Taylor 814ce | Builders Edition | 50th Anniversary | Pick-Up

50th Anniversary Builder's Edition 814ce LTD

6-String | Sinker Redwood Top | Indian Rosewood Back and Sides | Neo-Tropical Mahogany Neck | West African Crelicam Ebony Fretboard | Expression System® 2 Electronics | Bevelled Cutaway | Taylor Deluxe Hardshell Brown Case

 

 

Overview

• Indian rosewood body for rich lows and sparkling highs
• Sinker redwood top for warmth, power and touch sensitivity
• Includes ES2 electronics and a hardshell case
• V-Class bracing improves volume, sustain and harmony
• Production limited to 1,974 guitars worldwide

 

Description

The 50th Anniversary Builder’s Edition 814ce LTD celebrates our flagship guitar with an ultra-refined version featuring Indian rosewood back and sides paired with a sinker redwood top. Rosewood's rich lows, sparkling highs and lush overtones complement the redwood's blend of cedar-like warmth and bold projection, all turbocharged by our V-Class bracing. Like its standard Builder's Edition sibling, this model boasts a bevelled armrest, bevelled cutaway, chamfered edges and a Curve Wing bridge for seamless playing comfort. Limited-edition appointments include a gold-hued mother-of-pearl peghead logo and matching Element inlays, maple purfling around the fretboard and peghead, a green abalone rosette, premium Gotoh 510 tuners, and ebony bridge pins with gold acrylic dots. Finished with a Kona edgeburst and a full-body gloss, this all-purpose Grand Auditorium sports a commemorative 50th anniversary label. Production will be limited to 1,974 guitars worldwide.

 

50th Anniversary Collection

Celebrating five decades of guitar-making with special, limited-edition models crafted to showcase top-tier tonewoods, exquisite appointments, exacting craftsmanship and the innovative spirit that defines Taylor Guitar's legacy.

 

Grand Auditorium

Taylor’s signature shape embodies the ultimate all-purpose acoustic.

 

 

Indian Rosewood

The tonewood superstar. Popular, traditional, and versatile, Bob Taylor puts Indian rosewood among the greatest tonewoods ever.

 

Sinker Redwood

Tight grain structure and cross-grain stiffness produce a bold and brilliant response with warm overtones. Think cedar on steroids.

 

Expression System® 2

The Taylor Expression System® 2 (ES2) is a revolutionary pickup design that delivers the latest in Taylor’s ongoing innovation in acoustic guitar amplification. The heart of the Expression System 2 is Taylor’s patented behind-the-saddle pickup, which features three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated pickup sensors. The location of the sensors enables a more dynamic range of acoustic sound to be captured than ever before. Together with Taylor’s custom-designed “professional audio”-grade preamp, this system produces exceptional amplified tone and responsiveness. On stage through a PA, plugged into your favorite acoustic amplifier, or direct into recording software, the Expression System 2 faithfully conveys the voice of your Taylor guitar.

Behind the ES2 Design: Rethinking the Piezo Pickup

For decades, piezo-electric transducers have been positioned under the saddle of a guitar based on the long-held belief that the string and top vibration cause the saddle to “bounce” up and down. But Taylor’s electronics team, led by developer David Hosler, discovered that the vertical movement is actually heavily restricted, and that the saddle gets “locked down” due to the string tension’s downward pressure. That’s why a traditional under-saddle pickup with piezo-electric crystals often responds with a sound often characterized as thin, brittle, brash or synthetic, especially with more aggressive playing.

The saddle’s natural range of movement as the guitar is being played is actually back and forth like a pendulum. That revelation led Taylor’s design team to relocate the crystals from under the saddle to behind it. The new positioning enables the crystals to respond more naturally to the guitar’s energy as it is transferred through the saddle. Three pickup sensors are installed behind the saddle, through the bridge, with three tiny Allen screws that calibrate the position of the sensors in relation to the saddle.

Like the original Expression System, the ES2 features the same volume and tone control knobs. This makes it plug-and-play friendly both for artists and live sound mixers.

Bevelled Cutaway

Our bevelled cutaway design provides a more player-friendly feel for guitarists who utilize every inch of the fretboard. It features a compound design with a smoothened edge along the corner of the body between the end of the cutaway and the neck heel, providing a more comfortable feel for the fretting hand.

V-Class Bracing

Our patented V-Class bracing is a revolutionary new pattern — a new sonic engine — that marks a major shift away from traditional steel-string bracing patterns.

Our patented V-Class bracing is a revolutionary new pattern — a new sonic engine — that marks a major shift away from traditional steel-string bracing patterns. By allowing the soundboard to flex naturally while maintaining rigidity along the centre (in the direction of the strings), V-Class helps enhance the volume and sustain. It also creates a more orderly response from the soundboard. Up and down the fretboard, notes are full, true and consistent, with more harmonic agreement. It represents an entirely new design platform that can be adapted to different body styles in different ways to infuse each with a unique sonic personality.