To be fair, the Taylor that was on your bench was in fact a dud. But also, to be fair, that is not a good representation of Taylor guitars. I work on Taylor guitars every week and have worked on thousands of them. I do measure the soundboard deflection on every acoustic that comes on the bench and I rarely see this kind of severe hump on a Taylor. But coincidentally, I just happen to have a Taylor in the shop that has that kind of severe hump. In my case it is due to a brace that came unglued. I would suggest that you should perhaps check if there is an unglued brace on your Taylor, as well. Perhaps you can't see the gap with the endoscope because you did loosen the string tension. I typically check the braces with a thin feeler gauge, when I suspect that there might be an unglued one. The detail that you mentioned, that the end block is not glued to the soundboard could possibly be by design. There's a possibility they did that to avoid decreasing the surface of the soundboard. It's possible. Also, the saddle on a Taylor should only be shaved in the event that one cannot get the action on speck, on both sides, after doing a neck reset. A neck reset will of course lower or raise the action on the bass side and on the treble side by the same amount. But if the guitar settled in a way that there is a differential soundboard deflection, so there's more deflection on one side than on the other, then we have to shave one side of the saddle to compensate. But in general, that is not needed, as the neck reset will do the action adjustment. I see a lot of Taylor guitars with saddles that have been shaved by previous techs and on some of those guitars there's barely any string break angle left on the strings going across the saddle. That's why I always keep a supply of Taylor saddles in stock, so I have them ready, to bring the saddle height back on speck. A set of Taylor neck shims only costs $55, directly from Taylor and the set comes with a set of original Taylor neck block labels, to cover the two bolts. I already worked out a formula to pretty much nail it when I do a neck reset, so I immediately grab the correct shims to get the action right. I do part of my setup with the old strings, measure the action, do my calculation, then when I take the old strings off, to clean the guitar, I already know which shims are to be used to get the correct action. I rarely have to take the new strings off to get another set of shims, to fine tune the action. Also, Taylor will only charge you one time for the shims. At that time you can also request that they throw in a set of shims for the GS mini, for the Baby Taylor, etc. And when you run out of certain shims, you can just call them and they'll send you whichever shims you need, at not extra cost. The person I deal with , at Taylor, is Bo Santos. He'll hook you up if you need their help. I'm not sure what the arrangements with shipping costs outside of the US might be, though. To be fair, the neck blocks on the other 2 guitars that you showed were pretty slim. I don't recall that you showed the neck block on the Taylor. But, if I saw this correctly, I believe that the Mayson had a gap between the neck block and the fingerboard extension block. That's the main structural part of any acoustic guitar and if there's a gap there, that is certainly not good. I also don't believe there's any significant advantage to the carbon fiber layers on the laminate fingerboard extension block. What are the odds that such a short piece of plywood will ever bend? My personal opinion about Taylor guitars is that they are a good choice for the recreational player. I usually just have to do setups on Taylors and I rarely see the need for any structural repairs. There will always be the odd one. Taylor guitars are assembled in a strict humidity controlled plant and they hardly ever develop soundboard cracks, even in cases when people are not aware of the fact that they need to use a humidifier during the winter. By comparison, Martin guitars are awful. They dry up all the time (Martin has no humidity control at the pant), they have bridge lift issues, the binding keeps coming off, braces keep coming off, soundboards crack al the time. On every X-series Martin I've ever seen there is a gap at the heel of the neck. Even on more costly Martin guitars the neck angle is almost always wrong. I've often seen, they slice into the soundboard, around the bride, with a sharp blade, in an effort to make a nice bridge glue joint. But the cut is often deep into the soundboard. So, now you have to fix the soundboard, crape off more of the finish around the bridge footprint, so that you can use an oversized bridge to cover up that cut and hopefully reinforce that part of the board. Martin truly makes some awful guitars. OK, I talked enough. Thanks for listening (reading) and I hope at least some of it makes sense. Take care.
