Taylor 214CE Review: Ultimate Buying Experience – The Truly Good Acoustic Guitar
In the music industry, nothing beats an excellent high-end guitar. It says that if the car world has BMWs, then we have the Taylor in the world of guitars. Known for their high-quality building techniques and sophisticated yet straightforward innovations, Taylor guitars are one of the most respected and trusted brands of guitars.
Playing a high-quality guitar will automatically be recognized for its look and adds credibility to your playing. And although Taylor guitars are famous for having high quality and prices, the company always tries to reach all its customers. They constantly invent guitars to capture a broader range of guitarists.
One of their most famous guitars is the Taylor 214CE Deluxe. It has the latest ES2 technology of Taylor, which enhances the overall sound quality of the guitar. David Holster of Taylor has revolutionized this breakthrough technology of the Expression System, which utilizes the Dynamic Body Sensor mounted to the soundboard, a discrete preamp, and a Dynamic String Sensor embedded beneath the fingerboard that makes the Taylor 214ce guitar unique against its competitors.
All About the Taylor 214ce Deluxe – Ultimate Buying Experience And Review
Everybody who plays the guitar understands what Taylor does to their guitars. Not only are they well-known for the build quality of their guitars, but they are also constantly praised for the sound quality that their guitars produce.
The Taylor 214ce Deluxe is considered one of the most affordable guitars by Taylor. The guitar is almost ready to play once you get it out of the box and has all the right features of a guitar, just within the price range of guitarists today.
The guitar’s playability is exquisite, and it has an articulated and full voice; the intonation is unbeatable right up to the neck, and the top-of-the-line build quality of Taylor makes this guitar a star on stage, a terror against its competitors. The total price comes with a hard-shell case for perfect protection and the overall fit of the guitar.
Outstanding features of Taylor 214ce Deluxe
Although there are a lot of guitars in the same price range, many people believe that the Taylor 214ce Deluxe is one of the best in the market today. Many guitarists and experts agree with this because of the different materials, body shapes, and features of this guitar. Here’s a detailed explanation of the 214ce Deluxe.
Build Quality of Taylor 214ce
For starters, the fingerboard of the Taylor 214ce Deluxe is made from ebony instead of the usual rosewood you’ll find in this price range. This enables the guitar to produce high-quality, low, and high tones better than the other guitars. Ebony is the type of wood used in mid-class guitars because of its affordability and ability to produce excellent sounds.
The guitar’s top uses Sitka spruce, the most popular top wood in this era. Sitka spruce blends elasticity and stiffness to give the guitar a dynamic range and crisp articulation. Taylor finished the top with upgraded gloss to give a more natural feel to the guitar.
The back and sides of the guitar are made from layered rosewood, creating a complementary platform to the strings’ vibrations and the guitar’s sturdiness. Although many people think that “layered” can mean a bad sign to the guitar, the 214ce made sure that you still get that natural sound that you find in other solid wood guitars but lighter and more affordable.
This layered rosewood is less prone to changes because of humidity and temperature, making it an excellent choice for people who like a guitar with supreme durability and perfect for traveling. They also used an upgraded gloss finish for the back and sides, enabling the guitar to create that mellow and rich sound.
The neck and heel of the Taylor 214ce Deluxe are made from Sapele, which also contributes highly to the overall sound and durability of the guitar. Although some of the parts of the guitar have an upgraded gloss finish, the neck has been finished with satin to create a different tone and sound. This enables the guitar to reach highs and lows without effort.
It uses chrome (100/200) for the tuners and buttons. It’s equipped with Nubone for the nut and Tusq for the saddle, which are great additions to the look and sound of the guitar. Lastly, it uses Elixir Phosphor Bronze Light for the strings right out of the box, which is good quality.
How Taylor 214ce Looks
First, the Taylor 214ce Deluxe has the Grand Auditorium body, which is Taylor’s most versatile and popular body style. This is mid-size between the Grand Concert and Dreadnought guitars which is why it’s perfect for both flat pick and fingerstyle of playing.
The Grand Auditorium is the best-selling shape because it’s good for traveling and composing songs. Plus, it can handle many genres that many people love because it can handle versatility and has the proper flexibility to cope with everything you put up.
To understand better the size of the Grand Auditorium, here’s a quick look at the different measurements of the 214ce Deluxe. The difference between this guitar’s measurement and other guitars is its ability to produce quality sound and its richness in tone.
