Taylor Guitars 414-CE

My 414 was made in 2000...no millenium bug in this thing. this is my first solid top acoustic. there is a definite difference in sound, every time i pick it up i just fall in love all over again...particularly if i have been playing my old ibanez acoustic just before. this comes with a Fishman Prefix pickup system that is 9v battery powered. a much better pickup than my ibanez/fishman but there is a price difference too. all the control in a pickup preamp that i could ask for on stage. it has a satin finish top and i forget what kind of wood for the sides. the tuners have a very positive action with being too responsive. the neck fit my hand so nicely. i have what i would describe as a large palm and normal fingers so having a reasonable, but not thick neck is important to me.

i'm told that it is designed with fingerpickers in mind. unfortunately i am not a fingerpicker. i play rather aggressively with a .71mm pick and play everything from rockin' country to worship music to alternative and latin style rythym. i use it with my Carvin SX-200 amps and a Digitech RP-12 processor. even without the preamp (RP-12) i can get some great clean tone from my taylor thru the amp. i much prefer using the RP-12 as it provides a noise gate and compressor to control sound a little better. the guitar has a very even tone....very well balanced across the frequency spectrum. i played it on a gig for a high school graduation chapel in the first week that i bought it and got compliments on the sound from a couple of the other musicians...whom i had never played with, and the soundman who was apparently overwhelmed by how easy a time he had with the guitar over the house system and how sweet the sound was. I love this thing!!

don't know who really set it up but at the aforementioned gig i had to play two songs over and over again non-stop for about 40 minutes or more...could never have done this on my ibanez...and my hand did not hurt badly after (it did hurt tho...i don't practice enough). the top is bookmatched? i didn't know that...just kidding. the craftmanship is excellent in all ways. i actually scratched the finish on this thing within a week of buying it. i still don't have scratches on my ibanez. murphy is working overtime on me i guess.
the only thing i really don't like is the jack for the guitar cable. the strap goes over this jack but the jack seems to loosen and it worries me that it could come out without me noticing...saw a guy drop his guitar once that way, very costly to fix.

the guitar is excellent live although i baby it because it's the most expensive thing i own. the finish still looks great with regular polishing and wiping it down. again, i don't like the one strap button. i do depend on it and don't use a backup guitar.

have not talked to anyone at the company.

not gonna inventory my gear here. i use carvin amps, ibanez, yamaha, and now taylor guitars. digitech, alesis, tascam and roland gear.
if i lost it or it were stolen i would go buy an 814 or at least a 714 in a heartbeat, or maybe even sooner. i would go without food once a day and walk to work to save up for it. i compare it to everything else i play. i had intended to buy a tacoma and had sworn never to buy a taylor because of the snob appeal...same thing with martin and takamine but i got desparate and ended up trying out the 314 and then the 414. wish i had another so that i would not have to change tunings on stage.

I've had my 414KCE for a couple of years. She was made in El Cajon, California. I'm not sure that this model is still available. Anyhow, we've got all solid wood construction, spruce top, Hawaiian Koa body (AWESOME!), mahogany neck, ebony fretboard, and bridge, and I think the headstock overlay is rosewood. Not really fancy, but I hate fancy. I really dig the satin finish. It doesn't show finger prints, and gives her a clearer sound. Fishman electronics, very nice. My favorite feature, though, is the bridge. The strings load through holes in the bottom of the bridge, (I think a lot of Ovations are like this), so, there are no pins. I hate pins! They pop out, and make palm mutes messy and painful. I LOVE MY BRIDGE!!!!! By the way, I've been told that Taylor doesn't make this bridge anymore. Oh, well, I've got mine. The bridge alone gives her a ten for features.

Could I give her an 11 on this? She has a grand auditorium body, and this wonderful tone. She can do anything! She's naturally very bold, clear, aggressive, and LOUD, but it's not too hard to back off a little bit and maybe switch to a different pick and get a nice, fairly mellow sound. She's very nicely balanced.....Did I mention LOUD? I love her sound. The bass is huge, the treble is very clear, but not too thin, and the mids are just as nice. I took it over to a friend who plays a Gibson acoustic that cost at least twice as much as my Taylor. He was very upset. Ha, ha.

The action was a little high from the factory, but I got that fixed, and she's perfect! The strings are a little bit farther apart than most guitars, and I love that. It makes chords so much easier. Playing her is just effortless. The neck is perfect. I mentioned the finish earlier. I love it!

This guitar has been treated gently, but has been used a lot. I've been playing her for a couple of years now, and she's just as perfect as she was the day I brought her home. Everything is very solid and durable. I gig with her without a backup at least twice a week. (Well, they're not really gigs, they're more like worship services, but every bit as trying as a gig - for her and for me.)

