Taylor Guitars 514-CE

Just look at the Fishman stereo blender and you'll realize the kinds of tones you can pump out of the mic/pickup/both!

Great, strong sounding guitar. I own the cedar top 514ce, and it sounds awesome. Cedars are for more fingerpicking guitar playing though, so if you're a rhythm only player, go for the spruce. I do recommend getting a bone-bridge, wow, how much it "livens" up the sound!!!

Ok, well I have to say this guitar didn't really need anything adjusted as far as the action and how it fit. The finish was nicely done too.

I've used this guitar quite a bit since I got it in December of 2002...I've taken it to beaches, concert venues, private leisure playing...it does it all so well. The finish is great, just don't drop the guitar or else it won't look good (duh).

I haven't actually dealt with the company as of yet, but I've heard good things, maybe someday I'll give them a ring just for kicks.

I've been playing for over 4 years and have learned so much about guitar equipment and how it all works in that time. Honestly, this guitar is professional quality. Of course, if you really want to, go ahead and spend an extra $300+ to get a 614ce...doesn't matter much to me. The more you spend, the more unrealistically incredible the guitars sound. But this is definitely not the bottom-of-the-line professional grade...this is a great buy. I recommend it.

I've owned some other acoustic guitars, this beats the heck out of them, and I don't even play my electric guitar as much cause I love playing my 514ce so much. But this is a more serious guitar player's piece of equipment, so don't buy this if you're just gonna diddle-daddle around with it and never actually use it for anything useful.

Mine is a 2000 model, with the NT neck joint, but pre- "expression system" electronics. This is a cedar top model, it also comes with a spruce top. Features have been well covered by other reviewers.

I have a Fender acoustasonic amp, but still play it mostly "unplugged". Amplified, it is the best I've heard -simply unbeatable. Unplugged, to my ear, it lacks bass response and is a bit too bright. Sounds better finger style than flat picked. Also, is not real loud (unplugged). I use a capo a lot, and if you capo above the 4th fret, the sound just dies, once again unplugged.

Had some buzzing, which adjusted out pretty easy. Action, fit & finish were impeccable -typical Taylor quality. Seems to be highly susceptible to humidity changes, however. Performance changes noticeably with the weather. Fishman Prefix system works great.
Beautiful guitar.

Look at how many pros are using these nowadays. It's a trooper.
Taylor stuff is tuff.

An excellent company -perhaps the best customer service in the business.

I've been playing 35 yrs. Have owned Martins, Gibsons, Yamahas, etc., plus tons of electrics. This is probably the best acoustic I've owned, but there are others out there as good. The stuff coming out of Asia these days is phenomenal value for the money. Companies like Taylor will only survive if their cheap stuff sells. If this guitar was stolen & I got the money it was worth, I would probably replace it with 2 or 3 Asian guitars, so I could have different tunings all set up. Playing is what it's all about. I'm too old to worry about impressing people with what I own. I'm more into impressing myself with what I can play.

Ceder Top, grand auditorium style cutaway, electric/acoustic guitar w/ Fishman prefix stereo blender electronics. All solid wood, ceder top, mahogany back and sides, rosewood neck, grover tuners, the whole deal people.. case included. natural finish...

This guitar looks amazing.

I'm a singer/songwriter and a I play mostly hard-strummed percussive style guitar along with some quieter stuff mixed in there.
It has very rich and full sound. There is a thing with most Taylors that make then have a more dominant high end, but the Ceder instead of the spruce top on the 514ce helps balance that out. So you get a nice full and rich sound. However, as with most taylors, it does not have a very deep deep base sound like you'll find on a Martin, it's a very well balanced sound, but if you are looking for tons of low end punch, I wouldn't get a Taylor. But overall, a beautiful sounding guitar that will just knock your socks off. This is a grand auditorium body style that has a little bit shallower body than a regular dreadnought, but when you are playing this guitar it sounds like you are playing a jumbo, this thing just fills a room like magic. Plugged in, the electronics are great, the stereo blender allows you to switch between the regular piezo pickup and a little mic that is placed in the guitar. So plugged in you get one of the best acoustic sounds there is without paying a grand for a fancy processor or preamp, sure that would make it sound even better, but it's really not needed with this guitar. I have been gigging regularly with this thing for about a year and it has never let me down once.

