Taylor Guitars 422-R

Made in 1996, Satin Finish (which I have always preferred), easily fits in overhed on any jet (hand to say the least) Outstanding sound for a small bodied guitar. Pinless bridge, Fishman active matrix pre-amp with eq installed after purchase gives lots of flexibility with the travel convenience, playability, and sound of this guitar.

I mostly play fingerstyle at worship gatherings and the 422 sounds super, weather amplified or not (for larger gatherings I use a California Blone with the Blonde on Blond powered speaker)

Perfect

It plays super live, has lasted me extreemly well for these last 4 years, I have taken it traveling on several occasions to play various worship gatherings, weddings, funerals etc and it has stood up very well to the climate changes and is very handy to take wtih due to its compact size, the quitar still looks and acts perfectly brand new

Never had to deal with them

I added the preamp so I could use it to play in different parts of the country when I found how well it travels. Now I find myself using it pretty regularly for at home as well since it sounds so great and is easier to hold on to than my larger bodied Goodall

1997 Limited edition grand concert size, all solid wood spruce top and rosewood back and sides. Understated beauty with satin finish, white binding on the body and fingerboard and pinless bridge.

Powerful sound and surprising bass for such a small guitar. I was looking for something in between a dread and a palor guitar and this suits the bill perfectly.

I bought this used (7 years old) and the action and finish are great. Sure , by now the guitar has a few dings in it but I consdier this character. Plays smooth and easy although I find my other Taylor just a little easier to play.

Seems very solid. Like I said, 7 years old, obvioulsy played alot, and still solid.

Have not tested it

I bought this used off Ebay as a replacement for my Larrivee Parlor. I was looking for a small guitar with more bottom end than the parlor and this is just what I wanted. I also wanted somthing that I could toss in a gigbag and carry up a mountain if necessary. Being used and satin finished, I won't fret over every possible scratch. This is a wroking man's guitar.
A very nice complement to my Taylor 314-k which has a shimmery sound. The 422-R is darker and complex. Don't let the small body fool you. This guitar is powerful enough to stand out in a crowd. To find a rosewood Taylor GC for $800 truly is a fantastic value.

Made in 1996 in Taylor's San diego-area factory, this model is satin-finished throughout, with solid Sitka spruce top and solid Indian rosewood back (not quartersawn or bookmatched) and sides. Standard 14-fret-clear-of -the-body Grand Concert (analogous to Martin's 000) size. No cutaway or onboard electronics, the guitar nonetheless came pre-drilled for an endpin jack and saddle pickup. (More about that later). Bridge (rosewood) is pinless, which makes string-changing a relative breeze. Neck (relatively thin) is unbound solid mahogany, body and soundhole bound in standard b/w plastic. Pickguard is black plastic in Taylor's signature baroque shape. Peghead rosewood veneer with Taylor logo inlaid in pearl. Plain pearl dots on average-width rosewood fretboard. Wood is visually unexciting--no bearclaws in spruce, no interesting figures in rosewood, but no blemishes, either. Standard sealed chrome-finish Grover non-locking tuners. Came with black mokded SKB case.

My style varies from straight folkie Travis-fingerpicking to Joni/Ani plucking to Carter-style flatpicking to hard strumming. This guitar works beautifully for all but the latter; for the latter it works perfectly adequately, certainly far better than any other small-bodied guitar (Martin 000, Gibson LG-0, Larrivee Parlor) I've owned. I bought this in 1999 and played it only unamplified (in class, at parties) or close-miked onstage. For plugging in, I always used my larger guitars (and later my Martin 000-16GTCE, which I just sold in disgust). Recently, I realized I am a rosewood-a-holic, and traded said smaller Martin and Taylor 614CE in on an 814CE-Ltd I felt comfy doing major gigs with (my 1979 Martin M-36 no longer leaves the house). I realized I loved the Taylor rosewood sound--unplugged AND plugged--so much that I decided to drop a pickup in this puppy so I could fly to gigs with it--it's 1/3 the price of the 814 and fits in just about any airplane overhead bin. So I put in a Schertler Bluestick and am utterly floored by what I can do with the guitar now. It has always projected far better than its size would indicate--and now it sustains nearly as well as its big brother. Yes, all I have is a volume control (tucked inside the soundhole), but that's all I need unless I am nowhere near the board--and in that case a Fishman ProEQ Platinum or Baggs Para-Acoustic DI will carry the day. (When I bring my own PA I forego the stomp boxes and just use a Centaur 60W Acoustic vocal/guitar combo amp--with reverb and built-in active/passive and bass boost/cut switches on the guitar channel). Good strong yet balanced bass (albeit without the solid boom I get from my 814 or M-36). But where the 422R really shines is the clarity, warmth, and individual string definition I get on inside chords up the neck. No mushiness at all! This is truly an ideal guitar for a modern-style (singer/songwriter as opposed to trad. folk) fingerpicker, plucker, and moderate, palm-muted strummer. I don't do open tunings (haven't since my Joni fixation way back in the late '60s), but I'm sure the 422R would excel there too. Too bad the newer 400 series is the 412--with rosewood replaced by ovangkol.

