NGD - Taylor 414ce LTD

[Mark-00255]

I've been a regular on the main forum and Tele Home-Depot forums for a while now, but have not spent much time here in Acoustic Heaven. My previous acoustic was a decent MIK Takamine, but two years in a row of attendance at Puget Sound Guitar Workshop (aka Guitar Camp) has had me searching for a fine acoustic. I never could pull the trigger, until now. I wanted something a little smaller than a dread; NICE wood; great balanced tone; and great playability. There have been a few that were close - a Martin 000 with a V neck that I saw in San Fran; a boutique hand-built from British Columbia in a small shop in Seattle; and a few other nice Taylors here and there.

Then the local dealer got in three of these Taylor "spring" limiteds - two 414s and one 416. They were much less money than the usual 700+ series limiteds and just stunning with Tasmanian Blackwood sides and backs, flame maple binding, very nice Sitka Spruce tops with nice silking, and one simple Abalone treatment around the rosette. And they played like absolute dreams - I liked this one 414 with an amazing light stripe in the sides that blends right into the maple binding.

Then the 416 sold on Thursday, and I had them hold this 414 that night for me while I finagled a way to make the deal. Then the other 414 (which wasn't as nice sounding to my ear) sold Friday. So Saturday morning I went for it! Definitely the most amazing (and expensive) instrument I've owned! Here it is:


And the back:

[Mark-00255]

And here's a detail of the cutaway area showing the cool colors and grain in the Blackwood:


And the controls area:


And one more of the sides and back:


Needless to say, I like it!
Mark

[aunchaki]

It's a work of art!

[Telarkaster]

Beautiful! Congratulations, I really like the 314 CE, your 414 is stunning. My nephew has a 410 so I'm familiar with the level of quality of that series.

How do you like the electronics? How do you like it plugged in? Does it sound good with a band?

The Puget Souns Guitar camp sounds interesting, I was invited to a similar camp in Alaska this year but had other commitments...

[r2zou]

damn that looks awesome. gotta love the wierd woods they use for limiteds.
oh and cute cat =P

[Mark-00255]

Thanks guys - I'm definitely honeymooning.

The Expression System pickup/electronics setup is fantastic. Very clean, clear tone that is shape-able as well. The under neck pickup is always on, but then you can switch on or off the two body sensors to tailor the tone. Really nice. A guy on another forum gave me a tip about plugging into a PA direct using a 1/4 to XLR cable. Gonna have to try that.

Puget Sound Guitar Workshop is one of the oldest guitar camps around. It's been going since 1974. Amazing atmosphere, great location with good food and service. And the camaraderie and sense of community amongst all the musicians is great. This year I took a class from Wayne Henderson himself - and talked guitar building one-on-one with the man as well! It's a regular event for me now every summer.

[Nick JD]

Lovely guitar. Tas Blackwood is a great acoustic tonewood.

Here's a nice Blackwood Maton.

[dqami]

Originally Posted by Nick JD

Lovely guitar. Tas Blackwood is a great acoustic tonewood.

Here's a nice Blackwood Maton.

Taylor Swift played a custom 12 string Taylor on the CMA festival show that looked to have that wood for the top. Stunning guitar.

[Parma_TeleMon]

Stunning guitar, Mark! I'm a huge fan of my 814CE. Never really knew how sweetly it played until I mic'd it and laid down a few tracks a couple of weeks back. Oh, my!! Enjoy it, amigo!!

[fenderix]

Congratulations Mark! Stunning - beautiful woods! The wood pattern looks a bit like a nice piece of high-end Koa.

Nice to hear the sounds match the looks.

Enjoy!

[Mark-00255]

Originally Posted by dqami

Taylor Swift played a custom 12 string Taylor on the CMA festival show that looked to have that wood for the top. Stunning guitar.

Taylor's Jumbo is a custom Koa - very nice guitar indeed. I was impressed with her tone when she started one song all by herself last night. Very courageous entertainer, no matter what you think of her otherwise!

As I understand it Taz Blackwood is a relative of Koa and is much more readily available. I read one piece yesterday that said that there are planned 70-year yields of Blackwood in Tasmania itself.

Nick - wow that Maton is fantastic! Here's a couple more shots of mine:



And:


I'm still over the moon for this guitar! I watch the clock every day at work thinking about how many hours until I get home to play! And the playability and tone are so great, I'm doing things previously unknown to these old hands!

Parma - thanks! I love the GA body. Really versatile and comfortable. Your 814 must be nice as well - RW/Spruce/Maple Binding??

Fenderix - thanks! It's a fantastic guitar. The Taylor Ltds are a great value, IMHO.

[Parma_TeleMon]

Originally Posted by Mark-00255

Parma - thanks! I love the GA body. Really versatile and comfortable. Your 814 must be nice as well - RW/Spruce/Maple Binding??

Yup. My wife loves me lots - bought it for me as a wedding present.