This factory set up on this thing was perfect for me, the playability of all taylors I have played has just been perfect. I'd say the playability and feel of this guitar is what makes it really stand out from other high-end guitars. I play it for hours with very little fatigue.

Like I said above, I've been gigging regulary with this guitar for a year now and it's been great. However, I play the thing really hard and after a year I have began to notice a slight slight wear in the finish on the little piece of wood around the soundhole directly above the pick guard. Also, since I bang on the guitar occasionaly for percussion sounds (bad I know, but sounds cool), the wire holding the mic in the guitar in place has come loose so if you shake the guitar you hear a clicking sound of the wire on the wood. No big deal and easy enough to fix, just don't bang on your guitar that much....

I would use this guitar without a back-up HOWEVER, the Elixer strings that came with this thing just kept breaking on me with my hard playing. Then I called the Taylor customer support and they said dump the Elixers and go with D'Addario or DR or a stronger string. Funny part about that is that Taylor endorses Elixers. Keep in mind though, I play VERY HARD. If you are just strumming normally or figerpicking, Elixers are fine. It wasn't until the gigs when things get intense that I popped the strings. After I changed the strings out I stil had some problems popping strings, but not nearly as much. Now I just sand down the bridge a little every time I switch out the strings and I don't have many problems at all.

OH ONE ANOTHER THING. The handle on the case broke off, what a pain I'll tell ya. The Taylor cases are great, but I really don't know how the handle broke off, I mean, the thing is make of steel. But freaky things happen I guess....

Taylor was great about the string thing (see above), they even sent me replacement bridges at no cost in case the bridge was the problem. Very cool of them indeed. Taylor customer support rocks. such a cool company.

I've been playing for about 5 1/2 years. I own a Fender Acoustic also which is cool, but not even close to this guitar.

I would get another if it was stolen, I love this thing.

I have no real issues with this guitar, it is nearly perfect for me. The only slight issue I have is that I wish it had a TINY more bass kick to it, but just a slight amount, the sound is nearly perfect.

When looking for a new guitar I played EVERYTHING I mean everything. Martins, Larivee's, Gibsons, vintage gibson's and Martins, Guilds, the whole gammat. The only guitars I have played that I think feel and sound better than this one are special custom made ones that cost like three times as much and that I would be afraid to even take out of the case. This guitar is high-end, but you can still wail on it and it will respond. Ohh it will respond my friends..

Also, just a note, I've recorded with this thing in the studio and with the proper micing placement, it sounds amazing. The studio I was at had tons of compressors and stuff to make the guitar sound better, but we didn't use any of them, it came out that good just tracked clean.

For live use, it's also great, although Taylor just came out with their new amplication system that supposedely blows everything away, so I wish it had that, but a year and half ago when I bought this thing, I didn't know they would come out with that so oh well.


An all-around great guitar!

Mine is a 2003 514ce with solid red cedar top and solid mahogany back, sides and neck. Ebony fingerboard and bridge. Koa rosette, Indian Rosewood natural binding. Small MOP marker dot inlays and on bridge pins. Faux tortoiseshell pickguard. Best of all it has the new Expression System electronics. Gloss back and sides and satin neck. Gold Grover tuners. Looks lovely. Taylor hard shell case (poplar with binding and very snug fit black plush inside).

I used to have a Takamine small body Koa guitar which I liked. I have to say nothing prepared me for the difference. The sound is mellow and warm with plenty of top end and bass. Each note is well articulated and it responds to your touch, loud or soft, fingers or pick. It's the nicest I've heard and I tried a few Taylors, Martins, Santa Cruz to compare before buying. The ES system is excellent. Dead simple volume treble and bass. No significant feedback and a very "acoustic" sound when amplified.

Usual Taylor quality. Plays like a dream especially with the ebony fretboard. The top and back were perfectly bookmatched. The controls for the ES are very unobtrusive. Easy to change battery compartment. No battery indicator though.

I've not had it long but it will outlast me.

Not had any personal experience.

I've been playing some 15 years; I love guitars. I have 2 PRS's, a Gibson 2003 Les Paul Standard, and an Amalio Burguet classical. I would be very very sad if it were stolen. I'd have to get another (assuming they all sound like this!). They're not cheap but my experience of guitar purchases has been you always get what you pay for. If you want the best you have to pay for it!

