NGD - Non Warmoth

[elgravos]

I’d mentioned that I was looking at a Taylor 814 a while back.  Instead of going for the second hand option, I ended up dropping by my friendly neighborhood guitar store and walking away with a brand new Taylor 814ce “First Edition” 2014 limited series – one of 200 being made.  Not entirely sure what the “First Edition” is really all about given that Taylor plan to carry the specs into the standard 2014 814ce model.  In any case, it’s quite beautiful and really sounds amazing.  The rosewood scratch pad is a nice touch.  I hate the plastic ones and was planning on removing it if I got one.  The rosewood can definitely stay though.  The overtones and bass response you get on this thing are ridiculous; it’s just incredibly rich.  I could just play that low E string alone for days.  Was reading about Taylors’ having no soul recently but that is clearly not the case with this new model.  One of the big changes to the new model year is that they have halved the amount of finish they use on the guitar and tweaked the bracing a little which (I am told) has gone a long way towards increasing the resonance.  Spent a couple of hours in the shop and tried a Martin GPCPA1, a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe, a Martin 00 (a nifty all maple custom shop model) and a Collings OM2H and a few others but kept going back to the 814.  Certainly a richer sound than all the foregoing and the satin neck is a thing of beauty. Not that the others were bad guitars by any stretch.  The Collings is a thing of beauty and the Martin GPCPA1 (which is their competing take on the 814) is very nice as well (great neck profile on that one too) but the Taylor just had the better of them both overall.  Not by a huge distance but by a long enough stretch that the final choice was pretty easy.  The finish / fretwork / setup on this guitar is simply amazing, real luxury / high end work.  It’s also feather light and on the flipside feels very fragile, especially the spruce top with such a light finish.  I’m already getting paranoid about putting a dent in this one. Enjoy.

 

[bagman67]

Congratulations!  She's a beauty.  I've been fantasizing recently about getting my hands on a smaller-bodied acoustic and some of those Taylors have begun to really speak to me.  I'll be eager to hear back from you after you've had more time to explore how she sounds in a variety of circumstances.  In any case - nice get!  Enjoy!


Bagman

 

[dmraco]

Dude.....I am SOOOOOOOOOO jealous!!!  I am saving for a '14ce model.  I doubt I will have the scratch for an 814.  That is a great example.  Something about the tone of a Taylor.  AMAZING.

 

[Cagey]

I don't know how Mr. Taylor does it, but anything from him and his people sounds magical. For a while they were called "the poor man's Martin", but they're rarely even compared any more. You just go to the Taylor first. I have one of the lesser models here (314) and it's instantly recognizable by anyone who picks it up as a magical piece.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Yep, another envious admirer here. I'm hoping that this year I might get my hands on a 412ce.

 

[dmraco]

I don't know how Mr. Taylor does it, but anything from him and his people sounds magical. For a while they were called "the poor man's Martin", but they're rarely even compared any more. You just go to the Taylor first. I have one of the lesser models here (314) and it's instantly recognizable by anyone who picks it up as a magical piece.

I want to like Martin, being I live close to the factory.  But Taylor blows them a way.  I would hardly call a 314 a lesser model.  At $1500 they sound just as good as the higher models but without all the bells and whistles.

Taylors are one of those "must play" guitars.  Each one sounds different

 

[elgravos]

Thanks guys, this one was a long time coming - been saving up for over 3 years for this baby.  It really is something else.  I actually kind of wanted to find something else a little more original - had to apologize for being such a predictable customer when I left the store with the Taylor.  There's a reason these things sell like hotcakes.

Just tried the new expression system, straight into the DAW.  I'm pretty impressed with that too.  Big upgrade on the Fishman I have in my Fender acoustic.  Apparently it's all new for 2014.  From what I can tell, I think they've done away with the pickup that was built into the base of the neck.  Hard to be sure though without being able to see clearly inside.  No specs posted online yet as the new 814 is not yet "officially" released. 

 

[Cagey]

Taylors are one of those "must play" guitars.  Each one sounds different

Last guy that played mine was so impressed he went right out and bought one of his own. If you like the sound of an acoustic guitar at all, they just speak to you. they're pretty cool. I lucked into mine. A local studio got bought up by new blood with different ideas about what they were going to do, and was selling off a lot of their in-house stock of instruments/amps/etc. I'm don't think they knew what they had in this unit, so I got the thing for a song.

