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Sound:
This guitar sounds fantastic; really. From gentle finger picking to full on strumming it's all there. I have always been an Ovation man, and this is not really better than the Ovation Elite that I returned to get this; it is just different; the highs are very well defined and shimmering; the mid range is clear and the bass is evenly distributed; there is no boominess at all, very impressive tone for a guitar made with laminate wood on the back and sides. I got this unit from Zzounds yesterday and I couldn't put it down for about three hours; I woke up this morning and the first thing I did was opened the case and play a few blues licks at low volume, wow man, I'm still in acoustic heaven; the tone is so sweet, I am very well pleased with the sound of this guitar, it is my first Taylor, and it will not be my last for sure; I should have gotten this from the start. The reason for the 9 rating on this category is because it doesn't have the snappiness that the Ovation has, but again, it is just a different animal.
Feature:
I might sound like a snob, but starting with the cardboard box, this guitar is quality all around, no doubt; the box was staple closed from the factory, and imprinted with the logo and the "Taylor Quality Guitars" lettering; I was a bit disappointed to see the words: "Made in Mexico" on the box (as well as on the inside of the guitar on the neck block); but after doing some research on the Taylor website, I discovered that they have a plant on the Mexican border, in the city of Tecate; I have been there many times (that's where beer "Tecate" comes from) and the town has become a "maquiladora" center, most trans-national companies have plants there as well as in Tijuana; the Taylor factory is under the direct supervision of the managing staff at the El Cajon plant; and they use the same machines and quality control in both factories; if it wasn't for those "made in Mexico" labels, I would not have known or seen any differences from the American made units; the quality is really top notch, even better than the Korean Ovations I was dealing with. The packaging was just excellent, even the plastic (yeah, plastic, not foam) molds used to hold the guitar case inside the box had the "Robert Taylor" signature engraved on them, very nice detail.
The case is made of hard foam covered in a very nice gold/tan colored fabric, similar to ballistic denier; it has a very nice handle and back-straps to turn it into a backpack; with an additional exterior pocket for accessories, the zipper is plastic but very thick and seems to be high quality, the tabs have a para-cord puller attached to each one of them; the name and the slogan of the company are nicely embroidered on the exterior; again, all very nice, the case retails for 149 dollars at Taylor.com.
The guitar came with the warranty card and some tech sheets regarding relative humidity, which Taylor talks about a lot (watch their videos on their site, they will blow your mind), nothing else was included, nothing else is needed.
The strings are Elixir nanoweb light gauge, which is fine, they are not my favorite but they do the job nicely; every string was perfectly smooth, no rust or grime anywhere like I usually see; later on I will try Martin SP strings and see how it sounds. The frets are all polished and smooth, the neck is perfect, and the bridge is at the perfect level with the fretboard, the action is low in stock form, but a little higher than what I like, so I adjusted the truss rod and it is now lower and without any buzz.
This guitar doesn't use the Expression System, it uses the ES-T, which is very similar, but it only has the transducer under the pick up, with six elements, one for each string, similar to the Ovations.
The controls for the pickup are three small round buttons located on the front of the upper bout. I haven't tried the guitar plugged in yet, but I have no doubts it will perform fine.
The reason for the 9 in this category is the lack of an integrated tuner, which I have grown to be used to, on the other side, the lack of plastic plates on the side of the guitar adds to the beauty and simplicity of the instrument, it is really gorgeous to look at; the 9 volt battery is located inside a slide-out box at the bottom of the body; the electronics include a phase switch (for feedback) located inside the sound hole on the board.
The top of the guitar is spruce, the back and sides are rosewood laminate (there are no braces on the back, kind of cool), and the neck is mahogany; the fretboard is real ebony (striped) as well as the bridge; not rosewood stained black like the Ovations.
By the way, the back and sides are finished on satin, and the top in gloss, very nice.
Ease of Use:
Nothing hard about using this guitar, fret a note or chord and pick or strum it, then experience acoustic nirvana.
Anything related to care and maintenance is in the Taylor website; in fact they have a lot of videos of the factory and the manufacturing process, all their high tech machinery, like lasers, CNC, electrostatic painting, etc. Their videos about humidity are just awesome; every acoustic guitar player or owner should see what low humidity can do, it is all documented there, very nice, what a great company, I'm impressed.
