Taylor 414ce ...sounds good to me..any other recommendations?

T

T.B.B.

Inspired
Just played the Taylor 414ce ...such an nice instrument...really warm tone..really nice to play with..
do im wondering...any other recommendations in that kind of direction?

my list so far:

PRS SE Angulus
Maton SRS70C
Taylor 214ce/(314)/414ce (414ces)
Gibson J-35 AN
Maton EMD/6 Diesel Signature B-Stock
Yamaha CPX700II
Martin D17M
Martin D28
 
Actually the 414ce is my pick of the bunch too ( of course one could go up the range in the Taylors). At the time it was beyond my means so I got a Takamine as the next best sounding thing at 1/3 the price. If you get the chance to try a Maton wherever you are, they are really nice too.
 
I had a 414ce for a spell... played and sounded great... got rid since i don't play acoustic that often to warrant that kind of money tied up in it.
 
Breed Love is another in the Taylor category. (Breedlove Guitar Company - Offizielle Homepage für Gitarren, Bässe und Mandolinen) Different feel than a Taylor and very nice too. With acoustics(IME) it is way more important to be played before purchased. I ordered a Taylory 614CE custom shop because I tried a stock 614ce at a GCenter and LOVED it. The guitar was LIFELESS from the beginning!!!! Terrible. Electric guitars seem to be a bit less fussy. My 2¢. Good luck and be curious to know what you decide on.
 
Last edited:
Last year I went to our guitar center here that has the most acoustics. I went in with object of getting the best sounding acoustic for me regardless price or appearance. After playing dozens of guitars I went home with a particular Taylor 410ce. It was just the most balanced sounding acoustic out of all of them there, even other 410s.

So I would say just go somewhere and play as many guitars as possible.
 
That's a good point. I picked out the 414 after I originally was intending on getting a 314. After playing two 314's the 414 sounded noticeably better to me. Playing lots of different guitars is good advice for any guitar purchases. Sometimes the best playing and sounding ones are the cheap happy accidents. :)
 
javajunkie said:
...I would say just go somewhere and play as many guitars as possible.
Click to expand...

+1. This is good advice when buying any guitar. The variance in the wood alone will make them all feel & sound a little different, not to even get into quality control or anything like that.
 
what do you think about buying used guitars? I've seen some great ones in a aweseome condition, though for half the price. Though, as you have stated even between the same type of guitars there can be a tonal difference.

Also played the Taylor 314 as well. Though, 414ce sounded better to me as well. (i think the mids were just a bit better pronounced)
 
I have a used 414ce. I'd tried some new ones (plus 314s, some Martins, etc) and none of them really grabbed me. Then I was in GC one day helping my buddy pick out a beginner acoustic and this used 414 was sitting in the rack. Love at first strum! It just had more *something* than any of the others I'd played... and for about 60% of the price. People also say that guitars "come alive" after being played for a while. I don't know if that's true, but the new ones I'd played did sound and feel more stiff while I one I have is a lot more smooth. (In Axe terms, mine has the sag control turned up while the new ones are in modern mode ;-)

I dropped down a string gauge or two, partly for my fingers and partly to lose some of the low end for recording, and it still sounds really nice and full. I do wish the neck was a bit less deep but I can live with it. The 414 and 314 have different woods which accounts for much of their difference in sound... IIRC the 314 is more mid-focused, but I preferred the richness of the 414. YMMV.
 
I originally bought the 414CE and ended up trading it in a few weeks later for the 416CE. The 416 is basically the same woods, Ovangkol (closest replica of brazillian rosewood) but with a slightly larger body (grand symphony) and medium guage strings.

The reason I made the trade is the 414ce lacked a loudness factor that allowed me to play unplugged with other musicians without being drowned out. 416ce solves this problem handily. Only problem is those medium guage strings are a bitch to play anything but first position chords, this is the trade-off.

Against the advice of Taylor I went ahead and installed medium lights on the 416ce and I am happier now. In retrospect I would have just stayed with 414ce and miced up when needed.
 
T.B.B. said:
Just played the Taylor 414ce ...such an nice instrument...really warm tone..really nice to play with.. do im wondering...any other recommendations in that kind of direction? my list so far: PRS SE Angulus Maton SRS70C Taylor 214ce/(314)/414ce (414ces) Gibson J-35 AN Maton EMD/6 Diesel Signature B-Stock Yamaha CPX700II Martin D17M Martin D28
Click to expand...

I've had a 414ce for a few years. Been wanting to get rid of it. Just doesn't do anything for me anymore. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom