it in to many items and other guitars have banged into it too. I keep expecting to see a scratch on it but the always rub off. There is no pick guard (my preference) and no scratches there either. I play hard but am used to an ovation without a pickguard so I have a tendency to not strike the guitar. Got to give it a 10 so far.

Sent an email to the company to register it and was zeroed out. Couldn't get my email to get through. Maybe fender is redoing it. So no opinion yet. I have not tried fender yet, but they have indicated they will honor any warranty, etc.

I have been playing for about 33 years. I started with and still have an old 71 Glenn Campbell Ovation 6 string. A year ago I bought an old Guild F512 and it knocked my socks off. I tried many guitars over the past year and narrowed it down to the Taylor 614C (odd choice for a rosewood guy)and the Tacoma. For half the price Tacomas seem to have twice the sound. Bought it off the internet as I could not find one in the western US. I was a bit nervous as I know the rule on playing guitars before you buy. The seller (Wayne Brown)steered me right after much discussion. I have no regrets. Well except one, my other guitars don't get played much anymore.

Solid rosewood back and sides. Solid spruce top. Ebony fingerboard and bridge. Abalone binding.

I play rhythm in a bluegrass band and the DR-38 sounds wonderful with a full and balanced tone. Tons of volume and sustain. Crystal clear highs and just the right amount of bass. I really love the mids. I am using D'Adarrio Bluegrass guage PB strings, 56-12. I have owned several Martins including a D-35 that I bought new a couple of years ago, a Blueridge BR-180, a Gibson J-45, and a Guild D-40. The Tacoma DR-38 impresses me more than all of those guitars combined. The neck is very comfortable too.

The action was a bit low for my style of playing, hard and fast, so, I installed a higher saddle. The finish is 100% perfect. The wood was carefully selected and is stunning. I could not be more pleased with the fit and finish.

I think the DR-38 will prove to be a very durable guitar that will last for years. I have examined the interior of the body and it is very well built. I have bumped my guitar pretty hard on mic stands and such and still havnt dings or chipped the finish. I like the design of the strap button. It is an oversized button that is threaded into the block. Installing electronics woould be a snap. I dont worry about having a backup with the DR-38!

Lifetime transferable warranty. I have not had to use it nor have I delt with Tacomas customer service yet.

Tacoma is a young company but they seem to be doing everything right. I love this guitar more than any other I have owned. There is no better value avaliable anywhere. If it were stolen, I would replace it in a heart beat. Solid tonewoods, flawless fit and finish, a tone to die for, and MADE IN THE USA ! I could not be more pleased.

Same guitar described below (dreadnought, solid rosewood back and sides / spruce top. abalone trim, etc...)

Love the sound - great tone that spans the highs and lows.

I purchaced this quitar from Guitar Center and shortly after getting it home I realized there was a hairline fracture on the bridge (oh no!). I took it back and they gave me another DR38 that they had in stock. The replacement guitar did not have the same love. It wasn't as loud, the tone wasn't as full, it didn't sustain notes as long, and one of the strings was rattling on the fret board. After about a week (and trying new strings), I returned the second DR38 and asked that the first one be sent back to Tacoma for repair (I know - kind of risky to do bridge work). What sealed it for me is confirmation from about 3 different sales guys that also couldn't believe the difference in the sound of the 2 guitars.

Bottom line - the DR38 I have sounds great. The other one I tried didn't.

Everything on the set-up of the guitar that came back from the factory was excellent. There are a couple of minor finish flaws on the top - only detectable in the right light and angle (very minor). I felt that since I got such a good deal I couldn't complain.

Great materials and construction - I imagine it'll last. The hairline crack that I found when I first brought it home looked like it was on the grain of the wood and may have been in the wood before the bridge was formed. I feel confident with the new bridge on it that I won't have any problems.

As I mentioned above, Tacoma had to repair the bridge on my guitar. I called them prior to me deciding to return the guitar to find out what they would do in terms of repair and how they would handle it. Rather then take the risk of sending the guitar myself as a warranty repair, I wanted GC to send it back so that I would still have the 30 day satisfaction gaurentee from GC when it came back from Tacoma. The guy from Tacoma I talked to was knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The guitar was returned to GC with a new bridge and everything is fine with it. I think they did a great job and they were quite responsive (even though I wasn't really dealing directly with them).

