The Taylor 814ce is the flagship guitar of the 800 Series, which represents the heart of the production of these prestigious acoustic guitars made in El Cajon, California.
The ability to combine tradition in guitar construction with technological innovations has allowed Taylor guitars to easily overcome the competition of all new acoustic guitars coming from the Asian markets and to compete on equal terms with Martin guitars, from which they are distinguished by a brighter and less worm sound, without a strong midrange. A matter of taste, in short, the choice between Taylor and Martin.
The guitar is presented in the beautiful and hard-wearing Taylor Deluxe Hardshell Brown case, with attention to the smallest of details. It is externally lined with a brown Tolex covering on which the Taylor nameplate and five resistant brass fasteners stand out, and internally padded with a bright burgundy red linen that houses the guitar with very low tolerances.
The guitar is immediately striking in its perfect shape: sinuous, balanced in its curves, with consistent proportions and an understated, refined aesthetic sense. Even after a closer look, not a single inaccuracy, smudge or manufacturing uncertainty can be found. The joints in the wood and the neck anchorage are perfect; the figured maple binding on the fingerboard, headstock and body is flawless and elegant; the inlays on the soundhole, fingerboard, headstock and string pegs do not have the slightest smudge.
The ability to combine tradition in guitar construction with technological innovations has allowed Taylor guitars to easily overcome the competition of all new acoustic guitars coming from the Asian markets and to compete on equal terms with Martin guitars, from which they are distinguished by a brighter and less worm sound, without a strong midrange. A matter of taste, in short, the choice between Taylor and Martin.
The guitar is presented in the beautiful and hard-wearing Taylor Deluxe Hardshell Brown case, with attention to the smallest of details. It is externally lined with a brown Tolex covering on which the Taylor nameplate and five resistant brass fasteners stand out, and internally padded with a bright burgundy red linen that houses the guitar with very low tolerances.
The guitar is immediately striking in its perfect shape: sinuous, balanced in its curves, with consistent proportions and an understated, refined aesthetic sense. Even after a closer look, not a single inaccuracy, smudge or manufacturing uncertainty can be found. The joints in the wood and the neck anchorage are perfect; the figured maple binding on the fingerboard, headstock and body is flawless and elegant; the inlays on the soundhole, fingerboard, headstock and string pegs do not have the slightest smudge.
This constructional perfection has been achieved thanks to the many constructional innovations Taylor has introduced into the making of its acoustic guitars. CNC (computer numeric controlled mills), together with the use of lasers, allow the wood to be cut with extreme precision and bolt-on technology to bolt the neck to the body. Automatic side-benders allow the wood of the sides to be bent, avoiding breakage or numerous problems that occur with manual bending. Excess wood in the binding is removed by luthiers using vacuum chucking, a technology that uses a vacuum to stabilize the guitar to avoid accidental scratches or unsightly irregularities. Finally, the gloss varnish is impeccably applied and its layer appears very thin and light, thanks to a computer-controlled spray/electrostatic system.
The top board is made of Sitka spruce, a light, flexible and durable wood that is well suited to all musical genres because it has an excellent response across all frequencies. The grain is straight, thin, regular and free of knots, a sign of the selection that Taylor woods undergo. In the centre of the top a beautiful abalone rosette surrounds the hole in the case.
The sidebands and case are made of Indian rosewood, a very popular wood among acoustic instruments, with a timbre similar to mahogany but decidedly deeper in the midrange, deeper in the bass and crisper in the higher frequencies. It is well suited to most musical genres, from strumming to fingerpicking to flatpicking.
The bridge saddle is made of Tusq, the ebony bridge pins show a fascinating central abalone inlay.
The fingerboard, made of very dark, uniform ebony with elegant mother-of-pearl fret markers, rests on a tropical mahogany neck with a satin varnish that is not particularly thick and is comfortable for those accustomed to electric guitars, thanks also to a very low action for an acoustic guitar.
Even the headstock is an authentic work of art: Taylor logo in mother-of-pearl on a satin-finished Indian rosewood back, figured maple binding, rosewood truss rod cover and high-precision, gold-plated Taylor tuners, Tusq nut.
Also impressive is the cleanliness of construction that can be admired inside the case: traces of glue are completely absent, bracing is perfect, and the wood is beautifully polished. Beneath the top we find the forward shifted bracing with the relief rout, a slight groove along the inner edge of the top that relaxes the structure, leading to an increase in bass and volume, improving the sound without impoverishing the structural strength.
