Taylor Guitars 422 Maple

422 mapleside and back and spruce top. I guess it was made in the mid 1990's - i bought mine used from a music store aorund 1996. My hands are small and the fret board is is a challeneg for me on difficult bar chords.

My baby loves to sing and ring. Roll down a scale and slur - tilt your and drift away...think opening to Dire Straits "Down to the Water line". True, the bass is not equal to a dreadnaught when thump-thumping through a country-bluegrass tune. But the tones are make you weep when played slow and deliberate. Put a capo on the second fret and rockin with crisp, fast chords ala Keith richards. This guitar is not a dreadnaght, not a parlor, not a...it's beautiful, fun every day guitar that begs to to be played. I give it a 9, only because sometimes you want the big, dread sound.

Buzzes when really rocking open chords - not when the capo is on though...you can gouge away.

Solid, tough, just as beautiful in looks and sound as when I bought it ten tears ago.

I recently bought a used 422-M in beautiful condition. It was made in 1996. It sounds great. It had a pickup installed, although I am not sure what kind? It is not an expression system. There are no tone or volumn controls on the guitar. It is a honey colored birds eye maple with a 14 fret mahogany neck. The fret board is ebony with simple dot inlays.

It has a great full sound when strummed with a pick and it sounds good finger picking. It has a good all all around sound.

satin finish looks great with the birdseye maple.
The action is good. However,(and I didn't realize this when I tried it out in the store) the neck is a little wider than the newer Talor models and for me, a little harder to play. Perhaps it's just getting used to playing a steel string, as I was used to playing funky nylon string classical guitar. I guess that's my only complaint about the guitar -the neck is not quite comfortable enough for me.

I don't really play out much live so it's fine for what I do.

I called Taylor to see about getting a different neck on the guitar and they said that they don't do replace necks as it is too difficult and may ruin the sound.
When I originally called them, I didn't get through and left a message. One of their associates called me back and explained their policy. They were responsive and nice to deal with.

I've been playing for a long time, however I play for my own enjoyment and to write songs. I do an occasional songwriter jam.
I like the guitar alot and again, it sounds great. However, if I were to do it again, I would have paid more attention to the neck and the feel. I guess I was so used to playing a bad guitar that almost anything else I picked up felt great(no slight intended to Taylor). Plus, the sound of the 422 is beautiful. For some players the wider neck may be perfect. For me, after playing some of the other newer Taylors (414, 514, and the 612 and 614)I noticed the difference between neck size and ease of playing. I'll keep it though.

This 422 Maple was made on October 10, 1995 (17th guitar in series production that day) at the Taylor factory in California. It is a Grand Concert model equipped with a 20-fret non-NT mahogany neck, equipped with Grover rotomatic tuners. It has a solid Sitka spruce top and solid quilted maple back and sides. Also it has a wonderful ebony fret board and bridge. The guitar has a wonderful satin finish, which I absolutely love. Of interest is the pull through bridge, which though disconcerting to some works like a charm. This guitar came with the deluxe Taylor brown luggage style with pink interior.

The Taylor Grand Concerts are fantastic finger style guitars, wonderfully balanced and very responsive to player dynamics. The beautiful clear voice of this guitar is addictive, I have a 94 Martin 000-16 and the two go wonderfully together. I love the 422M for the tight response and adherence to picking dynamics, well balanced and appropriately voiced in the mid/treble range with a tight bass. It has a rich, bright sound. I spend hours with it on my lap.

The guitar was purchased used but properly set up and fitted with new strings at time of purchase. The finish is flawless...the guitar was barely played by its original owner...no scratches, checks...the guitar is mint. The neck and frets are wonderful...to be honest I'm happy I don't have an NT neck on this guitar...call me old fashioned but I hate the look of that tooth like neck joint on the new Taylors.

I play out live on a regular basis and though the acoustic workhorse in my stable is the Martin 000-16 the Taylor will soon be joining it on a regular basis. Right now I enjoy it in the studio. Taylors are built to last and as long as you don't throw them around and properly humidify them...you will have them forever...hell, this 422 Maple is 9 years old and its mint!

The warranty does not apply as I am the second owner but I trust in Taylor and the quality of their product. The service staff at Taylor is friendly and very informative, I recommend giving them a call for any info required about Taylor guitars.

