Taylor Guitars 410 Acoustic

This 410 was made in 2003.It is made of one of the most beautiful woods I have ever seen on a guitar(ovangkol)an african hardwood that has an almost 3 dimensional look about it.The top is of good ole sitka spruce.One of the most lively tops.The fretboard and bridge are made of ebony,a real nice feature(very expensive to buy).It sounds like I bought this thing on looks alone,but just the opposite;the sound is the first feature that caught me and what a bonous it happens to have beauty also.It comes with a very impressive piece of luggage also.

Well this is the main reason I bought this thing in the first place.I was in the market for my final accoustic and tried out quite a few.I play mostly country and some older rock and this baby can do it all.It can be played hard or stroked softly with no noticable difference.It is one of the brightest guitars I have ever heard.There have been complaints that they don't have enough bottom end.Well I beg to differ,because I happen to like the big boom of a dreadnaught and believe me this one has plenty.It is very loud and very clear at any type of playing.

The action was a tad bit high,but within minutes the dealer had it zoned in to play with ease.As I said earlier it is absolutely gorgeous,so bookmatching is fine.(not a real issue with me anyway).Absoloutely no complaints in the action or the finish(gloss top and satin back and sides).I will lower my rating to a 9 on this one because I heard that they come out of the box perfectly set up.Probably most of them do,but this one needed to be lowered a hair.

I am quite sure that this guitar can handle just about anything(normal use) you can toss at it.It seems very solid.When you pick it up there is a certain ridgity about it.After all this is a guitar and not a shop tool.You look after it and I'm sure it will look after you.I also own a Big Baby and although it seems very fragil,it seems to be holding its own.I wouldn't even consider a backup!!!!Not necessary!!!!

Have never had to deal with them.But have heard they are second to none.If their service is half as good as I think their product is I am not too concerned.By the way the warranty is lifetime(normal wear and tear).If I have problems my dealer usually looks right after me.Morris Music Saint John New Brunswick.Canada.

I have been playing off and on for about thirty years and always wanted a high end instrument.Well I know there are higher ends than this one,but believe me this one is high enough.If I ever had to replace it my only hope is that I could get one that sounds as good(and I'm sure they all do).I tried some other big name brands and have come to the conclusion that they are just living off their history.If you are ever in the market,do yourself a favor and pick up a Taylor(that's all it will take).I also own a Big Baby and it can hold it's own with most anything out there(less bottom end).I also own a Seagull M6 Gloss(great bang for your buck).As you can already tell this is a very satisfied and happy Taylor owner!!!!

1995 Taylor 410
Solid Mahogany 2 piece back and sides
Spika Spruce Top
Satin Finish
Fishman Natural
Dreadnought
Grover Tuners
Taylor Case

8 - back then, the 4 Series was the "economy" line, thus the satin finish, lack of bigtime aathetics(like abalone trim), and pinless bridge. Taylor Case is the BEST.

Its Mahogany... so... its bright and very clean. My B and High E cut through very strongly. It lacks a thundering bass response. However, over the many years I've had the guitar, its become warmer and even more crisp.

Guitars need to age, so you can trust that my tone is what you'll end up with. the 410 is rich, and very bright.

10 - because you should buy a guitar with your desired tone in mind. This is what I wanted, and the 4 nails it down.

Bob Taylor is personally responsible for ruining me for any other neck. To some, playability is not an issue, and will suffer through thick necks...

Action was a tad too high from the store. But that sort of problem can be easily solved.

10 - The guitar quality is bar none.

ahh, I'm the original owner and sole player for my 410. So i know of its longevity.

Its a Acoustic guitar! Dont bang it, throw it, leave it out, or bump it. It will scratch, ding, and chip. Its wood folks.

I need a refret I think, and maybe a little neck adjustment. But in no way does it effect tone or playability. I've never had down time on this guitar. Its been with me everywhere i go. Just store it in its home, the Taylor Case, watch for humidity, and a lot of TLC.

Wonderful. Many of my band members and friends play Taylors, and those guys down in the El Cajon Factory know their stuff. If you ever need anything, they'll take care of it.

