Taylor Guitars 454-CE LTD

2003 limited-edition 12-string acoustic. Built on a mid-sized grand auditorium body (almost all 12-strings are either dreadnaughts or jumbos). High-grade rosewood back/sides, sitka spruce top. Taylor ES (expression system) electronics. Bought new in Sep 2005. I picked this beauty up on a business trip to Virginia, and they shipped it home to Texas for me.

A smaller-bodied 12-string is unusual, and thus a bit different from most 12s. The smaller body means it's not as loud as most, but it still has a surprisingly strong bass response, with a very crisp sound. A smaller body helps limit feedback on stage; that's a good thing. Nevertheless, the bass can get away from you quickly while playing through a PA; that's not so good. The Taylor ES system is, well, an acquired taste. Very natural sounding. But it tends to pick up every little noise. Make sure your equipment is properly grounded.

Neck action is excellent, though not quite perfect. I've adjusted the truss rod a turn to compensate for my lazy fingers. But as 12s go, it is easier than most to play. Finish is flawless. The back is high grade Indian rosewood - three-piece back, like a Martin D35. And the bookmatching between the two outer pieces is excellent. The top is sitka spruce with a lot of coloration. No fancy trim, just a simple dot neck and plain but perfectly applied binding. This guitar is beautifully assembled.

Like my other Taylors, this is a tough guitar. I'll still be playing it in 20 years. If I need a 12-string for a show, I won't bother carrying a backup 12. My experience with Taylors is they are as reliable as anything on the acoustic market today.

I've dealt with Taylor's customer service group several times. They're friendly, they return calls promptly, they offer helpful information, they'll ship minor parts such as spare saddles to you at no expense. They'll even hang out on the phone and just gab with you about guitars, if they're not too busy. Frankly, they're the best customer service I've ever had with any guitar builder.

I've been playing for about 40 years, so I pretty much know what I'm looking for when I search for a new guitar. When I decided to buy a new 12-string, this was an easy choice. I love the smaller "grand auditorium" body; it's comfortable, light, and easy to manage on stage. This would be a good buy at a higher price; at the price I paid, it's nothing short of amazing. My other current instruments are: Taylor 614CE, Taylor 514CE, Taylor NS32CE nylon-string, Baby Taylor, Alvarez jumbo maple 12-string, Godin A6 elec/acoustic, Fender Big Apple Strat, Heritage Millenium SAE semi-hollow electric, Fender Jazz Bass

This is a new Fall Limited from 2003 guitar, one of 7 made at the Taylor Factory. It is a 12 string Auditorium size guitar which has now become standard in the Taylor line. This beauty features a sitka spruce top and Indian Rosewood back and sides with a satin finish. It has Taylor tuners which have little or no slack and have kept all 12 strings in perfect pitch. It has no fancy inlay that the 600 series and up features but being a limited edition the upgrade was the Rosewood back and sides. It also has the new Taylor expression system installed which is unbelievable. It reproduces the sound and gives great control to the player. I have a 1993 Taylor 612-C that I have a Highlander pickup in. I love the Highlander ease of use but without my Trace Amp and it's onboard electronics, I could not get it to sound as nice as the Expression system has sounded on any amp yet. The guitar came with a solid Taylor made case. It has re-confirmed my love of the Taylor Guitar. Taylors make the best built and easiest playing guitar I have played in over 25 years playing. The only drawback is that I live in Minnesota and with the dry Winters and overly moist summers I have to leave these beautiful instruments in their cases 24/7.

The sound is as quiet as I like but can BOOM with the best of them. I like the smaller Auditorium size but it does not have the volume of the Jumbo Taylor 12 strings. Playing through a good amp makes this no problem. The smaller size is more comfortable anyway.

Set up was perfect. I picked the demo model from the store, however since there was only 7 made in the country and the sound was so perfect for my taste, who can complain.

I have played both my Taylors live and sound quality is never an issue. The frets on my older Taylor are getting re-done currently at the Taylor factor along with some other cosmetic repairs. The tuners have never been a problem (Old taylor has grover tuners). I can always depend on my Taylor's to make my sound stand out through the entire band I play with.

I have never had any problems with my new 454CE-ltd. I have been to the Taylor factory recently to drop my 612-C off. It is a 10 year old guitar and the actual repairman came out to describe what he would do. Replace the frets, take off the top to repair some chips and then refinish with their new gloss finish to match. My only problem is I don't get to play my 6 string for 8 to 10 weeks. I can't wait to get it back in a week or two. It will look like new and sound as good as ever! PS> if you ever get to San Diago the factory is only 10 to 15 minutes away. It was a great tour!

Been playing almost 30 years. I have played many, many accoustic guitars in my life and loved only my Taylor's. You can't go wrong buying quality. I hope to pass mine down to one of my 4 kids someday so they keep getting better. If it were lost or stolen, I would replace them (only after a good cry!) with any new Taylor that has the voices I am listening for.