Taylor 816ce Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar (with Case)

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You won't believe the big sound that comes from this Grand Symphony acoustic-electric! Taylor revoiced the 816ce with advanced bracing and ES2 electronics.

What's special about this item?

Feature: What it does:
Indian rosewood back and sides Articulate mids, big lows and smooth highs
Mahogany neck Great sustain, strength, and warm tone
Taylor Expression System 2 Captures dynamic range of acoustic sound
Two-band active EQ Preamp with individual bass and treble control

Taylor has really raised the bar with its 800 series acoustic-electrics, and the 816ce is a prize among beauties. Cut in a striking Grand Symphony shape, your 816ce sports a Sitka spruce-topped body with Indian rosewood back and sides, a comfortable tropical mahogany neck with an attractive mother-of-pearl Element fretboard inlay, Taylor Expression System 2 electronics, and revoiced bracing. All of these elements come together to form an attractive acoustic axe that plays as beautifully as it looks. You'll struggle to find this guitar's equal.

All-around Striking Looks

The Taylor Grand Symphony 816ce boasts top-shelf looks to match its tone. This guitar is dressed in a nice dark rosewood pickguard, a 3.5-mil gloss finish, a rosewood top edge trim, a light-marbled ebony fretboard with an eye-catching mother-of-pearl Element inlay, a smoked ebony bridge, and a classy abalone rosette outlined with rosewood. Your 816ce shows that a guitar can look just as beautiful as it sounds.

Sitka-Spruce-Topped Body and Indian Rosewood Back and Sides

Once you get past your 816ce's stunning looks, your heart will swoon at the amazing tone coming from this guitar's Sitka spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides. Sitka spruce has a strong fundamental-to-overtone ratio that helps it maintain a lasting resonance and overall powerful sound. Indian rosewood really helps pronounce your low end, keeping your tone warm and stocked with a lot of body. Taylor's 800 series uses hide and fish read more glue for each guitar's bridge and bracing components, which causes the separate pieces of wood to meld together over time -- resulting in a nice, rich, and continual sonic transfer.

Top-performing Taylor Expression System 2 Electronics

Your 816ce's Taylor Expression System 2 is an innovative pickup design that captures your tone from the use of three distinctively placed sensors located behind the saddle. Your signal is then pumped though Taylor's custom-designed pro-audio-grade preamp to deliver a consistently clear and pristine sound. Your controls include a volume control, two-band EQ, and a phase switch to keep your feedback under control.

Smoked Ebony Fingerboard and Cozy Tropical Mahogany Neck

Your Taylor 816ce sports a comfortable tropical mahogany neck that plays like a breeze. Mahogany and ebony are a popular combination -- together, these tonewoods offer more tightness and definition. Mahogany keeps your sound warm and full, and smoked ebony is known for its longevity -- it's unlikely to divot or wear down after a lot of use the way rosewood tends to. The action on this neck is tight and close, so your playing will know no limits as you navigate 20 frets of spotless tone.

Features:

- Illustrious Grand Symphony body with Venetian cutaway
- Stika spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides
- Tropical mahogany neck with 20 frets
- Mother-of-pearl Element fretboard inlay
- Rosewood pickguard
- Smoked ebony bridge
- Nickel Taylor tuners
- Tusq nut, Micarta saddle
- Taylor Expression System 2 electronics with two-band EQ controls and a phase switch
- Taylor deluxe hardshell case included
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- Shape: Grand Symphony
- Number of Strings: 6
- Back/Side Wood: Indian Rosewood
- Top Wood: Sitka Spruce
- Electronics: Expression System 2
- Cutaway: Venetian
- Nut & Saddle: Tusq Nut/Micarta Saddle
- Neck/Heel: Tropical Mahogany
- Fretboard Wood: Ebony
- Headstock Overlay: Ebony
- Tuners: Taylor Nickel
- Neck Finish: Satin
- Case: Taylor Deluxe Hardshell Brown
- Brand of Strings: Elixir Phosphor Bronze Medium
- Edge Trim: Indian Rosewood
- Fretboard Binding: Maple
- Rosette Mat.: Abalone
- Scale length: 25-1/2"
- Body Length: 20"
- Body Width: 16 1/4"
- Body Depth: 4 5/8"
- Neck Width: 1-3/4"
- Bracing: Advanced Performance with Relief Rout
- Fretboard Inlay: Element
- Binding: Maple .080"
- Bridge Pins: Ebony with Abalone Dots
- Truss Rod Cover: Ebony
- Top Finish: Gloss 3.5
- Pickguard: Rosewood
- Number of Frets: 20
- Back Config: 2-piece No Wedge
- Buttons: Nickel
- Heel Cap Binding: Maple
- Peghead Binding: Maple

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 800-943-6782

Taylor 816ce Cutaway

Taylor's popular 816ce offers players the ultimate all-purpose guitar. Its balance, warmth and articulation are great for fingerstyle, it has enough punch as a strummer to front a band, and the top-end power will fuel lead runs without getting shrill. It's a great choice for a gigging player looking for one guitar that can cover it all.

