Taylor Guitars 354-CE LTD

The 354ce LTD is a Limited Edition grand auditorium cutaway 12 string. Only 171 of these guitars were made, so I would definitly consider it collectable. As far as I know, 170 of these rare guitars remain...more on that later. This guitar is part of Taylor's fall 2002 Limited Edition series. It is built with the 300's satin finsh, ebony fretbord and saddle, tusq nut, sitka spruce soundbord, Grover tuners. The "ce" denotes onboard electronics, in this case Fishman Prefix. The departure from standard 300's comes by way of the maple back, sides and neck instead of mahogany. It came with a Taylor HSC.

I have owned this guitar only a short while, however it was love at first listen. As far as I am concerned Taylor sets the benchmark for sound that all others try to achieve. It quite simply sounds breathtaking. A cross between honey and a cool winters day (pretty corny eh?). Anyway, I am a strummer and when played soft to moderate the sound is warm and even all across the register. Hammer it, and it comes on like freight train, crisp and clean with everpresent lows that I have come to expect from Taylor. I haven't played plugged in yet, didn't buy it for that, when I do I will let you all know.

The guitar was perfect right out of the box. I prefer not to take a floor model if I have the choice, this one did not disappoint, the boys at Taylor really did a great job on this one.

When I bought my first Taylor my education into the importance of maintaining proper humidity began. The Taylor web site is bursting with info on how to keep your guitar from drying out. I have been playing for thirty years, and you would think we all know wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity, guitars are made of wood, sooooo......no brainer right? Wrong!!!! Like most of you I NEVER addressed humidity with any of my guitars, and when I went to purchase this one I got the shock of my life!!!
I first spotted the 354 before christmas, tried it, loved it, waited, thought alot about it, called Steve's music (Montreal), on Jan.20 asked John to put it aside for me I'm coming the next day to pick it up. You guys can relate to the feeling of going to pick up new gear, I was getting an LTD Taylor!!! John pulled the guitar out for me, sat down played for awhile to make sure everything was OK. Didn't sound right. I had a good look at the neck from the butt of the guitar, looked real good, then I noticed two blemishes in the finish just below the bridge. Upon closer inspection the marks turned out to be cracks in the soundbord...not just the finish, right through the wood!!! Steve's music is an institution in Montreal. It is located in a row of drafty old buildings, kinda neat..... deadly for my guitar. Dryness had rendered it scrap (thus 170 instead of 171) Sure you could have it glued, and if you use it plugged in it might sound alright. For me it was worthless. I was astonished and relieved when John said he had another one brand new in the box.
Taylor by there own addmission say their guitars have a rep for being "fragile" however this is due to the precision with which they are made, and any dryness causes the wood to shrink directly affecting the playability of the instrument. Are they more fragile, I don't think so, but after what I have seen lately, I will keep mine at home with a Dampit in it at all times.

I have called Taylor a couple of times for some basic info.....they were very helpful.
All Taylor guitars are guaranteed against manufacturers defects to the original owner for life.

I started playing around with stringed instruments in 1971. I started playing bass in 1978. I love the guitar however like alot of us, there were others who played better, and so the natural transition was made........I'm not sorry. I currently have five acoustics including a couple of Ibanez Artwood's a Coservatore (made by Martin in the '70's) a 310 and the 354. I have alot of bass gear from SWR, Alvarez, Ibanez, Peavy and Ampeg.
Taylor guitar's (except for the Babies) are made from solid wood...no lamination, I like that!! When you pay a grand and up for most of the popular names, you are getting laminate. You get what you pay for with Taylor.
The only way to compare guitar's (or anything for that matter) is to have all candidates at your fingertips. Steve's has a large assortment of acoustic's and I literally spent hours over many years trying everything in the store and the last guitar I would always play would be a Taylor. Nothing else compares....period!!!
If it were stolen, I would get another in a heartbeat. The only problem would be finding one.
Looking at the downside, I guess I would have to say the case appears to be inferior to that of my 310, thats it.
How cool can you get, a Grand Auditorium 12 string cutaway, best of all ....it's a Taylor!!!! LOL