Members kwakatak Posted April 11, 2007 Members Share Posted April 11, 2007 I gotta say, I was impressed. First impression: the sucker is heavy. Apparently laminated rosewood is heavier than solid sapele. Add to that the fretboards are now rosewood instead of ebony, white body binding (for a nice visual contrast) and a satin top that seems much more cleanly-done than previous incarnations. Second impression: it sounds good, especially with the minty fresh strings. Good bass response for strumming yet delicate enough for fingerstyle. Third impression: either there's something wrong with my technique or the high E string is too close to the edge of the fretboard because it slipped off a couple of times. That used to happen with my OM-03R but when I put the new saddle on I sanded a bit more heavily on one side so that the higher strings would be much lower than the lower strings. My point is that a setup would probably fix this "problem". So what did I A/B it with? Why, a used solid-sapele 214 of course. That guitar was lighter and had an ebony fretboard but just didn't sound as full as the new 214 next to it. No comment on the quality as that guitar seems to have had some miles put on it, though no marks were visible. The price was strictly MAP I believe, but seasoned shoppers know what that means. All in all, definitely a good guitar for the budget minded yet serious though underpaid musician (like myself). I also tried a GS MC (mahogany/cedar): sweet. I'm changing my opinion of Taylor even more. I may have to go back to the shop next week because the Taylor rep will be there. BTW - this is the same shop with the HD-35 that I love. I fought the urge to take it for a spin today. BONUS TRIP: I drove out to another store that had that marked-down L-03. It was still there and it's in good shape. Tonally it's really close to my OM-03R when I played fingerstyle but for strumming its voice rings out much more smoothly. The serial number is somewhere abouts 72,000 which I believe makes it older than my own Larrivee (which is #85xxx) but like I said, no dings, scratches or other marks that I could see. It's just hanging there all lonely with no other Larrivees with a fretboard that could use cleaning. It was hard to put it back after I gave it a good looking-over. The mahogany has a shimmery quality to it that looks almost like one of those magic eye holograms. Anyway, to cut the story short I just can't believe that nobody has snatched that guitar up. BTW - outside the "humdified" room (which had no door) was an Epiphone Masterbilt EF-500RAVS which I'd wager is the same one that wowed me over a year and a half ago. It didn't have the same effect this time. Why they put excessive abalone on a vintage sunburst is beyond me. All in all, a very good day for me. To top it off, I have praise band practice tonight so I get to play out without fear of getting nagged for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hudman Posted April 11, 2007 Members Share Posted April 11, 2007 I played a very nice 400 Series that changed my opinion about Taylor. I would love to buy one sometime in the future. Glad to see you are getting out of the house. Nice review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tony Burns Posted April 12, 2007 Members Share Posted April 12, 2007 been their did that - think i made the right decision , spend a little more get a better guitar that i wont be quick to get rid of - i played alot of Taylors ( really tried to like them - i think they looked mass produced and all sounded the same - the GS wasnt bad , didnt come in a cutaway- and wasnt as great as the site said -) then though about the Epiphone you looked at at GC - not bad for the dough ,( think it was 699. with a cutaway and ceder top ) even considered a gibson Advanced jumbo , but not a great fingerpicker - after all thats my main abjective -- after going to about a zillion places from soup to nuts , and believe me most only had low end models because they claim thats what they sell the most of - i settled on a Larrivee OM-60v custom ( with the custom 10 series, vine inlays and bridge inlay ), its getting a string change to ex-lights in a few day - after i break it in that is --at pretty much twice the price of the Epiphone , I think its exactly what the doctor called for - you might want to check out the OM50 as well as the OM60 series , they have the OM body at a great price - mine is unusual because Larrivee gave my dealer a deal ( heard their not making the OM50 and 60 with a cutaway anymore ) guessing because they need to simplify their line , plus their lsv11 model that their pushing is a cutaway only model , played it, but like my OM sound better - something to think about ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knockwood Posted April 12, 2007 Members Share Posted April 12, 2007 Cool review, Kwak. Interesting observation about the high E on that Taylor. I always had that same problem with my 310: string was set in the nut too close to the edge, I kept pulling it off. Always meant to get that fixed when I took it in for a setup, but sold the git before I got around to the setup. Funny, though, the 310 was a 1-3/4" board and the 214 is (I think) 1-11/16". Or is it? Dude, I think that L-03 is waiting for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted April 12, 2007 Author Members Share Posted April 12, 2007 Yeah, it's the same neck as the 110/210 dread I believe. No problem for me; I still fingerpick on my dread. My Larrivee feels like a classical in comparison. As for the L-03, well it'd be nice but it ain't gonna happen. I've already had the talk with my wife and she made her case. We've spent too much money on the house this month and just moved a bunch more into our kids' college funds. Besides, I'd have to buy her something nice first - something shiny and expensive, if you catch my meaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sevensinner Posted April 12, 2007 Members Share Posted April 12, 2007 I thought the new 214 has a gloss top. I have a new 214E and it has a gloss top, with satin laminated rosewood sides and back. The thing that I've really noticed is that it took about a month for me to get used to the Elixir Nanoweb strings. I normally don't like them much, but they've grown on me and actually pair up pretty well with the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bernie P. Posted April 12, 2007 Members Share Posted April 12, 2007 I made the haul to GC yesterday and tried to many to list.Several were Taylors.They were ok but cant say I was all that impressed.Most cost more than my Cumberland and IMO didn't sound near as nice,YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guit30 Posted April 12, 2007 Members Share Posted April 12, 2007 Taylors Pics are deceiving, looks like a gloss top, so you like it better than the old solid wood version, a couple of years ago, I played a 214, that was unplayable because the hi E was too close to the edge, couldn't fret a clear note.KWAK-how close does it look to the picsJimhttp://www.taylorguitars.com/Guitars/100-200/200/214/ says gloss top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted April 12, 2007 Author Members Share Posted April 12, 2007 Hey, Jim, It is a gloss top, and a very nice one too. The back, sides and neck were satin. The one I tried was very clean. The used 214 next to it wasn't in bad shape but it wasn't "minty fresh". BTW - I know neck profile is important to you; the neck profile seems unchanged. Typical Taylor slimness but with the D-shape; deeper and narrower than my Larrivee's C-shape neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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