The new 500s - aesthetics not that great : (

[All Together]

I'm a huge hog fan - and I have advanced the belief that hog guitars should get the same aesthetic attention as their rosewood counterparts (like the 2013 FLTDs).

Completely agree with you and notice how it says Performance Bracing whereas the 800s have ADVANCED Performance Bracing. Now of course it may be that Mahogany requires different bracing and hence isn't the same as Rosewoods but I get the feeling it's more a case of “if you want CV bracing you need to get an 800 instead of 700” pricing strategy aimed at getting consumers to upgrade.

[ntotoro]

I actually like the aesthetic. My issue with it is pretty simple: none of those guitars have the grain pattern of tropical hog and look more like sipo, even though the specs say otherwise. I have no issue at all with sipo and it really does sound much closer to tropical mahogany than sapele, but those 2016 guitars don't look like tropical hog to me.

Nick

[Redwood Tree]

 I really like the new look, smaller less blairing details and inlays. ,  the sympler less flashy is top is less candy coated, I'm tired of candy coated tops flash lately. The fret markers look like the one from the 700 series, I like the modern vintage look of them.
 Says Preformance bracing but they appear to not be at a slanted angle on back? Is "preformance = CV ?

[DennisG]

I seriously doubt that the designers (even someone of Andy's stature) at a company as big as Taylor would have the authority to push what is in essence a new product on to the market, without substantial input from the marketing department.

You may be right.  On the other hand, the sales and marketing departments are very capable of foisting products on the marketplace that the marketplace doesn't really want.  Taylor solid body electrics, for example.

[TaylorGirl]

I don't dislike the new rosette, but I do like the abalone rosette too. My take on it is that I prefer the diamond fretboard markers over the new ones. The new markers seem "busy", while the diamonds have a classic look. Ok, my $.02 worth. Still lovin' mine.

That's a fine looking guitar - I love it with no pick-guard...

Thank you George. I ordered it w/o a pick guard. I really like the look too.....the cedar top is beautiful in person. Being a fingerstyle player, I don't need that piece of plastic covering up the wood.

[Andromeda]

I love abalone rosettes so I prefer that it had that. But I like everything else about it. Love those inlays!!

[George]

You may be right. 

I don't hear that very often :-)

[TD2]

Soundhole binding? My wife's cheap beginners guitar has that to, I presume, cover up the edges of the laminate top. I don't think I like that on an over $3K guitar. I'll have to see it in person I guess.

[krugjr]

if they don't blow you away you may want to visit the marketplace and my 2013 516e FLTD for sale.....like some have said here, Taylor may not build one like this again...and does Taylor offer a "slope D" in their custom builds?

[flaggerphil]

I kinda like the way they look. I like my mahogany guitars to be less bling-y.

[Christhee68]

My favorite Mahogany guitars right now are the mahogany-topped 300 series. Those are some nice-looking guitars, especially the shaded edge burst versions. I'm still almost tempted to trade in my 314ce for one just because they look so awesome.

[ataylor]

Unfortunately a bit underwhelming in my opinion... The rosette doesn't seem to fit right (a bit too dark and thin)... I guess I was expecting one of those nice bound Abalone rosettes like the 600, 800 and 900s. Oh well.

https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/514ce-2016

Underwhelming aesthetics isn't necessarily a bad thing for a guitar with mahogany. There's historical precedent for that and it's a look that has enjoyed a resurgence of late. Given the fact that Taylor already has flashier appointments on plenty of other models -- like the ones you named -- I'd say Taylor is betting that the type of player that is drawn to a guitar with mahogany is going to prefer a more traditional look. They've done the same thing with the 700 series as an alternative to the 800 series models. Pretty smart if you ask me -- it clearly differentiates their product lines.