Taylor Guitars 214

soo3 Taylor 214-L3 electronics installed at factory. Hardshell case included. See other reviews for features.

Fantastic acoustic sound, comfortable neck, great balnce when holdin it and playing.

Flawless except for---one of the crappiest piezo pickups I have ever heard. On a great sounding guitar like this, it is truly an isult to it's high standards it posesses. I took it back! In the store, I thought the amp I tested it on was crappy...but no. It's the pickup.
I bought their cheaper 110 model and stuck a K & K Big Shot on the bridge plate and had glorious sound, and went on a gig.
THIS WHOLE REVIEW IS A HEADS UP TO TAYLOR: Great guitars, crappy pickups!

End of review.

This is your "bare-bones," no-frills entry-level Taylor Grand Auditorium. The body is solid sapele (a variety of mahogony) with a solid sitka spruce top. Total of 20 frets on an 1-11/16" ebony fingerboard with ebony bridge (with Tusq saddle and Micarta nut). Satin finish, chrome non-Taylor tuners and what appears to be a decal rosette. Chrome strap buttons appear solid enough but for the time being, I'm sitting on a stool, just learning my way around this instrument. My rating is a reflection of the entry-level nature of this instrument - there's nothing wrong with it as it doesn't claim to be a "Cadillac," but rather a simple, solid "Chevy."

In a word: "superb." I'm comparing this to a Martin SPD-16W dreadnought I've had for a year. While my Martin is far from "top-of-the-line" it too sounds great. But for just a little more than half the price of the Martin, the Taylor is it's equal for sustain, clarity, and balance. While not inclined to be too generous with my praise, I was simply astounded how good this guitar sounds.

Factory setup for Taylors is generally very good given the latitude they have with their bolt-on necks. Another advantage is that their necks are a little slimmer than what I'm used to making simple cording and various finger positioning pretty easy. I definately am able to play a little quicker on the Taylor than I am the Martin. I bought this because as a "newbie," it's easier for me to hold in a sitting position than my "D" is. The finish is satin which by definition makes it not an eye-catcher, and the rosette is clearly applied since I can feel it's raised surface in some spots around the sound hole. But it's clean as a whistle on the inside with no visible globs of glue or gaps anywhere. Little (very little) "dings and dents" in the wood reflect the use of less than their best materials, but so what - it's a "bottom of the price list" product. This box is living proof that the perfect finish of my Martin is not what makes it sound so good - all imperfections are cosmetic.

I bought it with the intention of using it as a beater and that I will with confidence. I'm truly conflicted that such an inexpensive instrument with some cosmetic flaws can sound so good. Just goes to show you that "pretty" is only on the outside. Gloss finish would be nice, but would undoubtably raise the price, defeating the whole notion of an "entry-level" box.

Who knows? But I'm fast becoming a believer in the bolt-on (or at least a mortise and tenon) neck joint. The prospect of having to return my instrument to the manufacturer to have a dovetail shimmed in order to correct a misalignment (versus 10 minutes with an experienced luthier with an allen wrench)is too daunting. The Taylor website is full of great information for those of us just beginning to seriously approach the guitar.

Only been playing seriously for a year, but am making progress. If you can get over the fact that it's not going to win any prizes for its finish you'd be very satisfied. If you consider it on a "cost/performance" basis alone, it's a keeper - no question that I'd go right back out and buy another one.

This 214 was made in 2003 in El Cajon, CA. This model has the solide sapele back and sides, and a sold Sitka Spruce top. It has the wood fiber rosette, Mahogany neck, ebony fretboard, bridge, and headstock overlay. The inlays are pearloid dots, black fiber binding, macarta/Tusq nut and saddle. It has Enclosed Die Caste Chrome plated tuning machines and Elixir Light Gauge Acoustic Strings. The scale length is 25 1/2", 1 11/16" neck width at nut, 20 frets, scalloped X-bracing, satin finish, 16" body width, 20" body length, 4 5/8" body depth, 41" overall, and best of all a Taylor Hardshell case.

