The Taylor 314ce Next Generation is a premium all-solid-wood electro-acoustic guitar built for players who need outstanding versatility, comfortable playability and dependable performance. Its solid Sitka spruce top and solid sapele back and sides produce a clear, balanced voice with a punchy midrange, vibrant treble response and warm, woody low end.

Taylor’s latest Next Generation upgrades bring even more performance to this popular Grand Auditorium model. Scalloped V-Class bracing enhances resonance and low-frequency depth, the Action Control Neck allows fast and precise string-height adjustment, and the Claria acoustic pickup system provides flexible amplified tone for live performance and recording.

Whether you are playing fingerstyle, strumming, accompanying vocals or performing with a full band, the Taylor 314ce is a genuine professional all-rounder.

At A Glance

Specification	Details
Brand	Taylor
Model	314ce Next Generation
Series	300 Series
Finish	Natural
Guitar Type	Steel-string electro-acoustic guitar
Body Shape	Grand Auditorium
Top Wood	Solid Sitka spruce
Back and Sides	Solid sapele
Bracing	Scalloped V-Class with relief rout
Neck	Neo-tropical mahogany
Fingerboard	West African Crelicam ebony
Electronics	Taylor Claria Acoustic Pickup System
Cutaway	Venetian
Condition	Brand new
Main Appeal	Professional all-solid tone with exceptional versatility
Best For	Live performance, recording, songwriting, fingerstyle and strumming
Skill Level	Intermediate, advanced and professional players

What’s Included?

• Taylor 314ce Next Generation electro-acoustic guitar
• Brown Taylor Deluxe hardshell case

Why Choose the Taylor 314ce Next Generation?

All-Solid Sitka Spruce and Sapele Construction

The Taylor 314ce combines a solid Sitka spruce soundboard with solid sapele back and sides.

Sitka spruce is valued for its clarity, projection and broad dynamic range. It responds well to a light fingerstyle touch while retaining definition and headroom when played with greater intensity.

Sapele provides a balanced frequency response with a strong, focused midrange, warm low frequencies and slightly more upper-frequency presence than traditional mahogany. Its direct tonal character helps individual notes remain clear and allows chords to sound full without becoming overly complex or congested.

Together, these woods create a versatile acoustic voice that works across a wide range of musical styles.

Taylor’s Versatile Grand Auditorium Body

The Grand Auditorium is Taylor’s flagship mid-sized body shape. It offers a comfortable playing experience while providing enough internal air volume for strong projection and a full acoustic response.

Its balanced design makes the 314ce suitable for:

• Fingerstyle arrangements
• Open-chord accompaniment
• Flatpicking
• Contemporary acoustic pop
• Folk and country
• Worship music
• Singer-songwriter performances
• Live band arrangements
• Studio recording

The Grand Auditorium body does not force the player towards one particular technique. It can respond delicately when played softly and deliver confident volume when strummed more firmly.

Scalloped V-Class Bracing

The Next Generation 314ce features Taylor’s updated scalloped V-Class bracing with a relief rout.

Material is carefully removed from selected areas of the braces, allowing the Sitka spruce top to move more freely. This increases low-frequency presence and open-string resonance while retaining the volume, sustain and pitch accuracy associated with Taylor’s V-Class architecture.

The result is a fuller and more responsive acoustic sound, with clear note separation and improved harmonic consistency across the fingerboard.

Action Control Neck

Taylor’s Action Control Neck combines the company’s familiar comfortable neck feel with a redesigned long-tenon joint.

The increased contact between the neck and body helps transfer string energy more efficiently, contributing additional warmth, low-end resonance and sustain.

Its patented shimless adjustment mechanism also allows the string height to be altered through the soundhole. A qualified technician can make precise action adjustments without removing the neck or carrying out a traditional neck reset.

This provides a practical long-term advantage for musicians who may need to adapt the guitar to different string gauges, playing styles, environmental conditions or personal preferences.

Taylor Claria Acoustic Pickup System

The Taylor 314ce Next Generation is equipped with the new Claria Acoustic Pickup System.

Claria combines a redesigned undersaddle piezo transducer with Taylor’s proprietary preamp. It is designed to provide a clear and adaptable amplified sound for stage performance, rehearsal and direct recording.

Three discreet controls are mounted inside the soundhole:

• Volume
• Mid-Contour
• Tone

Turning the Mid-Contour control below its centre position reduces the midrange for a warmer, more open strumming sound. Turning it above centre increases midrange presence and definition, helping fingerstyle phrases and lead lines stand out.

