PRODUCT REVIEW
TAYLOR
814CE ACOUSTIC-
ELECTRIC
cutaway allows easy access to the upper frets,
and the gently rounded neck is comfortable,
straight and stiff (and fast, should the need
arise). Taylor’s UV finishing process, in addition
to being environmentally friendly and offering
generous protection against checking, allows
for a very thin finish that lets the wood breathe,
and the top to “open up” with age and playing.
BY CHRIS BURGESS
Taylor’s 814ce represents the result of a great
and difficult balancing act. Or perhaps it’s more
correct to say the result of several separate,
interrelated balancing acts. The design and
construction balances past and present, with
a combination of new technology and old-fashioned craftsmanship. The Grand Auditorium
body shape hearkens back to the early Taylor
models, but the guitar also incorporates
many elements that represent more recent
advancements, such as Taylor’s patented New
Technology (NT) neck and UV-cured finish.
With a single Venetian cutaway, satin neck fin-
ish and gorgeous tobacco sunburst gloss, the
guitar’s realization of aesthetic balance is obvi-
ous, too. Taylor has taken advantage of a whole
range of woods to create an instrument with
a sumptuous look that nevertheless manages
to steer clear of prodigal flashiness. The top
is made of Sitka spruce, with Indian rosewood
for the back, sides and peghead overlay, and
the neck is mahogany. Under light, the tight-
grained spruce shows a remarkable
depth and luster, like thin ribbons
beneath the pristinely clear gloss
finish that ripple as you turn it.
The fingerboard and bridge are
made of ebony, and the hand-laid
binding—front and back, neck,
headstock and heel cap—is a won-
derfully figured maple. Gold-plated
Taylor tuners, abalone soundhole
rosette and shimmering pearl
fretboard inlay round out
the design.
If the selection of wood achieves a great look, it
also gives the guitar a perfectly even and wonderfully full voice. Right from the first strum, it
captured me with its balance. The lows display a
striking depth and clarity; the attack is clear, full
and deep with no boominess or muddiness. The
midrange is warm and round with no discernable
scoop. The bright, crisp highs ring out without
dominating. The overall effect is a full-bodied,
resonant sustain with a clear, vibrant “zing”
across its tonal range. With light strumming,
the guitar produces plenty of harmonics, and it
displays a nice, percussive ring with palm muting.
Fingerpicking is a simple delight with this guitar.
While it’s not built for the most aggressive playing styles—overloading the top results in a loss
of articulation and detail—the 814ce would be
just the right instrument for holding down bass
lines and chord work in an acoustic ensemble.
Its fullness and dynamic capability would also
make it ideal for solo fingerstyle work or strumming vocal accompaniment. It is perhaps not
the loudest guitar Taylor makes, but it is easily loud enough to hold its own in a group of
instruments, and it projects beautifully, producing room-filling bloom and articulation.
It is to Taylor’s credit
that what could’ve
been an embarrass-
ment of riches, or
even a gaudy mess in
terms of materials and
dress, has resulted
instead in this guitar’s
refined, elegant appear-
ance. But even more
notable is the way its aes-
thetics are balanced with the
requirements of playability. The
The 814ce also comes equipped with the
Taylor Expression System (ES). Designed in
2003 in conjunction with audio pioneer Mr.
Rupert Neve, the ES combines an onboard
preamp and three magnetic sensor pickups
(one under the fretboard and two under
the soundboard) to capture and convert the
vibrations of the strings and soundboard. The
system promises to deliver the guitar’s true,
natural tone, and I can report splendid results
after playing the guitar through two excellent acoustic amps: a Genz Benz Shenandoah
Compak 300 and an AAD Super Cub AG-300.
