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Taylor AD17e
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash
VS
Playability
73
Sound
88
Build
84
Value
77
Score
82
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Playability
73
Sound
88
Build
90
Value
69
Score
84
FIND IT ON:
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Taylor AD17e vs Martin D-35 Johnny Cash

Reasons to Get
Taylor AD17e over Martin D-35 Johnny Cash

Release Year
2020 vs 2014
From a more recent year
Nut Width
1.75'' (44.5mm) vs 1.688'' (42.9mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 25.4'' (645.2mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
15'' (381mm) vs 16'' (406.4mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings
Value Score
77 vs 69
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash over Taylor AD17e

Pickups Brand
Fishman vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm) vs 1.75'' (44.5mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Scale Length
25.4'' (645.2mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
16'' (406.4mm) vs 15'' (381mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend

Other Key Differences
Taylor AD17e vs Martin D-35 Johnny Cash

Back Material
Ovangkol vs Rosewood
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Ovangkol vs Rosewood
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Synthetic Bone vs Compensated
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Eucalyptus vs Ebony
Different Bridge Material
Neck Wood
Mahogany vs Hardwood
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Eucalyptus vs Ebony
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Black Tusq XL vs Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Taylor AD17e vs Martin D-35 Johnny Cash

Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT

Martin D-35 Johnny Cash Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Martin D-35 Johnny Cash is probably the better product overall with its final score of 84 compared to the Taylor AD17e's 82 score, although not by a lot.

The Martin D-35 Johnny Cash wins when it comes to build quality. On the other hand, the Taylor AD17e has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

Both meet 3 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Taylor AD17e
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Martin D-35 Johnny Cash
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Taylor AD17e Overview

  • From Taylor's 2020 The American Dream series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 15" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Sitka Spruce top
  • Solid Ovangkol back
  • Solid Ovangkol sides
  • Tropical Mahogany neck
  • Eucalyptus fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Expression System 2 Electronics (Preamp/Active)
  • Eucalyptus bridge
  • Acoustic Taylor Standard Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Taylor Nickel tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Martin D-35 Johnny Cash Overview

  • From Martin's 2014 Custom & Special Editions series
  • Johnny Cash Signature
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.4"'' scale
  • 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Engelmann Spruce top
  • Solid East Indian Rosewood back
  • Solid East Indian Rosewood sides
  • Select Hardwood neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman Gold Plus Natural I (Preamp/Active)
  • Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic Modified Low Oval Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Chrome Enclosed Gear tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

Woods Used in Both

Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Woods Used in the Taylor AD17e

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Eucalyptus wood pattern used for guitar building
Eucalyptus
Ovangkol wood pattern used for guitar building
Ovangkol

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Eucalyptus is not a common tonewood, but it's becoming more popular recently. There are many species around the world, each with its own characteristic, so it's hard to describe the tone it produces without knowing the exact species.

Ovangkol is a beautiful wood that's popular for acoustic guitars. Its tone sits somewhere between rosewood and mahogany, meaning it has a punchy low-end and nice mid-range. Find out more about Ovangkol.

Woods Used in the Martin D-35 Johnny Cash

Hardwood wood pattern used for guitar building
Hardwood
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Hardwood is just a generic wood that can come from many species. This type of wood is used to build guitars because it provides a rich, warm sound. The wood also has good structural properties, making it durable and long-lasting.

Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Winner: Martin D-35 Johnny Cash.

Electronics

Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Taylor AD17e
Sustain 95
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 88
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash
Sustain 95
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 88

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Taylor AD17e compares to the Martin D-35 Johnny Cash.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Taylor AD17e has a Black Tusq XL nut. TUSQ nuts are usually the highest quality you can get. Black TUSQs are made from a special slippery material that helps the strings get back to its original position (one of the keys to tune stability).

On the other hand, the Martin D-35 Johnny Cash comes with a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

Winner: Tie.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Taylor AD17e's are Taylor Nickel while the Martin D-35 Johnny Cash's are Chrome Enclosed Gear

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Taylor AD17e
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Black Tusq XL Nut
  • Electronics
  • Synthetic Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Compensated Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Taylor AD17e
Quality of materials 86
Features 75
Quality Control 90
Build Quality 84
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash
Quality of materials 84
Features 85
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 90

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Taylor AD17e Nut Width
Taylor AD17e Nut Width
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash Nut Width
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Taylor AD17e has the wider nut with 44.5mm (1.75'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 1.6mm (0.062'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Taylor AD17e, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Taylor AD17e's Scale Length
Taylor AD17e's Scale Length
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash's Scale Length
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Taylor AD17e has the longest scale: 25.5". The Martin D-35 Johnny Cash is only 25.4" long. This is a 0.1'' (2.5mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Taylor AD17e Neck Profile
Taylor AD17e's neck profile
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash Neck Profile
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Taylor AD17e and the Martin D-35 Johnny Cash have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Taylor AD17e Fingerboard Radius
Taylor AD17e's Fingerboard radius
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash Fingerboard Radius
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash's Fingerboard radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

In this case, the Taylor AD17e's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Martin D-35 Johnny Cash's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Martin D-35 Johnny Cash.

Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Taylor AD17e:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Taylor AD17e and Martin D-35 Johnny Cash Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium fret size

Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.

Final Playability Scores

Taylor AD17e
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73
Martin D-35 Johnny Cash
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Taylor AD17e vs Martin D-35 Johnny Cash
General Taylor AD17e Martin D-35 Johnny Cash
Brand: Taylor Martin
Year: 2020 2014
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: The American Dream Custom & Special Editions
Colors: Natural Black
Left-Handed Version: Yes Yes
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Sitka Spruce Solid Engelmann Spruce
Sides Material: Ovangkol Rosewood
Back Material: Ovangkol Rosewood
Bridge: Eucalyptus Ebony
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Taylor Nickel Chrome Enclosed Gear
Fretboard: Eucalyptus Ebony
Neck Material: Tropical Mahogany Select Hardwood
Decoration: 4mm Dot Italian Acrylic Abalone with Mother of Pearl Stars with Johnny Cash Signature
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.4"
Shape: Acoustic Taylor Standard Acoustic Modified Low Oval
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15" 16"
Nut: Black Tusq XL Bone
Nut Width: 44.5mm (1.75'') 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Expression System 2 Electronics (Preamp / Active) Fishman Gold Plus Natural I (Preamp / Active)