I'd already had similar impressions when testing other guitars from Taylor, although previously I had tested lower-end models. Taylor is known for an entirely personal approach to construction. I like this, because although it's daring (as all innovators are), the company follows its own research, avoiding construction based on the classics and thus developing its own prototypes.
Throughout this review we'll discover these peculiarities in its construction, materials and electronic circuitry.
Unboxing: first impressions and feel
The instrument reached me perfectly packed and protected by an excellent, luxurious custom case. Inside there was also plenty of documentation on the instrument (in English, mind you) and even a DVD with various performances and videos explaining (also in English) the peculiarities of Taylor guitars.
At first, three things really caught my attention. The first was the absence of the usual cutout on the upper side for the preamp; instead, it has three controls set directly into the guitar, certainly very unusual and different. Second: where's the preamp battery? If there's no typical preamp compartment, where is the battery housed? Lastly, the presence of a balanced ¼" stereo jack to female XLR cable. For all of us "guitar heads," the norm is a mono ¼" jack to ¼" jack cable, and that's that.
Then, as you'd expect, I played the first few runs to check the feel and sound, and once again I noticed the characteristic Taylor sound: bright, cutting and somewhat metallic without losing its appeal. Since I'll describe the sound more extensively below, let me wrap up the description of the feel in this paragraph. I found the guitar smooth and comfortable to play. As I've mentioned in other reviews, it's hard to find an acoustic with manageable string stiffness. That's no problem when strumming and playing rhythm, but it becomes annoying when we want to play a melodic passage with, for example, a bend. In the case of the 314 CE, the string tension and setup provide a feel that, while what you'd expect from steel strings, is manageable.
The Taylor 314 CE: Construction and sound
The construction, the way the neck is joined to the body and, in general, the "engineering" or design details are typical of Taylor, breaking with conventional norms.
Focusing on our tests and evaluation, I'll continue by saying that the materials used, such as American and African mahogany or ebony, already tell us this is a high-end instrument. The fact that the maker innovates doesn't mean it doesn't use the woods that work best for guitar building because of their resonance, hardness or other qualities. This is a high-end guitar, and the "raw materials" are in keeping with the price.
I'm clear on the instrument's affinity with me regarding certain characteristic Taylor sounds. The result strikes me as quite "American," with lots of attack and brightness. At first I found it excessive, although once you "get the hang of it" you end up getting the most out of it. I could distinguish three clearly defined types of sound:
1. The sound when strumming. Bearing in mind that we can later shape the result with EQ (even with the controls on the instrument's own preamp), playing flat we get a fairly bright strum, with power in the highs and mids, without exaggerated lows and with a balanced blend, but rather "aggressive."
2. Solos. Here I like the punch of the low strings when pressing hard; or rather, the feeling of gaining body in a big way as you move up through the strings allows for great expressiveness. The section of the first, second and third strings stays on the sharp side, but manageable.
3. Arpeggios. This is the area I like most among this Taylor's sounds. To check the blend and "acoustic sweetness," I prepared a recording of arpeggios, panning one track to the right and another to the left and playing well-blended parallel arpeggios (you can listen to the demos at www.ispmusica.com). I really like the body in this area; the strings give off a thick, less sharp sound when played with the fingers (rather than with a pick). It's without a doubt a very personal sound; I'd recognize a Taylor quickly just by hearing it, no question. The blend between the two tracks was perfect, creating an enormous range of tones and contrasts that fulfilled my "mellow" intention, with some attack and a certain "metallic" expression when called for.
To finish the sound section, I'd say that by experimenting a few more hours with the instrument you can get even more out of its sonic characteristics, and in this sense it's interesting to listen to the demos on the CD to see how other experienced players "play" with the Taylor and its rich, distinctive tonal range.
The electronics. Taylor Expression System
Here the mysteries I'd noticed at first glance were finally revealed. Taylor's electronic system is truly novel. To the question "where's the battery?", we find the answer: on the side, near the bottom by the jack input, there's a small cover that opens with a coin (for example), using a rotating slot system.
In keeping with its originality, and as I mentioned at the beginning, the knobs located on the side, near the neck, are directly "embedded," and the guitar is pierced only by three small metal "posts" that are then covered by the knob caps. These controls adjust volume, treble and bass.
What I like most, both about the battery location and the way the controls come through the guitar, is that the holes needed to put them in accessible places are much smaller than in other systems, so the impact on the instrument's sonority and resonance also seems smaller.
Now, once the guitar is plugged in with the balanced cable, we notice new peculiarities. The preamp's gain capacity is impressive, providing an extremely powerful signal with magnificent definition, along with low noise, since with such a hot signal we don't have to push the gain or the preamps on our input line.
I had the guitar on my lap and was adjusting the console EQ on my input line when I heard through the monitors the amplified sound of my hand moving across the instrument's sides. After stopping to think for a moment, I gently ran my hand over it again, caressing the instrument. That way I was able to pinpoint exactly where the guitar's internal sensors are. Among other things, this test (besides blowing your mind) shows you the extreme sensitivity with which it captures all the nuances that the instrument and your touch will later produce.
You can visit the manufacturer's website to read in-depth documentation on the Taylor Expression System and its sensor system.
Conclusions
Obviously this is a guitar for "refined palates," or rather refined senses of hearing and touch. Good construction materials, a great demonstration of research and development work, a good finish and a high-end sound with an utterly personal flavor.
An instrument that, unfortunately, won't be within everyone's reach, since its price is somewhat exclusive, although justified by the maker's effort to produce a truly original piece. As for the sound, I think it can win over many players, and perhaps the best thing is to go to your favorite store and try to get your hands on a Taylor 314 CE for a while to savor what it can do and decide whether to save up a bit until you can buy one.
