Taylor Guitars 414 L2

This guitar is a Taylor 414 L2 made in 2003. It is a grand auditorium body style. This is a limited edition model with Indian Rosewood back and sides, spruce top, and gloss finish all the way around. No electronics. Mahogany neck and chrome Taylor tuners.

I play bluegrass music, and the standard bluegrass guitar has traditionally been a dreadnought because of its volume and powerful bass response. However, sometimes I play for hours on end and like the feel of a smaller guitar. I wanted a smaller guitar that I could still play in the context of a bluegrass band and be able to be heard. This is such a guitar. Of course it does not have quite the bass response of a full size dreadnought, but it makes up for it with more precisely defined notes through the entire tonal spectrum. On their website, Taylor says their grand auditorium guitars are best suited for heavy fingerpicking or light strumming, but this guitar can just as well be aggressively flatpicked. To my ear, the notes sound clear all the way up the neck. With medium to heavy flatpicking, I would best descibe its tone as "warm" and "full" which of course I recognize are very subjective words to talk about tone with, but hey its all Ive got. I have played lots of Taylor guitars, and I have liked them all. But there is something special about this guitar, even compared to other Taylors. When I found it, it was hanging right next to a Taylor 810 (dreadnought) and after playing for nearly an hour, myself and two witnesses agreed that this guitar had more volume and presence than the 810. If you play bluegrass, you may be better off with a dreanought, but this guitar is proof that its not a requirement. Its also a reminder to stay open-minded when shopping for your next musical investment.

The action is medium-low. I think everything just went right when this guitar was assembled at the Taylor factory. It is comfortably played all the way up the neck. As for fit, there is one spot where the neck meets the soundboard that certainly could look a little cleaner, but I question that it affects the guitars sound or playability.

According to Taylor Guitars, a lot of research has gone into thier UV finishing. I wont speculate about how long it will last, but I can say there are certainly no problems with the finish now. The guitar itself is smaller and thus more lightweight than the dreadnoughts Im used to, but the construction seems solid and I would certainly carry this guitar into battle without a backup.

Taylors are under warranty to the original owner.

I have played for about 12 years, and have owned my share of guitars. Quality wise, this is the nicest guitar Ive ever owned, but comparing it to my old guitars is really not saying much. I can however, compare it to the guitars of the people I play with. Guitars that my friends and family own and play with include nearly all of the major guitar maufacturers. The sound and playability of this guitar is exceptional by all accounts and measures. The best thing about this guitar is, of course, its sound. If this guitar were lost or stolen, I think it would be extremely difficult to replace. My next guitar will most likely come from an individual luthier, but unless you are willing to fork over the big bucks for a custom built guitar, I highly recommend you take a look at Taylors. They have figured something out, and it shows in their products. Sure, some will sound better than others, but that goes with any guitar maker. For now, this guitar does everything I need it to do. When I sit down with this guitar and close my eyes and play, I am happy, and that is what really counts in the end. By the way, did I mention I got a really good deal too!