2007 Taylor DN3 (310, 317)
All solid wood.
 Made in El Cajon, California, USA.

Includes our pro set up - $100 value.

See below for details.


Pickguard: The DN3 came without a pickguard, but if you want one, we can add one for free.

Case: Taylor original hard shell case is included

Better with age: This guitar is 18 years old.  
Solid wood acoustic guitars get better with age. As the wood ages, it becomes more resonant and responsive, and the sound becomes richer, louder and more vibrant.  This one sounds fantastic.


Condition: This guitar looks, plays and sounds wonderful. However, it has two cracks in the back that have been professionally repaired. We downgraded the overall condition from Excellent to Very Good, and have priced it accordingly.

Classic American Dreadnought: Excellent example of the classic American Dreadnought. With traditional X-bracing, it sounds more like a classic Martin than anything in the current Taylor USA line up. The DN3, 310, 410 and 510 are all solid wood and made in USA by the same Taylor craftsmen, using the same methods and tooling as their more expensive models.

We love the Taylor Dreadnoughts! The large body size and traditional X bracing gives them excellent bass response, volume, projection and tone. There‘s a reason why the Dreadnought is the classic acoustic workhorse and is so popular with guitar players.

Taylor stopped making the dreadnought in their USA line around 2015 and replaced it with their proprietary Grand Pacific (317, 417, 517) body shape. The new shape has round shoulders and V-bracing, which is quite different. Our take is that Taylor made this change not because the Grand Pacific sounds better, but because their new chief designer wanted to come up with his own design and get out from under the “Martin shadow”. Sonically, we still prefer the traditional dreadnought with X-bracing. Lucky for us the DN3, 310, 410 and 510 are available on the used market, and they represent a real bargain for an all solid wood, made in USA Dreadnought of this caliber. Compare to the 317, 417 and 517, which sells for $1500 to $2500 used, the DN3, 310, 410 and 510 offer better sound at a much lower cost.

We've sold about 30 of the Taylor DN3, 310, 410 and 510 models in the last few years and our clients have been very pleased.

A Hidden Gem: The DN3 is a variation of the 310 with nicer appointments. It has a bound neck and an awesome look with the contrasting white body binding. It is not as common which is pretty cool. It is essentially the same as a 310 accept for: Neck binding, Antique white body binding instead of black (white contrasts more against the dark body), No pickguard (can be easily added).

Luthier's Measurements and Assessment:

• Weight: 4.6 lbs
• Nut width: 1.76”
• Neck width at 12th fret: 2.15”
• Neck thickness at 1st fret: 0.83"
• Neck thickness at 10th fret: 0.91”
• Action at 12th fret, treble side: 0.090"
• Action at 12th fret, bass side: 0.100"
• Truss rod: Turns smoothly
• Fret condition: Excellent 9/10.
• Cosmetic condition: Excellent.
• Structural/Functional: Very good overall. Two repaired cracks on back.
• Playability: Plays very well.
• Sound: Excellent. Great projection and tone.
• Overall condition: Very good.

Features and Specs: 

• Brand: Taylor
• Model: DN3
• Made in: El Cajon, USA
• Body shape: Dreadnought
• Top wood: Solid Sitka Spruce
• Back and side wood: Solid Sapele (similar to mahogany)
• Body binding: Antique white top and back
• Body finish: Gloss top, satin back and sides
• Color: Natural
• Neck wood: Genuine Tropical Mahogany
• Scale: 25.5"
• Nut material: Micarta
• Fretboard wood: Ebony
• Fretboard inlays: Pearloid dots
• Fretboard binding: Antique white
• No. of Frets: 20
• Bridge: Ebony
• Saddle: Compensated
• Tuners: Grover Deluxe
• Hardware: Chrome

About Del Mar Lutherie: We’re a small shop in San Diego County, California, and part of the local guitar community (Fender, Taylor, Carvin/Kiesel). We build custom electric guitars and vintage-style hand-wired tube amps. We also buy, sell and trade vintage and used gear. Our owner is a guitar enthusiast, wood worker and professional engineer and designer by training.

Why buy from us? Our clients have peace of mind knowing they’re buying from an established and highly rated professional shop. We've been doing this type of work since 1999 and have thousands of happy customers. We pride ourselves in providing best-in-class personalized service for each client. We are a Reverb Preferred Seller, and our approval rating is close to 100%.

Dr. T’s Professional Inspection and Setup: You may find a similar guitar at a lower price, but ours may still be the better value as we include our professional inspection and setup ($100 to $150 value). With over 25 years in the industry, we’re convinced that a good setup is the single most important investment to improve the playability and sound of your guitar. Here’s what in entails. We inspect the guitar and address issues. Next, we remove the strings and tighten and set the drag on the tuners. We inspect and polish the frets, clean and oil the fingerboard, restring, tune to pitch and set the relief, action and intonation. We then play each fret and check for fret buzz and fret-outs during bends, and we fine-tune as required. Next, we test the electronics, clean and tighten pots and jacks and balance the pickups. Occasionally, we find a fault with the electronics, so we dig in and repair that. Once the electronics are tip top, we play the guitar to make sure everything is right. Finally, we clean and polish, then slacken the stings to get it ready for shipping.