Taylor 514CE, made in March, 2002. Cedar top, Mahogany back/sides, Koa/Rosewood trim. Gloss finish. Straight stock model with Fishman Blender pickup, gold Grover tuners, etc. An incredible sound that called me back after playing countless guitars the day I bought it!

This is an incredible sounding guitar, working well acoustically for strumming (even somewhat aggressive strumming) and sounding amazing when fingerpicked. The pickup is, by far, the best sounding acoustic pickup I've ever heard, truly worth the extra paid to move up to this model from a 300 or 400 series Taylor.

Guitar was set up very well, but with a high 10th fret, so I'm still dealing with some fret buzz. The guitar was also very dry when I purchased it, but the addition of a guitar humidifier has fixed that problem. It plays like a dream!

So far, this guitar seems very solid. I've actually had far less problems with this guitar so far than I'd had with my previous working guitar, an Ovation Elite.

I've only had to call Taylor once, and they were very understanding and helpful with the problem I was having (see fret buzz above).

Many refer to this Taylor as the "Swiss Army Knife" of Taylors, doing all things well, and I have to agree with them. I've gotten more comments and compliments on the sound of this guitar, both acoustically and amplified, than any other other guitar I've ever owned...worth every penny paid for it!!!

This is a 2002 Taylor 514ce. Solid cedar top, mahogany sides and back, with the fishman blender mic and pickup. Neck is also mahoghany. The finish is matte on the neck and glossy on the rest of the body. The guitar just shines. Gold gorver tuners 18:1. Came with the "monkey butt" case, which is a beautiful snug fit and the large latches.

I was looking for a Taylor x14, since I like the Grand Auditorium flexibility of finger style and flatpicking. I already have a Takamine N20 (Jumbo) for total flatpicking, so this is great. The sound is very bright, with a great blend of highs and lows.

Action is great and fast and is the reason I bought this guitar. I played several x14s (K14ce and 914ce) but this one just played so easily. I just put new strings on and there is a slight buzz on the 7th fret on the D string, but I think it comes from the string not being properly seated at the saddle (working on that tonight). The finish is, as others have stated, understated and elegant. I love the mahogany back and sides.

The day I bought it, I had a 3 hour "gig" at a church event. This guitar stood up and did its thing. The sound rang out against the other 2 guitars in our impromptu sing along/jam. And, as with all Taylors, quality is extremely high, so I believe this guitar will last for a long time.

I have no info on this, but from what I have read, Taylor's customer service is always top of the line.

I have been playing for over 30 years, and I have owned and played Gibsons, Martins, and Takamines. This guitar is clearly the best I have ever owned. I researched which guitar I wanted for about a year, so I got what I expected, no surprises. I would buy another Taylor in an instant, if I had the dough. Initially, I was reluctant to get the "e" (electronics), but I am glad I did. I will be using the 5514ce amplified soon, so it worked out for me.

Grand-auditorium sized acoustic guitar. Mahagony back/sides, western cedar top, all solid woods. Fishman matrix pickup. Includes Taylor handmade case.

Great sound. The wood combinations give a lot of warmth, not as deep as rosewood, but a very mellow sound. The cedar top adds to the sweetness. Played electrically, there is a deep resonant bass, but easily controlled with the onboard EQ of the Fishman pickups. The piezo under-saddle pickup is smooth and natural sounding. The internal mic makes for great percussive sounds, but is a little hard to handle, due to feedback. The midsized grand audituroum body is very comfortable for stage performances, and the wider neck featured on all of Taylor's smaller guitars is great for intricate finger work. This is an excellent fingerpicking guitar. Under heavy flatpicking the sound breaks up a bit, and it isn't really suited for heavy rhythm chord playing.

Like all Taylors, it plays beautifully. The saddle had been cut down by the original owner, causing slight string buzz. I replaced the saddle, tightened the truss rod, and it plays like a dream.

Surprisingly, there is a minor flaw, a discoloration on the edge of the top that almost looks like somebody spilled a drop of bleach. Unusual for Taylor. But, it isn't highly visible. Other than that, the top is perfect, the mahagony is beautifully colored and bookmatched, and the attractive diamond inlays in the neck set it apart from lower priced guitars.

This is my 4th full-sized Taylor. They've all held up beautifully in performance conditions, and I plan to be playing weddings and coffee houses with this guitar well into this century. My Taylors are so dependable I never bother with backup guitars anymore.

