Having said this somewhere else (I can't remember where now), we do like different things, and a guitar is a very individual thing. Many people like a big bass, where I prefer a real balance. I hear balance, rather than lack of bass in my K14ce BE. A good example is when I was involved in stereo equipment as a hobby back in the 70s and early 80s. I lost interest when home theater became popular.
Most people I know seem to prefer a big, slamming bass in their music. Jukeboxes were great for that too. BOOM! BOOM! .
My stereo system was very different than the norm in that I had a pair of DCM Time Window speakers. These were very balanced and, to most of my friends, lacked that all important BOOM. For me, they were perfect because I like to listen to solo acoustic guitar, solo piano, or at most, small jazz or classical groups where drums are played with brushes (if at all) and not the wrong end of a solid drumstick. Few people like to listen to a stereo at lower volumes with the tone controls in the neutral position. That is why older stereos had a loudness control (read about Fletcher-Munson curves and the nature of human hearing).
I have a Taylor K14ce Builder's Edition. It has that V-bracing, but I don't really care one way or another. What I like is that every note is clear and distinct. For playing chords with a lot of color tones (9,13, b5, #11, etc.) it stays clear so we can hear all of that moving harmony. That big bottom is exactly what I don't want. I can certainly see where that big bottom would be desirable for many other styles of music though.
To me, it seems logical that no single type of bracing is ideal for all combinations of tone woods, so it is entirely possible that this V-bracing might be great on some guitars and not on others.
I own two 2019 K14ce BE guitars. The second one I got as part of a trade. I could have had the K24ce BE, but I just don't seem to take well to hardwood tops for some reason, so I played it safe and took the K14ce BE. So now I keep one in standard tuning and the other in various open tunings. Of all the Taylors I have played and/or owned over the years, this particular model is my favorite. I just don't seem to run with the crowd.
Tony
