Thinking about trading!!

[tnfiddler]

    Really thinking about trading the new 614ce tomorrow.  Looking at a K24ce.  The 614ce while a really nice guitar just isn't doing it for me like I thought it would.  Just can't get used to the sound.  Going to the shop tomorrow to play the K24 for awhile before I make up my mind.  I really want a Koa and if there had been one at Gruhns when I bought the 614ce I would probably bought it instead.  Yes, I will admit it, I bought my 614ce with my heart instead of my head.  I am quite sure I'm not the only one who has ever done this!!

[mgap]

Yes, I will admit it, I bought my 614ce with my heart instead of my head.  I am quite sure I'm not the only one who has ever done this!!

Yeah right! I have never done that.

Have you played a Koa guitar before?  Those two guitars will sound mucho different.

[tnfiddler]

I have played Koa and I like the way they sound, I will also admit that I am pretty superficial when it comes to instruments and like them to look as good as they sound and the K24ce with all the fancy inlay and bindings is really about as sharp as they come when it comes to guitars.

[mgap]

I will also admit that I am pretty superficial when it comes to instruments and like them to look as good as they sound

Guilty on that point.
I would like to find(and I have seen)a Maple 3 piece AA quilted 614ce. 

Good luck with the hunt.

[BigSkyTaylorPlayer]

I really like the sound of koa guitars - I stumbled onto mine by accident but future acquisitions will involve koa.  In fact my upcoming ukuleles will be all solid koa.  I love the look and I did actually notice my 516 open up last year and it sounds better than ever.

That said I really like the way maple looks and would love to have one of those new mini's!!

[e8n]

I have played Koa and I like the way they sound, I will also admit that I am pretty superficial when it comes to instruments and like them to look as good as they sound and the K24ce with all the fancy inlay and bindings is really about as sharp as they come when it comes to guitars.

Been there, done that.  Had an awesome looking K26 and it was great until the sound changed and lost any zing that it had.  It got traded and the fellow with it is quite happy as am I.

-Dave

[randyc]

Koa is quite attractive, as illustrated by the following photo of a 1928 Weissenborn "Style 1" constructed entirely from that species.  Note that the guitar is almost FULLY hollow, the sound compartment extending from body, through the neck up to the headstock.

This guitar is highly regarded by slide/bottleneck musicians (e.g. David Lindley) despite its simplicity.  (I've "heard" that Style 1 copies are now made in Spain.)  Apparently the sonic qualities of this wood species were known and appreciated some years before the application to flat-top guitars.

Oddly, the qualities were then forgotten until recently, LOL.  Nice to see so much interest - probably a direct result of the Taylor influence.

 

[michaelw]

I have played Koa and I like the way they sound, I will also admit that I am pretty superficial when it comes to instruments and like them to look as good as they sound and the K24ce with all the fancy inlay and bindings is really about as sharp as they come when it comes to guitars.

if the k24ce you're considering sounds like the fall 11 GAceLTD-K
i've played, imho, i would give that guitar serious consideration -
i compared the GA to a 08 K26ce & even with the GS body & medium strings,
the GA with lights, CV bracing & bone nut/saddle was a real 'eye-opener' &
i even preferred the K-LTD over a fall 11 GAceLTD-C for its warmth & projection

with koa being a somewhat 'inconsistent' tonewood & some examples being
not quite as 'stellar' as others, i'd let your ears 'tell you' what they like

it's interesting to me that you feel that the 614ce was purchased with your heart, rather than your head  -
for me, i've found that if a guitar 'grabbed me by the ear' & i was able to acquire it, i've yet to
regret making that decision (unless circumstances arose to where i was unable to 'hold onto it')

guitars that i've justified purchasing by any type of logic, such as value per $
aesthetics/appointments (upgraded woods & inlays) or specs haven't 'survived' in
the long run & there hasn't been a one that's stayed for just those reasons alone -
in my book, the prettiest guitar doesn't always win & if it doesn't have the
'tone to match', it doesn't stay with me for too terribly long, which is alright ...
on-the-other-hand, that same guitar may be 'all that & a bag of chips' to someone

good luck with your decision & i hope you  have fun letting the next one 'choose you'

[Fire]

I would also trade up in a heartbeat if I find a Koa with a favorable combination of looks and sound. I'm thinking about getting a K24ce. Love the grain pattern of the 2012 model at the Taylor website. I prefer the fretboard inlay and headstock of the 2012 models over the 2011 Fall Limited.

What criteria does Taylor use for grading Koa? The standard K24ce on the website looks a lot better than some of the supposed "AA" grade Koas I've seen on several Limiteds.
 

[tnfiddler]

Looks like I will be keeping my 614ce and just enjoying it!!  He really likes his K24ce and didn't even come close to where I stood on trading.  It is a nice guitar and is beautiful but he really loves it pricewise!!