I have been playing guitar for 20+ years and have owned over 25 guitars...yes I have GAS and I'm proud of it! I have reduced the stable to a 2001 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus (Honeyburst), 1990 Gibson Les Paul Standard (Tobaccoburst), 1997 Fender Telecaster (Black), 1994 Martin 000-16 (Natural) and the 422 Maple. If it were stolen I would try to find another but to be honest I would have to search a long time to find another guitar as sweet as this one. It is just wonderful. If you are in the market for a Taylor and you find one but are hesitant about the "pinless bridge" don't be. They work well and have been used by many high-end manufacturers such as Breedlove and Taylor. Go with the tone...for me the 422 Maple is the sweetest guitar I've heard in long time.

I bought this new from Music Emporium in October 1995. I had played four others at other New England stores and this was the best. I is my first maple guitar. Good quality wood which has colored nicely over the years. It came with the old fashioned luggage quality case. I had traded a 1927 Martin 2-17 all mahogany which as easy to play but had no bass to speak of. his is still not a bass heavy guitar but the sound quality is clean and ringing. I have been playing for 40 years and this is the best action of any guitar I've owned.

I play folk, Beatles, Gershwin etc. Great for all of these. I did have a simple pickup without a blender put in just for fun. Once a year I will plug it into my son's amp for a chorus of Purple Haze or Wild Thing. Sound's fine.
The pinless bridge take some getting used to but if it's ok for Taylor and Lowden why not.

Very well set up. I had the action lowered.Even when I switched to ultra lights there is no buzz.
A well made guitar, very simply braced on the sides(none). The thin finish is acoutically transparent but masks the nice color of the woods.

Vey durable. I have let my sons use it and it has survived their playing.

Excellent.

I have owned Gibson, Goya, Martin ()-16NY, D-21, 5 and a 2-17), Yamaha 12, Vega banjo, Flatiron mandolin etc.
.
I now own this Taylor, A Ramirez R4, a Harmony uke and two guitars that I have built since 1999. I also bought a Taylor 450 12 which I gave to my older son as a hs graduation gift. Best action on a 12 I've ever played.

I wish the Taylor was a 12 fret or that they made a 00 like Santa Cruz
but since they don't I will probable keep this until I build one.

The 422m is a solid wood guitar with quilted maple back and sides with a satin finish all the way around. The top is made out of spruce. The body shape is the smaller grand concert style. The neck is mahogany with ebony fingerboard and bridge. The guitar features a pinless bridge (no holes drilled into the top to push strings through). The tuners are chrome Grovers, and I got a fitted Taylor luggage case with the guitar. I bought this 1995 guitar used. I'm giving the guitar a 7 for the pinless bridge, otherwise I'd rate it higher.

I own 4 Taylors now, each one different from the other. Of all 4 I like this one the best for overall balance of sound with respect to playing fingerstyle guitar. The sound is balanced from low end to high end. The notes ring very clear in an intimate way. I would not use this guitar for heavy strumming. It is a single note or fingerstyle guitar all the way. I'm surprised by the strength of the lower notes on this small body, but I like the balance (like I said before).

I didn't get this guitar new. When I bought it the bridge was lifting off the guitar. Additionally, the guitar had some signs of drying out plus a bad nut. I bought the guitar knowing that all of these things need to be repaired. I paid about $135 to have a bone nut made and for the bridge to be replaced and the action setup for me. There is one nasty nick in the upper bout of the guitar. I'm not rating the guitar here because of all of these factors.

Hey, the guitar has survived all the issues I just mentioned above. I got back a great guitar from my repairman. It is not beautiful on top, but it plays like a small gem to me. It still shows the signs of drying out a bit, but here in Oregon the guitar should be just fine.

Well, I wanted to get an opinion from the service department of Taylor. I emailed them before I bought the guitar. They called me at home to talk to me about the guitar even though it wasn't a warranty question for me. The service technician (I wish I could remember his name...) was honest with me about several things. He was concerned about the dryness, the pinless bridge and pointed out the what to look for in the nut. He didn't tell me to buy the guitar or not to buy the guitar, but he did lay the cards on the table for me. I researched the situation and came up with my own decision. I don't regret it for a moment, and I surely appreciate the 10 to 15 minutes the tech took with me to explain my options and what to look for. If that isn't service, I don't know what is!