The Tone control adjusts upper-frequency brightness, allowing the amplified sound to be softened or given additional clarity depending on the room, amplification system and playing style.

Comfortable and Familiar Taylor Playability

The neo-tropical mahogany neck uses Taylor’s Standard Carve profile, delivering a slim and approachable feel without becoming excessively narrow.

A 1¾-inch nut width provides comfortable string spacing for fingerstyle playing, hybrid picking and more detailed chord voicings. It remains manageable for conventional rhythm playing and players moving from other modern acoustic guitars.

The satin neck finish supports smooth movement along the fingerboard, while the Venetian cutaway provides convenient access to higher frets.

Purposeful, Professional Styling

The Taylor 314ce has an understated visual presentation that complements its workhorse character.

Appointments include:

• Natural gloss-finished body
• Black body binding
• Black fingerboard binding
• Black and white purfling
• Firestripe pickguard
• Faux pearl Weathervane fingerboard inlays
• Matching Weathervane peghead inlay
• Single-ring white rosette
• West African Crelicam ebony peghead veneer
• Taylor nickel tuning machines

The design feels premium and contemporary without becoming overly decorative.

What Makes This a Next Generation Taylor?

Taylor uses the Next Generation designation for guitars equipped with three important design developments.

Scalloped V-Class Bracing

This updated bracing architecture is designed to increase low-end warmth, open-string resonance, volume and sustain while maintaining accurate intonation and clear note separation.

Action Control Neck

The redesigned long-tenon neck joint improves tonal transfer and includes a patented shimless system for easier string-height adjustment.

Claria Electronics

Taylor’s new undersaddle pickup and preamp system provides Volume, Mid-Contour and Tone controls inside the soundhole, giving players practical control over their amplified sound.

Previous versions of the standard 314ce generally use Taylor’s original V-Class bracing, classic Taylor neck joint and Expression System 2 electronics.

Why Choose a Grand Auditorium Electro-Acoustic Guitar?

A Grand Auditorium electro-acoustic guitar is an excellent choice for players who need one instrument to cover several different musical roles.

Smaller acoustic bodies can provide excellent comfort and articulation but may offer less natural projection. Larger dreadnought-style guitars can produce powerful bass and volume but may feel less balanced for delicate fingerstyle playing.

The Grand Auditorium sits between these extremes. It provides:

• A comfortable mid-sized body
• Balanced bass, middle and treble frequencies
• Strong projection without excessive boom
• Responsive fingerstyle performance
• Sufficient headroom for confident strumming
• Convenient upper-fret access
• Built-in amplification for live and recording use

This versatility makes the 314ce particularly useful for working musicians, songwriters and players who do not want to be limited to one genre or technique.

Who Is the Taylor 314ce Next Generation For?

Performing Musicians

The Claria electronics, adjustable Action Control Neck and balanced acoustic response make the 314ce an excellent live instrument. Its focused sapele midrange helps it retain definition when performing alongside vocals, keyboards, drums or other guitars.

Singer-Songwriters

Sapele’s controlled overtone content and clear midrange allow the guitar to support a vocal without overwhelming it. The Grand Auditorium body provides enough low-end warmth for solo accompaniment while retaining clarity around the singer.

Fingerstyle Players

The 1¾-inch nut width, responsive Sitka spruce top and balanced body shape provide the spacing and sensitivity needed for detailed fingerstyle passages.

Studio Musicians

The 314ce’s direct and controlled voice can be easier to place within a recorded mix than an acoustic guitar with a heavily scooped midrange or dense overtone response. It can be recorded with microphones, through the Claria system or with both signals blended.

Players Moving to Their First Premium All-Solid Taylor

The 314ce has long been regarded as an important entry point into Taylor’s American-built, all-solid-wood range. It offers professional construction and performance without requiring the more elaborate appointments or premium tonewoods found further up the Taylor line.

Guitarists Seeking One Reliable All-Rounder

Players who perform several styles or work in different musical environments will appreciate the 314ce’s adaptable tonal character. It is equally comfortable at home, in the studio, at an acoustic performance or on a full festival stage.

How Does the Taylor 314ce Compare?

Taylor 314ce Next Generation vs Taylor 414ce Next Generation

Both models use the Grand Auditorium shape and feature scalloped V-Class bracing, the Action Control Neck and Claria electronics. The main difference is the back and side wood.

The 314ce uses solid sapele, producing a focused, punchy midrange with a warm, woody low end and clear treble response. Its controlled overtone character helps it sit naturally within a band or recorded arrangement.

