{"id":143347,"date":"2024-03-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/?p=143347"},"modified":"2024-03-05T13:53:47","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T21:53:47","slug":"review-taylor-814ce-builders-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/review-taylor-814ce-builders-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Taylor\u2019s Flagship 814ce Builder\u2019s Edition Sees New Boutique-Approved Variations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Taylor\u2019s Flagship 814ce Builder\u2019s Edition Sees New Boutique-Approved Variations | New Gear\" width=\"1290\" height=\"968\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/siSEmHb4uaw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Often referred to as Taylor\u2019s flagship acoustic-electric, the abalone-adorned, spruce and rosewood 814ce has become a modern classic, the supreme example of a grand auditorium cutaway for many guitarists. Interestingly, it only recently received the Builder\u2019s Edition treatment that master luthier Andy Powers has applied to models like the <a href=\"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/gear-review-taylor-builders-edition-324ce-and-816ce\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">324ce and 816ce<\/a> in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that\u2019s not the real surprise about the new <a href=\"https:\/\/reverb.grsm.io\/ag?query=taylor%20814ce%20builder%27s%20edition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">814ce Builder\u2019s Edition<\/a>. Rather, what might catch some Taylor enthusiasts off guard is that the guitar\u2019s top is made not of the customary two pieces, but four\u2014the first time that the company has done this with spruce\u2014a commendable move given dwindling tonewood supplies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"577\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-FrontLeft-2022.jpg?resize=577%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Taylor 814ce Builder\u2019s Edition full body view\" class=\"wp-image-143352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-FrontLeft-2022.jpg?resize=577%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 577w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-FrontLeft-2022.jpg?resize=282%2C500&amp;ssl=1 282w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-FrontLeft-2022.jpg?resize=169%2C300&amp;ssl=1 169w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-FrontLeft-2022.jpg?w=750&amp;ssl=1 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I auditioned the Builder\u2019s Edition and found the build quality and materials to be top-notch, the playability excellent from the first fret to the 20th, and the sound compact in the low end, rich in the mids, and smooth and velvety\u2014rather than Taylor\u2019s typical bright and coppery\u2014in the treble voice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Design and Build<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Powers\u2019 method for the soundboard construction is a kind of doubled book-match\u2014four pieces, rather than the single split pair, sliced from the same chunk of Adirondack spruce and joined with classic mirroring to retain the wood\u2019s distinctive I-beam grain. It\u2019s worth noting that Adirondack spruce (aka red spruce), used in many vintage steel-string guitars, is prized for its stiffness and headroom, but Taylor and other large makers far more commonly build with the Sitka variety that is much easier to source these days.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 814ce Builder\u2019s Edition has other notable new features, including a beveled Venetian cutaway (echoing the armrest&#8217;s contour), antique gold Gotoh 510 tuning machines, and a tastefully subtle Kona edgeburst finish on the back and sides\u2014all of which make for a striking variation on the classic model. These are the sort of upgrades that, while adding roughly $500 to the regular 814ce\u2019s $4,000 sticker price, are often seen on boutique instruments in the five-figure range. Not surprisingly coming from Taylor, the new design is meticulously realized. With its perfectly dressed frets; spot-on neck relief; excellent action with zero apparent buzzing; and snug, smooth joints and edges in every part of the instrument, the build quality on the review model is simply unimpeachable.<em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"577\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-BackLeft-2022.jpg?resize=577%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Taylor 814ce Builder\u2019s Edition back view\" class=\"wp-image-143353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-BackLeft-2022.jpg?resize=577%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 577w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-BackLeft-2022.jpg?resize=282%2C500&amp;ssl=1 282w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-BackLeft-2022.jpg?resize=169%2C300&amp;ssl=1 169w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-BackLeft-2022.jpg?w=750&amp;ssl=1 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feel and Sonics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The neck carve on the 814ce Builder\u2019s Edition is stunningly playable, with a perfectly light satin finish for smooth fretting-hand sailing. The 1-3\/4\u2013inch Tusq nut supports a string spacing broad enough for bigger hands, and a very comfortable 15-inch fretboard radius makes bluegrass and acoustic rock single-note runs a breeze and helps you keep those open strings ringing as you carry open shapes up the neck.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, it\u2019s well up the neck, past the 14th-fret neck joint, where the model\u2019s smooth cutaway and heel really pay off. Not only are single notes and double-stops effortless to fret, but triads and tetrachords are suddenly far more within grasp than you\u2019ll find on a traditional cutaway.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While I didn\u2019t have the regular 814ce, with its two-piece Sitka spruce top, at hand for comparison, the Builder\u2019s Edition may lack a bit of the sustain and warmth one associates with Sitka. I would have liked to hear a bit more boom right out of the box, but to be fair, Adirondack is generally thought to take a bit longer to open up and reach its full sonic potential.