Taylor Guitars 610

1987 model 610. Bought used 1,000 US$. Had some previuus repair issues,elongated bridge pin holes(I had to go oversized) and a cracked bridge truss,but other than that it was still a keeper!The seller wasn't aware of the internal condition and refused a refund but I'm glad to have rescued it!

OMG!!!Just like in the movies...This box has really opened up.Came with a bone saddle. I Installed wood pins.I use Martin Studio SP bosphor bronze strings cause I change em when they need it and I won't hesitate to spend "lunch money" to always ensure a loving sound.I also have found the use of a pre-banned elephant ivory pick to really bring out the driving force.Plastic picks SUCK on fine acoustics.I also have collected other exotic picks form every type of material imagineable,and each one brings forth a new sound from this wood!Scrap the plastic picks and you WILL believe.

She's been heavily played in bars(I would like to have a woman smell a guitar soundhole -they have incredible noses and could probably identify every scent burried inside!)First three frest show wear.But no buzzing anywhere.

Hope to keep it till I take a dirt nap,and it stays on my bedroom wall for good!(she's confined to a secure home).

Playing for 2 years very often,with a Big Baby as my first, a 214 as second for finger picking,and the 610 for cut-through the mix rock.They all sound superb recorded with Neumann KM184's in XY pattern about 2-3 feet out,run through a BBE 882 and straight on to tape.Doesn't even need FX.Will consider suicide if stolen.Would not enev contemplate murder if I found the culprit.Hey these are our GUITARS,not our women!

My 610 was made in 94 or 95 in Santee, I believe. No cutaway, passive pickup under the bridge, mahogany neck, big leaf maple sides and back, solid spruce top, gold grovers. Paid $1600 used. Worth twice that.

I have played mostly utility grade guitars (as Gruhn would say) and owned vintage 50's Gibsons and Martins, but decided to try Taylors when I began to notice so many of them being played at concerts. Good action, nice tone and playability, nice workmanship, ya-da ya-da ya-da. Then, I was offered this 610 to try. Head and shoulders above anything I have played in the last 35 years. This guitar absolutely RINGS. I've been told they are popular with recording engineers; well, they're popular with somebody, because I can't find another one to buy and I've been looking for over a year now.

Nice action, good fit and finish, no visible flaws to speak of. The original case hardware is flimsy. Two of the latches have been broken off by just normal use. Hello, J-B Weld!

I have gigged only in church with this guitar but, hey, it's an acoustic. I only fingerpick, so I don't break strings. If I don't drop it, everything works out great.

Very helpful people at Taylor. They are interested in developing solid brand loyalty, and they have made a believer out of me. Free subscription to Wood n Steel, free videotapes, good, prompt technical advice, etc.

I've played since '63; I currently own a '96 Taylor 510 and a '60 Gibson Melody Maker; I've owned good guitars and junk. The good guitars get played, the junk just gets older. My Taylors are starting to show significant play wear, and I'm very easy on my gear. That tells me they sound good, play right, and entice me to pick them up quite often. If you see guitars that are 40 years old and look like they've never been played, they either have problems or some "collector" owns them. I'm always looking for the ultimate axe, and I'm amazed at the tone and playability of the laminate utility instruments on the market today, but I've yet to find another guitar that rings like the 610. If I do find another one, I'll buy it.

This guitar has a great Spruce top (no figuring visible...Then again spruce is rarely if ever figured) and maple back and sides. It is a dreadnaught body style with no cutaways. I have no electronics on the guitar at all.

Gold grover tuners, ebony bridge and fretboard, maple neck, rosewood layer over headstock with mother of pearl inlays. Finish is a beautiful sunburst with multiple white/black binding. The sunburst effect on this guitar really must be seen to be appreciated. It is flawless and it fades in and out around the edges. Beautiful sections of golden colored maple are visible all around the edges.

Abalone inlay around the soundhole of the guitar. Even the bridge pins are made of ebony.

Fit and finish on the guitar is perfect, no defects or flaws. It comes with a Taylor hard case which has to be the best case on the market today. It is big and sturdy and does a great job of protecting the guitar.

This guitar is an acoustic with all that I need. (I don't like the electronics, but more on that later...) The case was a really pleasant suprise, therefore the rating of 10.

Let me begin by saying that I played DOZENS of acoustics before buying this one. I went to the guitar superstores (mars, guitar center, etc...) and played every single guitar they had, no matter how expensive it was. I spent 2 hours in one Mars store with a chair right in front of the wall playing all their acoustics and getting a good idea of the tone on each. I immediately picked up a standard Martin 28 dreadnaught and played it. It was a gorgeous acoustic sound that was EXACTLY what I was looking for.

I played the Gibsons, and only the dove model acoustic sounded close to what I wanted.

Then I played the Taylors. I was really blown away by how much more solid the Taylor guitars felt over the Martins, and by how much more sustain they had. I also started to dig the Elixir strings they use from the factory.

I then went to smaller mom 'n' pops shops around virginia, finally landing at Stringfellows in Lynchburg. There I played all their Taylors on the shelf and it confirmed for me that all of them were very well built, but I couldn't find the sound I was looking for.

I should mention that all the Taylors I had tried to this point had been Grand Auditorium style bodies with cutaways and electronics. The smaller body style, thinner strings and the cutaways on these guitars robbed them of great tone.

When I told the manager what I was looking for, he started to pull out the REAL stuff.

He went to the back and came out with Huss & Dalton guitars, custom Martin guitars, and a couple of other botique brands that are so small that they only produce a few guitars a month. Some of these guitars STARTED at $3,000.00 and went up to far more than my CAR cost.