I bought this very, very lightly used. The action was always low and buttery, but the intonation was slightly off-kilter. I didn't mind, since I rarely gigged with it. Recently, when I had the aforementioned pickup installed, I had the action checked and intonation adjusted. Wow! Holds its tuning beautifully. There is nothing visually arresting about this guitar but nothing about it screams "budget" either (even the satin finish is far classier than the equivalent Martin or Larrivee). All frets cleanly finished; no knotholes or grain irregularities (hallmark of Seagull, e.g.). Tuners work well, no gear slippage or undue friction; no loose braces. Came strung with Elixir Polyweb lights; first string change I switched to D'Addario Phosphor Bronze lights and have now been using D'Addario EXP (coated wrap-wire) Phos. Bronze lights, which sound new without being jangly and don't "fuzz" up like the Elixir Polywebs (haven't tried Nanowebs on this one, but they're behaving quite nicely on my 814, which has now gone 2 recording sessions and 4 gigs on the same set of strings--an eternity for me). Only reason this category doesn't get a 10 is the subdued appearance.

This guitar has seen many picnics, classes, and open mics and shows no sign of wear. Have never had any onstage tuning problems. Hardware promises to be like the Energizer bunny. On my new CD this will do all the fingerpicking/plucking duty, and will probably be my gigging guitar for distant dates to which I must fly rather than drive. Neck-heel strap button is solid; the regular end-block one was, and I expect the new endpin jack (that cool anodized aluminum Schertler blue) to be the same. For in-town gigs, I might use it either as the 814's backup or back it up with the 814 (or the M-36 if closely guarded) for heavier acoustic rock strum duty. One more word about the case: a few years back, I wasn't paying attention as I descended my deck steps and missed the last one, taking quite a tumble. The guitar--in its molded case--hit the ground first and I (a plus-size lady) landed on top of it. The case had a slight scuff from the concrete, as did my knee. The guitar--and the rest of the case--came through unscathed.

Taylor has been a rock. They have answered all my idiotic semi-newbie questions (I'd strayed into the world of rock bass for over a decade and forgot much of my acoustic knowledge) and have marvelous online libraries (downloadable) for all aspects of guitar care. Warranty is of course lifetime. My luthiers--owner Terry Straker, Kaleef, Frank, Kenny--of Guitar Works in Evanston, IL, are also terrific, skillful, and knowledgeable.

I have been playing 36 years, 23 of them professionally. I also own: Martin M-36, Taylor 814CE-Ltd, Gibson LG-0, Larrivee Parlor acoustics (and am permanently babysitting my sister's Martin D12-18 and son's Simon & Patrick DR-2Pro); Blue Lion Model I and IIW, McSpadden M-12W, baritone, and soprano, and Black Mt. 58 deluxe and Ellorree Solidbody Electric mt. dulcimers; Saga frailing banjo (built from a kit); ChromAHarp and Oscar Schmidt Berkshire autoharps; Fender Precision (customized to a P-J) and Peavey Fretless electric basses; and Fender Mustang solidbody and Danelectro 2-pickup single-cutaway electrics. Using Centaur 60W acoustic/voacl combo amp for acoustic instruments, Shure Beta 58 and Audix OM-5 vocal mics, EV single 15" cabinet (mic with an EV N-Dym 85) and Gallien-Krueger RB-400 head for bass, and Tapco 16-ch board and Crown power amp for band (homemade monitors, rent speakers). I chose this guitar because I always wanted a Taylor and was getting back into performing--wanted a good guitar of higher quality than my Gibson LG-0 and not as irreplaceable as my Martin M-36. Little did I know this one was no longer being made either. If this were stolen or lost, I would probably put a contract out on the perp (just kidding...or am I?). More than likely, would not try to replace it--there's no equivalent (well, maybe a Larrivee L-body or Froggy Bottom--but the latter is 4X the price).