String Gauges and Settings: We do our setups using common string gauges and settings, which we've found work well for most players. For acoustics, we use 12-53 gauge strings for We like to see action from 0.070” to 0.090” on the high e side and 0.080” to 0.100” on the low E side. This action is allows for easy fretting without buzzing or sacrificing tone. If you have special preferences, please let us know, and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Fine Tuning Adjustments: Your guitar will be playing and sounding wonderful when we finish our setup. However, occasionally minor adjustments will be needed after shipping due to changes in temperature and/or humidity, rough handling or other unfavorable conditions. Since we have no control over this, we cannot cover the cost of these adjustments. However, if your guitar was mishandled during shipping, please let us know, so we can see if a shipping claim is in order. Sometimes it’s possible to get you a partial refund to help cover issues if we can show that they were caused by shipping.

Condition Ratings: We do our best to be consistent with Reverb’s condition rating system. The guitar you get will be the one shown in the photos, and if it has any major flaws or defects, we will point them out in the listing. Our guitars rated below “Mint” will have signs of use and cosmetic imperfections, including minor dings, dents and swirl marks, which might only be visible upon close inspection. If you are sensitive to minor cosmetic defects, please let us know, and we can provide you with close-up photos. We do not accept returns nor give partial refunds if you receive your guitar and believe that it should have been rated lower. We’ve sold thousands of guitars, and almost without exception, our clients have not had issues with our ratings. This tells us that we are doing a great job with our condition ratings.

Standard of Care: We strive to meet our clients’ expectations, and want you to be happy with your purchase. Guitars develop wear with use and it’s widely accepted that honest wear adds character and shows that the guitar has been played and loved. Our used and vintage guitars will have signs of use. If you want a guitar in “perfect” or “flawless” condition, we advise you to buy new from an authorized dealer or buy locally so you can inspect it in person. We do not guarantee that our guitars will be cosmetically flawless, and we don’t accept returns or give partial refunds due to cosmetic imperfections.

Specs: We list specs as a courtesy. Some specs are measured by our techs. Others are taken from the manufacturer's data. Manufacturers change specs all the time, and their listed specs may not be 100% accurate. Also, some used guitars have mods that may not be apparent upon visual inspection. The guitar you will get is the one shown in the photos. If there are any "deal breaker" specs that you must have, please let us know so we can double check for you before your purchase.

Videos: We often provide YouTube links to provide our clients with more information. These videos will be of a similar make and model which is representative of the guitar in our listing.

Shipping: We ship guitars via UPS ground. The fee shown includes shipping within the contiguous USA with insurance. It also includes packaging materials and our time to pack up and drop off at UPS. For guitars, shipping costs are controlled by box size and insurance is based on value. Your guitar will ship without a case, unless one is described as included in the listing or you add one to your order. If you decline to add a case, we will pack your guitar well with bubble wrap and other padding and ship it in a sturdy guitar box. However, if you want your guitar to have even better protection, we encourage you to add a hard case to your order. See below for details.

Cases: Some guitars we buy come with cases and some don't. Some clients want cases, others don’t, and some want a particular type of case. To offer flexibility, we make cases optional. This allows us to pass on savings to those who don't want cases and to offer several case types to our clients who do want them. If you want a case, please let us know. There are many benefits when you buy a case from us; we have good prices, we make sure your guitar fits, we offer free shipping on the case (when combined with a guitar) and we ship your guitar inside the case for better protection. Each year, we see a small number of guitars arrive with damage caused by mishandling during shipping. However, when shipped inside a hard case, the incidence of damage is almost zero. See the top of the listing or inquire for options.

Delivery Time: We do our best to get your guitar setup, boxed and shipped as soon as possible. However, sometimes this can take a few days depending on our workload and other factors. Once UPS receives your guitar, they will estimate a delivery date, which you can access via Reverb. UPS will typically deliver your guitar within 2 to 7 business days after they receive it, depending on your distance from Southern California. If you're in a hurry, please let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate you, or at least we can advise you of the estimated wait, so you can decide if you need to make other arrangements.

Damage Claims: Although rare, guitars sometimes are damaged during shipping. If you receive a guitar that is damaged, please let us know immediately so we can open a claim. Save your box and packaging material, as the shipper may ask to see photos of those.

Returns and Canceled Orders: We are a small business and can’t afford to offer free returns like the big guys. There is a lot of time, effort and cost involved with pulling your guitar from inventory, setting it up, packing and shipping it. Please make sure you want the guitar before you commit to buy. If we agree to a return, you will be responsible for shipping (both ways) and a restocking fee to cover our time.

Trades: We are a professional guitar business. Anything we take on trade, we resell. To make sense for us, we can only offer wholesale value, which is typically 40% to 60% of what it would sell for on Reverb. This is usually as good or better than Guitar Center. If you’re OK with this, please send current photos of your gear. We need brand, model, year, and condition. Note any mods, repairs or other issues. If your guitar includes a case or bag, send photos of that as well. Once we have this info, we can give you an estimate of trade in value. If you agree, next you would bring or send us your guitar. We will provide your credit once we receive your gear and confirm its condition. You can apply your credit to anything we have for sale in our shop.