The sound on this guitar was even better than the Big Baby I bought. it has a lot deeper lows and even more bright highs. It has the Grand Auditorium Body style so it produces more sound. No matter what style of music you play this guitar is perfect.

The Action is low and plays wonderful. The finish is satin which is fine with me. It would be cool to see a glossy finish, but not necessary. There were no flaws and actually the back of the guitar the sapele has a cool white streak going down the center. Makes it even more exotic to me.

This guitar is more heavy made than the Big Baby I own. This has bracing on both back and front and will last for a long time. All strap buttons are solid. This guitar can be depended on and wouldn't need a backup if gigging.

Taylors Customer support is always helpful. I have called them many times to inquire about different things. I give them and A++++

I have been playing for 14 years. I own a Yamaha C-40 classical, Ovation Elite Standard Balladeer, Fender FM-63S Mandolin, and a Taylor Big Baby. I love this guitar and will never stray from the Taylor line as long as they keep up the good work. I love the fact it's made in the USA. If it was stolen I would have to get another. The only thing I added was Taylor Ebony Bridge Pins with Abalone Dots. I also ordered a custom Inlayed Truss Rod cover from some guy in Argentina, but it hasn't arrived yet. I'm thinking of calling Taylor and seeing if I can get Ebony Tuning Machines for it and my Big Baby.

This is a comparing test between low budget Martin and Taylor guitars.

I have to admit, I took great interest in comparing the low priced Taylor Guitars to their Martin cousins, in fact the Taylor 110 and 214 to the Martin DM and D15. I had some more expensive Martins and Taylors around for overall comparison, and here is what I came up with:
First let me tell you that Martins are definetly much louder with a boomier bass and a much clearer tone. A DM or D15 should be played loud. It's voice is authoritative, with lots of sustain. The all mahogany body sounds way darker than the spruce top of the DM, which adds a lot of sparkle.
The Taylor 110 or 214 on the other hand are very quick responding guitars with a worn, broken in feeling. They are both not as loud as a Martin, but they do not need to be played loud, they sound good at low levels. They are much more balanced and "silverly" in tone, they tend to sound compressed in a nice way when played hard (wheras the Martin has that much headroom and reacts to dynaimics individually). They are much better to handle but the Martins are manufactured better, the Taylors feel grainy in no negative way.
I myself do like both the Martin and the Taylor sound. Note: More expensive Martins are not neccesserily better sounding ones (even the "cheap ones" carry that warm, boomy Martin trademark sound), more expensive Taylors on the other hand are defintely better sounding that their low budget cousins. I came out of this test of mine with both the Martin D15 and the Taylor 214 - they are the affordable best of both worlds in my opionion.
Another hint: I had two of each guitar (two D15, two 214, etc.), the Martins of one kind sound very much the same, the Taylors quite different, so try some if your store has more than one!

see above

The Taylor 214 is a basic Grand Auditorium style acoustic guitar. The construction for my Taylor 214 was begun on August 14, 2003. Made in El Cajon, CA, about 20 miles from where I grew up in San Diego. I think the other reviews have the features covered, and you can always go to www.taylorguitars.com for the details, so I won't bore you with repetition. It comes with a really nice hard shell case which fits like a glove, and is designed to regulate temperature and humidity to help protect the guitar. Also it has a really cool looking tortoise pickguard. Not the most feature-laden guitar, but I wasn't looking for features I was looking for SOUND.

This guitar resonates with my harmonic frequencies. It's got the perfect balance of sparkle and low-end, and has very nice projection. This guitar just sounds beautiful. I am a lifelong guitar student and primarily play rock music, although as I age I find myself dabbling in other styles such as folk and country. I picked up the 214, and after a bit of comparison it became clear that this was the guitar for me. I think this guitar will fit in well with the type of music I play, which is quite eclectic. I am interested in improving as a guitar player, and I think it will help in that area as well. It's very playable.