I staring playing guitar 20 years ago in high school but I stopped playing for about the last 8-9 years. I was really looking for an acoustic guitar that sounded great and was easier to play than my old cheap, nasty sounding Yamaha. I wanted something that would help inspire me to want to play more - something that called to me from it's stand in the corner. This guitar is it. I love it. I feel sparked about playing guitar like I did when I was a kid!

My NEW DR38 is a 2002. Made in USA , ALL SOLID WOODS guitar, with ebony bridge and fingerboard. High gloss finish, beautiful abalone around the soundhole, and around the spruce top. AWESOME looking guitar. No pickups. No case included (can't understand guitar center, buying a high end guitar, and taking it to the car in a cardboard box), just the warranty paperwork to send in to the manufacture.

Dreadnought shape is perfect for any style playing. I like to crosspick, somewhat ala Neil Young style. Flatpicks great, and fingerstyle is also great. Whatever you like, it works on this axe!
I played this guitar, then the Martins for 3X the money. It was a no brainer, the DR38 was clearance priced at $950 for some reason unbeknownst(is that a word?) to me, but I didn't ask questions! The sound of this guitar was more desirable to me than the competition, and the price was just a bonus :)

PERFECT fit and finish. It looks like a Larrivee to me! Top quality craftsmanship all throughout! Hard to believe I could buy a new guitar at guitar center, and not find dings and scratches, but I did..... :)

Finish should last a LONG time, It made it through the guitar center showroom!

It's new, and I sent in the warranty card. I'm not worried at all!
Don't think I will have a problem, I am VERY careful with my guitars!

I love the playability, tone, action, and the quality. So I guess everything! It has a great thumpy base, WAY different than the Taylors that I used to have. Great high end clarity. Overall a tone monster! If you haven't played a Tacoma, CHECK IT OUT! You will be surprised! Hopefully the prices will stay reasonable!

MADE IN THE USA!!!
Rosewood back and sides, solid spruce top.
Abolone Inlays
Gloss finish
Custom Case

I went back and forth between the DR38, a seven hundred series Taylor, and a Martin. I went back and played each guitar several times. The fact was clear that the Tacoma sounded as good and even better than the others. I went fully prepared to chunk down $2500 for a Taylor or Martin, but after playing each, I just couldn't justify spending the extra grand. It just didn't make sense. Not just about the money, I just liked the Tacoma more. It felt good, sounded good, and the quality was evident. I walked out of the store that day with the best feeling after making that large of a purchase. No buyer's remorse! No justification needed to the wife! Just a great guitar at a great price.

Check them out. Wood grains are tight. All solid wood, even the binding. The neck is awesome and the action did not need any adjustments.

All seems like it's built to last! I don't anticipate any problems.

Lifetime Warranty. Hopefully will never have to use.

I've owned a few other guitars including a 91 Takamine Limited (all Koa). I couldn't be happier with this guitar. It's incredible and I anticpate it will just keep getting better.

2001 Tacoma DR38, Made in Tacoma, Washington in the U.S. of A. Unique "VS" Bracing, 21-frets, Gloss Natural Finish, Sitka Spruce Top, Rosewood back and sides, Abalone top purfling, ebony fingerboard and unique "tone shaped" bridge, ebony peghead with inlaid ivoroid logo, ivoroid body and neck binding, abalone inlay, D'Addario srings (light .012-.052).

The "electric-guitar" like tuning pegs made it easier to tune as well as decreasing the possibility of hitting the pegs (like if you were to lay the guitar down or anything). Great idea.

The Guitar came with a ready-drilled 5/8" hole, so to install any electronics i didn't have to hastle with drilling... it was all ready!

I also installed L.R. Baggs I-beam as well as L.R. Bagg's LB6 Piezo, amped with a Mixpro

I was looking for a guitar with a nice Beefy tone. What i mean was i was looking for a guitar that can rock as well as groove, and in that still remain smooth, clear, balanced. I mainly use it for Praise and Worship, but with the new styles i want to incorporate (grundge/surfy/indie sounds); i'm trying to find a guitar that is versitile in hard strumming as well as flatpicking. I messed around with many guitars from Taylor 714s, Martin D25, D35, then i actually found a D41; Guild D55, Gibson J150, Gibson Hummingbird. These all had the sound i wanted. If you were to combine all those guitars together you get this guitar: the DR38. It has beautiful balanced tone from boomy bass to nice crispy trebs. With Flatpicking, the guitar delivers well. The true test was hard strumming, mute strumming, which i love to do. Martin DM series and Taylor 414 never gave me the satisfaction in a rockin hard strum, when i strum hard with the DR38, it plays hard with me. Awesome guitar!