The scale length of the 214ce is like other guitars that are just 25 ½”. Its length and width are 20” and 16” respectively, and it has a depth of 4 5/8”, which is the reason why it can produce mellow sounds that you often find in dreadnought guitars, but only more affluent. Plus, the guitar’s neck width is 1 11/16,” and the heel length is 3 ½” to help support the guitar’s weight and pressure.
There are other features that you’ll find in the Taylor 214ce Deluxe. The fingerboard inlay comprises small diamonds. The headstock overlay and the truss rod are made from Indian Rosewood. It has white binding and black bridge pins. It’s equipped with Forward Shifted Pattern Bracing and a tortoise pickguard. The cutaway style is Venetian which can accommodate different positions when playing.
The guitar has 20 frets and six strings overall. It has a Taylor Colorcore peghead logo, a Standard type, and a scarf-type neck joint. The rosette is made from plastic and has three rings for the size. Lastly, the 214ce Deluxe also comes with a black Taylor Standard Hardshell case to protect the guitar.
Electronics
Another thing that makes the Taylor 214ce Deluxe unique from its competitors is its electronics. It’s equipped with the Expression System 2, a revolutionary pickup design patented behind-the-saddle pickup that features three individually and uniquely positioned calibrated pickup sensors. These sensors enable the guitar to capture a more dynamic range of acoustic sound.
With the “professional audio”-grade preamp, the Expression System 2 produces exceptional responsiveness and amplified tones. It blends the resonance and tone of the strings while doing an excellent job when it comes to replicating the acoustic tone of the guitar accurately.
The pre-amp section does not include a tuner (like other high-end guitars), but it features a simple three-knob control system to adjust the volume, bass, and treble of the 214ce Deluxe. The Expression System 2 is powered by a 9V battery which is found at the bottom of the guitar, making the top side look smooth and sleek at the same time.
Sound Quality: The Taylor 214ce is one of the best
The Taylor 214ce Deluxe is not only famous for its looks and features, but it stands out the most because of the sound quality it produces. It creates original acoustic tones which can handle strumming with a balance on the tonal spectrum. Because of the Grand Auditorium’s body shape, it can reach the whole depth tone like a battleship and get a pronounced punch like tighter guitars.
Many people are fond of playing this guitar because it can easily play almost every genre. Also, its shape makes it very comfortable to play whether you sit or stand. Acoustically, the sound quality is among the best in its price range. It sounds excellent, but you can hear the guitar’s pronounced tone.
The highs of the Taylor 214ce Deluxe are well-defined and bright, but it lacks the harmonic touch experienced guitarists hear when you put it under the microscope. You’ll hear the best performance of this guitar when you plug it into your amplifier. The tone and sound are solid and dependable, giving clarity and a form of adjustment.
Personal Opinion About Taylor 214ce Review
The Taylor 214ce Deluxe is truly a guitar to be reckoned with. At around $1000, you can get a world-class guitar, which already includes a hardshell case. This guitar’s sound is incredible because it can accommodate fingerstyle and strumming playing.
It can effortlessly reach both high and low notes. Plus, the sound becomes better when you plug it into an amplifier. You can play the guitar right out of the box with just a few adjustments.
The action of the 214ce Deluxe is excellent and very light, which is incredible because it doesn’t create any string buzz. All guitarists appreciate a natural action because it will lighten up the effort of creating different chords.
The guitar features chrome tuners and buttons that let the guitar stay in tune for a long time. It makes the guitar loved by so many people, especially those who have long gigs or are not fond of constantly adjusting the tuners.
You’ll appreciate the look of the 214ce Deluxe compared to the other guitars of Taylor because of its specific features and the woodwork that’s already a masterpiece of their craftsmen. The three-knob adjustment is beneficial for quickly adjusting the treble, volume, and bass.
The Expression System 2 is also a technology that makes Taylor proud because they have become the pioneer in calibrating pickup sensors, the exceptional amplified tone, and the overall responsiveness of the guitar. It’s straightforward and helpful for those fond of connecting their guitars on pre-amps.
Pros and Cons of Taylor 214ce Deluxe
Pros
Because Taylor manufactured this guitar, you can expect great things from the 214ce. Here are some of the pros you’ll find in this guitar:
- Whether the 214ce Deluxe is connected to a pre-amp, this guitar produces great audio that will make anyone listen to the player.