A minor annoyance is the fat strap peg that makes it hard to seat a strap. You can enlarge the straphole with a razor blade, or you can pay $$$ for a Taylor strap.

Taylor customer support is par excellent. They'll spend any amount of time on the phone with you, ship you tech bulletins, etc. They provide the best support I've ever had from any make - period.

For fingerpickers looking for a great overall acoustic, this is a good bet. I've played since 1965 and have tried just about everything. After many years owning and playing numerous acoustics, I've settled on Taylor as the best overall value to suit my needs. You won't find rich tones and top notch finish and appearance in Japanese-built guitars. And as good as Martins are, you can't get a Martin of this wood quality and trim level at this price.

Other current equipment: Taylor 614CE, Baby Taylor, Godin nylon-str, Godin elec-acoustic prototype 12-string, Fender Big Apple Strat, Guild Starfire III, Fender Jazz Bass, Fender Hot Rod DeVille amp, Line 6 Flextone amp, Trace TA100R acoustic amp.

This guitar is a 2000 Taylor 514ce, of course made in the US of A. It is all solid wood; Western Red Cedar Top, Tropical American Mahagony back/sides...top and back bookmatched, very beautiful.
It comes equip with a Fishman Onboard Blender(piezo and mic) which is great! You can get this guitar to sound anyway you want it to plugged in.
The body is grand auditorium style, which is a perfect compromise between dread and concert...great for both fingerstyle and strumming!
Tuners are Gold Grovers
Neck is Mahogany
Great action on this one! Plays like a good electric

Since I play a lot of fingerstyle jazz/blues, and play contemp. Christian music, this guitar is perfect! It has a nice mellow woody sound with excellent intonation. It is fairly easy to overdrive the cedar top, so if you are a heavy strummer look elsewhere. This is a very intimate guitar that deserves a light touch, It doesn't take much to get a sound out of it. The tone of this guitar will steal ur heart!

Perfectly bookmatched top and back...action was good, a little bit of buzz around the 5th fret...but any good luthier can set it up just right! There were a few flaws in the fretboard near the inlays, but you really have to look close to see the very small holes. More likely a natural flaw in the wood. but for that I'll take a point away.

The guitar was made with the NT neck technology and if you watch the tape Taylor puts out, you know that Taylors are built to last. The finish on the top will last, it is very thick, but I do plan on putting some holes in the top from playing b/c Cedar is such a soft wood. That's lookin a good 10 -15 years down the line though. I feel perfectly confident in gigging this ax without a backup!

Taylor's customer support is 2nd to none! If you electronics stop working, they'll send you new ones....finish flaws? New guitar. They work for YOU!

I've been playing about 4 years and this is the best sounding acoustic I've ever played. I did a 7 month search for the right acoustic and I looked thru everything I could afford...Taylor, Martin, Laviree, Seagull, Tacoma..etc. This guitar was it! If it were stolen I would go into a deep depression and after recovery go out and buy another one. The only thing I think I would change about this guitar is I would probably custom a abalone border on the top of the guitar, haha....that costs about $1000 bucks extra though.

my submission is similar to most here. but let me add that it is true with the 514 ce's...they just sing. i played many many guitars prior to the purchase of this one. i was actually considering an OLSON but of course $5000 is a bit steep...this particular one (and i played a few that weren't as 'praise-worthy') would certainly hold its own even against an olson...and i only paid $1700 for it. this sounds a bit cliche, but unlike my many other guitars, this one still inspires me when i pick it up.

the only problem i have/had is the prefix started a wonderful little 60-cycle hum...thanks to the blender, i can nix it, but i lose some of my low end when i do so. BUT WAIT! SEE BELOW TO SEE TAYLORS RESPONSE ABOUT THE PICKUP PROBLEM

i called taylor warranty. talked to some guy who immediately found the portland, or. based warranty repair person. he just said, call this guy and arrange the repair time, and i will pick the new electronics in the mail today. he didnt even ask if i had isolated the problem or anything. i didnt have to have the tech verify a problem. the tech called last night and its just awaiting my schedule to throw the new one in. in a word BRAVO!