Haven't needed to worry about it.

I've been playing for about 5 years, and I've made a point of playing every guitar I can get my hands on, from cheapies to several thousand dollar Martins, Guilds, Gibsons (Yuck!), Larrivees, Seagulls, Taylors, you name it. This is my dream guitar. I was about to buy another Taylor for about $2,000.00 more than this one when they guy I buy all my guitars from pointed her out to me. If she was stolen or trashed, I would probably quit playing or kill myself - (Like I said, I don't think she can be replaced.) I see myself playing this guitar for a long, long time.

US-made Grand Auditorium with cutaway , solid wood (Spruce top, Ovangkol - african rosewood tone-like) back and sides, mahogany neck, ebony fretboard and bridge, Grover tuners, Fishman pre-fix preamp and under saddle piezo pickup.

Acoustic sound is awesome, deep yet sparkly, with long sustain. Mine is new and (I am told) should "open up" even more after some time. Amplified sound is good, far better than other brands I have experienced (Yamaha APX series - pretty good if you're budget conscious ! - Takamine, Simon and Patrick, Godin). Contour & Frequency controls work great to reduce feedback, although the guitar sounded best with all settings flat (but that would depend on the PA system you're using). It still doesn't beat good studio miking, but for stage use it is more than acceptable.

Never ever in my 20 years of playing have I played a guitar so well set up straight out of the box (my dealer received it that very same day and unpacked it in front of me, was willing to set it up and adjust it to my liking, but that was totally unnecessary). Action is brilliant, neck plays like a dream if you like the shape (I ordered mine after having played a regular 414 without cutaway). This guitar has been finished with love, fits in its case (SKB molded) like a hand in a glove and looks fantastic (I personally prefer no frills guitars without fancy inlays)

Taylor go a long way to make you take good care of their guitars (to a scary extent sometimes, but their guitars are not more prone to defaults than other brands, they simply explain the risks of dryness or humidity very clearly. I learned a lot from the info that came with the guitar and the website is a wealth of info in itself). My only concerns was finding a strap that would fit the end pin (where the jack is inserted), which is quite large and requires some strap customizing. The guitar is pretty light in weight and I don't see this as a big problem.

N/A - Taylor seem determined to please their customers from what I've read, but I haven't had to deal with them. One small remark : I live in Belgium, and I noticed that the Taylor warranty applies only to US customers, the local importer has to take care of the warranty in your non-US country : better have a good relation with your dealer (and he better have a good relation with the importer). The website follows the same trend : quarterly issue of "Wood & steel" not available to all countries, free video only for US and Canada... All this has nothing to do with the quality of the guitar, but I wonder...

This guitar feels better, sounds better and plays better than any other I've played in a long, long time. I am especially pleased with the fact that this is a guitar I ordered and did not try out beforehand as my dealer didn't have that exact model in stock. Several magazine reviews and posts like these helped me refine my choice. A great guitar, my main one for years to come.

1999 US-made Taylor 414ce Grand Auditorium body shape with cutaway and onboard Fishman preamp and under-saddle piezo pickup. Gloss finished Sitka spruce top and ovangkol sides and back. Mahogany neck, ebony fretboard and bridge. All solid woods. White plastic binding. Grover tuners. The 400 series is on the lower-end of the Taylor hierarchy, so it sprouts no frills such as exotic woods, fancy rosette, artsy inlays, etc.

The sound is well-balance and has a nice high-end tinge. It does not shrill as many lower-priced instruments do. Thanks to the body shape and solid ovangkol, which has similar acoustic properties as rosewood, the bass projects well, and helps give the trebles a soothing, mellow touch. Stellar for strumming, fingerpicking and leads.

Factory set-up was excellent. The action is low, which makes chording and leads relatively easy. However, the neck width and girth don't really gel with my small hands or personal preference. I think the neck is too "phat." Unfortunately, only the Taylor x10 models have the narrow neck, and some x14's, such as the 714, have slimmer girth. The girth is my only complaint about this axe, but a major one that shall determine my longevity with this specific model. I also have a Taylor 410, and I really savor its slender neck.

This guitar is sturdy enough to gig sans backup. In fact, most Taylors are very reliable. The end pin strap button is a noteworthy concern. I usually use plastic strap locks, but the shallowness of the button prevents such usage. It seems such shallowness doesn't offer much security for the strap. Hence, I used electric tape to close the strap's gap, which makes strap removal cumbersome. I wish Fishman had an LR Baggs style endpin.

