Unofficial Taylor Guitar Forum - UTGF
Taylor Acoustic & Electric Guitars => Taylor Acoustic & Electric Guitars => Topic started by: dcopper on February 17, 2012, 11:33:52 AM
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I just finished spending two weeks with both an 814ce and 914ce and here are my observations.
Both guitars are EIR/spruce with identical bracing. Both share the x14, GA shape. The necks and fingerboards are of the same material. In terms of basic construction, they are pretty much identical. The cosmetics are quite different. The 914ce has the Cindy inlay on the otherwise plain fretboard, inlays on the headstock and bridge to match. The 914 has the red purfling and rosewood binding. The EIR of the 914ce is said to be hand-picked for the 914. The model I tried and others I have seen had a deeper, darker color than an 814 EIR. The 814ce has maple binding and classic 800 series inlays. My 814ce is a Tobacco Burst which really is beautifully contrasted with the maple bindings. The soundhole on the 914ce is also bound which is a nice touch.
The BIG difference in the two guitars comes from the bone nut/saddle on the 914ce vs. the tusque nut/saddle on the 814ce. UNPLUGGED, you immediately hear the difference. The 914ce with bone gives a deeper, darker tone. The bottom and low mids are much more pronounced. There is less of that "sparkle" inherent to Taylor guitars. It is a rich and deep voice but not exactly, though close, to the classic Taylor tone. The tusque nut/saddle of the 814ce yields a very broad frequency response. While the bottom is not as strong as the 914, it is easily there and the mids, though scooped by the EIR tone, are pleasant. The highs on the 814 are clean and clear with all the shimmer you need. IMHO, the 814ce has a broader tonal spectrum due to the nature of the tusque nut/saddle than the deeper and somewhat darker tone of the bone nut/saddle. Some folks here and on the AGF have often referred to the bone as "muddy" which I could understand when comparing to the tusque, but the 914ce I tried was not muddy, just deeper and darker. There was still an inherent clarity in the frequencies just not as much shimmer and classic Taylor tone.
PLUGGED IN: the 914ce really came to life. While it was a sweet and dark voice unplugged, the active eq on the ES system gave it much more flexibility. I cut the bass a tad and boosted the treble and wow! It was a monster. The 814ce is really the swiss army knife of Taylors. Plugged in it was basically the same voice, just louder. There was a broad range of frequencies and that wonderful EIR/spruce combination that works for just about any style of music. Just FYI, I plugged into a Fishman SA, Roland AC90 and an Alesis Mixer with QSC K8s, to try out a variety of systems. I kept all settings the same on the guitars and amps when comparing. The only other difference is that you get Gotoh 510 gold tuners on the 914ce, a nice touch vs. Taylor gold tuners on the 814ce. If you check the list price you will see a significant difference. I would contribute that mainly to cosmetics. The upgrades are the handpicked EIR, Gotoh tuners, bone nut/saddle and Cindy and other inlays on the 914. To me, the maple binding of the 814ce is a stunning contrast to the rosewood and TB finish.
So, which did I keep? That was a hard choice. The nostalgic part of me won over since the guitars were both so incredible. My first Taylor in the mid-90s was an 814 and I love the TB so that was my choice. If I want to experiment, I could add a bone saddle and the combination of tusque nut and bone saddle might be the best of both worlds. The Gotoh tuners are an easy add on with minor modification of 6 tiny screw holes for the set screws. You can always modify a model and add the bone, Gotoh, etc. to an 814ce as well. I happen to personally like the ES and it worked well for both guitars, with the active eq giving nice tonal options in all three systems.
So there you have it - do you want the bling, the bottom and the extra dough OR the workhorse that can get any acoustic job done with little sweat? Both choices are excellent ones and I can't say enough good things about either guitar. You can't make a wrong decision here.
I have included a pic for your viewing pleasure.
Hapy hunting
DC
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Nice report. It could use a few paragraph breaks though!
I'd sure put a bone saddle in the 814. I wonder if that would make the tone of the two guitars more similar?
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DC, what a great in-depth review! It sounds like you put both guitars through equal testing and I like your unbiased approach. Either Taylor would be a great choice, but I'm glad you chose something that you can call your workhorse. I really like your insight on the bone vs tusq saddle. I've been debating about getting a bone saddle...
Anyways, great review! :)
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Great review! Thanx!!!
BTW, I am VERY happy with my 2011 814ce!
