Taylor Guitars 814ce

Gloss finished, grand auditorium cutaway. Gold Taylor-branded tuners. Mahogany neck with scarfed headstock and stacked heel. Ebony fretboard with fancy inlay. Solid rosewood sides and back, Sitka spruce top, flamed maple binding on neck and body. Taylor Expression System, with bass, treble and volume controls shoulder-mounted.

Nice rich tone that responds dynamically. As the right-hand attack increases, the harmonics change and swirl accordingly. Since the guitar is brand new, the highs are very crisp and the lows are boxy, but I expect this change and improve. The entire instrument resonates in a most satisfying fashion. The Expression system has a very unique tone, and makes for a great contrast when used against piezo or magnetic pickups.

Action, fit and finish are up to Taylor's usual surgical standards. No flaws anywhere, no rattles, no sloppy glue joints.

This is my third Taylor over the past twelve years, and I can say from experience these guitars can really take a pounding, despite the fact that generally speaking, they feel light and flimsy. They're definitely not.

Never had cause to deal with customer support.

I traded a 615ce (and a bundle of cash) on this. The 615 was a fine guitar, just not what I'm looking for. The 814 is much more comfortable, more dynamic, and has at least as much volume. The scarfed headstock is much more elegant than the ugly, cheap-looking fingerjoint on the 615. But really, with a list price of $4,000, couldn't they put a one-piece neck on it? Everyone else does.

I won't bore you with the details. You can read about the features elsewhere. It has an abundance of settings in the pre-amp. The only reason I'm taking it down a point is the "strap button/instrument jack" which is very stubby (short but wide) and made it next to impossible for me to hook a strap to it using conventional methods. To work around this, I use strap keepers (from tapastring.com). The strap keepers work excellently, but they shouldn't have to be necessary if you're shelling out over $1,000 for an instrument.

This is it. I've tried dozens of high-quality acoustics at local music shops and at the Guitar Center in Hoover (Birmingham), AL. I've played different top-of-the-line Martins and Taylors. Nothing compares to this one. The sound has a lot of presence with an excellent definition among the notes. Strumming a chord on *any* Martin sounds muddy compared to a chord strummed ont he 814CE. I realize that psycho-acoustics play a role and that people prefer different sounds. Despite that knowledge, I still find myself wondering why anyone would prefer the sound of *any* Martin over the sound of a Taylor 814CE.

The playability is perfect. I've never picked up a guitar I couldn't strum open chords on. Bar chords are a different matter, though. The action on the 814CE was good for me out-of-the-box, but with some slight adjustments using an allen wrench, the action is now perfect. Bar chords couldn't be easier. Finger-picking (Jim Croce tunes or Blackbird, for instance) on this guitar are easy and smooth. The finish is flawless; look at pictures of it, and then understand that it looks about 2 to 3 times better in person.

It's a Taylor. 'Nuff said.

I've never had to deal with Taylor Guitars, so I'm not going to rate this category.

The "tail strap button/instrument jack" bothered me so much that I *would* have rated this a 9 had I not found a solution for that problem (read "Features" section in this review). Everything else about the 814-CE is flawless. There is none better.

ES pre amp, really nice sound.

Bassy and crispy. I think need more sustain for the bass sound.

Taylor has one of the greatest available neck for acoustic guitar, and the setup action is just right.

Very reliable

One of the greatest, all in Taylor is very responsive and friendly.

2006 Grand auditorium (similar to OM) sized guitar. Indian rosewood back/sides, sitka spruce top w/ sunburst finish. Mahogany neck. Ebony fretboard and tuning keys. Maple binding. Electronics: Taylor Expression System.

The 814CE, 2nd from the top of Taylor's regular line of guitars, is a beautiful instrument to play - or just to sit and look at. I have owned about 10 Taylor models; each has its own unique sound. The 814, with its classic combination of rosewood/spruce, has a nicely balanced sound with good (but not boomy) lows and sparkly highs. Strummed lightly, it has a delicate sound. Picked hard, the highs really come alive. Heavy finger/thumb nails to the bass strings give a terrific response.

