714ce or 716ce

[miksel]

Hi,Give me some helpful advice and opinions.This week,i plan on ordering either a 714ce or 716ce. I currently have a  K24ce. I played a K26ce yesterday that didn't any more horsepower than my GA but i attribute that to the unusual and unpredictable nature of Koa. Give me our thoughts on a 714 please;would you go with a 714 or 716? To further complicate my question would an 814 with a (Modify a Model) Cedar Top sound the same as a 714,just more bling? Many Thanks in Advance,Mike S.

[Steely Glen]

Personally, I would go with the 714ce.  First of all, Taylor's cedar over EIR is a magic combo and it seems to really shine when packaged in a GA body.  The GS will be louder, but you'll also have to keep medium strings on it for it to work like it was designed.  Not so with GA shape.  The 714 will take lights, making it easier to play under a light touch, which is where the 714 really separates itself from other x14 models. 

Either way, you'll have a winner on your hands, but my vote would be for the 714ce.   

[Roseadi]

miksel, I don't think the 814 with cedar would sound the same as a 714. The 814's have CV bracing while the 7 series has the Standard II. I haven't played a cedar top with the CV bracing, so can't comment on the differences but would imagine they would sound different.

[Edward]

Your tonal preference, of course.  But given you're ordering this guitar and thus buying blind, I'd suggest the GA bod when talking about cedar/rw.  I love GS guitars with certain woods (like maple or mahog b/s...I really dig those!).  But all that bass, which is immediately impressive at the onset, starts to lose its appeal when you live with it for a bit; that bias toward the bottom means the upper mids take a backseat to the whole voice of the guitar.  To me that is imbalanced overall tone. 

To my taste, cedar has those glorious mids that is so warm with such a present "tenor voice" (for lack of a better term) that begs to be heard, and rw fills the bottom end so well with deep, resonant bass, the larger GS body detracts from the overall sonic impact of the guitar.  I had only recently sold my long-time #1 which was my beloved GA7e ...but that wood combo still sits prominantly in my head that I hope I can replace that tone back in the stable in the future.  Just so well balanced; all tones present and accounted for; all playing together well.  Not so much with the 716.  And of course, all IMHO so no offense to any 716 owners (or GS8/816 of which I feel the same way).

Edward

[michaelw]

hi mike,
if you have a chance to play the 714ce & 716ce, i feel that would be a good starting point -
the bass response, midrange projection & overall balance (& feel) of the 714/716 are a good bit
different, imho, & it appears that the 2012 700 CE models have engelmann tops standard, with a
cedar top 'swap option' (non-MaM ), along with the updated aesthetics & vintage burst finish

if i were looking at picking up a new Taylor & i was comfortable with the GS body size, using either
medium or light gauge strings & was not wanting to go the BTO route (given the chance, i'd go BTO),
depending on the aesthetics & top wood preferred, i would consider the 2012 816ce cedar top,
as the pricing is very close to the 700s, the 800s has CV bracing, ab rosette, maple binding &
800 series fretmarkers. in addition, if electronics are not a necessity, they can be deleted also

the difference in the grade of woods can make in difference in tone (imho), but i do not
believe that it is consistent (premium woods may  or may not  sound 'better', it all depends) -
i have found that overall, the cedar top 714, GA7, GS-RC, GS7, 716ce combinations have
sounded deeper, warmer & richer than the 814ce/914ce cedar tops i've played/heard

this has been in the past & has included Classic bracing (pre-Standard II), but the Standard II
bracing has, imho, increased the overall 'horsepower' of the GA size 700s, even when compared
to some  of the older 700 models, in terms of the ones i've  played/owned (i had a 00 714ce),
but i also believe that a 816ce (CV braced) cedar top could  potentially 'push it' beyond the 700s

i know there are others here that have a 714ce (possibly of a similar era) that will feel quite differently
('old-school' versus new) in terms of tone & responsiveness & they are also correct in their experiences

as tone is subjective, imho, everyone's individual take on it is correct  - what one hears
how the tone is described, which one sounds 'better' &, in the end, the overall 'winner'

best of luck on making your decision & i hope that the guitar you choose makes you want to pick it up & play it