This is a 1999 Taylor, manufactured in California. It has a spruce top with mahogany back and sides, rosewood fretboard, mother-of-pearl snowflake inlays, gold Grover tuners, and a Fishman Prefix blender. The body is grand auditorium size, so its not as big and boomy as a dreadnought. This model has a Venetian cutaway, allowing easy access to higher frets. The guitar came with an incredible hardcase that fits the body like a glove.

This was my first "professional" quality accoustic guitar, and the sound knocked me off my feet almost from the first note. I found that cheaper accoustics will produce sound, but it almost has to fight its way out of the instrument. Everything seems muffled, even when amplified. The Taylor was completely different. With this instrument, the body truly shaped the vibration of the strings and resonated wonderfully. You can feel the vibrations traveling through the neck so that it feels like the body of the guitar is singing. It just feels alive in your hands, and that's where the money is spent. This guitar sounds so wonderful that it is a joy to play, even after several years of ownership. I simply can't take the tone of this guitar for granted--it always gives me a thrill.

The size of the body means that this guitar is very bright when picked. Although it doesn't lack in a bottom end, it has a great sparkle to it. The onboard mixer allows for a considerable amount of tweaking when amplified, but this guitar sounds wonderful without any help. It's best suited for fingerpicking/flatpicking, but it strums just fine as well. In fact, most of my recordings with this one are strummed rhythms. At first, I was afraid that the smaller body would make this guitar tinny, but now I'm convinced that it actually makes it sound better. I don't like an boomy guitar sound, so this suits my style perfectly.

When I plug this guitar in, I usually do so directly into my Roland VS840 home studio workshop. I guess I'm really not a amplifying it much, but this does allow the Fishman blender to do its job. The tone that I get on these recordings is simply wonderful. At a 50/50 mix of mic and pickup, I am totally satisfied with the tone. The blender doesn't dominate the sound at all--instead, it simply helps translate the incredible tone to an electric signal.

When amplified, I only have a Mesa Rect-O-Verb 50 to use. This, obviously, is not a dedicated accoustic amp. Still, it sounds great. I still have problems with uncontrolled feedback, but that's a position/setting problem rather than a problem with the guitar.

I have no dislikes about the tone of this guitar.

The look of the 514CE is best described as understated. The finish on the mahogany neck is matte, without a glossy look found on many other expensive guitars. The headstock is also matte with a lovely, inlaid Taylor insignia. The gold tuners are probably the fanciest part of the guitar. The inlay around the sound hole is very simple, with a teardrop pickguard. The bridge has the trademark Taylor design and is made from ebony.

The finish on this guitar is lovely but rather delicate. No matter what you do, there will be some scratches on its surface if you play it a lot. I was stupid enough to bump against the open drawer of a filing cabinet and put an ugly scratch on the top that gouged through the finish (which is thin) and into the wood below. I was sick about this, but the sound was not affected. I guess I'll have to tell myself that it gives the guitar character...and it says that its owner is stupid. ;)

This guitar isn't flashy, but its elegant. Sort of like a BMW sedan...it just oozes quality.

The action on this instrument is remarkable. It is low...really low. It plays just like an electric, and bending strings is a dream. It plays fast, has no fret buzz, and the intonation is perfect. This is why Taylor spends so much money on their machining process. It's hard to believe that the thing wasn't 100% handmade.

The body is so light that its a little scary to play it outside of the house. I get nervous whenever I take it out of its case in public. Thankfully, the guitar is tougher than its weight would indicate. I've been playing this guitar for several years, every day, and nothing is falling apart. The tuners are lovely (they're Grovers after all) and rock steady. I haven't seen any wear from strumming, but I tend to hit the pickguard when I play...isn't that what its there for?

Never tried, but I hear that they're cool.

I've been playing for about ten years. I own a Les Paul, Fender Strat, along with some other stuff. If this guitar were loss, I'd cry. My favorite feature is the tone, tone, and more tone. It sounds like a dream and is worth every penny...and that's a shitload of pennies.

I compared this guitar to every high-end accoustic on the block. Nothing held a candle except Martin, which compared very favorably. The Martin did not have any onboard electronics, however, and I was not as happy with the feel of the neck. It was splitting hairs, of course, but I'm glad I purchased the Taylor. There is no substitute for "studio" accoustic playing.

Taylor lives up to its legend. They make incredible instruments and *never* sacrifice tone for looks. In order to get fancy inlays, you have to spend nearly 5,000 smackers on a Taylor. Sound comes first, and they deliver the goods.