Taylors are the quintessential point-of-sale instrument: easy to play and responsive, producing a lively sound. Live with it awhile, or hear it beside another guitar very often, and it begins to reveal a lack of depth.

I was sold one, a 710, for a good price a few years ago, and thought myself lucky. But I've played a number of others now, Lowdens, Eastmans, and of course, Martins, which are ubiquitous. I have to admit I tired of the sound of the Taylor, and went looking for more.

A plain-jane Martin D-18 did the trick,