I played them all and found that I really liked one of the small botique brands. (I think it was Roberts...) I told him that I really wanted a full size dreadnaught, no cutaways, no fancy stuff, cause they had the best tone, but I wasn't really crazy about paying the 5 grand that particular guitar cost.

Then he ran to the back again and came back with this Taylor 610. Not cutaways, no electronics, just a normal dreadnaught guitar. I played it, and bubba it was over. This guitar just lit up the store.

The notes sang out and just kept ringing. The tone was clear and loud enough to carry over the electrics being tried out in the store. It was a little brighter than the Martin that was my benchmark, and the sound would break up a bit if you hit the strings to hard, but I knew that it would be exactly what I needed to play at my Church.

I play in front of a normal mic with no tricks, so I knew I needed a brighter tone than the Martin that I loved to be able to cut through the other instruments. I decided to go ahead and buy the guitar.

I left about 4 hours after I got there with the Taylor. I have owned it since Dec. of last year and have been pleasantly suprised to find that the tone has sweetened on the guitar considerably. It now sounds BETTER than the Martin I fell in love with.

The sound is full and rich, and yet still bright enough to be heard in a fairly large sanctuary without even a mic. I only need the mic when the congregation sings.

The sound gets more mellow when you play with your fingers, but the notes still ring out true and are easily heard. You can even dramatically vary your tone by even slight position changes of where you play the string. Play a bit above the sound hole, and there is this dreamy bell like tone that comes out. Play at the other end near the bridge, and a thinner tone comes through.

Play it softly and each note of the chords are distinguishable, but they blend smoothly. Play harder and each of them ring out more forcedully, but they still blend together.

The notes that are played just seem to go on forever, especially on open strings. Others who play it are blown away by how the guitar's sound just seems to leap out of it, even when playing softly.

I am not very good at harmonics, but this guitar will do them with gr

The finish of the guitar was perfect. Action is fine, but those .013 strings are tough to use at first when you are used to a Strat with 0.010's.

Definately keep using Elixir strings on these guitars. Elixirs are the best acoustic strings out there.

The guitar feels very solid and has quality parts. (Grover tuners, solid maple neck, etc...)

You can't beat on it, but if you don't play Curt Cobain with it, it should last you a lifetime.

I will say that this guitar is picky about temperature and humidity. Keep it in a place whose temperature stays fairly constant, and keep a soundhole humidifier in it, and you will have no problems. Otherwise the neck will start bowing on you.

Just remember that this is an acoustic...They are more delicate than a solid body Strat. Take care of it and you will be fine.

My guitar came with no pickguard and I couldn't decide which one I wanted. Taylor sent me all 3 of the pickguards they use and even gave me the name of a tech to talk to when I was ready to put one on.

I decided not to do it because I love the way it looks now, but that indicates to me a company that wants its customers happy.

The sound is fabulous, the guitar is very well made, the case is huge and protective (perfect), and the company seems to really value customers and puts a lot of effort into getting it right. Overall Taylor is the best acoustic company out there.

I only put a 9 here cause I think the price was too steep. Taylor tries to build in "dealer profitability" as they call it, which is why you don't see Taylor prices advertised on the internet. In fact, places like Mars carry Taylors in their stores but don't even list them on their website.

I think there is too much markup on their stuff, but their stuff is better than anything else I have tried out there, so I don't mind too much.

If this thing was stolen/lost/destroyed I would probably beat the person who stole/lost/destroyed it until they needed an extended stay in the Intensive Care unit. Then I would take their money and go buy another one.

This thing is that good.

This Taylor 610 was build in 1995. It is a very nice looking dreadnought, all solid wood: beautiful sitka spruce top, spectacular Big Maple back and sides.
Had a Fishman Natural I matrix pickup installed under the bridge.
Mahogany neck, high gloss finish.
Gold Grover tuners. Bought it without the orginal case (unfortunately not available.

The sound is big an bright with nice, not to boomy bases.
I use it with a Marshall AS100D amp. Sounds great!
Can be played very softly or real loud.
Very, very nice sound! Best of all Taylors I have.

Setup was great! Low action.
Only thing is a dark spot in the backside.

Very decently build guitar.

Always friendly and willing to give information.

I bought the guitar five months ago. It was brandnew then. If it were stolen or lost I would buy the same one again or a 610 CE since the 610 is no longer available.
Love this guitar. Nice to play, feels good, sounds great, looks fine. Better then my Taylor 710, my 420 MA comes close. I am told this guitar ages very well. Keeps sounding better and better!!

1996 dreadnaught, maple rims and back (great quilt and 3 piece back), spruce top, all solid wood. Solid mahogany neck, headstock with wings on side top with ebony face. Nice inlays on neck and Taylor logol. Retrofitted with Fishman "Natural" Matrix active Piezo PU. Gold Grovers. Taylor "thin" neck. Its an acosutic, no features.

Very bright and punchy. Well suited when amped and cuts thru mix well. Not a deap dark sound like Rwood or rounded like mahog. Maple is crisp, clean and very little overtones. Sound best amped, but does a decent job acousticly also. But it ain't no Rwood Martin D28.

Had to redo action after the piezo was installed to compensate for the height change. The result is the guitar sounded not as good after the piezo was installed under the saddle acosuticly. This seems to happen to all acoustics after a undersaddle PU has been installed from my exper. Fit and finish is top knotched from Taylor.

I don't care what Taylor says about their guitars being not tempermental to climate changes as compared to others. I've had a Martin D28 for yrs and it is not effected as easily by climate changes as my two Taylors seems to be. Heard that Taylor frets wear out quick but if the 2 yrs I've been playing there is min wear on the frets. I've gig with with guitar and it has held up well. I have anyother Taylor I use also (514C).

Nothing better.

Nice guitar that cuts thru the mix well, but not really a bluegrass pickers 1st choice.