If you honestly believe that $899 retail in the USA is "a fair deal" for this P.O.S. Taylor 114ce, then I am utterly speechless. In his earliest days, Bob Taylor made some really fine dreadnoughts. Of course he was attacked by many when he revolutionized the use of a bolt-on neck, but we must give him credit where credit is due. An acoustic guitar better be really nice & have a high value in order to re-set a neck with a dovetail joint. A GOOD bolt-on neck design makes a lot of sense, and is much less costly to repair or replace. But with all of that being said, I purchased a brand new upper shelf Taylor ( I can't recall the model now ) back in 2005. The price was around $2600, as best I can recall, from a local music store. I really loved the sound & how it played at first. But after several months, I began to notice something: my expensive Taylor wasn't very touch responsive like any of my 3 Japanese Takamine's. No matter if you play a Taylor softly or really digging in, they just sound the same. A really GREAT acoustic guitar SHOULD give you what you ask of it. And all 3 of my Japanese Takamine's blew that Taylor right out of the water.......and none of my Takamine's cost as much as that Taylor did. Quite frankly, ALL Taylor guitars are grossly over-priced, and because we are truly living in the golden age of luthierie right now, there are MANY options that are MUCH better than ANY Taylor for the money. ME: 62 yr old, lifelong guitarist/singer/blues harp/stage performer of many many years. I was forced to sell off all of my guitars, amps, gear, etc during that awful recession of '08 to save our home. After years of financial recovery, I have since purchased 4 AMAZING acoustic guitars produced by HSIENMO ( they build no more than 400 guitars PER YEAR )......all from their custom shop. Loved the first one SO much, I bought 3 more. 1 D45 clone dreadnought, a grand auditorium, and 2 medium jumbo's. My D45 clone and grand auditorium both have top-shelf Adirondack spruce tops with SOLID Honduran rosewood back & sides. One of my medium jumbo's has German spruce top with solid Indian RW back & sides, while the other has a killer western cedar top with solid cocobolo back & sides. 2 have solid single pc mahogany necks while the other 2 have killer 5 pc laminated flamed maple/rosewood necks. I won't even go into the GORGEOUS quilted mahogany, ebony, abalone, flamed maple binding/purfling/back strips, etc......they're all loaded, and built RIGHT inside & out. And they all 4 sound as gorgeous as they look & play. I took each one in to show them off ( one by one as I purchased them ) to my buddy's working at a local music store, which happens to be an authorized Taylor dealer. They have a huge selection of Taylor's from low-end models to the Presentation series costing OVER 10 GRAND. 3 of the 4 of my Hsienmo's absolutely smokes the best Taylor they have in their shop, and even they admit it. 2 of my Hsienmo's ( the D45 clone and my grand auditorium ) are $2500 each, and the 3rd ( one of my medium jumbo's with the cedar top and the most beautiful cocobolo we've ever seen on any acoustic ) costed only $1890. All 4 have bolt-on necks VERY nicely done/fit........just as all 4 have floating ebony fingerboards that will never warp over the body. All 4 also have camel bone nuts, saddles, and bridge pins. All 4 were set-up perfectly right out of the case. From my own personal experience: guitarists everywhere are getting SEVERELY RIPPED OFF BY TAYLOR. Their "Builder's Series" especially......because they figured out a way to get rid of the binding, YET CHARGE MORE MONEY. Oh, and by the way: I purchased 4 Journey Tek EP001K pick-up systems & installed them all myself, and they too, blow away Taylor's system. Hsienmo doesn't even offer a "cheap budget guitar". When you can but a top-shelf HAND-MADE acoustic guitar with all the bells, whistles, and appointments that is BUILT RIGHT, and sounds as glorious as it looks, for ONE/FIFTH of the price of a top shelf Taylor.......then something is horribly wrong with Taylor. And the same thing goes for MARTIN. Both Taylor AND Martin nowadays, are all about mass production & profits...but even their custom shop models are being smoked by acoustics made by other fabulous builders & factories that cost quite a bit less. Thanks for listening/reading.......and I hope THIS is making sense.
Longest comment and reply I've ever seen watching a UA-cam video. Even though I stopped reading 1/3 of the way through on both' I still have both of you a 👍.
@GuitarQuackery 's comments on Martin are so extreme and beyond belief (if true, Martin would have gone out of business a long time ago) that you have to wonder how reliable his comments on Taylor are.
@@jDominiqueS I can totally understand that my comments on Martin can be questioned. I'll make some Martin videos at some point in the future. In fact, as it turns out, I just fixes some binding (again) on a Martin (this time it was an OM-28). I did make plenty of recordings, but it it does take a while to edit all of that into a coherent video. So, I am not sure when I'll be ready to post it. BTW, it is well known in the guitar repair world that Martin guitars have all these issues that I am describing. About 50% of them are garbage.
Why the heck would you buy several Taylor guitars. Did it take that many to get to a playable one. I bought one 4000 Taylor. It was my last, never again
I almost didn't click on this, as I thought it was just an all Taylor's suck thing, but I am glad I watched it. It prompted me to check my Martin D10-E . I put my phone in and took some photos. I was please to see no glue leaking and what looked like very nice construction. I'll have to do that next time I go looking at guitars at the local shop. Thanks! Also, I have looked at that same Taylor model at the time I bought my Martin. I am now very glad I purchased the Martin.