I am an old-school finger picker - Phil Keaggy, John Denver, Dan Fogelberg, and many country/rock artists. Taylor 14-series guitars are well designed for finger picking, and the 814 is better than most. It doesn't have quite the bass resonance of, say, a Martin D35. Then again, it's easier to mic than a D35 for the same reason. BTW, for a smallish guitar, it has a lot of volume.

A real plus is the size and shape. Small, light, very comfortable to use on stage in a 2-hour gig.

The Taylor Expression System electronics are mostly a blessing. More natural sounding than the Fishman blender system. On the down side, they tend to have a little white noise, and typically pick up incidental fingernails against the pick guard. I guess Taylor has been working on this, because this system definitely has less of that than my older models. Played through a Zoom acoustic processor into my Yahama PA, the sound is clear and natural.

I've owned numerous acoustics, and currently have 4 other Taylors. My '98 614CE has been the love of my musical life. This guitar may finally have topped that one.

As expected, this guitar is near perfect right out of the box. Wood is high-grade, the sunburst finish is exquisite, the binding is flawless. The neck has ornate inlays to mark the frets. Overall, it's visually stunning.

As for playability, it is excellent, allowing for light touch playing and fairly easy string bending. But without excessive string buzz. Intonation is right on.

Having owned a number of Taylors (5 currently), I've learned I can trust them completely. Finish is tough as nails, and the guitars are just darned tough and well built. Keep them away from dry heat sources, though. The necks are pretty sensitive.

I picked this one up at the Arlington Tx Guitar Show. It's a new '06 that had been banging around in some dealer's trailer, going from show to show for months. Two hour's playing, and the 814 and I feel like we've been together for years.

Still, I never go to a gig without a backup - stuff happens. And I'm not crazy about Taylor's new tailpiece strap buttons; they're a little thin, so I ALWAYS check the strap as I pick up the guitar to play. Taylor could stand a little improvement on this.

I have a long history with Taylor guitars. Their customer service is as good as it gets. They'll answer the phone (don't take that for granted). They'll chat with you. They'll make suggestions. I've almost never had a problem, but when electronics breakdowns have occurred, they've gotten me to a repair shop and fixes were made quickly and for free. Warranties are lifetime, but non-transferrable.

Other equipment: Taylor 514CE, Taylor 614CE, Taylor 434CE-L3 12-string, Taylor NS32CE nylon, Alvarez 12-string, Fender Strat, Heritage Millennium SAE, Fender Jazz Bass. Fender Hot Rod DeVille amp, Line 6 Flextone amp, Trace TA-100 acoustic amp, Yamaha PA.

I've been playing for over 40 years. I love Martin, Santa Cruz, Larrivee. But I always go back to Taylor because (1) all have such nicely balanced sound, (2) they're are very playable, even to lazy electric players like me, and (3) they're so consistent. Take one off the shelf at any music store; you'll rarely find one that isn't ready to gig with, and finish will be excellent if not perfect. If I sound like a cheering section, trust me - they've earned my respect and my repeat business.

If stolen, would I replace it? Definitely. Possibly with a slightly different model, but it would be another Taylor.

Visit TaylorGuitars.com for specific features.

You cannot beat the amazing sound of Indian Rosewood with a Sitka Spruce top. it sounds amazing for any style of music, this guitar can do fingerstyle and strumming. It has a very good bass response. It's truly amazing.

Perfect low action. There are no flaws. The gloss finish looks amazing, and gives the guitar a very nice look.

It seems reliable... I've had it for almost a year, and its been great.

I've called Taylor numerous times to ask questions about humidity, dampits, etc. and everytime I call they are extremely helpful.

This is an amazing guitar. The Grand Auditorium body size, 14, is great for both fingerstyle playing and strumming. the guitar looks amazing and sounds fantastic. i would highly recommend this guitar to any guitar player who wants an amazing guitar that will produce amazing sounds.

Beautiful limited edition Brazilian Rosewood 814. Cutaway (although I'm not a fan of cutaway acoustics... this one blew me away)
I believe it's a 2003. It had some default in the neck. Taylor took it back, changed the neck with a 2004 model... Now it's unique! They did a fantastic job.
Came with a nice Taylor case, ES amplification...
I've had it for nearly 3 years.