Action was great, it's set perfectly. the finish is nice and laminated making the guitar a bit heavy, but that's my preference. I like heavy guitars. In terms of flaws there's probably none. One of my concern would probably be the fret work that was done. I can't really run smoothly up and down the neck.

Totally this guitar will withstand live settings. In a rocking band, then it takes some EQing withe the Piezo pickup which is optimal for live settings. The LB6 that's installed brings the guitar's natural tone as well as fitting into the mix very well.

Also, it never goes out of tune. great tuning pegs... i don't know what the nut and the bridge is made of but it's not ivory but still sustains the sound very well and keeps the strings not breaking.

I've been playing for a good 8 years, and this guitar is probably the one i'm the most proudest of owning. i was really leaning toward a Gibson and a Martin, but i fell for this one. It's great for it's price If it were stolen... WHO WOULDNT STEAL IT, IT'S AWESOME... i always have to be on the lookout. So yea i would totally get it again. Now if i had a million dollars my collection of guitars will consist of guitars i listed above, and the Tacoma DR38 would definitely be one of my first 5. Also what i love about it is, that it looks great, you will never see an asymmetrical bridge like the tacoma, that's true luthier's talent to pull that off. I'm also a graphic designer and designwise, this guitar's been done awefully well.

Made in USA 2002.
Solid Spruce top, Rosewood back and sides.
Dreadnought style acoustic guitar, this is for home so I got it with no electronics.
I didn't check neck scale or radius, I played it in a room full of Taylors and Martins and it felt good so I bought it.
With a Hardshell Case at Guitar Center at around $1,400.

The sound of this guitar is just beautiful, this thing is loud, but the treble and bass seem to be in better balance than any Martin Dreadnought I've ever played.

Great strumming, picking or finger style, I can't say enough about the tone of this beauty.

The action may be a little high, however I've been playing electrics pretty exclusively for the past couple of years.

The bookmatching on the top and back look excellent.

I don't see this guitar out live, I have a Gibson Chet Atkins solidbody for that, but the hardware is top notch.
My buddy who refinishes antiques was with me when I bought it and he says the finish is relly high quality.

I've been playing on and off for 30 years, and have a bunch of electrics and amps so this is my first time buying a nicer acoustic, but when you hear the tone of this instrument its not a hard decision, the looks and material are on par with any high end Taylor, Martin Etc. but I would expect to pay at least twice as much for a comparable model

Features:

Solid Rosewood back and sides. Sitka Spuce top. Nice Abalone binding around top and sound hole. Ebony fretboard with ivoroid binding. I'ts an acoustic dreadnought; what else do you need?

With a budget of $1,500 I expected to buy a Taylor, Martin or Larivee. I was surprised when the manager, a friend of mine, suggested I try the Tacoma. I was even more surprised when the Tacoma sounded better than the above mentioned guitars. In my opinion, there are only three considerations when buying an acoustic guitar; TONE, TONE, & TONE!!! The Tacoma has it. The guitar sound like an already played-in, aged guitar.

Fit and finish are excellent. The action was a little high, but that's the way I like it.

Have not had the guitar long, but cannot imagine it won't last a lifetime with proper care.

Has not been neccesary to contact anybody.

I've only been playing a few years. After a stint playing hollow-body electrics, I sold the guitar and amp because I missed playing acoustic. Having owned a Martin D-16V, Martin D-28V, and various Taylors, I feel I have enough experience with acoustic guitars to offer an opinion. The Tacoma sounds as good or better than these guitars mentioned. That the Tacoma is less expensive than the Martins and high-end Taylors is merely a bonus. I would never put price above performance. By the way, the only reason I did not give the guitar a 10 in the SOUND category is because I have also owned a Santa Cruz "Tony Rice". I wish I still had that one.

