I have to agree with gunslinger...I would love to get my hands on an old Gibson, particuarly a J45. Just a bit outta my price range though. I do have an Epiphone J200 reissue, and while it's not a Gibson, it records great, has a huge sound, and is just damn pretty to look at. Never cared for Ovations...they just seem so 70's to me and the round back is uncomfortable. I play a Yamaha Compass Series for live shows, a CPX-8, which is a little smaller than my J200, which BTW doesn't have electronics. The Yamaha has a thinner neck, which took some getting used to after playing the Epiphone. The Yamaha is kinda similar to a Taylor, but I feel you get much more for the money from Yamaha. My guitar retails at $1300.00, and it has a Sitka Spruce top, Rosewood sides and back and has two way electronics, with a condenser mic mounted inside and a piezo in the bridge. The panel on the side has 3 band EQ with sweepable mids and controls to blend mic and piezo. You're lucky to get just the Taylor for $1300.00. I like it alot, it sounds fantastic plugged in and unplugged. I think the whole Taylor fad comes from the fact that they're so playable, and the transition for someone that plays mainly electric guitar is almost seamless. In the end, it's all a matter of personal preference...if I could just get a Gibson J45 with the electronics my Yamaha has, it'd be pretty close to heaven.

Davey O.

Davey O. Music (ASCAP)
http://www.daveyomusic.freehosting.net
http://www.sonicbids.com/DaveyO