The Taylor 814ce Next Generation advances Taylor’s flagship Grand Auditorium with a richer acoustic voice, enhanced adjustability and a more adaptable amplified performance system.

Its solid Sitka spruce top delivers clarity, projection and broad dynamic range, while solid Indian rosewood back and sides add deep lows, pristine trebles and a lush surrounding layer of harmonic overtones. Taylor’s scalloped V-Class bracing brings additional bass presence and open-string resonance while preserving excellent sustain, power and pitch accuracy.

The long-tenon Action Control Neck strengthens the connection between the neck and body while allowing precise string-height adjustment. Taylor’s Claria acoustic pickup system provides natural amplified tone with intuitive soundhole-mounted controls for volume, midrange character and treble response.

A radius-style Indian rosewood armrest, maple body binding, mother-of-pearl Element inlays and full-body gloss finish complete an elegant professional instrument designed for fingerstyle playing, strumming, songwriting, recording and live performance.

At a Glance

Feature	Details
Brand	Taylor
Model	814ce Next Generation
Series	800 Series
Guitar Type	Electro-acoustic guitar
Body Shape	Grand Auditorium
Top	Solid Sitka spruce
Back and Sides	Solid Indian rosewood
Bracing	Scalloped V-Class with relief rout
Neck Construction	Taylor Action Control Neck
Neck Wood	Neo-Tropical mahogany
Fretboard	West African Crelicam ebony
Scale Length	25½ inches
Nut Width	1¾ inches
Cutaway	Venetian
Electronics	Taylor Claria acoustic pickup system
Finish	Natural full-body gloss
Main Appeal	Flagship Taylor versatility with rich rosewood tone
Best For	Fingerstyle, strumming, songwriting, recording and professional live performance
Skill Level	Advanced and professional
Condition	Brand new

Why Choose the Taylor 814ce Next Generation?

Taylor’s Flagship Grand Auditorium

The 814ce has long represented the central Taylor acoustic-guitar experience, combining premium tonewoods, refined craftsmanship and broad musical versatility.

The Next Generation model retains the balance and clarity that made the 814ce so highly regarded while introducing meaningful developments to its acoustic response, playing feel and amplified performance.

It is designed for players seeking one premium acoustic guitar capable of moving confidently between intimate fingerstyle arrangements, powerful rhythm work, studio sessions and professional stages.

Solid Sitka Spruce Top

Sitka spruce is prized for its balance of clarity, projection and dynamic range.

The soundboard reacts clearly to a light touch but also provides the headroom needed for confident strumming and flatpicking. Notes have a defined attack, helping complex chords and detailed arrangements remain articulate.

The spruce top gives the 814ce the versatility to respond convincingly across a wide range of techniques rather than favouring only one style of playing.

Solid Indian Rosewood Back and Sides

Solid Indian rosewood gives the 814ce its deep, expansive and harmonically rich tonal character.

Rosewood produces substantial bass extension, clear treble detail and a naturally shaped midrange that leaves space for vocals and other instruments. As notes sustain, surrounding overtones develop to create a polished and three-dimensional acoustic sound.

This makes the 814ce particularly rewarding for solo performance, open tunings, fingerstyle arrangements and studio work where harmonic depth is desirable.

Scalloped V-Class Bracing

Taylor’s scalloped V-Class bracing with relief rout builds on the company’s established V-Class architecture.

Selected areas of the braces are carefully lightened, allowing the soundboard to move with greater freedom. This increases low-frequency presence, acoustic volume and open-string resonance while preserving the strong projection, sustain and harmonic consistency associated with V-Class construction.

The design gives the Next Generation 814ce a fuller and more powerful voice without sacrificing the clarity expected from Taylor’s flagship Grand Auditorium.

Action Control Neck

The Taylor Action Control Neck uses an extended long-tenon joint to create a substantial physical connection between the neck and body.

This increased contact supports efficient vibration transfer, contributing additional warmth, depth and sustain.

Its patented adjustment system allows an experienced technician to make precise changes to the string height without reshaping the saddle or carrying out invasive neck work. This helps the guitar adapt to different playing techniques, climates and personal setup preferences throughout its working life.

Taylor Claria Acoustic Electronics

The Claria acoustic pickup system combines a redesigned undersaddle transducer with a dedicated Taylor preamp.

Developed for real-world stage, studio and home-recording applications, it provides clear and adaptable amplified tone without requiring extensive external processing.

Three controls positioned discreetly inside the soundhole provide adjustment over:

• Volume
• Mid Contour
• Tone

The Mid Contour control allows the amplified midrange to be shaped for different musical situations. Reducing the midrange creates a warmer, more open sound for strumming, while adding presence helps fingerstyle details and lead lines remain clear within a band arrangement.

