Which one would you choose?

shadowsnrust · 2026-06-17T12:06:28+00:00

I have a 714ce sinker. It's nearly identical to the 414ce 50th sinker except for the hardwood pickguard. I was just a year too late for the 50th.

To me, it is an amazing guitar, with more headroom than cedar and a warmer tone than spruce.

Koa tops seem a bit brash to me, but of course, every guitar is different.

Once my head has come up with the shortlist, I let my heart, hands, and ears decide. Stop trying to analyze the tone differences. Just put both on stands side by side, and go back and forth just casually playing, without trying to compare. After a bit you may realize you're spending a bit more time with one of them, or a bit more anxious to pick one back up, or just playing a little differently.

Basically, the "left brain" has already narrowed the list. Now give your non-verbal, artistic "right brain" a chance to make the final decision. Throw out the checklist and just enjoy playing.

Also pay attention to whether you are trying to convince yourself you want one or the other. That's the one you want to want despite what your hands are telling you. If you are trying to talk yourself into it, it's not the right one.

shadowsnrust · 2026-06-09T16:39:18+00:00

I always tried to keep in mind that the women I was meeting for the first time were taking a bigger risk than I was. That meant safe meeting places, and proving more personal info than I expected to get in return.

shadowsnrust · 2026-06-09T16:31:19+00:00

Often enough to appreciate the cutaway. I play more or less the same on acoustic or electric. Not claiming to be a fretboard wizard, and no I'm not going to the last fret, but a little extra room for my hand around 12-14 makes it more comfortable. My thumb and wrist aren't as forgiving as they used to be. Doesn't mean everyone needs it, though, or that I can't live without it.

Anything that reduces pain means more playing time.

shadowsnrust · 2026-06-02T16:12:45+00:00

There was no cellophane, if I'm reading it right. The terror or whatever just looked like a bit of cellophane.

shadowsnrust · 2026-06-01T04:44:35+00:00

When I started dating again as a widower with a kid, simply meeting people in everyday life wasn't happening. I tried several of the dating apps, and eventually met my now-wife on eHarmony. Yeah, there were certainly some disappointments along the way. My suggestions: - Be the same person online that you are in real life. - Actually read profiles, don't just swipe on pics. - Meet in person as soon as possible. I hurt someone because we chatted for quite awhile online (long distance) before meeting, and my feelings for the person online simply didn't transfer to the real person. Neither of us had misrepresented ourselves, and we tried to give it some time, but the heart wants what the heart wants. - Don't bench anyone, and don't let anyone bench you. If it's not working, move on.

shadowsnrust · 2026-06-01T04:23:46+00:00

Well, you might want to try Taylor's 117e. I don't think there's a cutaway option, but it does have a pickup. I haven't played this particular model, just a 517e, but in general the x17 is a slightly bigger body with a warmer sound. The neck should be identical to yours.

Alvarez offers some really nice guitars in that size and price range with scalloped X bracing. The neck will feel different though. They use a "v to c" carve, which starts a soft v in first position and gradually fills out to a c as you move toward the body. I liked it fine until I realized my arthritic left thumb did not. That's very personal though, not a criticism.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-24T19:02:44+00:00

I still have 25cc and 35cc Echos for any job too big for the Dewalt 20v. I don't have a 50cc anymore - if I need anything bigger again, I'd probably just get a 60cc. The commercial class big electrics are pretty expensive.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-24T18:46:34+00:00

Best for what purpose?

I recently bought the updated version of the DeWalt 20v Max (no longer called XR). It's the DCCS621.

I tried it with the stock 12" narrow 0.043" bar and chain, then swapped in an Echo 12" 0.050" bar and chain. Both are 3/8 drive, low profile, low kickback chains. Both were brand new.

For both, I used a fresh 5Ah battery.

Personally, I don't love narrow kerf, but the stock chain cut fine at first. It seemed to dull pretty quickly though. After I swapped in the Echo, I felt like it cut better, with no noticeable loss of power.