I've never had pressing problems about which to contact Taylor. Their web site has a contact section, but I don't fathom what their response time is. However, the well-maintained web site also has some useful information, e.g., an FAQ, which answered some of my questions, detail instrument specs, tips, etc. http://www.taylorguitars.com.

The neck girth really bothers me. Taylor claims to have thin necks, but apparently not on every model. I used to think Martins have "phat", tapered necks, but now some Martin necks are similar to Taylor. Being that guitar is my secondary instrument (bass first), then I might just accept the 414ce as is. However, if anything ever happened to it, I'd eye the 714ce and look at some Martins.

This guitar is a 1998 model. Solid sitka spruce top, solid Ovangkol (African hardwood comparable to rosewood) back and sides, spruce bracing, bolt-on (as with all Taylors) mahogany neck with truss rod, twenty low-profile, thin frets, ebony fingerboard and ebony pin-style bridge. The 414 series is Taylor's "auditorium" body, length, width and depth same as their dreadnoughts, but with narrower waist. "CE" designation means cutaway electric. The cutaway is "Venetian" style, very smooth looking and attractive. This is one of Taylor's lower-end models (one step above 300 series), but as far as I can tell, the only thing "low-end" about this guitar is in the "gingerbread" stuff that has nothing to do with sound and playability, i.e., very simple dot-neck (mother of pearl dots), plain white plastic binding with simple black pinstripe accent, simple inlaid white and black plastic stripe soundhole rosette, no backstripe where bookmatched halves of back are joined, chrome individual closed Grover tuners, inlaid white plastic brand logo on peghead, peghead faced with rosewood veneer, no binding. Very simple, but elegantly so. The Ovangkol wood is lovely, very distinctive color and grain, and the spruce top is somewhat mottled, giving it a very subtle flame appearance, very lovely. The bridge saddle and nut are of a hard white material called "tusq" (whatever that is) and the bridge saddle is extremely well compensated for accurate intonation all the way up the neck.
The 414 CE comes wired with a Fishman Prefix system, i.e., Fishman piezo strip under the saddle and 9-v battery-powered preamp installed on the upper bout. Clever "flip-up" battery access, just release a latch and the whole preamp flips up on a hinge to allow easy access to the battery. Preamp has volume knob, bass and treble sliders, and contour and frequency-select sliders. The contour and frequency select sliders work together; contour is mid-range boost/cut, frequency selects the frequency center of the mid boost/cut. These controls are useful for identifying and eliminating feedback frequencies as well as compensating for alot of other inadequacies, such as playing through an electric guitar amp instead of an acoustic guitar amp or the PA.
My rating relates only to the electronics. With regard to just the features of the acoustic guitar, hey, its an acoustic guitar -- it has everything it needs. Note fact that its all solid-wood construction automatically places it in the higher end of acoustics.

First, a qualifier. I'm primarily an electric player, and therefore by no means a connossieur (please forgive spelling) of acoustics. I wanted something better than my old Ovation Balladeer, which never did excite me enough to play it for long periods of time. I wanted primarily a beautiful-sounding couch guitar which I might pull out on occasion for selected cover tunes in my band. I did do some investigating, shopping and comparing before selecting this model. I quickly learned that the best sounds come from all-solid wood guitars (which is all Taylor does, except for the "Baby Taylor" travel guitar).
I was after versatility. The auditorium body is Taylor's answer to that. It's big enough to give volume and projection for strumming accompaniment. However, the narrower waist reduces the boomy bass response you get with a dreadnought, and gives you a brighter, snappier, treble response suitable for fingerpicking.
I compared this guitar to the Martin D-1 series, Larivee, Takamine, as well as the higher-end Taylors with the same body. Here's what sold me. First my comment above about this being a "low-end" Taylor relates ONLY to cosmetics. Acoustically, it sounds and plays just as good as the higher end Taylors, taking into account the subjective choices you might make, like a cedar top, maple, walnut or Koa back, etc. There is no compromise in anything but the cosmetics and level of sophistication in the electronics. Second, this model made other models in the same price range, in comparison, sound like shoeboxes with strings. Well, maybe that's not fair, but to my ears the Taylor beat all the price competitors in sound. You know when you pick up a good acoustic and hit a note or chord and the notes just seem to leap out of the guitar? That's what happens on this guitar. It's so responsive, its almost like the darn thing is, well, electric. It's lively and resonant. Chords are well balanced, you can hear every note clearly, and the tone is very rich, sweet and woody, without any metallic tinniness, without any muddiness, without any discernible hump in any particular frequency. The treble strings chime to no end. The bass strings are full and rich without being boomy. Volume is not as much as you get with a dreadnought, but still very adequate and won't be eclipsed if you're playing along with someone else playing a dreadnought. Fingerpicked notes just sound beautiful, no other way to describe.
Even though this is a "low end" Taylor, it has top-end sound. You might select a different model because you subjectively want a DIFFERENT sound, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better sound among guitars with the same features.
I don't yet have much experience using the electronics. The Fishman Prefix system is not the best Taylor offers, move up in price and you'll get the Fishman "blender" system, which combines a piezo saddle pickup with an internally mounted microphone, with controls to blend the two signals together. You have to accept that a piezo pickup only emulates the whole acoustic sound because it only senses vibrations in the top, you don't get the full effect of the body resonance. However, from the little bit of noodling around I've done, seems this Prefix system would be completely adequate for performing, tone controls are very responsive and effective. You'd probably still want to mic the guitar for recording.

