It can be difficult to pick the best Taylor acoustic guitar for your needs. Given the many models, shapes, and wood combinations on the market, it’s challenging to know which one would best suit your needs.
Especially as guitar shops don’t carry the number of guitars that they used to. When they do, they have a lock on them, and getting help from someone to let you try out multiple guitars can be challenging.
In this article, we’ll take a quick look at two models from Taylor, the 312CE and 314CE.
| Features: | Taylor 312CE Grand Concert Electro | Taylor 314CE V-Class 300 Series |
|---|---|---|
| Price: | £1,899 | £1,899 |
| Bracing: | V-Class | V-Class |
| Top: | Sitka spruce | Sitka spruce |
| Neck: | Tropical Mahogany | Tropical Mahogany |
| Frets: | 20 | 20 |
Taylor 312CE
Taylor’s 300 Series has helped to introduce countless players to the pleasures of the all-solid-wood acoustic experience; it’s the entry point to Taylor’s USA-made instrument series. Players new to the 300 Series, like this 313ce V-Class Grand Concert acoustic-electric guitar, will be rewarded with a guitar-for-a-lifetime that will only sound better with age. It doesn’t take too long to find how the mix of tonewoods, construction and appointments combine to make Taylor’s famous playability, intonation and tone. The Taylor 312CE Series has everything you need to have a fantastic sound and playing instrument.
Body Shape
Taylor’s 312CE Grand Concert is slightly smaller than its Grand Auditorium and has controlled overtones, so its sound won’t occupy a lot of sonic space. This can be quite an important thing to take into consideration when other instruments are in the mix, such as in a performance or recording environment, as it allows the guitar to be heard more clearly. The 312CE pairs well with both 14-fret and 12-fret neck-to-body construction, giving an articulate voice with a top-end chime. It’s perfect for players that prefer fingerstyle and light strumming, although flat-pickers can enjoy its tonal character too. Its intimate size makes the 312CE lap/couch-friendly, and a great fit for players who find smaller instruments more physically comfortable.
Tonewood Pairing
The top of an acoustic guitar is the primary filter and distributor of vibrating string energy through acoustic guitars, giving them a tremendous impact on its sound. Sitka Spruce is the most used guitar top wood of the modern era. It blends elasticity and stiffness in just the right proportions, translating to a broad dynamic range with crisp articulation. As a tonewood, its Sapele back and sides complement the top with sonic characteristics, living comfortably between the dry, clear, woody sound of mahogany and the complex, overtone-rich character that rosewood gives.
V-Class Bracing
Taylor’s V-Class bracing has been a fundamental innovation in their acoustic guitar design. It marks an important evolution beyond traditional X-bracing, as it introduces an entirely new platform for acoustic guitar performance. It’s essentially a “sonic engine”, optimising the response of the 312CE in three key ways: by boosting volume, sustain, and by largely resolving the intonation (in-tune-ness) issues that have long caused acoustic guitar problems in the past.
Taylor’s V-Class bracing creates purer and more orderly notes that won’t cancel each other out. It gives a clearer, more consistent response, and the whole fretboard is brought into greater sonic alignment for a more musical playing/listening experience. Guitars with V-Class bracing are also easier to tune; the pitch sounds purer and more solid, and the guitar’s electronic tuners can more easily locate notes for quick, precise tuning. Other benefits include the harmonics ringing more uniformly down the neck, notes are louder with more projection and sustain, and notes are more consistent, i.e., upper register notes won’t get choked out.
Electronics
The 312CE has Taylor’s ES2 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, featuring three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated sensor pickups. As the pickup doesn’t sit under the saddle, the bottom of the saddle comes in direct contact with its bridge, allowing all the nuance of the guitar’s tone to come through clearer whether playing acoustically or plugged-in. The location of the sensors provides a more dynamic range of acoustic sound to be captured than ever before when the 312CE is plugged-in. Together with Taylor’s custom-designed “professional audio”-grade preamp, this system produces exceptional amplified tones, providing better responsiveness. On stage through a PA, plugged into your acoustic amplifier, or used directly into recording software, the Expression System 2 confidently conveys the voice of your Taylor guitar.
Sound
Taylor 314CE
Taylor’s 314CE acoustic guitar combines the pairing of Solid Spruce Top and Solid Sapele Back and Sides, with Taylor’s enhanced V-Class Bracing system, for unparalleled sonic power. Not to mention that it’s ready to be plugged in once out of the box with Taylor’s Expression System 2, which ensures that no matter where you play, you’ll be heard. It has a cutaway which ensures easy access to upper frets for those who want to do some solos and lead work.
Design
Taylor’s 314CE is made with Taylor’s most popular and versatile body shape, the Grand Auditorium. The Grand Auditorium body shape is essentially a mix of dreadnought and a concert guitar, and it’s designed to have an excellent response to both fingerpicking and flatpicking. Another bonus is the graceful Venetian cutaway which gives you great fretboard access. Since the body shape of the 314CE has a slimmer waist and is more compact than most dreadnoughts, it’s easy to play either sitting or standing.
The bracing on the 314CE is worth mentioning, given that it’s made with Taylor’s V-class bracing. Its bracing delivers a balance of resonance and sustain — the portion of the soundboard right under the strings is very rigid, providing the user with incredible sustain. Although, the sides are more flexible and leads to more resonance, which results from more air movement.
Tonewoods
The tonewoods used on an acoustic guitar are incredibly important to its sound. With that being said, the 314CE Grand Auditorium has all-solid construction, which is a definite plus.
While some guitarists may be hesitant to choose an acoustic guitar that has Sapele back and sides, it’s important to note that Sapele is one wood that’s marketed as a mahogany alternative.
The soundboard of the 314CE is more traditional, made of solid Sitka spruce. Thanks to its V-class construction, the top is especially responsive whether you’re fingerpicking or flatpicking. Its tropical mahogany neck imparts some warmth to the sound, making it very well-balanced.
Appointments And Finish
One of the first things you’ll likely notice about the 314CE Grand Auditorium guitar is its beautiful West African ebony fingerboard and matching ebony bridge. Ebony is a naturally highly playable and slick fingerboard material. The fingerboard is adorned with tasteful inlays that have been made from Italian acrylic gemstone.
Sound
Conclusion
Deciding which model is better for you isn’t a simple decision to make. However, the body style of the 314CE is considered to be more versatile compared to the 312CE.
As the 312CE is considerably smaller, you may miss the volume that bigger bodies provide for rhythm playing.