Quality:
Ok, I started by getting a Hohner, that had a cracked neck block, I sent that one back and got an Ovation 1778TX5 elite black, I loved it, but then it developed a weird stain around the bridge, I sent it back, I got a replacement with some really bad blemishes on the neck, I sent it back, I got another replacement which had a warped neck and it was unplayable; four guitars later I decided to just spend the money and get this Taylor; I should have done that from the start but I really like the Ovation's neck, it's awesome.
This guitar is perfectly finished all around, there is not a single defect anywhere and I am completely satisfied with this purchase, even being made in Tecate, this is a Taylor through and through, like I said before, if it had a "USA Made" sticker on it, I would believe it, is that good.
What really impressed me was the detail of finishing on this guitar; the binding (white plastic) is perfect everywhere, there are no defects at all either in the finish or the set up; the action was perfectly set at the factory and I could not find any traces of glue or dust anywhere, not a single piece of dust or grime, traces of paint, or roughness anywhere, wow, now that's quality control speaking. I am extremely satisfied with this kind of quality, I don't feel I wasted a single penny buying this Taylor.
Value:
I really don't think that any guitar currently in production is worth the asking price, and definitely not the retail price; but this is the exception, This Taylor 214ce is worth every penny. It sounds like guitars that are priced twice or even three times as much higher.
What makes this also a great value is the ability to brake the cost in four payments; for the little guy, like me, this gives me the buying power of someone who makes 100 grand a year, awesome. Thank you Zzounds, you guys rock, seriously.
Manufacturer Support:
The 10 rating is definitely for Zzounds, I wish there was a higher rating so I could give it to them, really, they deserve it. In 15 years of doing business online, I have never found the level of customer service this guys provide; through my ordeal of getting defective guitars from Ovation, they never gave me a hard time, they worked with me and paid for all the return shipping costs and sent the replacements quickly; they even gave me discounts.
They answered all my emails in a prompt and courteous manner, and every guy I talked to over the phone was extremely professional and understanding; I'm really blown away by this company and because of this, I will never buy any gear or instruments from anyone else (as long as they have what I'm looking for), I'm serious, I'm a customer until I die, I hope it's not soon so I can keep on playing the 214.
The Wow Factor:
For looks, I don't think anything comes closer to that Ovation 1778Tx Elite; maybe Pam Anderson, but Natural color guitars are just beautiful, and this Taylor is like an Omega Seamaster, it looks expensive and it's flawless.
Overall:
I don't feel the need to replace this 214ce anytime soon, when the time comes, I will definitely look at a 300 series and up Taylors; even though my dream guitar is an Ovation Adamas with a graphite top; but I will never sell or trade this guitar, this is something I can pass on to my grandson.
9 of 9 people
(100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Sound:
This thing sounds great. My friend has a 1500$ martin and the 214ce runs circles around it.
Feature:
The pickups are good, and there are three adjustable switches for the sound. They finally moved the battery to the bottom of the guitar so it's easy to replace.
Ease of Use:
Action was set low and well. Perfect intonation.
Quality:
Absolutely flawless.
Value:
For the price, it's amazing.
Manufacturer Support:
Haven't needed to deal with them.
The Wow Factor:
Looks sexy with the white trim.
Overall:
I'll never give this up.
21 of 22 people
(95.45%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Sound:
The sound of my Taylor 214ce is to me as good as more expensive
guitars that are all solid wood. Mine has a solid Sitka Spruce
solid top with laminate Rosewood on back and sides. The sound is
not any less desirable than more expensive guitars where they are
Taylors ,Gibsons or Martins.
Feature:
Great electric pickup system . The Bag that comes with this model is
better than most hard cases I have seen and used. It is really stout!
Tuners easy to use and stay in tune. I have not actually changed strings yet but plan on it very soon!
Ease of Use:
I really believe this is where Taylor guitars just leave the other
top brands in the dust. Great action! Very easy to hold chords and move
up and down the fret board. I like the ebony fret board very much.
The sound system is simple !
Quality:
My model is made in Mexico with a short drive to I believe El Cajon
California which puts it within 100 miles.I really can't tell the
difference is quality of a Taylor made here in the US or in Mexico.
Of course the ones made in the USA are higher end so I suppose they are
bound to be superiour. You sure will have to pay a lot for that made in
USA tag. This is the most perfectly made quitar I have ever posessed.
Only some very expensive guitars look and feel like more quality.
But for what I paid you will not find a better new guitar than the Taylor
214ce! Even some I have played that were double the price were in no
way superiour in performance!
Value:
What can I say? First of all it is a full sized Taylor. Next it is
a great acoustic electric guitar with a rich tone and so easy to
play! It looks so nice especially for what I paid which is the typical
street price.