Oh, and get those Taylor Coasters made of Soundhole Spruce cut outs. Thumbs up to "Wood and Steel" the Quarterly Taylor publication.

I've been playing since I was 14 years old. And my 410 was my first "real" guitar. But i've run into some sweeeet instruments in my time. I've been within 5 feet of an James Olsen! And although I never played it, it deserves that sort of respect. Langiejans, Martins, Gibsons, and few other customs like Santa Cruz, etc.

To be honest, my 410 cannot compare to a freakin' Olsen! But then again, I dont want to spend thousands and thousands.

I would mourn for 30 days and nights with linens and ashes if someone stole my 410. Literally. But I would not buy a new 410. Taylor Guitars have changed throughout the years, and now the lower end models do not reflect the same level of quality that exsisted once. Instead, save up and invest in a 510 for mahogany, or a 710 rosewood. OR get the Doyle Dykes! :drool:

My next guitar: Custom w/ a Taylor neck(i havent found one yet!) or a Talyor 710C. Maybe Bob will bring back the 410s of old... :)

I've had my 1998 Taylor 410 modle for over a year. There are twenty frets on this guitar but no cutaway so you only actually get about thirteen or so. My 410 dreadnought has Ovangkol back and sides with a spruce top. This guitar has aged well even though its only about five and a half years old. There is no pickup . the fretboard is ebony and the neck is tropical american mahogany. I personally like the satin finish because the finish has a lot to do with the sound. The headstock is indian rosewood which is a little classy. Chrome plated grovers provide the tuning. The neck is thin. I got the brown hardshell case which is greatly durable. So features are alright. I only wish this guitar had electronics, if it had an onboard preamp it would be sweet...

The sound of this guitar is tonally progressive. It's not to loud, but of course there's plenty of depth to the instrument which gives it a broad consuming feeling. I like the crisp clean sound that this guitar provides. I thoroughly enjoy playing rythym which is great for the 410. I hear a lot about the bass in taylor guitar and think that this 410 provides a good amount of bass. I'm a high end person though... You can finger pick with this guitar, play some open end rythym, or just bar the chords and go hard on it because it provides you with plenty of sound. I use an acoustic Peavey amp (112) but would rather plug it into an SWR (or I guess, Fender now since they bought them out) Strawberry Blonde. Most of the time I go through a PA and depending on the PA, reflects the sound you achieve through the 410. Sound alone for this guitar is definately a 10. In all honesty, sound greatly depends on the musician, and the 410 is enjoyable to me.

When I bought the 410 I noticed that the action was exceptionally low which was good. Cosmetically the guitar was sound. There were no scratches, excess glue, spots, wear, etc...

I've beat it up a little, which really gives it more character and it's been suitablly durable over this past year. I know that's not a long time but it was constructed to last. I've played it live so many times and it's been very trustworthy. I've even been to gigs with it and only the 410, and don't have any complaints. I had a strap button put on the end of the neck and it's been solid as well.

I've only contacted Taylor once but I had to call twice. They were a pleasure to deal with. Friendliness is important in administration and they were good.

I've been playing for going on five years now and I get blown away by these people who've been playing for 30+ years, that's an accomplishment. I own two other acoustic guitars (one taylor and one takamine) and I own one electric (Epiphone Les Paul). Acoustic will always be my first love however. If i had to buy another guitar I would buy the 410 again or possibly a 500 or 700 series taylor. I absolutely love the tone wood used to make this guitar. It looks quality and plays quality. There are a few very minor nit-picky things that bother me but nothing inheritanly major.

