Taylor 214 Acoustic Guitar Review

This review was submitted by Guitar Jar contributor: Ben Clarke

After owning a few budget acoustic guitars I decided to purchase a quality guitar that would last me for a good few years. I was after an acoustic that I could play at church on a Sunday and still get funky when jamming with friends.

I spent a long time going round shops and looking online until I finally went to a shop and tried a 2003 Taylor 214-L3, which is pretty much the same as the standard 214 except for a few cosmetic changes.

The shop assistant informed me how Taylor changed the 214 in 2005 from having solid-wood back and sides to laminate. The pre-2005 214 models are the same as the current 314 models which are around £500 more expensive. After playing the guitar a few times it was apparent it was what I was looking for and after a bit of haggling, I purchased it.

Features:

Pre-2005 model:
Grand Auditorium body
Solid spruce top
Solid Sapelle back and sides
Mahogany neck
Ebony fret board
Dot inlay
Black plastic bindings
ES blue pickup
Satin finish
Taylor hard case

Ease of use:

The Taylor 214 has a much thinner neck than most acoustic guitars. The action is low making it very easy to play and there’s nice spacing between the strings for finger picking. This is a light guitar meaning it’s pretty easy on your shoulders when playing for long durations.

Sound quality:

Grand Auditorium bodies are traditionally more suited for finger picking and this guitar excels at this style, however the guitar also really sounds awesome when strummed, which is how I play at church. You can really get a great range of sounds out of this beauty. It’s not often I plug this guitar into a PA but the few times I have its sounded good.

Reliability:

Nothing has gone wrong in the time I have had it.

Overall rating:

I think this guitar gives you so much value for money as it sounds and feels like a guitar costing twice the price. It’s simple yet classic looks will still grab your attention and I am so happy with mine – I recommend it to everyone.

This review was submitted by Guitar Jar contributor: Ben Clarke