The Taylor 214 is impeccably constructed. I could not find a single flaw. I am not an expert, however, and I tend to become intoxicated each time I take a whiff of the soundhole. Heavenly. The setup is nearly perfect, although the action is a wee bit high for my taste. There is not a single iota of fret buzz at any point on the fretboard. I am considering taking it down to Mike Lull's, putting the next lighter set of Elixer NanoWebs on there, and seeing if they can't drop the action a little. But before I do that I want to play it a bit longer to see how I feel. I think this guitar is set up as close to factory spec as you can get, and I don't know if I want to tamper with it.

This guitar feels light to me, and I feel a bit overprotective because it's the nicest acoustic I've ever had. That being said, it seems to be reasonably durable. I'd feel comfortable playing live, and there doesn't seem to be much that could go wrong. The strap buttons are on there pretty good. Only time will tell if the finish will hold up, but I plan to take very good care of this guitar.

My only dealings with Taylor thus far have been registering my guitar and purchasing a leather strap from their Web site. I haven't spoken with anyone yet, and hopefully will not have to. They include a good amount of literature on the subject of guitar care, and I get the impression that they stand behind what they sell. Their Web site is top notch, and they have a huge FAQ section. I called customer service and left a message this morning because I'd like to get their opinion about changing string gauges and lowering the action. I can't really honestly rate this section yet, because I think that requires speaking to an actual human. I do have to say, their Web site is among the best I've seen. So they get a 10 for that part.

Addendum - A Taylor rep just phoned me back within an hour of leaving my message. He answered all my questions, and seemed
genuinely interested in helping me to understand the issues I was concerned about. Doesn't get much better than that!

This is an amazing guitar. I've been playing for over 25 years, and this is the first high-quality acoustic I've owned. If it were stolen I would definitely buy another one. I will definitely stick with Taylor guitars in the future. The things I love the most are the sound and the playability. Also, it smells good too. I had originally come into Guitar Center looking for a mid-range Epiphone, or low-end Martin. But as I went around the wall playing guitars in my price range, I became frustrated. The Martins in that range sounded dull and muddy, and the plastic fretboards and laminate bodies really put me off. The Epis were out of stock. The Fenders sounded just like what I am currently playing, competent but uninspiring. The Ovation was nice, but too high tech. The Gibsons were gorgeous, but wayyy out of my price range. The Taylor 214 struck the perfect balance for me, and the hardshell case sealed the deal.

The Taylor 214 ( newest addition to the taylor line ) was first built in 2003 to be out in July, 2003. The full-scale Grand Auditorium body has a solid sitka spruce top, large pearloid fingerboard dot inlays, and comes standard with a hardshell case. Additional features like black fiber binding, an inlaid white fiber soundhole rosette, tuners are sealed, the neck wood is mahogany 1 11/16 inch at nut, Satin finsh throughout, Hardcase and truss tool comes with guitar, and No pickups on this guitar. Made in California, U.S.A

The Sound of this Guitar is Truly Remarkable, The Grand Auditorium Body and the Sapelle Woods gives this guitar a full rich deep tones on the basses and distinct clear high's the resonance of the 214 is just beautiful.

The Taylor 214 is one of the best guitars I have ever played it has good action playing hard or soft with or without a pick. My Dealer must have set it up that way. It is nearly flawless in the construction!

The 214 Should be able to play with live performaces with no problem it is of course a Taylor. The Strap buttons are very secure, the finish is only a Satin finish but has a good pick guard, I Would Recomend the Taylor 214 to any skilled Artist that apreciates a well built Guitar.

Taylor has a Great Custormer Relations Team, I had a Baby Taylor Mahogany we had purchased for may grandson. We had a problem with the truss adjustment rod, it had to be sent back and they gave me back the guitar in perfect working order.

