Taylor Guitars 214e, Grand Auditorium, Solid Sitka Spruce Top, Rosewood Back/Sides, ES-T

Learn More About the Taylor Guitars 214e Model

With a satin solid spruce top and Indian rosewood laminate back and sides, the affordably priced 214e is an impressive introduction to the dreadnought Taylor playing experience.

The appealing tones and subtle nuances of a solid sitka spruce top and Indian rosewood laminate backs and sides are amplified with clarity and warmth, thanks to Taylor's ES-T under-saddle pickup.

Grand Auditorium Guitars: A Taylor Tradition the Taylor 214e Continues

Introduced in 1994 to commemorate Taylor’s 20th Anniversary, the Grand Auditorium would go on to establish itself as a definitive Bob Taylor original. Tonally, the guitar embodied the qualities of balance, clarity, and versatility that became hallmark Taylor traits. Visually, the shape gave the world an equally balanced and refined aesthetic of smooth curves. In both respects, the GA was at once big enough and small enough to cover a lot of ground.

The goal, Bob says, was simply to make a guitar that was big like a dreadnought, but without a dreadnought’s traditionally boomy sound, even though the Taylor Dreadnought wasn’t boomy compared to other guitar brands. "I was looking for a good, clear tone that had volume when you played fingerstyle, which was pretty popular at the time, but then when you strummed didn’t have too much bass."

The GA has the width and depth of a Dreadnought, but its tapered waist and contours give it the appearance of a smaller instrument, making it comfortable to play. The tonal balance means it’s full in the lower register, present in the midrange, and sparkling on the treble strings.

The GA's tonal balance also made it a favorite of engineers.

"You put a mic in front of the guitar and set everything to zero, you turn on the tape, and you play," Bob explains. "A lot of studio owners and engineers bought the GA just to put in the studio, because when things started going bad with players' guitars during a session, the engineer would say, 'We can get this job done today if you just play this guitar.' A lot of it was the shape. We made a few bracing changes, but we depended on the shape to change that tone."

More About the 200 Series of Taylor Guitars

Meet the all-new 200 Series: Premium guitars that will change your expectations about what a serious entry-level instrument can embody. Featuring solid Sitka spruce tops and Indian rosewood back and sides, this series delivers the quality sound and feel you’d expect from a Taylor guitar.

About Taylor Guitars

Founded in 1974, Taylor Guitars has evolved into one of the world's leading manufacturers of premium acoustic and electric guitars. Renowned for blending an innovative use of modern technology with a master craftsman's attention to detail, Taylor guitars are widely considered the best sounding and easiest to play in the world. Many of today's leading musicians make Taylor their guitar of choice, including Dave Matthews, Prince, Mick Jagger and Taylor Swift.

Versatility plays front and center on this rosewood laminate, between the Grand Auditorium body, cutaway and plug-in-and-play readiness of Taylor's ES-T pickup.

214e Specs Type/Shape: 6-String Grand Auditorium Back & Sides: Indian Rosewood Laminate Top: Sitka Spruce Soundhole Rosette: Plastic Neck: Sapele Fretboard: Ebony Fretboard Inlay: Pearloid Dots Headstock Overlay: Indian Rosewood Binding: White Bridge: Ebony Nut & Saddle: Tusq Tuning Machines: Enclosed, Die-Cast Chrome Plated Scale Length: 25 1/2 Inches Truss Rod: Adjustable Neck Width at Nut: 1 11/16 Inches Number of Frets: 20 Fretboard Radius: 15 Inches Bracing: X-Brace Finish: Satin Color: Natural Electronics: Taylor ES-T Body Width: 16 Inches Body Depth: 4 5/8 Inches Body Length: 20 Inches Overall Length: 41 Inches

Gorgeous Indian rosewood laminate back and sides.

Classic pearloid dot inlays.

ES-T pickup onboard.

The Taylor 200 Series
The 200 Series redefines what a mid-priced guitar can be. A satin, solid Sitka spruce top meets gorgeous Indian rosewood laminate back and sides, delivering the quality sound and feel you'd expect from a Taylor. Plug in with the optional Taylor electronics and take your performance to the stage with confidence.

Sitka Spruce Top
Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) grows in a coastal "pocket" from Northern California to Alaska. This dense, straight-grained wood has the highest strength and elasticity-to-weight ratio among available tonewoods, an attribute that makes it an ideal material not only for our soundboards, but for our internal bracing, as well. Sitka produces a slightly brighter tone than does Engelmann.

Indian Rosewood Laminate Back/Sides
Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) is coveted by players and guitar builders alike for its dark, luxurious coloration, which ranges from brown to purple to rose to black, and for tonal characteristics that include a strong bass response and long sustain. It remains the most popular tonewood used in the making of high-quality acoustic guitars.

Grand Auditorium Body Shape
The Grand Auditorium was the first guitar shape designed from scratch by Bob Taylor. It was unveiled to commemorate the company's 20th Anniversary in 1994, and since then it has more than lived up to its promise. Although the GA has the width and depth of a Dreadnought, its narrower waist gives it the appearance of a smaller instrument, adds treble "zing" across the guitar's tonal spectrum, sharpens the definition of individual notes, and also enables it to rest comfortably in the lap. Because we remove mass from the width of the GA's braces, the guitar top moves faster, resulting in a snappy, bell-like tone. The GA, available as a 6- or 12-sting, is designed to be a strong fingerpicking guitar that also can handle medium strumming, and is exceptionally versatile.

ES-T Pickup
Inspired by Taylor's Expression System technology, the Expression System Transducer, or ES-T, is a single-source, under-saddle transducer with individual elements for each string. (The ES-T was originally called the ES Element, but the name was changed to avoid confusion with another product.) The ES-T has an onboard preamp and the same active controls found on the full Expression System. Featuring a custom-voiced EQ and dynamic response, the system is powered by a 9-volt battery, with a battery life LED power indicator (which is lit when the battery is being used). The pickup also has a Phase switch for feedback control, which is located on the preamp board inside the soundhole.

Chrome-Plate Tuners
Taylor Tuners continue the industry-leading 18:1 gear ratio that they've been using, yet yield even greater precision with the help of a manufacturing process that employs the same gear-cutting machines used by Swiss watchmakers. The more precisely-machined gears virtually eliminate the slight "slop", or slack, typical among tuners, which makes it even easier for Taylor owners to get--and stay--in tune. Taylor Tuners also feature an elegant aesthetic touch, with the Taylor logo cleanly etched on the back.