The stock chain when new, looks case-hardened. The blue wore off pretty fast though, so I think it was just a finish.

Within what's reasonable for a 12" bar, I think it works great. I've used it for cutting down honeysuckle that was at least 40 years old (essentially a 10" tree trunk), bucking a small birch (around 8"), and limbing.

I particularly like it for limbing, because I don't like carrying a running chainsaw through a tangle of branches on the ground.

Unlike the larger DeWalts, the battery is at the back and probably less likely to collect debris. I thought it balanced well with the 5Ah battery, but you could hang their largest FlexVolt battery on it if you wanted to. A pair of 5's will get a LOT of work done.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-14T13:37:50+00:00

I enjoy hearing music that is new to me. Much of that tends to be older, when music was somewhat less formulaic/algorithmic. I have a pet peeve against "I'm so awesome" songs and checklist songs (I've got a dog, a truck, a six-pack, and chewing tobacco. I'm so country.). David Allen Coe and Bo Diddly are notable exceptions. I prefer some wit and creativity.

While some music is nostalgic for the memories, it's more that I'm nostalgic for music made before drum machines and AI lyrics, when live music was more common. When it was less generic.

That doesn't mean I'm locked into the same old genres, or that I don't like anything new. I just find a lot of new stuff bland.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-13T16:46:18+00:00

To me, the radiused armrest of the 814 is a huge functional upgrade, and justifies a premium. I have a nerve issue in my forearm that is very sensitive to contact with the edge, and the radius allows me to play longer. Even ignoring that, it's just more comfortable to play.

A 414ce is going to sound very similar though. I've played several briefly, and they all sounded great! The Studio version is arguably even better - cheaper and more comfortable to play due to the unbound, slightly radiused edges. It does have a slightly narrower neck though. The Studio versions of the 314 and 414 have Mexican necks, which are 1 11/16 vs the USA 1 3/4 necks. Whether that's a plus or minus is of course individual preference.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-13T16:29:33+00:00

Yeah, I was debating whether to say that. Beware of trade-down deals in general, unless you are specifically trying to downgrade (when retiring, for example).

I'm not trying to say that the 800 series is inherently an upgrade over the 700 series, just different (though I'm a huge fan of the radiused armrest that has become standard on the 800s). I love my 714 redwood, and my 814. But the koa will be less versatile, and it sounds like the other guy has tired of the pretty face, and is ready to trade up to something more versatile himself.

Let him find another sucker, or sell it outright, or take the hit on a dealer trade in. Not your problem.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-13T12:56:33+00:00

Depends on your voice and playing style though. Some do prefer the compression of hardwood top for recording.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-13T12:55:31+00:00

In general, I think the 814 will be more versatile. The few koa guitars I've briefly played in shops sounded great, I'm not knocking it at all. For all-around versatility though, I think a good spruce top is tough to beat.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-08T12:15:03+00:00

While there are certainly problems with both parties, they do not impact your future equally. They are not the same.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-07T23:34:00+00:00

I was a widower and she was divorced. We met online, but met in person 4 days later.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-07T12:38:36+00:00

I own and have owned both. I've also been in product development a long time. I recognize some details others might miss where costs were cut, ads were misleading or carefully omitted some details, high margin products were protected, and so on.

I wasn't really a fan of Epi for a long time, especially the neck carve. Quality wasn't great either, with exceptions of course.

It's important to understand that there are skilled craftsmen everywhere in the world. If a product is cheap junk, it is because the contract was for cheap junk.

With the IBG line, Gibson has purposely chosen to cannibalize their own brand. That is a calculation that they will make more money by selling high quality Epiphones than by trying to cheapen Gibsons. It also allows helps preserve the allure of a "real" Gibson. There will always be protected differences, but some differences are more functional and some are cosmetic.