I love the sound of the guitar. Sometimes it's a bit twangy in the 1.5KHz area. I'm told that replacing the saddle nut with a bone sure helps. I use this guitar for recording only. It cuts thru a mix like you wouldn't believe. Perfect for the slow, finger-plucked ballad with little instrumentation. Big, rich sound.
The ES system on the other hand is crap. Don't buy a Taylor thinking you'll have the best sounding acoustic on the stage. It's not gonna happen. Thinking my guitar was flawed, I had a friend come over with his limited edition 914 presentation. Practically the same guitar, same ES, same crappy sound. It distorts when played hard or when you play dissonant notes. I had passable results on stage going thru a Avalon 737 mic-pre but it still distorted. Disappointing. Still, for studio work, this guitar shines like you wouldn't believe.

I got it from a luthier who'd set it up himself.
The guitar is gorgeous to look at. (It's Brazilian...;)
No flaws that I can see.

I've no real opinion. I keep all my guitars in a constant temperature/humidity room. They're happy here!

So far so good. They fixed the neck in a snap (no pun intended)
Lifetime limited warranty if memory serves me well.

I've been playing for 25 years, 20 professionally.
I have several Martins, Gibsons, a Madeira, a Godin

I'd certainly try to find another one if this one was lost.
I hate the ES system.

I wish it had a better pick-up system.

Beautifully finished Grand Auditorium cutaway sized guitar. Sitka Spruce top, East Indaian Rosewood back and sides. Mine is a 2005 model with the Expression system, more on that later, with Deluxe Hardshell case.

Finish is superb, no flaws at all. Quality control at Taylor is top notch, and their guitars offer some awesome consistency.

I use this guitar for a variety of styles, (Praise and worship, fingerstyle, medium strumming rock, folk, blues) plugged in through a worship center's house sound system or a portable PA, and also at home unplugged.

Wow... Simply astounding balance across the tonal spectrum, and is incredibly versatile and adapts well to multiple styles. That's what sold me. BEAUTIFUL depth and complexity, and just this richness to this guitar, strummed or finger-picked. I generally don't compliment things so much, but I've totally fallen for this little baby.

Plugged in, the ES sounds fantastic. Very natural sound with very limited feedback. There's limited on-board sound control, with bass, treble, and volume, but then again, that's why we have sound guys to do the EQ'ing at the board, though it's RARELY necessary with this puppy. Generally, a little touch Batteries don't last as long as traditional 9-volts, but the AA's in the endpin jack are easily accessible without removing strings, they're cheaper, and much easier to change on the fly. 15 seconds and you're back up and playing. Can;t beat that design!

Typical Taylor action, nice and low with minimal to no buzzing with medium strumming. If you're a hard attcker or a blugreass guy, apart from looking for a nice dread, you're gonna needto raise the action.

Finish was impeccable, truly amazing for a production guitar.

This guitar loses the 10 in this category for durability, but only on a psychological level... for me at least. (I'm a feak about keeping things looking new...) Get me right here, the finish is pretty tough, but something about this guitar's beauty and elegance makes it seem more fragile than I know it to be. Still, it looks so good you're bound to be careful trying to keep it that way. That being said, don't let that scare you away. This thing is solid, no doubt. The tuners are great, and that catalyzed finish is pretty tough compared to thin lacqeurs. It could handle gigging very easily; I for one, just try to be careful with my gear.

Reliability wise, it's top notch. Just keep a couple AA bateries with you for the ES, and you're set for hours of fun. I would never gig without a backup, that's just asking for trouble. But, with the 814ce, I've never had to resort to the backup, which is actually borrowing a friends acoustic with a pickup in it...

Never hear anything but good things from people who have dealt with Taylor. Limited Lifetime Warranty nonethelss, I doubt I'll ever need to call them...

Been playing for a couple years, this is my first quality buy, and I'm sure it'll last me the rest of my days. It won't replace everything else in your collection, but the 814ce is a definite must have if you're looking for a versatile guitar with great tone.

If it were ever stolen, I'd replace it in a heartbeat! Best purchase I've ever made, besides a nice Clapton Strat... but that's a different story...

Still, I've never seen this "hypothetical 10", so it gets the best score otherwise available, a 9.