Taylor 814CE - what else should I look at?

mags · August 2017

I keep going back to an ex demo Taylor 814CE which is really nice. Before I part with £2k+, is there anything else I should really try out in the same price bracket, either new or 2nd hand? My other guitars are a Martin OM28 and a Taylor 514CE. Looking for a general all rounder, with a tendency more towards a strummer. All suggestions appreciated.

maw4neu · August 2017

GS Mini . . . Koa or Mahogany . . .You can pick them up for sensible money and they will make you smile all day . . . Great guitars, big tone for a small bodied guitar . .

mags · August 2017

My daughter has just bought the Koa mini - it's sounds amazing. Was looking for something a bit bigger (and will continue to play her mini !)

rustneversleeps · August 2017

There's not to many about but for your budget a Martin M36 is worth a test drive .Its a good all rounder and you could buy new.

mags · August 2017

Nice. Had thought about that one when researching for OM28 but couldn't get one to test drive at the time. Thanks.

ICBM · August 2017

If you're in Glasgow, there's a nice slope-shoulder J-style Collings that's just come into Strung Out Guitars which is well worth a look - it's not currently on the website yet but is a similar style to the Gibson J-35 they have. I can't remember the price but it's just over £2K, from memory. The Gibson is only just over a grand, if you feel like spending less!

Bluesman1989 · August 2017

I don't like to say it, because I keep hoping £1700 is going to somehow fall into my lap, but definitely at least strongly consider this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nick-Benjamin-Acoustic-Guitar-Top-UK-Luthier-Hand-built-/322666826231?hash=item4b207109f7:g:iYkAAOSwjvJZQTLO

axisus · August 2017

I have an 814, lovely guitar. I tried quite a few other things but kept coming back to it, then Coda got a secondhand one in so I bought that.

mags · August 2017

Will maybe pop into see the Collings in Glasgow. Never played a Collings before. Nick Benjamin guitar looks lovely but too far away to try it and couldn't risk buying blind. Thanks Guys.

imalrightjack · August 2017

@axisus I've read a lot of stuff about the ES2 system, mostly unkind. What do you think of it?

mags · August 2017

To be honest, whatever I get will be used predominantly unamp'd. I've played my daughters Koa gs mini with ES2 through an amp and it was fine for our "at home" play.

BigLicks67 · August 2017

Maybe try a Bourgeois JOM, Lowden s35, Martin M36 or OM28V. I have a OM18V which is far better than my old Taylor 414ce, so make sure you shop around.

guitargeek62 · August 2017

If you like the Taylor sound and GC shape then feel free to make an offer on mine

http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/110675/fs-t-taylor-324ce-k-koa-fall-limited

crunchman · August 2017

Have a look at some of the smaller British builders like Brook, Atkin, or in Scotland especially, Moon.

Furch are good as well.

mags · September 2017

Have never tried a Bourgeois, so that's an interesting one. Martin M36 has come up more than once, so again, worth a look. Crunchman - you know, Moon is about 15 mins away from my home and I have NEVER been there. Always felt a little intimidated that I wasn't good enough to go into workshop. Maybe time to put the brave pants on and venture in ! Thanks for recommendations Guys.

AliGorie · September 2017

Mags, since yer interested in Bourgie - this is what their JOM, jumbo/ dread depth + 1/2 inch on the lower bout width up'd to 15 1/2 inch, easy to handle seated for a 6' frame with a (slight) paunch

Strummin, though I use free hand / fingers, flatpicking to delicate fingerpicking - all in one guitar.
Here's an example - if ya dont mind - headphones or good speakers recommend but please excuse the quality - cheap mic was all I had when recording.
Oh the bottom end is tuned to C.

https://youtu.be/pXdGXIRSibo

mags · September 2017

AliGorie said:

Mags, since yer interested in Bourgie - this is what their JOM, jumbo/ dread depth + 1/2 inch on the lower bout width up'd to 15 1/2 inch, easy to handle seated for a 6' frame with a (slight) paunch
Strummin, though I use free hand / fingers, flatpicking to delicate fingerpicking - all in one guitar.
Here's an example - if ya dont mind - headphones or good speakers recommend but please excuse the quality - cheap mic was all I had when recording.
Oh the bottom end is tuned to C.

https://youtu.be/pXdGXIRSibo

Wow - guitar sounds fab - despite what you say about mike used. Really must go and seek one out to try. Nice playing too. Thanks for sending this through.