I really do not
think I will have or feel a need to upgrade to a more expensive guitar.
I have a very nice Taylor Solid Sitka top with Rosewood sides and back.
Manufacturer Support:
I have ot had to use this yet! But they did give me a magazine
that basically tells one how to care for a Taylor. On their
Website they have a lot of different subjects to look into.
To me the most relevant is the part about using a humidifier
either portable or one that will do a whole room. I never knew
how much damage extremely dry climate can harm a guitar. At the
time I bought mine around here in Ok.City the snow was deep and
tempatures cold . Naturally our house was quite dry. After a few
days of setting on my stand I put it in my case and put in a
little humidifier device which just encase a small sponge with
a litttle moisture in it. It took a couple of times to get it
to stop soaking in any more water.
The Wow Factor:
This is a subjective thing "Sex appeal"! It is very pretty and just
feels good in your hands. It looks just like most of the other more
expensive Taylors.
Overall:
I really doubt I will ever sell this guitar. It is helping me to
make progress in my guitar playing. They say that the sound gets better
with age so at this point I believe this guitar will fill the bill. Having said that if for instance I came into some extra money I really like the 700 series with the reddish finish , I just don't remember what
it is called. But it wss on the cover of Acoustic Guitar magazine. Just
beautiful.
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Sound:
Typical Taylor sound, very nice highs, good lows.
Feature:
I love the cutaway which allows me to run up the fret board for those higher notes when soliong.
Ease of Use:
Very smooth action.
Quality:
Now here's where I have a bone to pick with Taylor. The ES-T system is simply not on par with the rest of the guitar quality-wise. The ES-T had an incessant ground problem (gave a hum that vanished when the end-pin jack is in contact with skin/hand). AT first I thought I had a lemon, and had it replaced. ZZOUNDS replaced it, BUT same problem. In the end, though I loved the sound of it unplugged, I could not get over the seemingly poor quality of the ES-T electronics.
I also had owned a Taylor 210e which had the same problem. If you look in the forums, you'll see the many issues that the ES-T and Expression systems give their owners. I ended up buying a Taylor DN3 (great guitar!) and buying an after-market pickup.
Value:
No. The price should be lower.
Manufacturer Support:
I called the Taylor customer support number, didn't have to wait too long, and was dealt with cordially.
The Wow Factor:
Sexy as heck, nice outlines and great visual aesthetics.
Sound:
clear and full sounding. big body lows and firm balanced highs.
also the benefit of brand new strings and the optimal conditions of the testing room at the music store. but after additional sessions with it still had a quality strong voice that i couldnt imagine anything lacking.
plugged in the knobs allow you to dial in a great frequency with the amp. again voiced very well and the tone changes are gradual and not harsh.
Ease of Use:
im a classical guitar player and an electric guitar player by trade, so I have always found that i have to wrestle with acoustic guitars to get them to comply with my will. among the acoustics standard this guitar is on the easier side to play.
also own a taylor ns32ce (nylon series) very happy with
Quality:
not a flaw i can detect.
Value:
taylors arent cheap, but you get what you pay for (to a certain price point).
i've gone the cheap route on guitars in the past and it usualy just collects dust and leaves me wanting more shortly thereafter. i know i will have this one for a long time, and can only blame the player for anything it can't deliver.
Manufacturer Support:
no real experience.
mailers are good and timely. website is great. dealers are good.
The Wow Factor:
beautiful guitar. looks great. and functional. cutaway is essential and worth the added cost, the the sapele wood on the neck is a nice change.
Overall:
i would like it better in the $800 range.
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Sound:
I've heard better from the more expensive Taylors, but this guitar sounds fantastic! It sounds very bright and once i start playing it, I can't stop. When it comes to Taylors, you're gonna get a great sounding guitar.
Feature:
I just wish they used the same expression system as they do on the 3 series and up, and that they made the guitar as glossy as the others, but this is still really good. The wood is very good quality and it looks just beautiful. Very well built.
Ease of Use:
It is really easy to play. Great action, smooth neck, and comfortable body.
Quality:
It's a Taylor, so you know it'll be good.
Value:
Worth the money paid for. No question.
Manufacturer Support:
Very helpful.
The Wow Factor:
This guitar is just sexy. It looks beautiful and sounds beautiful. It would become a 10 if it looked like the 814ce.
Overall:
I'm in love with this guitar. That's all I have to say about it.
6 of 9 people
(66.67%) found this review helpful. Did you?
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