Taylor DN4 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar (with Case)

Feature:
If you are looking for fancy designs and inlays, you wont find it here. This is a player. Although not short on beauty by any means. The craftmanship and solidity of this instrument is amazing. It seems so simple that it kinda makes you wonder why any guitar company can't make an instrument with this sound.

Quality:
Not a flaw on it!!

Value:
Spending a grand on guitar based on my skill level was kind of hard to justify. After playing it at a local music shop (where it was way over-priced I might add), I fell in love with it. I of course could not fork out the dough for it. I found one from a private seller who did not like the width of the neck. I got basically a brand new guitar and case for $900. (Music store wanted closer to $1600) After owning this for almost 8 months now, I would definitely spend the 1400 average price for this instrument.

Desirability:
Not much sex appeal just sitting on a guitar stand, but once the sounds come pouring out......wow.

Sound:
The sound is phenomenal. I am an intermediate player who upgraded from an Ibanez AW (which also sounds great by the way). I could not believe the difference in the tones produced by this baby versus any other acoustic I've owned.

Ease of Use:
Unreal!!! A lot of the difficulty I had with other guitars, I attributed to my skill level. So one of two things is true. This guitar made me a better player.....Or its just that easy to play!!

Support:
Haven't had to use any support, but I dont imagine there would be much difficulty.

Overall:
I do not think that I will ever get rid of this guitar. I may look for other Taylor products to add to my arsenal, but I couldnt see getting rid of this baby.

Feature:
I have the DN4e with Expression and despite the lack of appointments and bells and whistles, the electronics are very good IMO. I have a small 10 watt Crate that I use in the music room and it sounds fantastic. The gloss top on satin back and sides helps to make it pop, but other than that, it's not much in the way of features. Without the ES I'd give features a solid 7 just because of the superb craftsmanship that Taylor put in this one (I also own a 414 Ltd. and a 210e). Nice gator-style hardshell too BTW

Value:
I think the ovangkol is a nice break from traditional woods, but nothing to get too excited about. I think the guitar can be cheaper, but with the Taylor name and quality I suppose it's decent. I think a hundred bucks lower than what they charge would be about right. The DN3 is about $300 cheaper and it sounds just as nice, if not better.

Desirability:
It's just so pretty! That ovangkol is just killer to look at and the gloss top just screams "Play Me!" On aesthetics alone I would pick one up at a shop and play

Sound:
They claim it sounds similar to rosewood, but I own 3 rosewood solids and they are very different. The DN4 is very meaty and mid-range dominant. It's hard to distinguish the bass when strumming. Sounds a bit muddled until you get to the treble. Not recommended for fingerstyle, but for flatpicking and strumming it's a nice mellow sounding dread.

Ease of Use:
This is where the DN4 excels, very easy to play right out of the case and the neck is just SOLID. The action is Taylor quality, as in "low from the get go." No factory-made guitar company can compete with the Taylor necks, so smooth and comfortable. Playability is probably this guitars strongest asset.

Support:
I'd have to say that I've dealt with Taylor a number of times and they're always on top of it. I ordered a pickguard to put on my DN4e to give it that classic Taylor look and it came 2 days later. Very good service and never on hold for more than 1 min or 2. Not to mention that the complimentary Wood & Steel magazine that comes with the Taylor ownership is actually a great read.

Overall:
I think I'll replace this one in about 6 month to a year. I've owned it for 2 months now and it's not my main guitar like I thought it would be. It's more of a way to mix things up, but I still fall back on rosewood and mahogany.