Made in 1996 in Taylor's San diego-area factory, this model is satin-finished throughout, with solid Sitka spruce top and solid Indian rosewood back (not quartersawn or bookmatched) and sides. Standard 14-fret-clear-of -the-body Grand Concert (analogous to Martin's 000) size. No cutaway or onboard electronics, the guitar nonetheless came pre-drilled for an endpin jack and saddle pickup. (More about that later). Bridge (rosewood) is pinless, which makes string-changing a relative breeze. Neck (relatively thin) is unbound solid mahogany, body and soundhole bound in standard b/w plastic. Pickguard is black plastic in Taylor's signature baroque shape. Peghead rosewood veneer with Taylor logo inlaid in pearl. Plain pearl dots on average-width rosewood fretboard. Wood is visually unexciting--no bearclaws in spruce, no interesting figures in rosewood, but no blemishes, either. Standard sealed chrome-finish Grover non-locking tuners. Came with black mokded SKB case.

My style varies from straight folkie Travis-fingerpicking to Joni/Ani plucking to Carter-style flatpicking to hard strumming. This guitar works beautifully for all but the latter; for the latter it works perfectly adequately, certainly far better than any other small-bodied guitar (Martin 000, Gibson LG-0, Larrivee Parlor) I've owned. I bought this in 1999 and played it only unamplified (in class, at parties) or close-miked onstage. For plugging in, I always used my larger guitars (and later my Martin 000-16GTCE, which I just sold in disgust). Recently, I realized I am a rosewood-a-holic, and traded said smaller Martin and Taylor 614CE in on an 814CE-Ltd I felt comfy doing major gigs with (my 1979 Martin M-36 no longer leaves the house). I realized I loved the Taylor rosewood sound--unplugged AND plugged--so much that I decided to drop a pickup in this puppy so I could fly to gigs with it--it's 1/3 the price of the 814 and fits in just about any airplane overhead bin. So I put in a Schertler Bluestick and am utterly floored by what I can do with the guitar now. It has always projected far better than its size would indicate--and now it sustains nearly as well as its big brother. Yes, all I have is a volume control (tucked inside the soundhole), but that's all I need unless I am nowhere near the board--and in that case a Fishman ProEQ Platinum or Baggs Para-Acoustic DI will carry the day. (When I bring my own PA I forego the stomp boxes and just use a Centaur 60W Acoustic vocal/guitar combo amp--with reverb and built-in active/passive and bass boost/cut switches on the guitar channel). Good strong yet balanced bass (albeit without the solid boom I get from my 814 or M-36). But where the 422R really shines is the clarity, warmth, and individual string definition I get on inside chords up the neck. No mushiness at all! This is truly an ideal guitar for a modern-style (singer/songwriter as opposed to trad. folk) fingerpicker, plucker, and moderate, palm-muted strummer. I don't do open tunings (haven't since my Joni fixation way back in the late '60s), but I'm sure the 422R would excel there too. Too bad the newer 400 series is the 412--with rosewood replaced by ovangkol.

I bought this very, very lightly used. The action was always low and buttery, but the intonation was slightly off-kilter. I didn't mind, since I rarely gigged with it. Recently, when I had the aforementioned pickup installed, I had the action checked and intonation adjusted. Wow! Holds its tuning beautifully. There is nothing visually arresting about this guitar but nothing about it screams "budget" either (even the satin finish is far classier than the equivalent Martin or Larrivee). All frets cleanly finished; no knotholes or grain irregularities (hallmark of Seagull, e.g.). Tuners work well, no gear slippage or undue friction; no loose braces. Came strung with Elixir Polyweb lights; first string change I switched to D'Addario Phosphor Bronze lights and have now been using D'Addario EXP (coated wrap-wire) Phos. Bronze lights, which sound new without being jangly and don't "fuzz" up like the Elixir Polywebs (haven't tried Nanowebs on this one, but they're behaving quite nicely on my 814, which has now gone 2 recording sessions and 4 gigs on the same set of strings--an eternity for me). Only reason this category doesn't get a 10 is the subdued appearance.

This guitar has seen many picnics, classes, and open mics and shows no sign of wear. Have never had any onstage tuning problems. Hardware promises to be like the Energizer bunny. On my new CD this will do all the fingerpicking/plucking duty, and will probably be my gigging guitar for distant dates to which I must fly rather than drive. Neck-heel strap button is solid; the regular end-block one was, and I expect the new endpin jack (that cool anodized aluminum Schertler blue) to be the same. For in-town gigs, I might use it either as the 814's backup or back it up with the 814 (or the M-36 if closely guarded) for heavier acoustic rock strum duty. One more word about the case: a few years back, I wasn't paying attention as I descended my deck steps and missed the last one, taking quite a tumble. The guitar--in its molded case--hit the ground first and I (a plus-size lady) landed on top of it. The case had a slight scuff from the concrete, as did my knee. The guitar--and the rest of the case--came through unscathed.