BigLicks67 · September 2017

Nathan Salsburg is playing a JOM here :

mags · September 2017

BigLicks67 said:

Nathan Salsburg is playing a JOM here :

Very Nice. Thanks.

raphaelsamad · September 2017

I have quite an old Taylor 814C from 1996 and, to me, it has aged very well and plays much better than new ones. It also came without a pickup in it (in those days) and I have had a Fishman pickup put into it. I would strongly recommend keeping a look out for an old one, particularly if the new pickup systems are not important to you.

broaddick · September 2017

The new 're-voiced' Taylor models are really nice, and, in my opinion, generally an improvement on the old models. There's a rather tasty looking 812ce 12-Fret on Gumtree at the moment which I'm drooling over. Given that as a general rule of thumb used guitars go for about two thirds of the retail price, the asking price seems about right, and if you can negotiate any further reduction, that would be a bonus. Wish I had the money.

mags · September 2017

Thanks Guys for the debate around older models v newer models. The one I was looking at was a newer model and while I was procrastinating, it was sold to someone else. The search goes on.........

imalrightjack · September 2017

Got a 2016 412e-r recently. It's terrific.

ToneControl · September 2017

mags said:

I keep going back to an ex demo Taylor 814CE which is really nice. Before I part with £2k+, is there anything else I should really try out in the same price bracket, either new or 2nd hand? My other guitars are a Martin OM28 and a Taylor 514CE. Looking for a general all rounder, with a tendency more towards a strummer. All suggestions appreciated.

lots of better guitars for that money
Goodall, Bourgeois, Avalon, Lowden.

imalrightjack · September 2017

ToneControl said:

mags said:

I keep going back to an ex demo Taylor 814CE which is really nice. Before I part with £2k+, is there anything else I should really try out in the same price bracket, either new or 2nd hand? My other guitars are a Martin OM28 and a Taylor 514CE. Looking for a general all rounder, with a tendency more towards a strummer. All suggestions appreciated.

lots of better guitars for that money
Goodall, Bourgeois, Avalon, Lowden.

Depends what you're after. I tried tons of guitars before settling on Taylor. They just suit what I want perfectly.

ToneControl · September 2017

imalrightjack said:

ToneControl said:

mags said:

I keep going back to an ex demo Taylor 814CE which is really nice. Before I part with £2k+, is there anything else I should really try out in the same price bracket, either new or 2nd hand? My other guitars are a Martin OM28 and a Taylor 514CE. Looking for a general all rounder, with a tendency more towards a strummer. All suggestions appreciated.

lots of better guitars for that money
Goodall, Bourgeois, Avalon, Lowden.

Depends what you're after. I tried tons of guitars before settling on Taylor. They just suit what I want perfectly.

They will suit some folks, sure
What did you try other than Taylor?

I forgot to mention Santa Cruz, they are amazing too

I tried a Taylor as my first expensive brand, sold it at a loss, really disliked it
Boutique prices for (quite nice) mass-produced factory guitars

Taylor Pros: convenient pickups, consistent neck
cons: brittle sound, with not much dynamics, strange shallow file on edge of frets makes it harder to keep top E on the fret

imalrightjack · September 2017

I think the Taylor sounds gorgeous. I tried Martin, Larrivee, Maton, a bunch more £2k plus ones. Taylor won on both sound and feel. Although I'm sure my ears tuned into the feel

mags · September 2017

Just been to GuitarGuitars Martin experience and played a Martin DR centenial. Definately a contender for my £2k

woody · September 2017

Everything ToneControl said.. so much better out there for the money.ill add mcilroy to his list and im very curious about rozawood too. Plus there are a ton of great uk builders out there.

mags · September 2017

Thanks Guys for all the suggestions re makes I've never even heard of. Think I'll slow down the desperation to buy a new guitar and spend a lot more time trying out all these amazing suggestions.

ToneControl · September 2017

Take your time
Go to the Acoustic music co in Brighton one day (really, it's worth a long journey, many travel 100s of miles)
they have the largest range of top-notch handmade guitars in Europe

spend an hour or two there, and see if you still believe that factory-made guitars can get anywhere near the hand-made work of the top 10-20 workshops in the world. It was a revelation to me. Some you don't like, some you adore, there are no "vanilla" ones

When could a £2k+ factory-made acoustic guitar possibly compete with the best makers working in small workshops? Not often. That in itself is OK, it's when factories expect hand-made prices for their products. I have retained only one factory-made guitar, a Larrivee - that approaches the sound (but not feel) of a workshop-made guitar

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Taylor 814CE - what else should I look at?

Comments