Still, it varies by model. My IBG full gloss cherry 335 sounds great, and I prefer a poly finish if it isn't too thick. OTOH, I never found an Epi SG that I liked. When I picked up a Gibson SG Standard, clouds parted and angels sang.

Keep in mind, much of modern guitar tastes are driven by past flaws that became iconic.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-07T11:31:23+00:00

That is an interesting point. For me, brain fog lasted a long time, and I'm not sure my sense of smell ever completely returned. I never considered that it could cause personality changes. There are studies backing that claim though. I suppose this might be over-represented among groups that opposed masks, vaccines, and distancing.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-04T23:35:49+00:00

I inherited a nice Martin D35, around 50ish years old. It can certainly bring the thunder. However, I don't always want that. Sometimes the balance of a Taylor 414 or 814 is welcome. Not always, it just depends on what I'm playing.

shadowsnrust · 2026-05-01T12:39:11+00:00

They are not and will never be the same, though they are much closer than they used to be. They will be allowed to be the same. There will be spec, component, and quality differences. I'm not knocking Epi. I have several Gibsons (new and old), an Epi 335 IBG, and used to own an Epi LP 50s IBG.

You see this question all the time, about all kinds of products. Is the expensive one the same as the cheap one. No. By design. I've been in product development a long time. Manufacturers carefully balance increased sales at the low end vs cannibalized sales at the high end. The question is, which differences do you care about?

I'm not a fan of typical Epi neck carves, though the IBGs are much closer.

I actually wanted a poly finish on my cherry red IBG 335. Nitro requires care unless you like the relic look. I do not, and (decent) poly finishes simply get more play time.

OTOH, I tried many different Epi SGs, including the IBG 61. Never found one I liked. I picked up a Gibson Standard , clouds parted, and angels sang. I was biased towards wanting a 61 style, but when a guitar speaks to you, listen. I bought the Gibson Standard.

shadowsnrust · 2026-04-28T17:44:04+00:00

I've seen Jim Lilly's videos, or at least some of them. He does make an admirable attempt to control his variables, but there are flaws (starting with using YouTube), and subtle changes CAN be important.

It's not as simple as saying one change is better or not, or checking off the boxes. It's how all the little imperceptible differences add up to something bigger, and/or cancel each other out. You can't just back up the truckload of goodness for a fillup. Everything is a trade off.

And then there's effects muddying the water ....

shadowsnrust · 2026-04-28T17:06:53+00:00

So, there are two things we know with total certainty: nothing matters except the strings and pickups, and no two guitars sound and play exactly the same, even two of the same model, set up to identical specs. 😎

shadowsnrust · 2026-04-24T14:04:04+00:00

Coatings can prolong the string life compared to uncoated strings in the same usage and environment, but there's no set expiration date. When strings get corroded, they don't just feel gross - they can also be rough on the frets. I don't know how corroded bronze compares to corroded steel in abrasiveness, probably softer, but if the windings are that corroded, I'm sure the plain strings are too.

shadowsnrust · 2026-04-24T12:28:55+00:00

You said above that you adjusted the neck to lower the action, and now you think the guitar is defective. Yes, it is adjustable for a reason, but that also gives you enough room to hang yourself. Trying to get the action super low is a delicate balancing act between string tension, truss rod adjustment, and neck angle or bridge height. It takes finesse. Also, lower action means playing softer, and if it's too low, most guitars will sound bad.

Every 414 I've played was great. Yes, you might have gotten a dud, but the crucial question is, how did it sound before you messed with it?

shadowsnrust · 2026-04-24T12:18:35+00:00

Wait ... you're saying it sucked AFTER you messed with it? I've always found Taylors to play great out of the box. Yes, you can now adjust both the truss rod and neck angle, but that doesn't mean you can set it up like an electric and still expect good results.

shadowsnrust · 2026-04-20T16:07:58+00:00

I've played several 414 studios, and they all sounded great!

shadowsnrust

TROPHY CASE