Taylor has been a rock. They have answered all my idiotic semi-newbie questions (I'd strayed into the world of rock bass for over a decade and forgot much of my acoustic knowledge) and have marvelous online libraries (downloadable) for all aspects of guitar care. Warranty is of course lifetime. My luthiers--owner Terry Straker, Kaleef, Frank, Kenny--of Guitar Works in Evanston, IL, are also terrific, skillful, and knowledgeable.

I have been playing 36 years, 23 of them professionally. I also own: Martin M-36, Taylor 814CE-Ltd, Gibson LG-0, Larrivee Parlor acoustics (and am permanently babysitting my sister's Martin D12-18 and son's Simon & Patrick DR-2Pro); Blue Lion Model I and IIW, McSpadden M-12W, baritone, and soprano, and Black Mt. 58 deluxe and Ellorree Solidbody Electric mt. dulcimers; Saga frailing banjo (built from a kit); ChromAHarp and Oscar Schmidt Berkshire autoharps; Fender Precision (customized to a P-J) and Peavey Fretless electric basses; and Fender Mustang solidbody and Danelectro 2-pickup single-cutaway electrics. Using Centaur 60W acoustic/voacl combo amp for acoustic instruments, Shure Beta 58 and Audix OM-5 vocal mics, EV single 15" cabinet (mic with an EV N-Dym 85) and Gallien-Krueger RB-400 head for bass, and Tapco 16-ch board and Crown power amp for band (homemade monitors, rent speakers). I chose this guitar because I always wanted a Taylor and was getting back into performing--wanted a good guitar of higher quality than my Gibson LG-0 and not as irreplaceable as my Martin M-36. Little did I know this one was no longer being made either. If this were stolen or lost, I would probably put a contract out on the perp (just kidding...or am I?). More than likely, would not try to replace it--there's no equivalent (well, maybe a Larrivee L-body or Froggy Bottom--but the latter is 4X the price).

USA Made (El Cajon, CA),1997, solid sitka spruce top, solid Indian Rosewood sides and back, ebony fb with dot inlays. Both body and fb are bound. Back has pinstripe down the middle. This is Taylor's 400 series, which means the bridge is the slide thru slot type (not pin type), and the guit is completely satin finished. Now Taylor uses a gloss finish for the tops on their 400 line, but I'm happy with mine without it. This particular guitar is a limited edition of the 400 series: rosewood is used instead of mahogany and the body and neck are bound (nice touch). The body type of my guitar is the Grand Concert type. Tuners are grover. Case (skb injection molded), lifetime warr. and adjustment tool is included.

My acoustic sound is fairly gentile and warm, akin to James Taylor, Don McLean, Jim Croche, G. Lightfoot etc. What mainly attracted me to this guitar was it's rosewood construction and its affordable price (esp. for an all USA handmade instrument). I've had this guitar for over a year now, and I am still stunned by how beautiful it sounds (and smells, for that matter). Although this is Taylor's "budget" model, it sure doesnt sound like it. Simply outstanding sounding.

Action was almost perfect, but was perfected in the shop before it was turned over to me (and halfway decent guitar shop will incude a free setup...i dont think its fair to judge setup on a new guitar anyway...not only is it personal preference, but it can be easily changed). Guitar had no flaws (that I could detect), and the grain int he rosewood is very pretty.

After the 1st year of ownership, the guitar developed horrible fretbuzz. I don't think this developed out of my own neglegence, but it very well may have. I took it back to the shop where i purchased it from, and was told they would do everything the could to keep me from paying anything to fix it. Well, one of their former employees now works for Taylor, and he came up to help out the shop for a few days while the owner was on vacation (the Taylor Factory is about 1 hour away or so from the store). He took it back with him, and broght it back to me with better playability than it ever had! And although fret trouble wasn't covered under the warranty, it was taken care of for me anyway. The frets were redone, the neck refinished, the binding was trimmed a bit: I got it back in about a week. This catgory gets a 10 just because Taylor customer service is perhaps the best on the planet (and perhaps the universe).

As I said before, the best on earth (but i guess it helps when you live an hour away from the factory, and attend school 20 mins away from it)

I've been playing acoustic guitar since I was 9, and electric since I was 13. I am, by far, no expert of the fretboard (I am still in the process of understanding scales and theory). I tried many guitars before I bought this one: mainly Martin. I chose Taylor simply because they offered me a much better guitar with what I could afford. My next acoustic will definately be a Taylor (well, maybe a Goodall, if I win the lotto or something)