Typically described as Taylor’s flagship acoustic-electric, the abalone-adorned, spruce and rosewood 814ce has actually ended up being a contemporary classic, the supreme example of a grand auditorium cutaway for numerous guitar players. Remarkably, it just recently got the Builder’s Edition treatment that master luthier Andy Powers has actually used to designs like the 324ce and 816ce recently.
That’s not the genuine surprise about the brand-new 814ce Builder’s EditionRather, what may capture some Taylor lovers off guard is that the guitar’s top is made not of the popular 2 pieces, however 4– the very first time that the business has actually done this with spruce– a good relocation provided decreasing tonewood materials.
I auditioned the Builder’s Edition and discovered the construct quality and products to be first-class, the playability outstanding from the very first fret to the 20th, and the sound compact in the low end, abundant in the mids, and smooth and velvety– instead of Taylor’s normal brilliant and coppery– in the treble voice.
The Design and Build
Powers’ approach for the soundboard building is a type of doubled book-match– 4 pieces, instead of the single split set, sliced from the exact same piece of Adirondack spruce and accompanied timeless matching to maintain the wood’s unique I-beam grain. It’s worth keeping in mind that Adirondack spruce (aka red spruce), utilized in numerous classic steel-string guitars, is valued for its tightness and headroom, however Taylor and other big makers even more frequently develop with the Sitka range that is a lot easier to source nowadays.
The 814ce Builder’s Edition has other significant brand-new functions, consisting of a diagonal Venetian cutaway (echoing the armrest’s shape), antique gold Gotoh 510 tuning devices, and a tastefully subtle Kona edgeburst surface on the back and sides– all of that make for a striking variation on the traditional design. These are the sort of upgrades that, while including approximately $500 to the routine 814ce’s $4,000 price tag, are frequently seen on shop instruments in the five-figure variety. Not remarkably originating from Taylor, the brand-new style is thoroughly understood. With its completely dressed stresses; spot-on neck relief; outstanding action with no evident buzzing; and tight, smooth joints and edges in every part of the instrument, the develop quality on the evaluation design is merely unimpeachable.
Feel and Sonics
The neck sculpt on the 814ce Builder’s Edition is amazingly playable, with a completely light satin surface for smooth fretting-hand cruising. The 1-3/4– inch Tusq nut supports a string spacing broad enough for larger hands, and an extremely comfy 15-inch fretboard radius makes bluegrass and acoustic rock single-note runs a breeze and assists you keep those open strings sounding as you bring open shapes up the neck.
It’s well up the neck, past the 14th-fret neck joint, where the design’s smooth cutaway and heel actually pay off. Not just are single notes and double-stops uncomplicated to stress, however triads and tetrachords are unexpectedly even more within grasp than you’ll discover on a conventional cutaway.
While I didn’t have the routine 814ce, with its two-piece Sitka spruce leading, at hand for contrast, the Builder’s Edition might do not have a little the sustain and warmth one connect with Sitka. I would have liked to hear a bit more grow right out of package, however to be reasonable, Adirondack is usually believed to take a bit longer to open and reach its complete sonic capacity.
Maybe by virtue of its small body, I discovered the test design’s noise a bit bottom-light and compact for full-throated strumming in the nation, bluegrass, and folk idioms. That stated, the guitar appears to tip its hat to the mellower Grand Pacific presented numerous years back, in addition to other more recent V-Class-braced guitars that have actually intentionally moved far from that particular ’90s Taylor zing and those pleasing upper partials. This makes the brand-new 814ce a great fingerpicker’s guitar, with a smooth leading end and toned midrange that asks for a thumbpick method. With its concentrated tonal variety, the instrument is perfect for steel-string handles bossa nova accompaniment, British fingerstyle, and jazz comping, and I liked its huge, round midrange for ripping single-note lines and double-stops.
Equipped with Taylor’s well-voiced Expression System 2 electronic devices, the guitar is plainly created to be gig-ready, and its tonal attributes alter rather when you plug into a great acoustic amp like a VHT True Acoustic 60. The low end pops a lot more, and its density indicates you’re less most likely to need to fight woofy feedback and keeps in mind “riding” when you hold them. The guitar likewise has a sultry high-midrange that boasts a pleasing smoothness, making it less most likely that you’ll require to invoke your preamp/DI’s notch filter.
The Verdict
The 814ce Builder’s Edition plays incredibly, even amazingly well. It is constructed with premium woods and top-flight hardware and consultations, and has a well-sculpted midrange that ought to sit extremely perfectly in any live nation, Americana, or rock mix. Possibly most essential, Taylor Guitars has actually long treasured development and sustainability, and the 814ce Builder’s Edition brings those concerns happily, maybe even pointing the method to the future of the steel-string acoustic guitar and its building and construction.
SPECIFICATIONS
BODY Grand auditorium size; four-piece Adirondack spruce leading with V-Class bracing; Indian rosewood back and sides; beveled cutaway; West African ebony bridge with Micarta saddle; ebony bridge pins with abalone dots; rosewood pickguard; abalone rosette; gloss surface
NECK Neo-tropical mahogany with headscarf joint; 25-1/2 ″ scale length; 1-3/4 ″ Tusq nut; West African Crelicam ebony fretboard; mother-of-pearl inlays; 20 stresses; antique gold Gotoh 510 tuners (21:1 ratio); satin surface
OTHER Taylor ES2 electronic devices; D’Addario XS covered phosphor bronze strings (.012–.053); luxurious hardshell case; offered left-handed
MADE IN United States
COST $4,499 street
This post initially appeared in the March/April 2024 concern of Acoustic Guitar publication.