Jim
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Makes me feel great about my 812ce on order! Besides, I can lust after a 914ce later on, which is probably inevitable.
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I wanted to read that.
Honest to God, I wanted to.
My eyes started glazing over by the fifth sentence, though.
Paragraphs, please...
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Paragraphs, please...
I agree. Thanks for saynig what I was thinking...
Jim
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Thanks for the review Dave. Now that you've tried those, find one with CV bracing (Adi CV is a definite plus). You will be blown away by the improvement in tone... Wildwood guitars in Louisville, CO has a couple that they ordered for their stock...
Just sayin'...
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Thanks for the review Dave. Now that you've tried those, find one with CV bracing (Adi CV is a definite plus). You will be blown away by the improvement in tone... Wildwood guitars in Louisville, CO has a couple that they ordered for their stock...
Just sayin'...
I'm getting a Taylor 814CE w/ Adirondack CV bracing from Wildwood Guitars. Get in touch with Lance Bowzer. He will pick out a good one for you.
http://www.wildwoodguitars.com/acoustics/taylor/wildwood_cv.htm (http://www.wildwoodguitars.com/acoustics/taylor/wildwood_cv.htm)
Enjoy.
Bill
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Thanks all.
Sorry about the long paragraph. I had written a nice long review and went to add my photo. The message was that the photo was too big so when I returned to what I wrote to add a smaller kb photo, I lost my entire first review. I wrote my second as quickly as I could not worrying about format, so next time it will be easier reading.
Hope the detail is there even if the paragraph break is not!
Best regards,
davidc
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Thanks David! That's much easier to read. :D
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I meant to ask (or maybe I missed it) what amp or amps were you playing them both through? Comments on the amp(s) combined with these guitars?
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I meant to ask (or maybe I missed it) what amp or amps were you playing them both through? Comments on the amp(s) combined with these guitars?
Sorry, I see you mentioned the amps, but could you comment on the those three amps and any preferences?
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congrats on the 814ce TB & thanks for the comparison of the 2 guitars DC :)
just out of personal curiosity, i was wondering if you might
happen to have some close up pics of the tops & the backs ???
the CV braced 814 & 914ce models i've played overall sounded deeper & warmer to me than
most of the Standard II braced models & the 07 914ce Standard II sitka with bone nut &
saddle had a more 'rounded' tone (to me) than engelmann 914s (04-06 & pre-Standard II 01-03)
the 8 seems to have more 'snap & punch' to me, & i can't help but think that even though
the woods are 'the same', there may be a tonal difference between 8 & 9 grade woods -
honestly, i'm wondering what a 9 made with 400 series sitka/rosewood could sound like
(http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/49888/2899108640081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)(http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/33084/2888760130081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)
the rosewood is still pretty dark & tight-grained on this, but i've seen lighter, wide-grain rosewood on 400s too
(http://inlinethumb46.webshots.com/48813/2780041870081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)(http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/47472/2694561090081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)
or, perhaps picking up an 11 Fall 416ceLTD & adding the bone nut/saddle & Gotohs might work ... hmm ;) :D
sorry, just thinking to myself out loud
play on ;D
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As for the amps, for small venues like coffee houses and patio settings, either the Roland AC90 or the Fishman SoloAmp work well for me. I go for good clean tone that can be carried in one hand. Portability works better for me than lugging around lots of gear, since like many players here - been there and done that. The QSC K series powered cabs are very good, and again, I did not need more than the K8s. I don't really have a preference, but between these three systems, The QSC K8s with a mixer is more traditional and can cover tons of room. I just use what applies to the venue and configure the system to what I need.
One of the things I really like is the AC90 vocal channel. I have played into the AC90, then sent a line out to either the SoloAmp or added the K8s to fill the room. I have also just grabbed the SA and had no problems at all. I bought the first BOSE system when it hit the market and used it for solo/duo and even larger group work for years and then got tired of lugging around the bulky oversized home plate bottom so I pitched it for the SA. No reflection on the BOSE, it is a fine system, just not worth me making as many trips to the car since I could use the SA and get the job done easily and with a little less back strain.
For the tests, I set the bass and treble on the amps flat, then cut the mids by 1/4 which is the way I normally play. On the board with the K8s, I set the eq flat, and flat on the K8s. As for the pics, I will post shortly.
davidc
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I just finished spending two weeks with both an 814ce and 914ce and here are my observations.
