Tayor 414ce Acoustic Guitar
I had been looking for a potential new guitar for a long time and tried many different brands and models. I tried Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Lagg, Faith, and Takemine. I eventually settled on either Martin or Taylor as they both have a good reputation and I enjoyed the sound and playability of both. Both were really expensive, but I wanted a really nice acoustic as it’s the instrument I use most. I wanted a guitar that sounded great acoustic but really I wanted the best sound possible when through a PA, this is where (in my opinion) Taylor had the edge. the expression system sounded far better than the Fishman systems on the Martins I tried. The system I do wish I tried, which is supposed to be amazing, is the Fishman Ellipse Aura.
The 414ce is a grand auditorium model guitar with a cutaway. It is made of Ovangkol and Sitka Spruce. But there is nothing here you can’t learn from the Taylor website. I think it’s beautiful with a great finish on beautiful woods. It’s not too big but has a good strong sound and is good for posture!
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The acoustic sound is very nice, even and loud with a really satisfying low end. Sounds awesome with a decent condenser mic or two in front of it in the studio and just for general playing.
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The pickup system is called the Taylor Expression System. This is an subtley inbuilt pickup system with a tastefully placed preamp and battery compartment. To quote Taylor:
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“The ES is an all-magnetic acoustic guitar pickup system that works like a microphone to produce a pure signal and a warm, natural acoustic sound. When you plug in, you’ll hear the sound of your guitar, not the sound of the pickup. No complicated controls. No tone simulators. Just a clean amplified acoustic guitar sound supported by three simple controls — volume, bass and treble.”
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It works by blending the sound of three different pickups inside the guitar. There is a Dynamic Body Sensor® and a Dynamic String Sensor®.
Update (01/09/2016) : I have done various festivals this year, and without fail, soundmen have always said how beautiful this guitar’s DI tone is. Last year Andreya Triana’s (Bonobo) guitarist borrowed my 414 and it sounded incredible and he had nothing but good things to say about it.
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The main downside to the pickup system is if you are playing near something like neon lights or other conflicting electrical equipment there is almost no way of avoiding noise. Taking into account that this is a professional standard guitar though, I have never had this problem at a professional fully equipped venue or festival, only when playing is restaurants or bars next to fridges ad sharing power supplies with cheap lighting and till machines. I bought the LR Baggs for these smaller gigs.