- The chrome tuners and buttons allow this guitar to have a consistent sound and stay in tune for extended periods.
- The Grand Auditorium has a good feeling when you play it, which is why many people are fond of playing the guitar.
- Lastly, because of the combination of the different woods, the features, and the Grand Auditorium body style of the guitar, it produces a rich sound that can accommodate both highs and lows without missing a beat.
- You can easily play different genres; this guitar won’t fail you in bringing incredible tone and sound.
Cons
- You can’t find faults from the 214ce. Not only is it more affordable than the guitars of Taylor, but it also produces excellent sound quality that everyone will love. Although, there’s one thing that I found this guitar lacks.
- The lack of harmonic touch when it comes to reaching the high tones when used as an acoustic guitar can sometimes be noticeable to the hearing of well-experienced guitarists, but this is understandable since this guitar can be connected to a pre-amp. Plus, once connected, the richness of the sound will be more potent than ever.
Comparing: Taylor 214CE vs. Taylor 314CE and Taylor 214 CE vs. Taylor 114CE
If you’re a fan of Taylor guitars, then you must have heard of the many series they offer. Three of them are the 100, 200, and 300 series. For the first part, I will compare the Taylor 214ce vs. Taylor 314ce. Then, later on, it will compare the Taylor 214ce vs. Taylor 114ce.
First and foremost, there’s almost a $$$ difference between the Taylor 214ce and the Taylor 314ce, and the Taylor 314ce is the most expensive. Both have the Grand Auditorium body shape, Sitka spruce for the top wood, Expression System 2 for the electronics, and Venetian for the cutaway.
The Taylor 314ce uses Sapele for the body wood, Micarta for the saddle, Tusq for the nut, Forward Shifted Pattern with Relief Rout for the bracing, Taylor Nickel for the tuners, and Elixir Phosphor Bronze HD Light for the strings. The Taylor 214ce Deluxe has layered rosewood for the body, Tusq for the saddle, Nubone for the nut, Forward Shifted Pattern for the bracing, and Elixir Phosphor Bronze Light for the strings.
These differences alone make a little difference to the overall built quality of the guitar. Although a lot of people say that it’s better to buy the Taylor 214ce Deluxe at first to try out if you’re genuinely fond of playing Taylor guitars, after a couple of months or years, you will eventually look for a higher-end guitar when you’re already an expert. Spending an extra $$$ can make a lot of difference when buying almost the same build quality and sound quality as a guitar.
Now, I’ll compare the Taylor 214ce vs. Taylor 114ce. There’s around a $300-$500 difference between both guitars, depending on where you buy it. Both guitars have the Grand Auditorium body shape, Sitka spruce for the top wood, Expression System 2 for the electronics, and Venetian for the cutaway. They use the same material for the nut and saddle, Nubone and Tusq, respectively. Plus, both guitars have the Forward Shifted Pattern for the bracing.
The Taylor 214ce Deluxe, however, uses different materials for some of its parts. Layered Rosewood is used for the body; chrome (100/200) for the tuners; gloss finish for the top, back, and sides; and satin finish for the neck. While the Taylor 114CE uses layered Sapele for the body, die-cast chrome for the tuners, and varnish for the top, back, sides, and neck.
The finish alone makes a lot of difference when it comes to the sound quality of the guitar. The different finishes used for the 21finish alone make a lot of difference regarding the excellent quality of the guitar. The different finishes used for the Taylor 214ce Deluxe make it a versatile guitar that can accommodate both high and low notes.
If you’re confused about whether to buy the Taylor 214ce Deluxe or the Taylor 114ce, then it is better that you choose the Taylor 214ce because of the sound quality it can give you. A couple of hundred dollars will make a lot of difference regarding your playing ability, recordings, and overall performance.
Conclusion
When buying a Taylor guitar and looking for something with excellent soexcellentuality on and off the plug, you should check out the Taylor 214 ce DLX (Deluxe). There’s no doubt about the build quality of Taylor guitars which is why you can be sure that this guitar will last for years and even decades.
There’s no question of sound quality either because it can perfectly balance both high and low notes. Plus, it covers various players because it’s an excellent guitar for strumming or fingerstyle. Plus, All the materials used in this guitar contribute to the overall performance and quality.
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