Setup right from the factory -- best I saw while I was shopping. Taylor touts its intonation, action and necks as comparable to electric guitars, and there's some truth to this, allowing for the fact that you're not going to get micro-adjustable intonation and shredding action on an acoustic guitar with a fixed wooden bridge strung with 12s or 13s. The action is very comfortable and fast, by acoustic standards, without any excessive buzz (which you will of course get if you really attack the strings hard). Your hand does not get tired fretting six-string chords because the action is that good. Recognizing the limitations of fixed bridges and the tuning compensation you always have to make with non-Feiten-system guitars, this guitar plays in tune very well, all the way up the neck.
The fretwork is without flaws. The glossy top finish is without flaws anywhere, including where the fretboard and bridge are glued on. The plastic binding meets the wood without any discernible bumps or ridges. I did find one SMALL dust speck in the satin finish on the back. The interior is clean, without splinters, burrs or glue blobs; there was a little sawdust laying in there.

Taylor is a big proponent of proper attention to humidity. I don't know if its because they use more fragile wood, or if they just perceive a need to educate folks because there's so many horror stories about split tops on good acoustics. I cracked the top on my Ovation by leaving it out of the case for two weeks in the winter, dry furnace air in my house. Bottom line, if you own a good solid-wood acoustic, you've got to commit to taking special care or else you may be in for a heart-breaking split in your top.
Taylor claims they make their guitars in a climate controlled environment with humidity regulated at 47 percent, which is a median level. If the humidity falls significantly below 47 for extended periods, guitar WILL dry out and wood will shrink, top and back flatten out. First thing to go will be the top, too much shrinkage and CRACK! If the humidity goes significantly above 47 for extended periods, guitar WILL absorb moisture and wood will swell, top and back bulge out. This can result in failure of glue joints.
By appearance this Taylor is of top-notch construction, but I'm going to heed Taylor's warnings. I bought a small battery-powered hygrometer and put it in the case, and I have a sound-hole humidifier that I am trying to get in the habit of faithfully checking and replenishing.
This kind of attention would not be necessary with a guitar made of laminates. That's the compromise you make for the sweetest sound.

No experience with manufacturer.

I am very pleased with this purchase. I would buy another if it were lost or stolen.

This guitar was made in 1997 in the US at Taylor's San Diego, CA factory.
It is an acoustic Grand Auditorium cutaway shape with a spruce top and mahogany sides, back and neck. It has a satin finish on the top, sides and back, (now made with a gloss top only), and has an ebony fretboard and bridge. It has nice black and white binding, and is well constructed with no visible flaws. Although this is a bolt-on, (as are all Taylors), it has a perfect neck/body connection. This is a beautiful guitar with highly defined mahogany grain patterns. Although this is one of the "lower" models, it is still a great guitar, just no fancy frills and the lower of the two electronics options. It uses the Fishman Prefix system for the electronics.
The bridge is designed with a string pass through, (like the Ovation Custom Balladeer I have). I prefer this to the peg approach, but I noticed that virtually all high end guitars have pegs including the latest Taylors. If there is a technical reason for this I'm interested, but I don't notice a lack of sustain or anything and it's a lot easier to change strings with a simple pass through.
It came with a Taylor hardshell case.
Overall the features are high quality, just what you would expect from a Taylor.