Both guitars are EIR/spruce with identical bracing. Both share the x14, GA shape. The necks and fingerboards are of the same material. In terms of basic construction, they are pretty much identical. The cosmetics are quite different. The 914ce has the Cindy inlay on the otherwise plain fretboard, inlays on the headstock and bridge to match. The 914 has the red purfling and rosewood binding. The EIR of the 914ce is said to be hand-picked for the 914. The model I tried and others I have seen had a deeper, darker color than an 814 EIR. The 814ce has maple binding and classic 800 series inlays. My 814ce is a Tobacco Burst which really is beautifully contrasted with the maple bindings. The soundhole on the 914ce is also bound which is a nice touch.
The BIG difference in the two guitars comes from the bone nut/saddle on the 914ce vs. the tusque nut/saddle on the 814ce. UNPLUGGED, you immediately hear the difference. The 914ce with bone gives a deeper, darker tone. The bottom and low mids are much more pronounced. There is less of that "sparkle" inherent to Taylor guitars. It is a rich and deep voice but not exactly, though close, to the classic Taylor tone. The tusque nut/saddle of the 814ce yields a very broad frequency response. While the bottom is not as strong as the 914, it is easily there and the mids, though scooped by the EIR tone, are pleasant. The highs on the 814 are clean and clear with all the shimmer you need. IMHO, the 814ce has a broader tonal spectrum due to the nature of the tusque nut/saddle than the deeper and somewhat darker tone of the bone nut/saddle. Some folks here and on the AGF have often referred to the bone as "muddy" which I could understand when comparing to the tusque, but the 914ce I tried was not muddy, just deeper and darker. There was still an inherent clarity in the frequencies just not as much shimmer and classic Taylor tone.
PLUGGED IN: the 914ce really came to life. While it was a sweet and dark voice unplugged, the active eq on the ES system gave it much more flexibility. I cut the bass a tad and boosted the treble and wow! It was a monster. The 814ce is really the swiss army knife of Taylors. Plugged in it was basically the same voice, just louder. There was a broad range of frequencies and that wonderful EIR/spruce combination that works for just about any style of music. Just FYI, I plugged into a Fishman SA, Roland AC90 and an Alesis Mixer with QSC K8s, to try out a variety of systems. I kept all settings the same on the guitars and amps when comparing. The only other difference is that you get Gotoh 510 gold tuners on the 914ce, a nice touch vs. Taylor gold tuners on the 814ce. If you check the list price you will see a significant difference. I would contribute that mainly to cosmetics. The upgrades are the handpicked EIR, Gotoh tuners, bone nut/saddle and Cindy and other inlays on the 914. To me, the maple binding of the 814ce is a stunning contrast to the rosewood and TB finish.
So, which did I keep? That was a hard choice. The nostalgic part of me won over since the guitars were both so incredible. My first Taylor in the mid-90s was an 814 and I love the TB so that was my choice. If I want to experiment, I could add a bone saddle and the combination of tusque nut and bone saddle might be the best of both worlds. The Gotoh tuners are an easy add on with minor modification of 6 tiny screw holes for the set screws. You can always modify a model and add the bone, Gotoh, etc. to an 814ce as well. I happen to personally like the ES and it worked well for both guitars, with the active eq giving nice tonal options in all three systems.
So there you have it - do you want the bling, the bottom and the extra dough OR the workhorse that can get any acoustic job done with little sweat? Both choices are excellent ones and I can't say enough good things about either guitar. You can't make a wrong decision here.
I have included a pic for your viewing pleasure.
Hapy hunting
DC
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Sorry if I may have posted too much of this old post but after playing the 914ce vs. 814ce (which I did buy as a modify your model- 814ce TBSS), there is a difference. I have come to appreciate the subtleties of the wood selection and bone nut, saddle. So I pulled the trigger on the 914ce. After a year of sitting in my local Taylor shop, the guitar has opened up and the sound is amazing. The best description I can give is that the 914ce (like the Presentation Series as well) has a "presence". The sounds jumps out at you. So this post back in February was for those of us deciding whether the "bling" of a 914ce was the only difference. I can safely say, that IMHO, it is the wood selection and bone together.
davidc
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Congratulations! You have an impressive "stable". :) Even though it took 10 months, I like the result: when faced with the difficult decision between two fine guitars... get 'em both! 8)
Best wishes,
Captain Jim