It?s kinda hard to rate ?features? on an acoustic guitar, especially with no electronics, but it?s got all you need to be a happy guitar player for many years to come. The point of buying this guitar for me was to get back to basics, I sold my Strat, amp, pedals, etc. in order to afford this guitar, I do not regret it for a moment. Electric players spend so much time and money looking for ?the tone?. All you have to do is strum this guitar once and you?ll realize no amp or pickup will ever recreate these real vibrations. So I?m giving it a 8 on features even though to many it doesn?t have many. Although, if you look at what the guitar comes with, you?ll realize it has all the ingredients needed to make for a solid instrument. First off the wood selection; ebony fingerboard & bridge, Mahogany neck, Rosewood headstock overlay, Ovangkol (African hardwood) back and side (I never heard of it before this guitar) & a Sitka spruce top. Descent appointments; white bindings, Grover tuners, strap buttons (what a concept), tusq nut & saddle, pearl dot fret board inlays, gloss top and satin sides & back (the Ovangkol wood looks very nice w/ the satin finish. Of coarse it has the Taylor bracing system and other design innovations that have made Taylor world famous. Oh yeah it?s made in the good old USA and comes with a stout hard shell and has a lifetime warranty.

I like the sound of this guitar a lot. I really don?t know much about describing sound or how it compares to other guitars. I do know that it is clear and lively and to me sounds how an acoustic guitar should sound, most importantly ? it?d fun to play! (Plus it?s going to sound better every year it gets older)

I think Taylor guitars are the most consistent brand out there. Every time I pick up a Taylor at the guitar shop they seem to be set up perfectly. I asked the sales guy about this, he said that they come in this way and the shop doesn?t do anything to them. (Apparently Taylor realizes that first impressions are important to the $1000+ guitar consumer) The fit of everything is very nice, very well constructed. As others have mentioned it comes with 13?s stock from the factory, coming from the electric world that?s quite an adjustment. I?m going to stick with them for a while and see if they grow on me, if not I will change to 12?s. The action is a little high but I not screwing with the factory set up for the time being. This guitars stays in tune better than any guitar I?ve ever played, the Grover tuners as great.

The overall build quality of this guitar is great but I agree with others when they say that they feel the gloss is a little thin, to me the gloss is what protects your guitar from the world. I?m sure this helps the top resonate a little bit better, but you need to careful when handling this guitar. The finish is definitely not as durable as import guitars with super thick gloss, (We?ll have to see how the finishes compare in 20 years, ..oh never mind, by then the import will be in the trash dump, this one may have a couple battle wounds but it will still be kickin and sounding as sweet as ever!) The back and sides are satin finished, which typically is not as durable (as gloss) but this should not be an issue since the Ovangkol is a very hard wood. I think it?s as reliable as they come.

I have not used the customer support

I?m trying to give an honest opinion and rating of this of this guitar. I know that most people are basis once they?ve bought something. I?m sure you can find people that would give a $200 import guitar a 10 in all categories. My viewpoint is that if everything were a 9 or 10 than there would be not need for the 500, 600, etc ?series. I plan on playing this guitar for a long time and I happy with my purchase. For people that live in the Detroit area I recommend that you check out Motor City guitars in Waterford, their prices are great, better that Guitar Center and MF! I hope this review was helpful, see ya.

Made in 2002, purchased in August 2003 - yeah, it hung on the wall for a year. Ovangkol back & sides, spruce top, mahogany neck; gloss top, satin finish elsewhere.

No frills at all (I expect binding and ebony on a guitar of this price). This is not a bad thing.

Came with an absolute TANK of a case!

This particular guitar is LOUD. Not a lot of bass, but very *clear* and clean. I find the projection to be very good.

Factory setup was "ok" - it hung on the wall for year remember. Strings were replaced (don't like the Elixir feel) and fretboard dressed; after that, very smooth playing.

It came strung with 13s, put 12s on with little degradation in the amount of bass.

Factory action set a bit too high for my taste. I'll be having a Fishman bridge p/u installed and the saddle shaved to lower the action. No buzz anywhere on the neck.

Tuning is excellent and the intonation well set - one of the reasons I was drawn to the Taylor line.

I have found NO flaws in the "F & F". another reason that drew me to Taylor. The book match is, well, "book matched".

Can't say much here about reliability as I've had the instrument for just a week.

The gloss and satin finishes "feel" thin to me - not a bad thing, I'm used to thicker poly and nitro.

Haven't dealt with them.