The 414ce uses solid Indian rosewood, providing deeper bass, greater treble shimmer and a more expansive overtone response.

Choose the 314ce for a direct, balanced and mix-friendly sound. Choose the 414ce for greater tonal width, low-end depth and harmonic complexity.

Taylor 314ce Next Generation vs Taylor 314ce Studio

Both guitars feature solid sapele back and sides and a Grand Auditorium body, but they are designed for different positions within the Taylor range.

The 314ce Studio uses a torrefied spruce top, V-Class bracing, ES2 electronics, a slightly narrower 1 11/16-inch nut and comfort-enhancing chamfered body edges. It is supplied with a structured gig bag.

The Next Generation 314ce features a Sitka spruce top, scalloped V-Class bracing, the Action Control Neck, Claria electronics, a 1¾-inch nut and more traditional 300 Series appointments.

The Studio is an excellent value-focused route into an all-solid Taylor. The Next Generation 314ce is the stronger choice for players who want Taylor’s latest neck, bracing and pickup technology alongside a Deluxe hardshell case.

Taylor 314ce Next Generation vs a Traditional Dreadnought

A traditional dreadnought generally produces greater bass emphasis and strong rhythm projection. This can be ideal for heavy strumming, bluegrass and situations where maximum acoustic power is required.

The 314ce Grand Auditorium offers a more balanced frequency response and a more comfortable body shape. It is also generally better suited to players who frequently alternate between fingerstyle, chord work and lead playing.

Choose a dreadnought for powerful, bass-forward rhythm work. Choose the 314ce for greater versatility, balance and comfort.

Understanding the Sitka Spruce and Sapele Sound

Sitka spruce is one of the most widely used premium acoustic guitar top woods because it offers an excellent balance of strength, sensitivity and dynamic range.

When played gently, it can produce a clear and detailed response. When played more firmly, it retains headroom and projection without losing note definition.

Sapele shares some tonal qualities with mahogany but generally offers additional upper-frequency presence. Its strong midrange helps the guitar sound immediate and articulate, while its relatively controlled overtone response prevents complex chords from becoming blurred.

This combination is particularly effective for:

• Vocal accompaniment
• Live band performances
• Layered studio arrangements
• Percussive acoustic playing
• Alternate tunings
• Fingerstyle pieces requiring note separation
• Players who value balance over exaggerated bass or treble

The guitar’s voice will also continue to develop as its solid tonewoods respond to regular playing.

Fair Deal Quality Control Assessment

Before dispatch or collection, this guitar will be carefully inspected by the Fair Deal Music team.

Our assessment includes:

• General cosmetic inspection
• Neck and fingerboard inspection
• Playing-action check
• Fret and intonation assessment
• Tuning-machine and hardware check
• Claria electronics test
• Output and control-function test
• Final playability inspection

This helps ensure that your new Taylor arrives ready to play and perform.

Technical Specifications

General

Specification	Details
Model	Taylor 314ce Next Generation
Series	Taylor 300 Series
Number of Strings	6
Orientation	Right-handed
Finish	Natural
Body Shape	Grand Auditorium
Cutaway	Venetian
Electronics	Taylor Claria Acoustic Pickup System

Body

Specification	Details
Top Wood	Solid Sitka spruce
Back and Side Wood	Solid sapele
Back Configuration	Two-piece, no wedge
Bracing	Scalloped V-Class with relief rout
Top Finish	Gloss
Back and Side Finish	Gloss
Body Binding	Black
Armrest	No
Rosette	White 0.047-inch single ring
Pickguard	Firestripe

Neck and Fingerboard

Specification	Details
Neck Design	Taylor Action Control Neck
Neck Wood	Neo-tropical mahogany
Neck Profile	Standard Carve
Neck Finish	Satin
Fingerboard Wood	West African Crelicam ebony
Fingerboard Binding	Black
Fingerboard Inlay	Faux pearl Weathervane
Scale Length	25½ inches
Nut Width	1¾ inches

Peghead

Specification	Details
Peghead Type	Paddle
Peghead Veneer	West African Crelicam ebony
Peghead Inlay	Faux pearl Weathervane
Peghead Finish	Satin
Peghead Binding	None
Tuning Machines	Taylor nickel with nickel buttons

Hardware and Factory Setup

Specification	Details
Bridge	West African Crelicam ebony
Nut	Black Tusq
Saddle	White Micarta
Bridge Pins	West African Crelicam ebony
Strap Pin	Black
End Pin	Black
Factory Strings	D’Addario XS Coated Phosphor Bronze Light
Factory String Gauge	.012–.053

Power Requirements

The Taylor Claria preamp is powered by one 9-volt battery located in the guitar’s end-pin battery compartment.