I believe this guitar is about two years old. It is new [never used]. I haven't been able to find out since Tacoma doesn't have that type of info on their site. This baby has 21 frets with solid sitka spruce top and solid rosewood back and sides. The fretboard is ebony and the neck is mahogony. This guitar was made in the USA. It has no electronics. The case and a new set of strings was included. It features abolone binding on the body and inlays in the neck. Also an ivoroid binding on the neck.

I was really impressed with the sound of this guitar. It is rich, clear and can really boom. I played many guitars along with this one and even with two year old strings this one sounded great! I put a new set of elixirs on it and it sounds teriffic! no fret buzz and setup modification was not required. I play blues and it is really suited for my style.

There were no flaws on this guitar. I had to give it some lemon oil on the fingerboard because it had sat for so long. Like I said, no setup modifications were required. I cannot find a single flaw in the fit or finish. As a matter of fact I played a lot of Taylors and Martins and I was surprised that things like body bindings on the Taylors started in the middle of the body. Some Taylors I played had the binding coming off. Tacoma didn't have this problem.Everything is matched perfectly.

I haven't had it long enough to tell but it appears as though it will stand up to heavy use. I have banged it a few times and it didn't even make a mark. The tuners are very smooth. Gotoh chrome.

Lifetime Warranty. No dealings with the factory.

I have been playing about 6 years and have 2 strats a Yamaha 12 string and a 6 string Fender acoustic. I was really looking for a Taylor or a Martin but after playing those and then the Tacoma, I was sold on the Tacoma. Do yourself a favor. Skip Taylor and try one of these out before you buy a Martin.

Features:
Gloss finish
Solid Sitka Spruce top
Solid Rosewood back & sides
Abalone top purfling
Ebony fingerboard and "Tone Shaped" bridge
Ebony peghead with inlaid Ivoroid logo
Ivoroid body & neck binding

The sound of this guitar was so impressive I went back to the music store 3 times just to play it. I compared it with Martins, Taylors, Larivees and Guilds that were also in the store at the 2000.00 to 3000.00 dollar range and this guitar sounds as good if not better. I have been playing for 30+ years and this guitar has the sound that reminds me of the acoustic guitars that were on all those songs from the 60's acoustic groups

Tacoma has definitely done their homework in the detail and quality of materials. I did need to setup the neck but just a bit. Nothing major. Excellent finish work

I have only had this guitar for a short time. But by judging the quality of this guitar it will last a lifetime gigging.

To early to determine customer support. I hope it is as good as the guitar itself.

Obviously by reading my comments I am impressed with this guitar. I have also in my arsenal a 1968 Guild F112, Ovation Legend, Ovation Classical, Fender Strat too name a few. I previously owned a music store and have seen quite a few guitars. This guitar is worth every penny you pay for it.

Gloss finish
Solid Sitka Spruce top
Solid Rosewood back & sides
Abalone top purfling
Ebony fingerboard and "Tone Shaped" bridge
Ebony peghead with inlaid Ivoroid logo
Ivoroid body & neck binding
Slim neck with low shoulders

Overall I am very pleased with the sound of this guitar. It has a very full sound( probably due to the rosewood back and sides)and the three lower strings couldn't sound better. The three treble strings are good also but the B string sounds a little "plywoody" for want of a better term. I will attribute this to the fact that the guitar was almost brand new when I bought it and the wood hasn't cured and mellowed the tone yet. It also has what appears to be a rather thick polyurethane gloss coat on it. In a few years I expect it to be the best sounding acoustic I have heard. For fingerstyle and light strumming this guitar really shines.

The action , fit, and finish were superb. The intonation is constant all the way up the fingerboard and the action is great. I noticed slight flaw on the finish on the neck and what appears to be a locating mark for one of the tuners, but to me this just gives it a somewhat handcrafted appeal. Never have any problems staying in tune.

It seems to be a very durable guitar. I have no doubt that this guitar will last longer than me. As far as playing without a backup, I am forced to because of my financial underachievment. I cant relly see the need for one unless some drunk broke it during a gig. In which case I would beat him repeatedly about the head and shoulders with it and this would probably be much more entertaining than the folk songs I play.

Never need them. E mailed them once with a question and the promptly responded.

I really like this guitar. For the money it is a great value. I played Martins, Taylors, and Guilds before I bought this and couldn't find anything comparable for under $1500. Would buy another if lost or stolen.