Radius Indian Rosewood Armrest

The radius-style Indian rosewood armrest softens the upper edge of the body where the player’s forearm rests.

This reduces pressure during extended rehearsals, performances and recording sessions while maintaining the elegant outline of the Grand Auditorium body.

Using Indian rosewood for the armrest also creates a visual connection with the guitar’s back and sides.

Versatile Grand Auditorium Body

Taylor’s Grand Auditorium body is designed to balance projection, comfort and tonal control.

Its lower bout provides enough air movement for confident rhythm work, while the shaped waist keeps the middle frequencies organised. The body also responds quickly to lighter fingerstyle playing and dynamic changes in picking technique.

This makes the 814ce suitable for:

• Fingerstyle guitar
• Vocal accompaniment
• Flatpicking
• Contemporary rhythm playing
• Solo acoustic performance
• Full-band arrangements
• Open and alternative tunings
• Professional studio recording

Venetian Cutaway

The smoothly curved Venetian cutaway provides comfortable access to the upper register.

Players can reach higher chord voicings, melodic passages and lead parts without the body significantly restricting the fretting hand.

Its flowing outline maintains the traditional elegance of the Grand Auditorium while expanding the guitar’s usefulness for contemporary playing styles.

Comfortable Standard Carve Neck

The Neo-Tropical mahogany neck uses Taylor’s familiar Standard Carve profile.

Its smooth shape provides a comfortable balance between support and accessibility, while the 1¾-inch nut offers useful string spacing for fingerstyle technique without feeling excessively wide for chord-based playing.

A satin neck finish allows the hand to move freely along the West African Crelicam ebony fretboard.

Full-Body Gloss Finish

The top, back and sides receive a polished gloss finish that enhances the natural grain and colouring of the premium tonewoods.

The clear finish gives the guitar a refined professional presentation while allowing the spruce and rosewood to remain the visual focus.

Because natural wood varies in grain and colouring, each 814ce has its own individual appearance.

Premium 800 Series Appointments

The Next Generation 814ce uses an elegant selection of natural materials and understated decorative details.

Appointments include:

• Rock maple body binding
• Bound soundhole
• Single-ring rosette
• Mother-of-pearl Element fretboard inlays
• Matching Element peghead inlay
• West African Crelicam ebony fretboard binding
• Indian rosewood pickguard
• West African ebony bridge pins with green abalone dots
• Smoked nickel Taylor tuning machines

These features give the guitar a sophisticated identity without distracting from the spruce and Indian rosewood construction.

What Makes This a Next Generation Taylor?

Taylor’s Next Generation designation identifies three central updates that affect the guitar’s tone, playability and amplified performance.

Scalloped V-Class Bracing

The revised internal structure increases warmth, low-frequency presence and open-string resonance while maintaining strong projection, long sustain and accurate pitch relationships.

Action Control Neck

The long-tenon joint creates a stronger tonal connection between the neck and body. Its adjustment system also makes accurate changes to the action faster and less invasive.

Claria Electronics

The new pickup and preamp provide intuitive amplified tone shaping through discreet Volume, Mid Contour and Tone controls.

Together, these developments make the Next Generation 814ce more resonant acoustically, easier to maintain and more flexible when connected to amplification or recording equipment.

Why Choose Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood?

Sitka spruce and Indian rosewood form one of the most respected tonewood combinations in acoustic-guitar construction.

The Sitka spruce top contributes:

• Clear note attack
• Strong projection
• Broad dynamic range
• Useful headroom for strumming
• Responsive fingerstyle performance

The Indian rosewood body contributes:

• Deep bass extension
• Clear and sparkling trebles
• Rich harmonic overtones
• A slightly shaped midrange
• A broad, high-fidelity acoustic voice

Together, these woods create a guitar capable of producing both detailed individual notes and expansive, room-filling chords.

Who Is the Taylor 814ce Next Generation For?

Professional Performing Guitarists

The adaptable Claria system, accurate hardware and versatile acoustic response make the 814ce suitable for demanding stage work across a wide range of musical styles.

Fingerstyle Players

The Grand Auditorium body, balanced string spacing and clear rosewood response help individual notes sustain with definition and harmonic depth.

Singers and Songwriters

Rosewood’s naturally shaped midrange leaves useful space for vocals, while the body provides enough bass and projection for complete solo accompaniment.

Recording Musicians

The combination of clear attack, extended frequency response and complex overtones makes the 814ce a strong choice for solo acoustic recording and layered arrangements.