The revoicing of the 800 Series has brought greater warmth, a more mature midrange, and a looser, more luxurious low end to the 816ce, thanks in part to the customized bracing and a custom-calibrated Elixir HD Light string-gauge set. Premium appointments include maple binding and back strip, rosewood top edge trim, a rosewood pickguard, Taylor's Element fretboard inlay in mother-of-pearl, a marbled fretboard, and Expression System 2 acoustic electronics. The guitar features a Venetian cutaway and includes a Taylor deluxe hardshell case.

Features:

- Indian rosewood back and sides
- Sitka spruce top
- 3.5-mil gloss-finish body
- Pale maple binding and back strip
- Rosewood top edge trim
- Abalone rosette outlined with rosewood
- Rosewood pickguard
- Lightmarbled ebony fretboard
- Mother-of-pearl Element fretboard inlay
- Revoiced bracing
- Taylor nickel tuners
- Taylor Expression System 2 electronics
- Taylor deluxe hardshell case

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. (4 ratings)
Submitted August 26, 2014 by Christopher Neil in Ronceverte, WV

"A fantastic guitar for any serious player."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
As a fan of most any guitar I can get my hands on and make music with, I've become a bit lenient with the quality, as long as it plays well. The 2014 Taylor 816CE blew me away, though; I've played everything from a First Act to most high end guitars, and I would have to put this among my top 5 favorite guitars to play. I was considering the 916CE, but I fell in love with the Rosewood pick guard and the less flashy look, and after comparing the two and seeing almost identical specifications, I went with this beauty.

Sound
When I first started playing, I was enamored with the sound of each note coming through. I've played balanced guitars, and my previous go-to is great, but compared to the 816CE, it sounded almost wet. The 816CE carries each note you play, sustaining it with sound reminiscent of a baby grand piano, especially in a room the size of my den. The low end rumbles clear, and the highs carry like I couldn't have imagined. Being a finger-picker, I was especially happy to know that even the most subtle note rang exactly the way I wanted.

Features
As I stated before, I was considering the 916CE, but I went with the 816CE due to the beautiful Rosewood pick guard and the more conservative appearance overall. The one thing I would've preferred to have on the 816CE that was on the 916CE was a bone nut and saddle. While the tusq works well, and it's easy to switch out, it would've been nice to put bone on read more this instead. The Expression 2 system is great, although I have a hard time flipping the switch inside the sound hole when I need to, but that's probably due more to the size of my hands and shortness of my fingers; a thin-handed or longer-fingered player wouldn't have an issue.

Ease of Use
The 816CE couldn't have been easier to pick up and play. I actually made the comment to my wife that I wasn't even sure if I were playing it, or just thinking about it and it was making the sounds on its own. The action is responsive and very easy to fret, and even my wife, who plays very rarely, had an easy time playing. The body is a bit big, but I had no problem adjusting, and I think it may have even felt more right for me, but smaller players may have a bit of an issue with it. The neck is a bit wider than I was used to, but I quickly adapted, and it felt just as natural as my previous guitar after about thirty minutes of playing.

Quality
The quality of the 816CE is incredible. The combination of stunning tone woods, tasteful abalone inlays, the Rosewood pick guard, and the accents of maple for the binding makes this guitar a work of art as much as it is a creator of it. The guitar is deceptively light, but built in a way that will allow it to last long enough to pass on to my grandchildren one day.

Value
This guitar is well worth its price, and for anyone who truly enjoys playing, I would absolutely recommend the Taylor 816CE as not only a personal guitar, but easily a professional one, too.

Manufacturer Support
I haven't had to contact Taylor about this, but Taylor does offer warranties and support for all of their products, and I've known friends who have said that Taylor has gone above and beyond in helping them with problems that have come up with their instruments.

The Wow Factor
As I've stated before, while nearly identical to the 916CE in terms of specifications, the 816CE has a much more tasteful, conservative look that would compliment anyone who's not particularly interested in the large amounts of abalone accents and inlays and who isn't too concerned about the tusq vs. bone nut and saddle. While I definitely didn't need this guitar, I'm more than happy that I bought it, especially since I've had some hands-on time with it and have had plenty of time to familiarize myself with all of its intricacies. This guitar is a work of art that can help someone create some incredible art, also.

Musical Background:
I'm a variable musician who plays acoustic gigs, records, and plays many different instruments for enjoyment.

Musical Style:
Acoustic, Folk, Celtic
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