2015 Taylor - 814 vs 614

[Prizen]

I am still searching for that one Taylor and I can't decide between the revoiced 800 and 600 series. I am really after a guitar that can do it all, and I think both the 800 and 600 guitars can. So, I would love to get your views on the which one you'd pick.

What are the pros and cons for the 614 vs the 814?

Thanks!

[Jersey tuning]

The official party line is the 614 is great in a band setting because of its tone favoring fundamentals.  The 814 should produce more complex tones and yield greater sustain. Both are beautiful guitars.   Personally, I favor rosewood bodied guitars over maple (I own both). 

[Prizen]

The official party line is the 614 is great in a band setting because of its tone favoring fundamentals.  The 814 should produce more complex tones and yield greater sustain. Both are beautiful guitars.   Personally, I favor rosewood bodied guitars over maple (I own both).

Thanks Jersey. Have you played examples of both of the revoiced models? I will never play in band settings, and always unplugged.

[DennisG]

I've played both -- several times.  While I think the new 600 series is vastly improved over the previous iteration, I still prefer the new 800 series, which just seems to have a bit more chutzpah.

[Jersey tuning]

I plan to bring my 2005 614 to a "find your fit" event next month to do a side-by-side with the revoiced 614. Have tried both rejoiced models but not a/b together

[oldwasichu]

The 814 is a great guitar, however, at the end of the day, it is a "traditional" combination of spruce and rosewood. The 614 has a unique sound - not your traditional bright maple voicing due to what Andy Powers has done with it. Another forum member described it as a cross between rosewood and mahogany ("rosehogany", I think was his term). So it is a unique sound - probably not for everyone. You'd have to A/B them and see what speaks to you.

[michaelw]

out of the examples of the current voicing 614ce & 814ce
that i've tried, to my ear the 614ce had deeper bass &
warmer midrange projection than the 814ce -
the tone was more direct with stronger fundamentals,
but it sounded 'stronger' & more well rounded overall

a video may, or may not, be a viable source of comparison, but -
614ce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tqK5cYukio

814ce (adirondack bracing - no video with sitka bracing available with same player)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKh83JXhsdk

614ce vs 814ce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYpwrVyIXDE

in the end, the one that sounds 'better' is up to
the ears of the person that's playing the guitar

[George]

Hi.  I mentioned a few times recently on here (I don't remember the post numbers) how I settled on my 816ce last summer.  After a long and fun-filled search, it boiled down to two Taylors - the 614 versus the 816.  They're very similarly priced and for me personally there was nothing to split the GS versus GA in terms of playability.  Tonally, though, there is a big difference between the two.  I thought the 600 was a little too bright up top, and dropped away a little in the mid-range (I'm splitting hairs a little here - the tone is still exceptional), whereas the 800 was noticeably more balanced, but with a much richer bass.  The 800 was noticeably louder, meaning you don't have to hit it so hard to get a big noise, but in my case that may have been a GS/GA thing.  Also, although I loved the look of the maple and the torrefied top, I thought the aesthetic was let down a little by the inlay design and other little details.  Overall the 800 has a higher specification in detail finishing which is quite obvious when you hold the two side by side, and at that price, the way it looks is just as important as the way it sounds.

As ever, my advice is to try to A/B compare the two before you make a decision, but either way you'll be choosing a special guitar.  Good luck...

[Prizen]

Hi.  I mentioned a few times recently on here (I don't remember the post numbers) how I settled on my 816ce last summer.  After a long and fun-filled search, it boiled down to two Taylors - the 614 versus the 816.  They're very similarly priced and for me personally there was nothing to split the GS versus GA in terms of playability.  Tonally, though, there is a big difference between the two.  I thought the 600 was a little too bright up top, and dropped away a little in the mid-range (I'm splitting hairs a little here - the tone is still exceptional), whereas the 800 was noticeably more balanced, but with a much richer bass.  The 800 was noticeably louder, meaning you don't have to hit it so hard to get a big noise, but in my case that may have been a GS/GA thing.  Also, although I loved the look of the maple and the torrefied top, I thought the aesthetic was let down a little by the inlay design and other little details.  Overall the 800 has a higher specification in detail finishing which is quite obvious when you hold the two side by side, and at that price, the way it looks is just as important as the way it sounds.

As ever, my advice is to try to A/B compare the two before you make a decision, but either way you'll be choosing a special guitar.  Good luck...

Interesting post. I assume that it was the bigger 816 also had an affect on the tone along with the loudness. In fact, I am giving more consideration to the x16 size. I already have an OM size guitar and a dread, so I think an x16 size would finsih off my collection nicely. So, I will try my best to demo an 816 vs an 616, although this is very unlikely given that there are none within a 4 hour drive of my location.