Rhythm Guitarists

Sitka spruce provides the headroom needed for confident strumming, while the scalloped bracing and rosewood body add depth and scale.

Dynamic Players

Musicians who move between delicate fingerstyle passages and stronger rhythm work will appreciate the spruce top’s broad response and the Grand Auditorium’s adaptability.

Players Using Alternative Tunings

The long scale, powerful low end and strong harmonic definition work well with many open and altered tunings.

Musicians Seeking One Premium All-Round Guitar

The 814ce is designed to cover numerous professional applications without becoming limited to one technique, genre or performance environment.

What’s Included?

• Taylor 814ce Next Generation electro-acoustic guitar
• Brown Taylor Deluxe hardshell case

Fair Deal Quality Control Assessment

Every guitar is carefully inspected by the Fair Deal Music team before collection or dispatch.

Our assessment covers the finish, neck, frets, bridge, tuning machines, electronics and overall playability. The Claria pickup system and each soundhole-mounted control are tested to confirm dependable operation.

Any adjustment required before the guitar leaves us will be completed by our experienced team so that it arrives ready to play and enjoy.

Technical Specifications

General

Specification	Details
Number of Strings	6
Orientation	Right-handed
Body Shape	Grand Auditorium
Cutaway	Venetian
Colour	Natural
Bracing System	Scalloped V-Class bracing with relief rout
Electronics	Taylor Claria acoustic pickup system

Body

Specification	Details
Top Wood	Solid Sitka spruce
Back and Side Wood	Solid Indian rosewood
Back Configuration	Two-piece without centre wedge
Top Finish	Gloss
Back and Side Finish	Gloss
Body Binding	Rock maple
Armrest	Radius Indian rosewood
Rosette	Single ring
Soundhole	Bound
Pickguard	Indian rosewood

Neck and Fretboard

Specification	Details
Neck Construction	Taylor Action Control Neck
Neck Wood	Neo-Tropical mahogany
Neck Profile	Standard Carve
Neck Finish	Satin
Fretboard Wood	West African Crelicam ebony
Fretboard Binding	West African Crelicam ebony
Fretboard Inlays	Mother-of-pearl Element
Scale Length	25½ inches
Nut Width	1¾ inches

Peghead and Hardware

Specification	Details
Peghead Type	Paddle
Peghead Veneer	West African Crelicam ebony
Peghead Binding	West African Crelicam ebony
Peghead Inlay	Mother-of-pearl Element
Peghead Finish	Gloss
Bridge	West African Crelicam ebony
Nut	Black TUSQ
Saddle	White Micarta
Bridge Pins	West African ebony with green abalone dots
Tuning Machines	Taylor smoked nickel with smoked nickel buttons
Strap Pin	Black
End Pin	Black
Factory Strings	D’Addario XS coated phosphor bronze light, .012–.053

Electronics

Specification	Details
Pickup System	Taylor Claria
Pickup Type	Undersaddle acoustic transducer
Controls	Volume, Mid Contour and Tone
Control Location	Inside the soundhole
Output	Standard ¼-inch instrument connection

Power Requirements

The Taylor Claria preamp is powered by a 9V battery housed in the end-pin compartment.

Connecting an instrument cable activates the electronics, so the cable should be removed when the guitar is not being amplified to help preserve battery life.

A suitable battery provides approximately 150 hours of plugged-in use. Keeping a spare 9V battery available is recommended for performances, rehearsals and recording sessions.

Taylor Next Generation 814ce Compared with the Previous 814ce

Both versions pair a solid Sitka spruce top with solid Indian rosewood back and sides in Taylor’s flagship Grand Auditorium body.

The previous 814ce uses the original V-Class bracing system, Taylor’s earlier neck joint and Expression System 2 electronics.

The Next Generation model introduces:

• Scalloped V-Class bracing
• Increased bass presence and open-string resonance
• Long-tenon Action Control Neck
• Precise string-height adjustment
• Claria undersaddle electronics
• Soundhole-mounted controls
• Adjustable Mid Contour
• Updated Element appointments

Choose the previous model for the established modern 814ce sound and ES2 system. Choose the Next Generation version for additional acoustic depth, easier long-term adjustment and more flexible amplified tone shaping.

Taylor Next Generation 814ce Compared with the Next Generation 714ce

Both guitars use Taylor’s Grand Auditorium body, scalloped V-Class bracing, Action Control Neck and Claria electronics.

The main difference is the soundboard.

