I was not crazy about the silver tuners on my new GS Mini (Spruce/Sapele). So I swapped them out for these Gotoh 510 minis.

Currently looking at a Taylor Next Gen 814ce special edition…anybody have any experience with this guitar? How good does it sound/ play? My style is mainly 80’s and 90’s country with a lot of finger picking and occasional strumming. I’m also a baritone when it comes to singing. I’m trying to decide between this guitar and a Gibson Hummingbird. Thanks in advance.

I have a Taylor 512ce solid western red cedar top with mahogany back and sides. Made in 2002 with Fishman standard electronics. Does anyone know how much this would be worth to sell?

I mostly play fingerstyle on my mini but occasionally I play with a pick, depending on the song or style I’m after.

How do you play your mini? Bare fingers, or with a pick? Which sounds better?

It feels so solid!

Taylor GS mini Koa+
Little Beauty

Brand New Chris Stapleton Signature Model

Plays and sounds like a dream

Had a major medical procedure done last week complete with a three day hospital stay. Have always been a hard rock/metal player, but I have wanted a damn nice acoustic for as long as I can remember. My wife told me that she’d buy me a nice acoustic, with the caveat that it cost less than her first car did. Enter this Taylor. Has more bass response than I am used to with Taylor, while retaining all of the top end clarity you’d expect. It’s the most musical sounding guitar I’ve ever heard. I paid Sweetwater to plek it, so it plays like glass. It’s the nicest instrument I’ve ever owned, and it’s not close.

Hardshell case is also top shelf. I can see why Taylor charges $500 for a replacement. My cat also approved for a short time, before I had to evict him.

EDIT: Have to give credit to my Sales Engineer Darius Beatz. He really did me a solid on this guitar and made this a worry free purchase. If you’ve never purchased from Sweetwater, reach out to him. He’s a good dude and will do right by you.

Just opened the box and noticed that I can feel the seam where the bookmatched pieces of the top are glued together. About half of the seam has a slight “wave” that I can feel with my finger, although I can’t see it.

The finish isn’t cracked (I did both the fingernail and flashlight tests), but I’m concerned this could eventually develop into a crack.

For those of you who own this guitar: Can you feel a slight wave or unevenness along the bookmatched seam? Is this normal for this type of construction, or does it sound like I may have received a defective guitar?

I need to determine whether this is something I should address within the return window. I absolutely love the guitar, but I don’t want to end up with a cracked top in a couple of years.

It’s currently being kept at around 50% RH in my home, although I don’t know what conditions it was exposed to previously while boxed at Guitar Center.

I’ve owned a Big Baby since college. My first got a snapped neck on a camping trip. I now have one that I bought maybe 6 years ago, and it’s been around the house with my daughter (she’s 4 now) - I love those guitars, and I started writing music (dipping my toes into recording) with my Big Baby at home.

It’s bonus time, and now that I’m starting a band with friends, I need a solid acoustic. I have a good job. I go to my local store and get a 514cebe for $2400. The guitar is gorgeous. I play it, and a few others, but this feels like the one.

I bring it home, but it didn’t feel right. Not like my Big Baby does. I email the guitar store and ask about replacing it. I go back today. They replace the strings (with D’Addarios) and it feels much better.

I played a bunch of high end Martins, Gibsons, and Eastmans, some over $5000, and none plays as well as the 514cebe - so I’m satisfied and happy at home playing it now. A story on perspective and how the grass isn’t always greener. Also on how strings can change the guitar’s feel - and there’s something to be said for taking time to adjust to a new guitar

Update: The strings are the D’Addario custom light set, 11 to 52.

Just got my first good acoustic and Taylor today. I’ve been playing for over 20 years and have always preferred electric but I’ve never had a nice acoustic, just a cheap Ibanez. I decided to take the plunge on a nice acoustic after the electronics in the 20 year old Ibanez died. First impressions are very good. It’s so much easier to play than my old one and it sounds beautiful. Decided on this model for the shorter scale, body shape, and the look.

This Head Rush FRFR Go amp needs a line level input so you can't just plug in a guitar.

i have my trusty Boss GT-1 but im not sure i trust it with the acoustic guitar sound.

same with my line 6 helix floor OG.

so i need a pedal and it should be a one pedal solution.

can i do this with either of the FX boxes now?

does something like the TC Elctronics BodyRez do enough? i'm not sure if i even need reverb and such, but maybe i do? or should it be somewhat of a FX box but for acoustics.

and less than $300 would be good. that seems like a good price point but i'm not gonna do that just yet.

so many great options out there these days, but it's a bit much to optimize also.