The body shape of the 814ce is the Grand Auditorium Size, Taylor's most famous and versatile body shape. It was introduced in 1994 and represents a middle way between the small Grand Concert Size, suitable for fingerstyle, and the classic Drenaught. Its aim is in fact to combine the characteristics of brightness and note separation typical of fingerstyle guitars with a higher volume that is well suited to strumming.
The result is a guitar with great timbre and dynamics, easy to play, but above all very balanced and versatile thanks to a remarkable balance between the different strings: each note in fact remains distinct from the others, enhancing its own voice even within the most complex harmonic sequences, resulting particularly useful for lovers of arpeggios.
After getting used to a Taylor 814ce, switching to a lower class instrument can become frustrating.
I'll conclude with a few words about the TES (the Taylor Expression System), which is the amplifier system of the 814ce. I mainly use this unamplified guitar, so I'll just report the comments of users of amplification systems. The aim of the TES is to amplify the guitar with an unobtrusive, almost invisible system, so as not to detract from the aesthetics and 'acoustic' value of the instrument. The system relies on transducers positioned at strategic points on the soundboard to naturally pick up the widest spectrum of timbre. Even the very quiet preamplifier is essential: there are only three small knobs. What one feels for the TES seems to be a real love-hate relationship: if on the one hand we have bad results attaching the Taylor to a cheap system, on the other hand, if supported by a professional amplification system, the TES is able to provide surprising results.
The top board is made of Sitka spruce, a light, flexible and durable wood that is well suited to all musical genres because it has an excellent response across all frequencies. The grain is straight, thin, regular and free of knots, a sign of the selection that Taylor woods undergo. In the centre of the top a beautiful abalone rosette surrounds the hole in the case.
The sidebands and case are made of Indian rosewood, a very popular wood among acoustic instruments, with a timbre similar to mahogany but decidedly deeper in the midrange, deeper in the bass and crisper in the higher frequencies. It is well suited to most musical genres, from strumming to fingerpicking to flatpicking.
The bridge saddle is made of Tusq, the ebony bridge pins show a fascinating central abalone inlay.
The fingerboard, made of very dark, uniform ebony with elegant mother-of-pearl fret markers, rests on a tropical mahogany neck with a satin varnish that is not particularly thick and is comfortable for those accustomed to electric guitars, thanks also to a very low action for an acoustic guitar.
Even the headstock is an authentic work of art: Taylor logo in mother-of-pearl on a satin-finished Indian rosewood back, figured maple binding, rosewood truss rod cover and high-precision, gold-plated Taylor tuners, Tusq nut.
Also impressive is the cleanliness of construction that can be admired inside the case: traces of glue are completely absent, bracing is perfect, and the wood is beautifully polished. Beneath the top we find the forward shifted bracing with the relief rout, a slight groove along the inner edge of the top that relaxes the structure, leading to an increase in bass and volume, improving the sound without impoverishing the structural strength.
The body shape of the 814ce is the Grand Auditorium Size, Taylor's most famous and versatile body shape. It was introduced in 1994 and represents a middle way between the small Grand Concert Size, suitable for fingerstyle, and the classic Drenaught. Its aim is in fact to combine the characteristics of brightness and note separation typical of fingerstyle guitars with a higher volume that is well suited to strumming.
The result is a guitar with great timbre and dynamics, easy to play, but above all very balanced and versatile thanks to a remarkable balance between the different strings: each note in fact remains distinct from the others, enhancing its own voice even within the most complex harmonic sequences, resulting particularly useful for lovers of arpeggios.
After getting used to a Taylor 814ce, switching to a lower class instrument can become frustrating.
I'll conclude with a few words about the TES (the Taylor Expression System), which is the amplifier system of the 814ce. I mainly use this unamplified guitar, so I'll just report the comments of users of amplification systems. The aim of the TES is to amplify the guitar with an unobtrusive, almost invisible system, so as not to detract from the aesthetics and 'acoustic' value of the instrument. The system relies on transducers positioned at strategic points on the soundboard to naturally pick up the widest spectrum of timbre. Even the very quiet preamplifier is essential: there are only three small knobs. What one feels for the TES seems to be a real love-hate relationship: if on the one hand we have bad results attaching the Taylor to a cheap system, on the other hand, if supported by a professional amplification system, the TES is able to provide surprising results.
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