Taylor Guitars 214E

Satin finish, solid spruce top, laminate rosewood back and sides. Taylor ES-T pickup system. Bass, treble, volume controls.Thin mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, 22 frets.Grand Auditorium size. No onboard tuner.Hard case included.

Fingerpicking, Jazz, and hard strummin' rock!Don't be scared by the brightness initially, it calms right on down but never loses clarity and begs to be strummed and strummed hard...not a typical Taylor trait. Wish they would have strung it with lighter gauge strings, but these elixirs sound great and probably building up my finger strength until I wear 'em out. Great intonation between strings with very little pressure applied to feature certain notes in fingerpicking patterns.

Great action right out of the box. Solid in every way.

Satin finish withstands my basset hound's drool. Hopefully I won't scratch it in a fit of passionate playin'. We'll see. It does feel good to play though. You can feel the chords resonate all over the guitar: back, sides, and neck.?? Nice connection.

Don't know. I have friends who have Taylor's that rave about the customer service. Again, we'll see...

Been playin' for 20 years. This is as fine and instrument as you can buy for the money in my humble opinion anyway. The more I play it the better it sounds and the cream binding against the dark rosewood dresses it up.?? (Lots of compliments on this one!) One more thing, plugged in, it rivals just about any acoustic out there...nice woody, crystal clear sound. If not this one, there will always be a Taylor 214e in my studio, on my stage, and beside the bed. Give it a try for 60 days, let it season a little and then...HOLY CRAPOLA!??

Satin finishSolid Spruce TopIndian Rosewood Laminated top & sidesMahogany Neck, (Slim)Taylor Chrome tunersTaylor ES-T ElectronicsVolume, bass, treble controlsNice case includedMade in June of 2008

The Grand Auditorium size lacks the volume of the Dreadnaught or Jumbo size. Sound quality is very nice, just not loud.I play mostly Beatle and Beatlesque original compositions as well as acoustic rock.

Assembly is typical Taylor quality. No flaws, nothing loose. Wood has a beautiful grain and draws compliments from everyone that sees it.

So far this guitar has held up well. It stays tuned through multiple Capo'd tunes and has a stunning sound when plugged in. I suspect the finish will not be bulletproof since it is a soft wood covered with a light finish, but the sound benefits from this. It doesn't cost an arm and a leg, so I am not worried about a nick, scratch, or dent.

No dealings with Taylor, although after registration they send you a copy of their manufacturing magazine, "Steel and Wood". Nice, useful articles about many aspects of guitar manufacture, etc.

I play this guitar through a Behringer Acoustic Amp and the sound will take you on a journey. They compliment each other well.?? This is my favorite feature of the guitar. Plugged in, it goes from sounding beautiful and timid, to beautiful and however loud you want to make it. I love it and for me, it is perfect! Try and find a guitar in this price range that matches it's playability and quality of sound. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying i couldn't do it. This guitar is an incredible value.

Satin finished solid Sitka Spruce top, laminated rosewood back and sides, cream binding dresses it up, Grand Auditorium, (very comfortable size to play for extended periods), rosewood bridge and fretboard, on board Taylor ES-T undersaddle transducer pickup. Volume, treble and bass controls on guitar.

Sounded unbalanced right out of the box!?? Now that strings are seasoned and wood has had time to breathe, it is the best sounding guitar I own. Everyone wants to play it! Fingerpicking- great individual string definition with nuances easy to attain, hard strumming- right up there with my J45, even in percussion mode with strings deadened and amplified, it never fails to surprise with a quality, professional sound. No kiddin', this thing sounds incredible!

The set up was very good from the factory. The tuners are rock solid, chrome, and geared perfectly. The neck is comfortable and radius is perfect for reach and frets are perfect for hammer on, hammer off, etc. The top is typical Taylor quality in the looks department. Beautiful piece of wood. Body is dark rosewood laminate with white binding that gives it a dressed up appearance, but not fancy, just tasteful.

There is a red light inside the guitar when plugged in at the base of the neck to tell you the battery is alive and ready. The thin satin finish is beautiful, but I doubt it will hold up like the thick shiny finish of my J45. Still, it allows the sound to travel easily out of the guitar, (I mean the whole guitar, you can feel it against your belly when you play!). This allows for suttle nuances in delicate playing that come easily on this guitar that I have to work for on the J45. I am so amazed that it can do this and still not become a jangly train wreck when strummed hard, but it holds its own very well. Barely touched, it has a quiet but beautiful voice. I have gigged with it. (Also, of all the Taylor guitars out there, this is the one Jagger plays with the Stones!) That says something!

Taylor is notorious for setting the standard with customer service. I haven't used them, but my brother has and they were very helpful.

Try this guitar for a month. It took mine that long to season to this point! Lord knows what it will sound like a year from now, but surely it can't get much better! I own a Gibson J45, a Walden 12 stringer, a Walden classical, and a Washburn electric. This guitar seems to fit me better than any of the rest. Everyone that comes by that plays, wants to play it, and those that don't play, beg to listen! Unplugged it sounds fantastic, but plugged in, it is without equal in sound quality.

Here's the lowdown:

Grand Audotorium body
Solid Spruce(Top)/Solid Sapele(B/S)
Solid Mahogany neck, Ebony fretboard.
ES Blue pickup system,
Neck is deceptively thin... still good for big hands!

Intonation perfect from the factory.

My music style ranges from classical, blues, a bit of pop, and all this so called 'new age' fingerstyle (Don Ross etc.), and this baby caters for all of them with room for more.

Out of the case the guitar the guitar sounded VERY bright - the trebles shimmered a bit tooo much. However, with a bit of vigorous play and wearing of the strings, the Taylor sound comes through.

I've had this guitar for under a year, and it is already showing signs of maturity. The bass really comes through with power. People talk of it being 'piano' like, it's crisp when played lightly, and domineering when struck hard. Drop that baby down to D and play an open D chord and revel in the undertones, overtones, and everything in between.

The bass loses a bit of oomph when you stick a capo on there, but i've found that the case with all acoustic guitars i've played.

Action is perfect from the factory. No tweaking needed at all. Amazingly low with no fret buzz and great tone. Fantastic for tapping, bar chords beyond the 7th fret are a breeze!!

Flawless build quality, everything is tight and crisp. Simple and elegant appearence betrays the beauty of the tone. The top is not protected so be careful around table corners etc!

I haven't taken this out live so I don't know if it'll withstand it, but without a protective lacquer it is unlikely that you can rock the socks off this baby (though it's only old folkies or play taylors right?!)

The pickup battery seemed to run out of juice quite quickly - but a duracell will fix that. Strap buttons are solid, and where they should be!

Haven't had the need to contact Taylor. THat's obviously good thing. They have a reputation for great customer care anyway...

Fantastic guitar overall.

I've been through several classical guitars and this is my first steel string. I've been into many guitar shops and played many brands, but when I come home to this nothing compares, not even a few 'boutique' guitars i've played.

Just keep the strings fresh with fast-fret and your set for an affordable guitar that is worth so much more.