I would like to start off by saying that the Taylor 314ce guitar has great intonation and is well built. You can feel it as soon as you get your hands on this guitar. The woods used look very high quality and contribute to a warm tone of voice.
To my ears it sounds very close to a Martin D-28 – for half the price! I think that no review or comparison of any acoustic guitar is complete without mentioning the sound, so if you’re looking for a great-sounding acoustic, then the Taylor 300 Series 314ce should be at the top of your list.
The downside of the 314ce (and all Taylors) is that they are very light guitars and don’t have a whole lot of volume – you’ll definitely need to crank up the amp or mic if you want to be heard over a band. That said, I think this is a small price to pay for an otherwise perfect guitar.
As I mentioned earlier, I also had the opportunity to test out the Taylor Expression System (ES), which is an optional extra. The system consists of a pickup located under the saddle which captures all the nuances of the guitar’s sound and sends it wirelessly to an external preamp.
I was really impressed with the ES – the tone was natural and uncolored, and there was no feedback even when I cranked up the volume. The only downside is that the system adds a fair bit of weight to the guitar (around 1kg), so if you’re looking for a lightweight acoustic then you might want to skip this option.
All in all, I think that the Taylor 300 Series 314ce is an excellent acoustic guitar – well-built, great sounding, and good value for money. It’s not perfect (nothing is), but it comes pretty darn close!
If you’re looking for a great-sounding acoustic guitar, the Taylor 300 Series 314ce should be at the top of your list!
