Taylor Guitars 414-K

1997 Grand Auditorium style, limited edition. I was told only a few hundred were made, and only for this one year in the GA size. Beautiful 3 piece Koa back and bookmatched sides also. All solid wood construction.

Beautifull ringing tone as you would expect from a good Koa guitar. The harmonics are very rich, especially for fingerstyle playing, where you can articulate and sustain each note.

Taylor quality is top notch. Perfect frets and gorgeous woods. Even the case is the best I have ever seen. Plush and arched top. You can dance on this one!

Is babied, so no worries here.

Called once for an inquiry, and they promptly called back the same day.

Been playing over 30 years, mainly acoustic. This is the nicest fingerstyle guitar I have owned. I once owned a Guild JF-55, jumbo body rosewood that was the best strumming guitar I have ever owned.

Made in the US 1997 grand auditorium model, Koa back and sides, Spruce top, grover tuners, satin finish no electronics. I guess they make these KOA models in fall. I would appreciate if someone could give me info on the suggested reatil price and number made. Email me if you know.
Came with SKB case. Bought it in January of 2002. Found it hanging in a local guitar store. I went to look at a LTD Takamine which sounded great until I reached over and played this one.

I play fingerstyle. Played classical and Flamenco for 20 years so I usually lower the action quite a bit since I prefer the soft touch. Compared to the takamines I own, (Santa FE and EF 261) the sound of each string is even and stands out. With Elixir strings, the sound is conservative (not flashy) yet sweet and round. Definately a nice guitar for fingerstyle slow tunes with lots of vibrato and slur. May lack brightness and punch for picking and rhythmn.
Overall sound very nice. Like a steel string Jose Ramirez

The owner before me didn't really know how to set the saddle. I guess he tried to lower the action so much that the saddle almost went under. Since the guitar is not electric, I have just laid some material under the saddle but I will probably either order one or attempt to make one myself in the future.
Action of Taylors don't lower to the point of feather touch like early Takamines do. (eg N-15) At least with my own skills. However, I think it should be that way.
Other than that the guitar was in perfect shape.

The guitar is very light weight with no gloss. I'm not sure if it will hold up normally. For me it should be fine since I finger and also I am very careful with my guitars. Heck I still have my first classical here beside me and it's 22 years old sounding better every year.

Never tried to get anything repaired but I called them once regarding my 410 CE and they were very professional.

Overall the guitar is a wonderfull instrument. Smell of Koa wood is nice and looks great. The action is a bit higher than I usually play but the sound makes you come back.

I think though, that $800 for this guitar was a steal.

Just a great guitar. The right size for most things. Mainly use for finger picking. The satin finish is not my favorite, but I am getting used to it. Has all you need in an acoustic.

I have stopped playing my D45 and D28 for the time being. The delicate sounds and overtones I get out of this thing are wonderful. I am looking for a 914C as I love the size and sound.

The fit and finish are great. The action is a bit low for heavy strumming - get some bass buzz. But great for finger picking. Love the slightly larger neck (1 3/4").

Seems extremely sturdy for such a light guitar.

Taylor is the best. Called and they gave me a history of how many of these were built during each year they were made. Wonderful people!!!

Have been playing over 40 years. Have never played a better guitar, and have played plenty of them. Maybe this guitar will lose its luster, but right now my $$$$ Martins are in the case, as are my Guilds. Actually, the Martins put the Guilds in their cases (was a Guild player for 25 years), and now the Martins have been put in their place by this low cost honey (at least for the time being.) Need more TAYLORS NOW. My wife is cringing.

1999 model with the new bolt-on neck 20 frets all solid woods sitka spruce top koa sides and back mahogany neck ebony fretboard top has high gloss finish sides and back are satin grand auditorium body style 1.75" neck (wide) included hard shell case

I love the sound from this guitar. It is very balanced, not boomy but still loud enough with good projection.

The action was set just a hair too low on the bass strings. This isn't a factor unless I'm doing some heavy strumming. But this is definitely a fingerstyle guitar...and that is how it's used most often.
Very easy to play on the wide neck.

The test of durability comes with time. So far, it has stood up to a few hard knocks without any noticable damage. There is already a slight amount of wear on the bottom edge of the soundhole from strumming overshoot...but that has happened on every guitar I've owned.

Taylor customer support has been excellent.

I really love this guitar. I've been playing for about 7 years and spent a lot of time shopping around for an guitar. I played Martins (DM, D-16GT, D-15), Larrivees (D-03), Seagulls, Alvarez, etc and the Taylor felt, looked and sounded the best to me.
I'm having an LR Baggs Double Barrel pickup/mic system installed in a few days. Very excited to know what it will sound like :)

1997 grand auditorium model, Koa back and sides, Spruce top, price includes taylor HSC, grover tuners etc..

This is truly a great sounding guitar. It's one of those that sounds a little better than you remember every time you pick it up. Although I've managed to raise the action (via truss rod) enough to get some decent strumming out of it, I still don't recommend it if you are a pure rhythm player. Don't get me wrong, the strummed stuff is loud and clear, but when you really get on it, it'll start to buzz. Other than that, it does everything pefect.

everything is perfect here. Extremely well made. The action is typical of taylor, and I love the neck. Satin finish is perfect.

Everything seems like it will last. It does have a satin finish which I guess is more prone to damage. Although I've grown to like the finish (the looks of it).

warranty is lifetime, haven't had to deal with them.

I guess I've been playing guitar for about 2 years, and I think I owe most of my improvement to this guitar. I swear some times it talks to me and begs to be played. I feel lucky to have gotten the Koa wood, I hear it's becoming hard to find. The Koa guitars I've played have all been loud, which makes this grand auditorium taylor sould at least like a full size dreadnought. I'm a firm believer that no guitar does everything perfect, but asides from heavy strumming, this thing will work well with any other type of playing. If it were stolen or lost, I'd cry and then cry more when I found out I couldn't get another one. I plan on buying a HD-28 in the near future to satisfy my need for strumming power. I think those two guitars together will handle about anything. I give it a 9 because I don't think I'd give any guitar a 10.