The 814ce uses Sitka spruce, producing:

• Clearer initial attack
• Greater dynamic headroom
• Strong projection
• Broad all-purpose versatility

The 714ce uses Western Red cedar, producing:

• Warmer initial response
• Greater sensitivity to a light touch
• Smooth treble character
• Rich fingerstyle expression

Choose the 814ce for maximum versatility and dynamic range. Choose the 714ce for warmth, sensitivity and an especially responsive fingerstyle voice.

Taylor Next Generation 814ce Compared with the Next Generation 414ce

Both models pair spruce with Indian rosewood and incorporate Taylor’s latest Next Generation features.

The 414ce focuses on professional workhorse performance with more restrained appointments and a conventional body edge.

The 814ce adds:

• Radius Indian rosewood armrest
• Rock maple binding
• Bound soundhole
• Mother-of-pearl Element inlays
• Ebony fretboard and peghead binding
• Rosewood pickguard
• Premium smoked nickel hardware

Choose the 414ce for the essential rosewood-and-spruce Next Generation platform. Choose the 814ce for added playing comfort, more elaborate craftsmanship and flagship 800 Series presentation.

Taylor Next Generation 814ce Compared with the Builder’s Edition 814ce

The standard Next Generation 814ce uses Sitka spruce and Indian rosewood with a radius armrest and Venetian cutaway.

Builder’s Edition versions introduce alternative premium tonewoods and additional ergonomic features such as a beveled cutaway, chamfered body edges and Gotoh 510 tuning machines.

Choose the standard 814ce for Taylor’s definitive flagship Grand Auditorium voice and traditional body profile. Choose a Builder’s Edition model for more specialised tonewoods and the most extensive comfort-focused contours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Taylor 814ce suitable for fingerstyle playing?

Yes. Its balanced Grand Auditorium body, 1¾-inch nut and clear note separation make it exceptionally well suited to fingerstyle technique.

Can the 814ce handle powerful strumming?

Yes. Sitka spruce provides strong projection and dynamic headroom, while scalloped V-Class bracing adds volume, bass presence and sustain.

How does Indian rosewood affect the sound?

Indian rosewood adds deep lows, clear trebles and rich harmonic overtones. Its slightly shaped midrange helps leave space for vocals and other instruments.

What does the Mid Contour control do?

Turning the control below its central position reduces midrange emphasis for a warmer and more open sound. Turning it above the centre adds presence and clarity for fingerstyle playing, melodic passages and full-band arrangements.

Can the Claria system connect directly to a PA?

Yes. It can connect to an acoustic amplifier, PA system, mixing desk, audio interface or suitable acoustic DI box.

Is the Action Control Neck intended for home adjustment?

The system makes action adjustment quicker and less invasive, but setup work should be completed by an experienced guitar technician.

Is the guitar suitable for alternative tunings?

Yes. The 25½-inch scale, strong low-frequency response and excellent sustain make it suitable for many open and altered tunings. A professional setup may be useful after a permanent change in string gauge or overall tension.

What is the benefit of the rosewood armrest?

The rounded armrest reduces pressure where the player’s forearm meets the upper edge of the guitar, improving comfort during extended playing sessions.

Is the 814ce suitable for professional recording?

Yes. Its broad frequency response, detailed attack and harmonic complexity make it an excellent studio instrument. It can be captured with microphones or recorded directly through the Claria system.

Is this model replacing the previous 814ce?

Yes. The Next Generation version succeeds the previous standard-production 814ce, although earlier models may remain available through individual retailers.

How should the guitar be stored?

Keep it in a stable environment away from radiators, direct sunlight, cold draughts and rapid changes in humidity. A suitable acoustic-guitar humidification system may be required during dry conditions.

Fair Deal Music Verdict

★★★★★ 5/5

The Taylor 814ce Next Generation is a superb evolution of one of the world’s most highly regarded professional electro-acoustic guitars.

Its Sitka spruce and Indian rosewood construction produces deep lows, sparkling trebles and sophisticated harmonic detail, while scalloped V-Class bracing adds greater power, sustain and open-string resonance.

The Action Control Neck introduces valuable long-term adjustability, and the Claria system provides intuitive amplified tone shaping for stages, studios and direct recording. The radius rosewood armrest and familiar Taylor neck ensure that the guitar feels as refined as it sounds.

For professional performers, recording musicians and players seeking one premium acoustic capable of covering an exceptional range of musical applications, the Next Generation 814ce remains a benchmark 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 instrument you no longer use or putting its value towards your next upgrade, our experienced team can provide a fair, no-obligation valuation and guide you through the process.

Contact Fair Deal Music or visit our Birmingham showroom to discuss your trade-in and discover how much you could save on your next instrument.