Unofficial Taylor Guitar Forum - UTGF
Lessons, Recordings, How Tos, Repair, Accessories => Lessons, Recordings, How Tos, Repair, Accessories => Topic started by: MexicoMike on January 22, 2014, 12:16:33 AM
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Just finished a gig and one of the comments afterward was, "Great sounding Taylor, Is that an 814?" I wanted to say yes but I had to admit it was "just" a 414. Made me feel good!
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Wow, that is awesome! You played like it was an 814 ;). But you know, that just goes to show it's just not the guitar, it's who's playing it that really counts.
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Yep, the player brings out the best in a guitar. But all solid body Taylors are seriously good--and relatively pricey--instruments. The different models just have different flavor profiles. Me, I love chocolate guitars (like "Rosie", my GC).
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"great sounding Taylor"... isn't that redundant? ;) Regardless of the series, I am a fan of all the Taylors. When I bought my first one, I didn't know about all these subtle (and not so subtle) differences. A couple years ago, I played a few times with a guy who had a 414 - great guitar, rich sound.
Best wishes,
Jim
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Thanks! i think what made the two people that talked to me afterward think it was an 814 (they seemed to know what they were talking about guitar-wise) is because it's a "glossy" 414 instead of the original satin sides/back. If the Ovankol is glossy, it can pass for rosewood appearance-wise.
They were even more impressed when I told them I had quit using my Martin HD28 in favor of the Taylor about 6 months ago.
But last night was a good example of why I switched. One of the songs I did was Ricky Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou." In the middle I do a little guitar "break" that uses the top two strings for a little melody phrase while maintaining the "chunka chunka" rhythm. I tried it at home on the Martin but the chunka part totally overwhelmed the treble so the it was just barely noticeable. With the Taylor the treble part really popped.
Now to give the HD it's due, in a bluegrass or country duo/trio type setting, it would have been the weapon of choice precisely for that ability to project/carry the rhythm through other instruments. But for my solo use, my 414ce works much better.
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My primary gigging guitar is my 414ce. Mine has some particualry nice ovangkol whcih I refer to as "poor man's koa". Some pro's who have played mine at guitar camps have said things like "I need to reconsider Taylor's" or "This one is almost as nice as my signature model GC". :)
I have a friend who wants to trade me even up for his HD-28 every time he sees me or hears the 414. But why would I want to go backwards?
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Just a 414?
You obviously made that 414 sing. 414 or 814 or x14.....all great Taylor guitars.
My 414 can hold its own very well. It's my workhorse, whereas my 512 is my baby :).
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The vast majority of Taylors I've heard and played have been amazing sounding.
The ones that weren't, though, were true dogs.