I have an experiment in mind for the near future. I'm putting together a Jazzmaster that I installed some Ghost piezo saddles on, and I have an Axe Fx II that has a "tone match" feature similar to the Kemper Profiling Amp. I've never used that feature, but I understand it's pretty good. My idea is to record the Taylor, then record the Jazzmaster in "acoustic" mode, and let the computer chew on that. Hopefully, it'll make the Jazzmaster sound like the Taylor. What would be wrong with that? I don't expect it to be perfect, but its gotta be better than the raw piezo sound.

 

[dmraco]

My one gripe with Taylor is why no onboard tuner?  Come on guys, do not make hang a tuner on one of these beauties.

I am not sure why they do not, especially on electrified models.

 

[Cagey]

C'mon. You're passing on a Taylor for lack of a tuner? That's like passing an a PRS 10 top for lack of a pick. Just unclench $5 and buy a Snark...

They're surprisingly fast and accurate, and very easy to use. Just clamp the little rascal on your headstock and away you go.

 

[bagman67]

For you all who are contemplating a Taylor, Doyle Dykes ended his relationship with Taylor a while back, and I've seen floor models of his signature axe on clearance in a couple places for very reasonable prices.  I played one and it was badass-tacular.  Spruce top, maple body, all black.  Sexxy.  Regrettably, I was not in the market.

 

[Cagey]

Regrettably? Don't you already have a Martin? The time to regret anything is when the kid decides to use it as a foundation for a sand fort and doesn't mention it until 5 days after the last rainstorm and the cats have been using it as a litter box for the last 3 days. 

Of course, then you'll be fully justified buying a shiny new Taylor. And you'll have learned some things. And the kid's ass should still have hand-shaped black and blue marks.

 

[bagman67]

Well, yes, the Martin is a beautiful axe, but due for some work.  And in any case, I am afflicted with the ongoing desire for a new conquest that characterizes so many of us git-fiddle hobbyists.


And believe me when I tell you that if the Martin should disappear, it will take far less than 8 days for me to note its absence, with appropriate disciplinary action to be applied.  The good news is that my Martin DM goes for about 500 bucks on Craigslist if I should ever need to replace it.  Which I had better not ever need to do.

 

[dmraco]

C'mon. You're passing on a Taylor for lack of a tuner? That's like passing an a PRS 10 top for lack of a pick. Just unclench $5 and buy a Snark...

They're surprisingly fast and accurate, and very easy to use. Just clamp the little rascal on your headstock and away you go.

I have several.  I just do not see when you spend 1K+ for a guitar it does not have a tuner when almost all others in the market do.  It is bad enough I have one of those hanging off my Warmoth.  I usually use a pedal tuner when performing though.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Nice guitar.

 

[Cagey]

I have several.  I just do not see when you spend 1K+ for a guitar it does not have a tuner when almost all others in the market do.  It is bad enough I have one of those hanging off my Warmoth.  I usually use a pedal tuner when performing though.

So... what if you bought a Gibson Les Paul Custom? They're $3,500 if you buy them discounted online, and all they come with is a vague feeling of shame and buyers remorse. Certainly no tuner. Written them any strongly-worded letters lately?

 

[SustainerPlayer]

So... what if you bought a Gibson Les Paul Custom? They're $3,500 if you buy them discounted online, and all they come with is a vague feeling of shame and buyers remorse. Certainly no tuner. Written them any strongly-worded letters lately?

Oh - no need for a tuner there. For that price they are in tune right out of the box ... relatively ... almost ... at least ... I think ... 

:sad1:

 

[dmraco]

I have several.  I just do not see when you spend 1K+ for a guitar it does not have a tuner when almost all others in the market do.  It is bad enough I have one of those hanging off my Warmoth.  I usually use a pedal tuner when performing though.

So... what if you bought a Gibson Les Paul Custom? They're $3,500 if you buy them discounted online, and all they come with is a vague feeling of shame and buyers remorse. Certainly no tuner. Written them any strongly-worded letters lately?

Cagey...somehow I knew you would say that, and you have a good point.  I just played an Epiphone 339 with a price point of $600 and it had a tuner on one of the pickup rings.  AWESOME.  Every guitar should have one!!!!!!

The technology is there.  MY point is most every other higher end acoustic comes with an on board tuner (Breenlove, Gibson, Martin, Yamaha).  However, this is not stopping my from buying a Taylor. :toothy10:  I will have to deal with a clip on.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I tune my acoustic sitting down, with my phone on my knee running a tuner app. Works fine.

 

[Cagey]

I don't tune my acoustic at all. It's a Taylor. They come tuned  :icon_jokercolor:

But, DMRACO is right - the technology is well-developed and it's not expensive. No reason not to include it.