I am very happy with the acoustic sound of this guitar. I play original acoustic jazz / fusion / rock, and it fits my style well. I have no problem translating most of my electric style to this guitar. I'm not mainly a fingerpicker, but when I do need to do it, it sounds great.
I compared the sound and playability to about ten different acoustics on the day I purchased it including, a Taylor model 710, various high end Martins, Larrivee, and Gibson guitars, and this is the one I chose to go home with. It has a very rich acoustic tone, bright, with a tight bottom end. Even though it is a cutaway, it projects well for pure acoustic playing. Compared to the other guitars, it seemed to sparkle a bit more with fuller harmonics.
Electrically this guitar is very good, not great. I don't believe there is a piezo based system that gives a great acoustic tone. I have had success combining the electric sound with a miked sound, especially when I run the electric through an ART MP-1 pre-amp before going direct into my PA or recording system. I also have tried running through my Digitech RP-7, with a custom designed patch using compressor, chorus, and reverb with good sounding results.
I don't want to give a bad impression of the electonics, but guitar straight to PA on any this or most guitars is really not a reproduction of the acoustic sound of the guitar.
I also noticed that the output of the preamp was weaker than some of the other acoustics I or my friends have. Not really a problem once I started using the ART pre-amp.
On some of the higher end models they have the internal mic w/ blender. In my music store trials this seems to work better, but there are still difficulties reproducing the really exceptional acoustic sound of these guitars. Miking is the only way to go... but a hassle in a live setting.

I liked the set up of the guitar when I first purchased it. It played easily with the low action Taylor is known for. Flat pickers will really like this action as it approximates an electric in feel.
However, I decided to bring it to the factory to see if the low output I was getting from the pre-amp required repair. I live in the area, and I was very pleased that they were willing to evaluate my problem right away, asking me to come by once they realized I was local. After waiting a few minutes for them to check out the pre-amp, the service manager came back and said that it was within factory specs. Then I was offered a bridge height adjustment and setup to "factory spec" for free. I said ok, and in about 20 minutes I got back my guitar. Once I played it, I realized that they had improved the playability of my guitar considerably. YEAH!
Because of this, I would advise anyone who buys a Taylor to have it evaluated by an authorized repair person after purchase to be sure it is set up to factory spec. It may greatly improve your guitar.
After I originally purchased the guitar I noticed that one of the screws for the truss rod cover was missing. Maybe this was done by the dealer, but since they don't have a setup shop this seems unlikely. So more advice: Look carefully at your new guitar BEFORE you take it home. Anyway, the guys at the Taylor factory replaced the missing screw without me asking.
I give this category an 8 for apparently not being factory spec when I purchased it, and for the missing screw. (Although the set up was clearly acceptable when I got it).
Everything else about the guitar was fine and I've had no problems with quality in the year since I bought it.

This guitar is well constructed and I do not hesitate to take it out live and play it with normal care taken to avoid damage.
All the hardware is high quality and the case protects the guitar adequately for everything except maybe airline baggage storage. ( I would never agree to put this guitar in the belly of a plane at the mercy of the baggage gorillas).
I haven't had a satin finished guitar before and while I love the more wood like open grain feel, I wonder about its ability to withstand moisture, smoke, sweat etc. So far this has not been a problem, but I won't know for years how this will hold up.
The neck strap button seems to hold the strap well, but I have some concern about the combination jack / strap button in the bottom of the guitar. It has a wide grooved strap button that holds the strap and you have to trim your strap's hole to make it fit. This means it is a hassle to easily change straps, and I wonder if it holds the strap on as well as it could. Because it has to serve two functions, I'm not sure if there is a better way, but for someone who has straplocks on virtually every other guitar I have, I feel this is a weakness for this or any other similarly setup guitar. I will never feel totally comfortable taking my hands off this guitar on stage. So far my fears have not resulted in any problems, the strap has stayed on ok.
I ALWAYS have a backup guitar when I play out.

Taylor heavily promotes the satisfaction of their customers with their product and they dazzled me with their willingness to address my concerns with my guitar and by offering a free setup that made ny guitar great. I know most people won't be able to go to their factory, but I would expect if you need their help or have problems with your guitar they will be happy to help you out.

I really love this guitar. I've been playing for over 20 years and have owned several acoustic guitars, (Ovation, Yamaha, Takamine, Epiphone), and this one is the best I've ever owned. It was reasonably priced, (for a Taylor), and yet I don't feel like I gave up a lot by buying a lower end model.
If it were stolen, I would probably take the leap to the 614ce, which has maple sides and back, and the blender electronics... it sounds cool but costs about twice what my guitar did.
There's no question the Taylor sound is found in this model. I am a convert and for the money I haven't found anything to match this. Tone. Playability. Great construction. Beautiful wood. What's not to like?
Individual guitars vary greatly but whenever I have the chance to compare a group of Taylors with other quality guitars, there's usually one that stands out. For me, it's almost always a Taylor.