The latest luxurious inductee into Taylor's premium club of acoustics features some subtle aesthetic and functional upgrades
(Image credit: Taylor)
NAMM 2023: Taylor has inducted its 814ce acoustic electric guitar into its esteemed Builder’s Edition collection in a move that takes the six-string to luxurious new heights.
Boldly promising an “unparalleled playing experience”, the latest 814ce incarnation is a standard 814ce at heart, though comes with a few lavish upgrades including a sprinkling of aesthetic and ergonomic updates.
For the uninitiated, Taylor’s Builder’s Edition lineup is all about ultra-premium feel and sound, and boasts the brand’s “finest craftsmanship” in an effort to deliver “a new step forward in acoustic guitar comfort, playability and tone”.
In terms of build, the 814ce Builder’s Edition retains the Indian rosewood back and sides, though swaps the solid Sitka spruce top for a four-piece Adirondack spruce alternative. Notably, the newest 814ce also ditches the back seam, opting instead for a seamless rosewood design.
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(Image credit: Taylor)
(Image credit: Taylor)
According to Taylor, this composition “acknowledges the changing availability of tonewoods”, and takes into account both the need for great tone and the necessity to work more consciously with available materials.
The result, says the brand, is a “high-quality soundboard that delivers the sonic benefits of Adirondack spruce – enhanced complexity and a higher volume ceiling – along with visually pleasing grain symmetry”.
The body once again features a beveled contour on its upper bout for comfortable strumming, but the Builder’s Edition takes it one step further by taking a similarly beveled contour to the cutaway, prompting easier upper fret access.
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These ergonomic and aesthetic alterations are continued in a changed, slightly nuanced body taper, as well as a slight difference to the gloss finish. Interestingly, this is the only Builder’s Edition model to feature a gloss finish, which is recruited in order to highlight the body contours.
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(Image credit: Taylor)
(Image credit: Taylor)
(Image credit: Taylor)
A Kona edgeburst finish can be found on the back and sides, while a modified V-Class voicing helps further distinguish this model from its standard sibling.
Moving up, Taylor has paired a Neo-Tropical mahogany neck with a West African Cremlicam Ebony fretboard – the same combo found on the standard model – but has swapped the Taylor neck joint for a Scarf alternative.
Some hardware updates can be found, too, not least in the form of Antique Gold Gotoh 510 tuners and a Builder’s Edition-exclusive contoured Curve Wing bridge.
(Image credit: Taylor)
Other appointments include alternating maple and black top body binding with a rosewood trim, abalone/rosewood/maple rosette, a rosewood pickguard and built-in ES2 electronics, as well as a TUSQ nut and Micarta saddle.
“The Builder's Edition collection offers players an aesthetically beautiful and extremely ergonomic playing experience,” said Andy Powers, Taylor's Chief Guitar Designer, President and CEO. "We’re happy to finally welcome Taylor’s beloved flagship model, the 814ce, to new heights of craftsmanship and performance.”
The Builder’s Edition 814ce arrives with a deluxe brown hardshell case and is available from $4,499.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
