54 acoustic magazine SEPTEMBER 2016

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£3141 Taylor 714CE review

55SEPTEMBER 2016 acoustic magazine

Taylor 714CE

Back in 2010, this hallowed

magazine sent me to interview

Taylor Guitars founder Bob

Taylor over a cuppa at Harrods

in London. The affable luthier was on fine

form, telling me: “We are the number one

seller in the USA of acoustic guitars from

the price $599 to $1000. We are also the

number one seller of acoustics over $1000.

And we are the number one seller overall in

terms of revenue, but we sold fewer units

than the nearest competitor by 33 per cent,

which means that we sold way more high-

end guitars than they did. So that means we

occupy the mid-price and the high end of the

market. It’s a wonderful place to be!”

Bearing in mind that he told me this when

we were still in the worst economic recession

since the Cretaceous extinction event,

that’s quite a success story. Six years later,

Taylor (both brand and chap) shows no sign

of slowing down: Taylor tells us that sales

revenue is up 66 per cent from 2010 to 2015.

So quality and customer satisfaction must

be at the core of the company’s approach,

one assumes, or people wouldn’t be buying

their guitars in such massive quantities – all

of which leads us to review the new 714CE

variant with keen anticipation.

First off, you’ll be paying in the region of

two grand for this guitar, so (like me) your

first priority will no doubt be to check that

the construction is pretty much flawless.

Fortunately that’s exactly what it is: from

the slick Sitka spruce top, rosewood back and

sides and that curvaceous Venetian single

cutaway, the body is a genuine thing of

precision-engineered beauty.

The details (and Taylor’s American factory

and staff, of course) are where you’re paying

that wedge of money, of course, so you’ll

enjoy running your eyes and fingers over the

Hawaiian koa binding, the herringbone rosette

made from a Douglas fir/maple composite and

the weathered brown pickguard, intentionally

designed to look like leather.

The 20 frets, 14 of which are accessible

before the upper bout, sit perfectly on the

ebony fingerboard; tone-enhancing protein

glues have been used throughout; and

even the interior bracing, which you can

see through the soundhole adjacent to the

circuit board for the electronics, has been

designed for extra performance. You can’t

help but want to plug in and make the most

of Taylor’s ES2 preamp, fed by the behind-

the-saddle Expression pickup and regulated

by three unmarked control pots.

You know those glossy magazines called

Girth and Thrust and whatever, whose

readership is wealthy accountants in their

50s with vintage sports cars, big watches and

expensive aftershave? This guitar would fit

that demographic perfectly. Take from that

what you will.

Our 714CE arrived tuned to D, unusually,

so I played it in that tuning out of the box.

I’m glad I did: with a full, rich and rounded

range of tones thanks to all that rosewood

and the addition of Sitka spruce, the guitar

plays easily and responsively. The low end is

especially impressive, with bass and low mids

all behaving themselves through a sequence

of heavy-strummed barre chords and blues

bends. (Fact: I used a plank-sized 1mm pick

given to me by Yngwie Malmsteen.)

Tune up to E with the aid of those slick-

performing machine heads and the mids and

highs are more prominent, while arpeggiated

chords stand out with glassy precision. Pick

closer to the bridge and you’ll be rewarded

with a taut, zingy tone and picking feel that

doesn’t sacrifice volume for top end – very

satisfying indeed. The sustain is everything

you’d want, although you’ll need to

experiment with different string brands and

gauges to hit the exact feel you’re after.

The neck is splendid: a slick but not

slippery vehicle for expression, whether

you’re playing fingerstyle, pick or a

combination of both (show-off). The shape of

the neck joint chamfering means that high-

Words: Joel McIver Images: NeIl GodwIN

The American mega-luthiers Taylor have recently boosted their 700 range with this £3000 tone monster. Joel McIver readies his lasso

“The neck is splendid: a slick but

not slippery vehicle for expression,

whether you’re playing

fingerstyle, pick or a

combination of both”

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review Taylor 714CE £3141

acoustic magazine SEPTEMBER 201656

register chords are enabled, even rooted at F#

on the 14th fret of the bottom E string. You’ll

be in acoustic heaven before you even plug in.

When you do go electric via the rear strap

button, the tones of the guitar come to life.

It’s a medium-volume instrument, so you

might not need an amp for a small room,

but assuming you’re in need of those extra

decibels, Taylor’s Expression system will earn

its name. The bridge is where the action is,

with three pickup sensors lurking behind the

saddle, with the tones tweakable by the three

controls. At this price, I would like to have seen

a more advanced user interface: unmarked

pots look cool, but if you’re playing on a dark

stage and need a touch of tone in a hurry, you

don’t necessarily want to be playing guess-

which-button. There’s also no onboard tuner,

which blows my mind.

“The designers have prioritised function over form

while still creating an attractive instrument”

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review Taylor 714CE £3141

acoustic magazine SEPTEMBER 201658

Get past those small-ish hurdles and

you’ll come to enjoy the full range of tones

available with a quick twist of the controls.

I can easily imagine the Taylor 714CE

matching up to the demands of stadium

playing, assuming feedback scenarios are

managed as they would be for any acoustic

performance, while the frequency range and

responsiveness would also make it ideal

for recording purposes.

It’s performance-friendly, too: that super-

playable neck comes with a front strap

button, which is something that is still

relatively uncommon in the world of

acoustic guitars.

From the serial number printed on the

inside label, to the considerate neck and that

clever pickup, the impression which the

Taylor 714CE gives you is that the designers

have prioritised function over form while not

forgetting to create a physically attractive

instrument. Other guitars exist at this price

point, and in fact their names read like a

list of the great and the good of the acoustic

industry: Lowden, Eggle, Martin and Gibson

all make guitars at or near the price of this

American beauty. Go for this one, though,

and we can’t really imagine you being less

than delighted with it... as long as you’ve got

a tuner handy. n

Taylor 714ceneed To knoW

manufacturer: Taylormodel: 714ce

rrP: £3141Body size: Grand Auditorium, single cutaway

made In: USATop: lutz spruce

Back and sides: Indian rosewood Bridge: Taylor with behind-the-saddle pickup

neck: Tropical mahoganyFingerboard: ebony

Frets: 20Tuners: Taylor Nickelnut Width: 1 11/16”scale length: 25.5”

onboard electrics: Taylor eS2 pickup and preamp

strings Fitted: elixir Phosphor Bronze Hd lightgig Bag/Case Included: Taylor case included

aCousTIC TesT resulTsPros: Tone range; super-playable neck;

world-class build qualityCons: Preamp options could be

more advanced at this price; no onboard tuneroverall: A splendid all-rounder

for a lifetime of playingaCousTIC raTIng

Build Quality: sound Quality:

overall: ConTaCT deTaIls

www.taylorguitars.com

“I can easily imagine the Taylor 714CE matching up to

the demands of stadium playing”

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