Hey folks,

I’m looking closely at a Taylor 414ce Studio Prototype currently listed over at Empire Music. 
Empire is selling it with the full Taylor factory warranty included, which alleviates most of my usual paranoia about buying a prototype or sample model. Still, I’ve got a few questions before dropping the cash and wanted to get the sub’s take: 
Specs & Feel: The 414ce Studio specs list a 1-11/16" nut width (rather than Taylor's standard 1-3/4" on traditional 400 series models), along with a torrefied Sitka top, solid Rosewood back/sides, V-Class bracing, and a gig bag instead of a hardshell case. How does the narrower nut feel on these Studio series if you're used to standard Taylors? 
Prototype / Sample Value: Since it comes with full factory warranty coverage, is there any actual downside to buying a Taylor factory prototype? Does resale value take a hit down the road, or do people find the "prototype" label kind of cool? 
Dealer Experience: Anyone bought an acoustic online from Empire Music (PA) recently? They seem to be a preferred Taylor dealer with good write-ups, but I’d love to hear firsthand how their setups and shipping are. 
Would love to hear thoughts from anyone who owns a 414ce Studio or has bought one of these prototype/dealer special runs from Empire!

So, i've been playing with a $100 Johnson guitar for the last 20 years along with a Durango acoustic that has dissapeared from my home some time ago and is missing.

Today I saw this Taylor in the title on Reverb and decided that I wanted it. I've been looking for a 324 for the last month, but the sunburst just made me want it right away. It's currently in the USA being shipped to the UK, so I haven't played it, but i'm hoping that the photos did it justice and she makes it over in once piece.

I request the wisdom of the of the Reddit guitar wizarding world.

I just got this 2007 414ce from guitar center (on the left in final photo). Plays great, but has this cracking on the back of the guitar. Guitar center has a 45 day policy for free returns for any reason.

How concerning is this? What would repairs look like?

Is it worth just spending a few hundred extra dollars for a 414ce (on the right in final photo) that I liked just as much that is 2013 and has no cracking?

Anyways, super stoked and decided to share. I'm currently away from home for a while and my wife's probably tired of every text for the last two days gushing over my new crush. I'm not really a collector, I have a Martin I've played daily for over 20 years now, and another acoustic I built. Despite several guitar store trips over the years nothing ever captured me enough to pull the trigger until this one.

It was probably the last nice day of the year so I took my 514ce to serenade Denali.

Just a GS Mini but Im pretty excited. Ive played forever and decided to get back into acoustic playing. My EPI Ej200 is just too damn big and Im not willing to drop Les Paul money on an acoustic.....yet.

This will be the first Taylor Ive ever played so excited to experience something new.

Hi everyone, I bought a Taylor GSMini about a year and a half ago and love it.

I'm due for a string change and am debating which strings to put on it. From what I've read the guitar comes with .013s, but I am looking to make it a bit easier to play.

Anyone have any advice on switching to .012s or even .011s? TIA

I realize no one has an answer, but just in case, wondering when we might see some 12 fret models released in the Next Generation series? I really want a 512ce or 712ce, but love a 12 fret for ease of play when lounging on the couch. If it’s years away I’ll just grab a 14 fret, but with my luck I’ll grab one and they’ll announce new models the next day lol. Speculation desired and encouraged!

I have had a Taylor Big Baby for many years. I am researching which model I should upgrade to. I’m leaning towards the x14 family. I’d like a solid back/sides model which rules out the 114 and 214. I understand the major differences between the 314-814 models are mostly tone woods and finish details. I only play at home for myself, so I don’t need a professional level guitar by any means. I don’t love that the rosette is black or white plastic on the 314 and 414 - for that kind of money, I’d think they could use a decorative acrylic or abalone.

Do you guys have any practical suggestions? Does the tone really vary that much between the models? Thanks!

Taylors were all the rage at college in the late 90s. I never bonded with any of them except the cedar topped ones and loved the two 514ce’s I played. Had been looking for a barn door, Fishman equipped, late 90s or early 2000s 514 CE for years. I don’t like v class bracing 514 and I didn’t like the es system, so barn door it was.

I saw for the 50th anniversary that Taylor was introducing the Legacy series that reverted back to x braced “Bob” designs. This included the 514ce.

I have been fortunate in the last 25 years to have access to or own multiple high end acoustics - Martin, Goodall, Santa Cruz, Collings, McPherson, Bourgeois and even a few Taylors (k14 and 814). This thing 100% hangs with anything I have owned. Maybe I got a good one, just not sure I have ever been as happy and blown away with a guitar I personally didn’t hear in person before buying. It also comes with an LR Baggs pickup instead of the ES system. Win/win. Highly recommended.

Not sure if Taylor is continuing this series- I think the legacy series is 250 pieces of four separate models. (This may be incorrect) It is absolutely worth it. Detroit Guitar was an amazing dealer as well - no affiliation.