A fresh battery provides approximately 150 hours of plugged-in use. The guitar can be played acoustically without battery power, but a functioning battery is required when connecting the Claria system to an acoustic amplifier, PA system, mixing desk or audio interface.

Removing the instrument cable after use will help preserve battery life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Taylor 314ce suitable for both fingerstyle and strumming?

Yes. The Grand Auditorium body is designed to balance the sensitivity needed for fingerstyle playing with sufficient projection and headroom for strumming.

What does sapele sound like?

Sapele produces a balanced sound with a punchy midrange, warm low frequencies and clear treble presence. It has some similarities to mahogany but generally delivers slightly more upper-frequency detail.

Is the Taylor 314ce suitable for professional live performance?

Yes. Its all-solid construction, Claria electronics, stable neck design and balanced acoustic voice make it well suited to professional stage work.

What is the advantage of the Action Control Neck?

The Action Control Neck allows string height to be adjusted through the soundhole without removing the neck or using conventional neck-joint shims. Its long-tenon construction also improves tonal transfer between the neck and body.

How is Claria different from Taylor ES2?

Claria uses a redesigned undersaddle piezo pickup and a new proprietary preamp. It also provides a Mid-Contour control alongside Volume and Tone, giving players more control over how the amplified guitar sits within a mix.

Does the Claria system include a tuner?

No. The three Claria controls are Volume, Mid-Contour and Tone. A separate clip-on, pedal or external tuner can be used.

Is the 314ce a good recording guitar?

Yes. Its focused midrange and controlled overtone response help it sit naturally within recorded arrangements. It can be captured with microphones, connected directly through the Claria system or recorded using both methods.

Can the Taylor 314ce be used with alternate tunings?

Yes. Its 25½-inch scale and balanced low-frequency response make it suitable for many commonly used alternate tunings. A professional setup may be advisable when permanently using significantly lower tunings or heavier strings.

Is a 1¾-inch nut suitable for chord playing?

Yes. Taylor’s Standard Carve neck remains comfortable for conventional chord work, while the 1¾-inch nut provides additional spacing for fingerstyle playing and more intricate chord voicings.

Is the Taylor 314ce suitable for beginners?

The 314ce is accessible enough for a committed beginner, but its premium construction and professional specification are most likely to benefit intermediate, advanced and working players. It can also serve as a long-term instrument that will not quickly be outgrown.

Fair Deal Music Verdict

★★★★★ 5/5

The Taylor 314ce Next Generation is one of the strongest all-round electro-acoustic guitars in Taylor’s professional range.

Its solid Sitka spruce and sapele construction produces a balanced, direct and highly usable voice that works particularly well for live performance, vocal accompaniment and studio recording. The Grand Auditorium body is comfortable and adaptable, while the focused midrange helps the guitar remain clear within a busy arrangement.

Taylor’s Next Generation upgrades provide meaningful practical benefits. Scalloped V-Class bracing adds warmth and resonance, the Action Control Neck makes long-term setup adjustment easier, and the Claria system offers flexible amplified tone for a wide range of performance environments.

For players seeking a dependable premium acoustic that can handle almost any musical situation, the Taylor 314ce is an exceptional choice.

Why Buy From Fair Deal Music?

Choosing Fair Deal Music means buying from a passionate team of musicians who genuinely understand the products we sell. Whether you’re purchasing your first instrument, upgrading your current setup or searching for something special, we’re here to help you make the right choice with friendly advice and expert support.

When you shop with Fair Deal Music, you can buy with confidence thanks to:

• Expert advice from knowledgeable musicians
• Carefully checked new, used, pre-owned and ex-display equipment
• Competitive prices on leading music brands
• Secure UK-wide delivery
• Flexible finance options available, subject to status
• Friendly support before and after your purchase
• A trusted independent UK music retailer with decades of experience

Trade In. Trade Up. Save More.

Thinking about upgrading? Your next piece of gear could cost less than you think.

We’re always happy to consider part exchanges and trade-ins on a wide range of musical instruments and equipment. Whether you’re moving on an acoustic guitar, electric guitar, amplifier, keyboard, drum kit or studio equipment, our team can offer a fair, no-obligation valuation and help you put the value towards your next purchase.

Contact our team or visit our Birmingham showroom to discuss your trade-in options.