I mentioned this in other reviews I have done. I've been playing on and off for many years. I the past few years I've bought 4 Taylor guitars, this use 422m plus three new ones, 310CE, 555, and a Baby Taylor. Each one is different and I like them all very much. While I like Taylors in general, there are so many good guitars out there to choose from. If I had more money I really wanted a nice little Taylor 712 (with a cedar top) I played before I bought this one. I originally thought about a Seagull Grand which I looked at a year before buying this used Taylor. I eventually had a friend of mine buy one of the Seagull Grands, and he is pretty happy with it. I would try to replace this 422m with another similar guitar, but you can't get these 422ms new any longer. Since there are so many good options from Taylor, I don't think I would go out of my way to find one of these used for a replacement.

This is a 1996 model. At this time, the 400 series was done with satin finish and pinless bridge. It came with a really nice case. All solid wood. Lovely amber quilted maple back and sides, B-grade Sitka spruce top (irregular fairly tight grain with some freckles), stained slightly golden with lots of silking. Dense quarter-sawn mahogany neck, 1.75" wide at the nut. Ebony bridge & finger board, rosewood peghead overlay. Black-bound fingerboard with MOP dots, black-bound body w/ white pinstripe. Small shallow 'concert' sized, about the size of a Martin 00. 25.5" scale length. Artificial 'Tusque' nut and saddle. It looked great to begin with, and I had a rose inlaid on the first fret by the good folk at MJ Guitar works.

OK, a small-bodied guitar made out of maple, Sitka, and ebony is going to be bright, bright. And that's on top of the Taylor sound, which tends to bright! But the quilt-cut of the maple gives the wood a bit more flex than the flame cut, and you can hear the difference. I played a bunch of 422-m's and this one had the fullest sound. In fact most of the rest were not that great sounding, too tight. Although I bought this guitar the day it showed up at the shop, you could see on the finger-board it had been played a bunch at the factory. Somebody at Taylor liked this guitar. Anyways, although it is bright and a lot tighter than a big-bodied guitar, it's got a distinctive dry chiming sound from the maple and a fine woody tone. Clear and lots of sustain. It doesn't have much bass, a bit boxy sounding, and just isn't a bluegrass picker. Better for fingerstyle, maybe suited for funky blues or ragtime. After owning it for a year, I decided it was a bit shrill and got another richer,warmer sounding guitar with the plan of letting this one go. But I haven't been able to let it go. It's just got a cool distinctive tone with lots of unique personality. Not for everyone but I've grown to love it. BTW, it just sounds better with light strings for some reason.

The guitar is really easy and comfortable to play. The small body fits right against you. You don't have to reach around like a big dread. The action is really low, and the fret job was done very well so Bar-chords come easy. The low action means you can't wail on the strings without getting buzzing, but if you play gently there is no buzzing. It doesn't keep tune super well from session to session or when you bend strings around. But I can live with that, and it's part of it's personality. It's kind of a barometer. If the G-string's flat, expect rain!

Even though this was one of Taylor's cheapest offerings that year (they've since introduced a cheaper model), its really cleanly built. In fact, the build is a bit cleaner than a much more expensive custom guitar I have. It's very sturdy, and would probably make a very reliable working instrument. I've dropped it flat on the floor while trying to prevent my 2 yr old son from playing kamakazee, and it didn't care. The plastic bindings give the corners of the guitar extra protection. I'm going to have that `tusque' nut and saddle replaced with bone some day. I think the pinless bridge is great. Easier to replace strings. The premium case is a real asset if you travel with the guitar.

Haven't dealt with them, but they've got a very good reputation.

Been playing guitar 3 years. Oh, do I get to brag about my stuff? I've got a great Webber OM(warm, rich), a couple of MJ electrics (love 'em!), a Hamer, and Ibanez Lawsuit 175, and other stuff that comes and goes. Yes, I would buy THIS PARTICULAR 422-m again, but not any one off-the-rack. I got it because it is so nice to play. This was my very first guitar , so easy playing was a high priority. And it had a sense of quality for the price. And it is so pretty.