Warranty is lifetime (yeow!), original purchaser (can be transferred), limited.

Been playing for 35+ years, have various other brand (and non-brand) name guitars & amps, various effects and primarily play at church (non-traditional music).

Two things, overall, pulled me to the Taylor line: neck feel and tuning. I have big hands and the Taylor neck fits me very nicely (where the Martin neck doesn't). The other reason, tuning, is due to struggling with my other acoustic (S&P Pro Flame) to keep it in tune and to correct its intonation. I fully believe that my particular S&P has structurally failed over the last year causing the intonation and subsequent tuning problems. It's also gone "punky" on E-notes for some odd reason.

The 410 in my opinion is best suited for finger picking. I say this for sound only. The neck needs to be a little wider to accomodate for finger passages. I believe that when Taylor first started out they were trying to attract electric players with their thin necks. Being an electric player I was certainly attracted to the feel of the neck which is why I bought the 410. But finding myself playing in a trio at the "Spotted Cat" on Frenchmen ST. in NOLA I realized that the 410 has some shortcomings with sound and playability. My biggest complaint is that the sound compresses when you play rhythm hard on the 410. When I say compress I mean the sound gets mushy at a certain threshold. When you try to push the guitar for loudness it will only get so loud and when you do this it sounds closer to a muted banjo than a guitar. Using the lightest pick available will open it up a little bit when playing rhythm but sitting around a guitar circle it's hard to be heard when it's your turn to solo. Playing the 410 live has been an expensive endeavor to get it to sound like an acoustic through a PA system. Though I think any acoustic is an expensive endeavor when you try to make it sound what it is when you plug it in. I have a hard time staying put when I play on stage so I figured a condensor mic would be useless because I'd spend too much time concentrating on mic to soundhole distance that concentrating on playing. I gave up on trying to make the acoustic sound like an acoustic when I plugged in and just tried to settle for a pleasing sound. Also I was tired of spending more money after an allusive sound that I may or may not achieve. This is what I ended up with in my chain of goal oriented effects. The 410 was 1st plugged into a Sansamp Acoustic DI, then a Morley JD10 for warmth not overdrive, then to a Boss GE-7 EQ, then a TC Electronic chorus peddle, then to a volume peddle. I put a Dana Bougeois piezo and mic system in it and kept the slider towards the piezo side. I had another hole drilled for a Bartolini pickup but this was a fiasco. Though I liked the sound of the Bartolini I had tech problems. 1st... Bartolini clamps for their acoustic pickups don't fit on the Taylor 410. I had to turn them upside down and file away part of the plastic clamp to make it fit. The ploblem is the framework inside the 410 is very close to the soundhole where the pickup clamps go. The last straw was a loose connection at the input jack which cracked and cut out while on stage. I finally said the hell with it and ended up playing my Borys Jazz Solid electric and left the 410 at home. I'm now writing instrumentals on the 410. All finger-picking stuff which in my opinion is what the 410 was made for.

2001 Taylor 410-MA Paid $1,169 new. Nice looking wood for a plain looking guitar. The case it came with is strong and nice and tight.

I originally had a 1951 Gibson but had to sell it for money reasons. That instrument was so terrific and great sounding, I still think about it and wish I had it back. But,after getting back on my feet and longing to play again, I went searching for a "good" sounding guitar. Thinking I could get something under $1,000, I tried a few but nothing sparked my interest. Then the salesman handed me the Taylor 410 and within two or three minutes I said "this is the one". The sound is full not "tinny". I try to difersify my playing so fingerpicking and strumming both come into play. I love the solid sound. I can't complain about the tone at all. Excellent... I only give this an 8 because I'm extremely critical and fussy.

My only problem was that the factory setup and action was perfect, but I brought it in the store for it's new setup (to change strings and make small adjustments) and the guitar hasn't been quite the same since. I would say it was the setup guy that took it upon himself to make too many changes that didn't need to be done. I'm still working on getting it back to the original. So, my suggestion is not to screw around with the original factory setup too much. Let it be and play it for a while and then find a good luthier for adjustments if needed. As for the body, I think it was very well made.