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps by virtue of its smallish body, I found the test model\u2019s sound a bit bottom-light and compact for full-throated strumming in the country, bluegrass, and folk idioms. That said, the guitar seems to tip its hat to the mellower Grand Pacific introduced several years ago, as well as other newer V-Class-braced guitars that have deliberately moved away from that characteristic \u201990s Taylor zing and those pleasing upper partials. This makes the new 814ce a fine fingerpicker\u2019s guitar, with a smooth top end and sculpted midrange that begs for a thumbpick approach. With its focused tonal range, the instrument is ideal for steel-string takes on bossa nova accompaniment, British fingerstyle, and jazz comping, and I loved its big, round midrange for ripping single-note lines and double-stops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Outfitted with Taylor\u2019s well-voiced Expression System 2 electronics, the guitar is clearly designed to be gig-ready, and its tonal characteristics change somewhat when you plug into a fine acoustic amp like a VHT True Acoustic 60. The low end pops a lot more, and its compactness means you\u2019re less likely to have to combat woofy feedback and notes \u201criding\u201d when you hold them. The guitar also has a sultry high-midrange that boasts a pleasing smoothness, making it less likely that you\u2019ll need to invoke your preamp\/DI\u2019s notch filter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"423\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-gallery-07-2022.jpg?resize=750%2C423&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Taylor 814ce Builder\u2019s Edition soundhole closeup\" class=\"wp-image-143351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-gallery-07-2022.jpg?w=750&amp;ssl=1 750w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-gallery-07-2022.jpg?resize=500%2C282&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-BE-814ce-1208232194-gallery-07-2022.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Verdict<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The 814ce Builder\u2019s Edition plays remarkably, even stunningly well. It is built with premium woods and top-flight hardware and appointments, and has a well-sculpted midrange that should sit very nicely in any live country, Americana, or rock mix. But perhaps most important, Taylor Guitars has long prized innovation and sustainability, and the 814ce Builder\u2019s Edition carries those priorities proudly, perhaps even pointing the way to the future of the steel-string acoustic guitar and its construction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SPECS&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>BODY<\/strong> Grand auditorium size; four-piece Adirondack spruce top 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 finish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NECK<\/strong> Neo-tropical mahogany with scarf joint; 25-1\/2&#8243; scale length; 1-3\/4&#8243; Tusq nut; West African Crelicam ebony fretboard; mother-of-pearl inlays; 20 frets; antique gold Gotoh 510 tuners (21:1 ratio); satin finish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>OTHER <\/strong>Taylor ES2 electronics; <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/436y5n5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">D\u2019Addario XS coated phosphor bronze strings<\/a> (.012\u2013.053); deluxe hardshell case; available left-handed<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>MADE IN <\/strong>United States<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PRICE<\/strong> $4,499 street<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.taylorguitars.com\/guitars\/acoustic\/builders-edition-814ce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">taylorguitars.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/no-345-march-april-2024\" name=\"magazine\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 198px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/001_345_Cover-150px.jpg?w=1290&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Acoustic Guitar magazine cover for issue 344\"><\/a>\n<p style=\"font-family: sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 15px 0px;\">This article originally appeared in the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/no-345-march-april-2024\">March\/April 2024<\/a> issue of <em>Acoustic Guitar<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With its perfectly dressed frets, spot-on neck relief, excellent action, and smooth joints and edges, the build quality on the 814ce is simply unimpeachable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":143350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"With its perfectly dressed frets, spot-on neck relief, excellent action, and smooth joints and edges, the build quality on the 814ce is simply unimpeachable.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1684],"tags":[1942],"ppma_author":[1597],"class_list":["post-143347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grand-auditorium","tag-march-april-2024"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taylor-Environmental-23-03-02-BE814ce-887766118862-Detail-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1","authors":[{"term_id":1597,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"james-rotondi","display_name":"James Rotondi","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/roto.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/roto.jpg"},"user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":"James Rotondi is a guitarist, journalist, and critic."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143347"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144065,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143347\/revisions\/144065"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143347"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=143347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}