I had been playing off and on for several years. But for the last year I have had the Guitar Bug real bad. I purchased a baby taylor for my grandson he is 7 years old, my wife showed an interest so I took her to the music store to possibly purchase a Big Baby Taylor, But was shown a 110 and then the 214 that just arrived that day. My wife and I was astounded by the way it sounded and amazed by the feel and touch. My wife was the first one to own a taylor 214 in Wichita,Ks. and Now I'm The 3rd. We looked at a lot of other guitars before purchasing our Taylors but they just out performed the Fender, Takamine, Jasmine, Ibanez, and Several Others, Taylor was not just a Whim!! Its JUST a truly Great Guitar!

This is a new 214 grand auditorium, made in August 2003. 6 string, solid sitka top, sapele sides and back, 1-11/16?mahogany neck, with ebony fingerboard and bridge, black binding, wood rosette, die cast tuners, micarta nut, tusq saddle, 25-1/2 scale length, satin finish and comes with Taylor hard shell case. I?ve been told it is basically a 314 body mated(bolted) to a 110 neck. I chose this over the 110 because between dealers it was only around a couple hundred to upgrade, it came with a case and it is a grand auditorium, which I prefer over dreadnaughts,

I love the way this Taylor sounds. This one has only about 5 hours of playing on it now and it?s hard to put down. The crisp highs and boomy lows are well suited for my ragamuffin playing style. I like the way it projects as well, a full-bodied sound which is quite tayloresque. I do mostly flat-picking, strumming and some finger picking; I like the resonance it puts out on your leg & gut, when you clamp down on it. The strings (coated elixir?s) are a different matter though, they?re fast, they feel greasy and I keep wiping my fingers on my shirt, but they sound good.

I could be nit picky here, I bought it sight unseen, but right out of the box, I was jammin?, the setup is great, for me, kinda medium-low action, and the neck is nice for doing some bends and hammers. The top is as good as my old 510?s, which seems to be a bonus. But just below where the fretwire meets the fingerboard, there are some teeny-weeny gaps in the neck top (about 1 millimeter) a neck binding would solve that and of course jack up the price. They have tapered the fret wire ?stabs? so you don?t cut yourself; which is correct. Filling the pin sized gaps with wood putty would probably cause problems down the road, so it is perfectly fine with me. Besides a minute speck of glue on the back from the body binding, which my fingernail removed in 2.2 seconds, I?m a very pleased puppy.

I don?t know much about using a Taylor for live playing but I would say after several catastrophic failures with other acoustics, usually my fault (broken strings, battery died), I?d feel very safe gigging with this guitar, without a backup. I bought this guitar for a ?couch? guitar, so I never planned on gigging with it, now I ?m thinking different, and will probably get a ?big baby? for the couch and use this one for gigs. I?m pretty confident.

In the past, back in ?97 I ordered a 714,from a local Ohio dealer;(not my current dealer) the cedar top had a faint stain ?winespot? on the top about the size of a pack of cigarettes. I wrote Taylor and got a response, saying it was normal aging, but if I was dissatisfied with it I could send it back to them for an evaluation, to avoid shipping hassles, I sold it shortly after. With my DR & 510 I have had no problems whatsoever. The DR still sounds great, and the 510 recently did a head on collision with a trucker from Wilkes-Barre, PA. A buddy of mine, who needed a good guitar. Keep on truckin? Lil? 510. I have too many dreadnaughts.

I?ve been playing for about 20 years now and this would be my fourth Taylor I?ve owned, I did my research and found what I wanted, a grand auditorium that I could play and not worry about scuffing it up. I own a ton of gear and acoustic wise, I went on an acoustic buying spree in the past years, where I bought the closeout acoustics and acoustic/electrics from internet dealers, for around $250 and after a while they were being donated to hospice and drug rehab clinics cause they sucked. I?ve waited patiently for this guitar to be made, and had considered others but my patience paid off. If it was pooched and I was still playing I would definitely replace it. It is the sequential Taylor guitar; they started the Grand auditorium way back when; and now they?ve moved here. This could be the guitar that Johnny opens on X-mas and/or the wife gets because she scuffed your 914, and it won?t set you back because they hold their value. This is my opinion, and we know what opinions are like, besides the nose on your face. Try one out.