I've only had this guitar for a few months, so I'll hold off on this opinion of reliability and durability. However, the hardware seems like it will last, the finish seems clean, the strap buttons are really nice.

I did have to call Taylor and they got back to me within a couple of hours. The store I purchased it from gave me wrong information about the gauge of strings, so I needed verification and got my answer right away. Very helpful.

I've been playing for over 30 years... mostly off, but now back on. I wish I had purchased it at a different store. I'm not happy with the customer service or knowledge of the sales staff. And, the setup guy sort of screwed me up. Make sure you go to a reputable music store to buy a guitar. Even though Taylor might have good customer service, they aren't the ones you will be really dealing with hands on. If this Taylor was lost or stolen I would buy another, but at different store. I love the sound. My favorite features are the sound and the beautiful wood on the sides. I did compare this to Martin, Larabee and others, but in this price range they didn't compare.

2001 Dreadnought
Spruce with Ovangkol Back and Sides
Fishman Acoustic Matrix II Pickup
Professional setup
Everything else is "stock"
This guitar does the job perfect! No frills, just play

It suits a rhythm style perfectly.
No effects, just through a good PA system
Has great response, and zero feedback.
Very full sound.
Great for palm muting or full strumming.

Factory set-up was a little high.
I would recommend a professional setup.
Great tonation.
Guitar has two stripes in the top wood pattern. They were pointed out as flaws, but I think it only adds character to the guitar. Tone has gotten better over the past two years.

Definitely will withstand live playing. I'm not that careful with mine (some nics and scratches), but it still plays and sounds perfect.
I don't have a backup guitar, and I'm fearless with its performance.
Solid strap buttons!
Definite "daily driver"

I did have a problem with my first after market Fishman transducer. Taylor was very kind and told me of a place they recommended to have it tinkered with. No problem getting a hold of the Taylor guys.

I've been playing for seven years. On a bit of a budget so I can't afford an Everett or other hand-made guitars.
I've had an Ibanez AW500 as my beginner guitar (It was stolen)
I have had numerous complements about how well the guitar plays and sounds. Billy Sprague (well-known Christian artist) was amazed at it's capabilities.
I wish I had another guitar of any kind that sounded and played just like it.

Dreadnought, made in the USA In '97, spruce top and mahogany back and sides, satin finish, top quality Grover tuners, ebony fingerboard and bridge . Simple features, but with top quality parts and killer sound.

A bit focused on bass, but very, very sweet. I tried a bunch of Taylors in the local distributor, including more expensive models and this one was the best. I play it with 12s for comfort reasons, although with 13s it gives its best.

Finish is just flawless. Nice setup and fretwork, though action could be more comfortable (that's the only reason not to give it a 10). Intonation is perfect and it stays in tune perfectly.

With proper care (I baby this thing), it will last for generations.

I never needed to contact Taylor or the local distributor. But the web site has lots of good info about maintenance. Great!

Great guitar, very well built and with an amazing tone. I would recommend it to anyone. I just wish it was more comfortable to play, but nothing is perfect.

You can get all the features from Taylors websites and the Myriad reviews here. Just so I don't totally trash this guitar, the neck was easy to play and it looked OK.

My cousin wanted a guitar. I said, "Get a Martin. Get a Martin." He said, "No. I want a Taylor." I said, "Get a Gallagher, get a Santa Cruz, or get a Huss & Dalton." He said, "No. I want a Taylor." Well, he got one by mail, and after three days he returned it. Let me say first and foremost that I'm a flatpicker, and so is my cousin. This guitar sounded horrible for flatpicking. It had very weak projection, when you picked the unwound strings against the wound strings, all you could hear was the unwound strings. It had close to absolutely no bass. I suppose what sound was there was rich, but when he played it against my Martin, I mean you just couldn't hear it. The kid looked like he wanted to cry. Thank God he got his money back. I just wanted to warn all you flatpickers out there!

This thing also looked like you had to baby it, but I guess you have to baby all solid-wood guitars...at least if your'e smart.