NGD - Taylor 814 CE Builder’s Edition

A

acwild

Experienced
I’ve wanted this guitar for a long time and finally had an opportunity to buy it! These days I find myself playing my acoustic with others much more than with my electrics. The beveled arm rest is a game changer for me. It’s so comfortable to play for long periods.
This particular one has an amazing dynamic range. I can really attack it and it has a lot of headroom, then go soft and hear every note sing out clearly still. Originally I was going for the 814CE but I’m glad I got talked into the Builder’s Edition. The little details are really nice and I do notice them. It’s voiced perfectly to accompany vocals. Ok, back to playing it. :)



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acwild said:
I’ve wanted this guitar for a long time and finally had an opportunity to buy it! These days I find myself playing my acoustic with others much more than with my electrics. The beveled arm rest is a game changer for me. It’s so comfortable to play for long periods.
This particular one has an amazing dynamic range. I can really attack it and it has a lot of headroom, then go soft and hear every note sing out clearly still. Originally I was going for the 814CE but I’m glad I got talked into the Builder’s Edition. The little details are really nice and I do notice them. It’s voiced perfectly to accompany vocals. Ok, back to playing it. :)



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Congratulations - those are great guitars!

Here’s mine …
 

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i have a '12 814ce. it was my "i earned a great guitar". i have mixed feelings. i love it so, ill never gig with it for fear i ding it. i love the action and how it sounds acoustically. but ive never really bonded with the expression system.
 
Oh yeah! I tried one of those at GC years back, and it was the most articulate, vocal acoustic guitars I’d ever played. Congrats!
 
Thanks All! I’ve owned a variety of Taylor’s and this one is definitely the one that suits me best. My first one was a good guitar but sounded harsh when I strummed hard with a pick. After reading more about it, I learned that Taylor specifically said that the particular model was best suited for fingerpicking. I fingerpick more these days but I still love attacking my acoustic like Pete Townsend so I wanted a more balanced model.
It has good volume and a beautiful tone that sits well with singing.


PSea said:
i have a '12 814ce. it was my "i earned a great guitar". i have mixed feelings. i love it so, ill never gig with it for fear i ding it. i love the action and how it sounds acoustically. but ive never really bonded with the expression system.
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I fully can relate! My initial thought was that I’ll never gig with it because of theft and damage but this is actually a workhorse guitar and I’m going to put some mileage on it. As far as the Expression system goes, it’s better than a lot other options that I’ve tried and mic’ing just isn’t practical as I usually don’t sit while playing. But I’ve always found it challenging to eq.

grandinq said:
814 is basically my dream acoustic. That is a beautiful guitar!
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Thanks! This is my dream guitar as well. I always thought that it was something that I would buy at the end of my gear acquisition cycle. Looks like I was wrong. 😁 Since I don’t have a nylon acoustic, I‘ve also become obsessed with Dominic Miller’s custom Yairi after hearing and watching him play it in the Rick Beato interview.
 
Nice guitar. I’m looking at this very model. Im planning on making a trip to Sweetwater this week to compare the Builders Edition to the regular 814. I’ve been playing Taylors for 30 years and I gig them. They’re not case queens. I played a 612CE for 20 years but got tired of the small body. I have a 20th Anniversary model but want to get another with a cutaway.
 
darkknight91 said:
Nice guitar. I’m looking at this very model. Im planning on making a trip to Sweetwater this week to compare the Builders Edition to the regular 814. I’ve been playing Taylors for 30 years and I gig them. They’re not case queens. I played a 612CE for 20 years but got tired of the small body. I have a 20th Anniversary model but want to get another with a cutaway.
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That’s where mine is from. I wanted to compare the 814CE to its 12th fret equivalent. If Sweetwater was within driving distance, that would be very dangerous. 😁 Good luck in your search!
 
PSea said:
i have a '12 814ce. it was my "i earned a great guitar". i have mixed feelings. i love it so, ill never gig with it for fear i ding it. i love the action and how it sounds acoustically. but ive never really bonded with the expression system.
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Keep in mind they’ve changed the expression system to piezo under the saddle a few years ago. Or so I think so..
 
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elvtnedge said:
Keep in mind they’ve changed the expression system to piezo under the saddle a few years ago. Or so I think so..
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Not quite. What you’re describing is like the old Fishman style under saddle piezo bars. The new system is behind the saddle and is mounted inside the body. I installed a Schatten pickup in one of mine and it sounds similar to that. It has 3 contact points and is a lot more organic sounding and dynamic than those under saddle pickups.
 
darkknight91 said:
Not quite. What you’re describing is like the old Fishman style under saddle piezo bars. The new system is behind the saddle and is mounted inside the body. I installed a Schatten pickup in one of mine and it sounds similar to that. It has 3 contact points and is a lot more organic sounding and dynamic than those under saddle pickups.
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Ok that's it. I knew it had something to do with the saddle as I have a 314CE and thought about doing the upgrade.
 
I tried an 814ce at a Taylor event pre-covid and I hit the low E string and it was like a cannon went off. I figured no way it would be balanced across the strings but it was. I'm more an electric player so I stick with my 414ce which isn't as nice but still sounds great and the ovankol smells amazing to me.
 
Amazing guitar, congrats!
I'm still trying to decide what will be my next level acoustic but this one is on the list!
 
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