I play Taylor for many years. They are amazing guitars. As a musician, my main concern is tone quality, intonation, tuning stability and playability. They are perfect in that regard. To be clear: I am talking about their higher end models. What you show in this video is *completely* different from what I see in the interior of my instrument. Conclusion, *the title of this video is a click bait* . Because it generalizes and judges a brand by one of their guitars where the main defect is a excessively curved top, which is what you get if you're not careful regarding humidity and other environment influences. You can ruin even the best guitar in that way. Taylor has highly automated factories. Which means: uniformly machine shaped parts. That's why many vendors say they rarely have to return an instrument to the factory. This is another argument to distrust the correctness of this video.
@@kippsguitar6539 Clickbait typically refers to the practice of writing sensationalized or misleading headlines in order to attract clicks on a piece of content. It often relies on exaggerating claims or leaving out key information in order to encourage traffic. In the most optimistic explanation of this case, it's about generalizing something that relates to one single instrument or one low end series out of the large number of models, which is disproportionate You can do this trick on most guitar brands.
@@kippsguitar6539 if it’s a Taylor, they should have replaced it. Whoever built that particular guitar did a terrible job. That’s why I thought it would be interesting to see a comparison of the exact same model to see if it was built with higher standards. I own a 314 and it’s a fine guitar. I own about 15 guitars from 200.00 to over 3000.00, so I have no particular attachment to my Taylor. I have others that play as well and are less expensive, but I think we should be fair here. Taylor used a 3 layer wood back. They don’t call it laminate because they claim laminate could imply other materials besides wood. Also every Taylor guitar come with a gig bag or a hard case. If the owner of this one bought it new and didn’t get a case, he got ripped off again. There’s no question the quality of workmanship on this guitar is awful and should have been replaced. Along with an apology. I bought RVs for over 150,000.00 with the same garbage craftsmanship. Some people have no pride in their work.
Around 10 yrs. ago I bought new a Taylor GC-3 that has lived most of it's awful sounding life inside it's case. The low E string sounds like a thud and the high strings ring forever. Taylor bragged about these guitars, we've been building these GC's for 30 years and they are wonderful! Being left-handed I just can't pick one up and try it, I had to order one. Being a machinist and handy with my hands I've made bone saddles for every guitar I owned that didn't have one, they all sounded better, even a $110.00 Johnson guitar (my first) guitar that had a laminated top. This GC-3 sounded like shit, the high strings rang f o r e v e r, and the low E string still had the thud sound. I immediately took the bone saddle out and put the tusk one back in. Also, the bridge pin holes were bored oversize, you could put the bridge pins in, turn the guitar upside down and they would all fall out. I called customer service and the guy said they are suppose to be loose. I said well, you obviously don't know shit either. I bought .005 oversize bridge pins to fix their mistake. Taylor did send it in a good guitar case. So a year or two after I bought this guitar Taylor redesigned it, they made the body thicker and blah, blag, blah. For about eight years I got their brag ass magazine twice a year. From the magazine I learned Taylor is very good at tooting their own horn. My guitar and the one you have in hand would make good fire started..if they're not to damp. pun- intended.
Why not sell it. There are people out there that dream of owning a Taylor. Maybe it doesn't sound good to YOUR ears. And good to somebody elses. I have a Taylor and I am happy with it. It's not a real expensive one. But fair enough for me.
They're garbage and any acoustic enthusiasts will tell you as much. Unless you're ordering a custom shop model and paying way over the odds compared with other solid big name builders [larrivee, maton, martin].
I have a Taylor 114ce also and has the same problem. Good sounding guitar but below the 5th fret it will make your fingers hurt. I didn't realize the top had such an arch just like the video. This has been one of those regret buys. Thanks for posting this video as it has enlightened me to why it has action issues. Very good assessment !!
I had the same problem with a Taylor gs mini and the belly was so bad that unglued the bridge. There was no waranty etc ect. The guitar was brand new after it happens. What a terrible experience as a customer. Thanks for showing the real reasons of this, I tought it was the humidity but clearly its not, cheers
I had a Taylor GS Mini that did the same thing. It bellied up so much that the action higher up the neck made it almost unplayable. At first I thought it just needed a neck reset, but after watching a video from Guitar Spa Singapore I realized that the GS Mini had alomost no tracking. They sound good for a few years though until they have to problem. I finally sold it to a guy who said he never played up the neck and didn't care about the belly. I was very glad to be rid of it and have stayed away from Taylors since.
I had the same experience with my brandnew GS mini, extreme bellying around the bridge and no warranty from Taylor at all, thanks to the humidity-clause😊 . A GS mini is advertised as a traveller guitar, for god’s sake! No more Taylor’s for me ,,,
@@smyrna5 Are you talking about a $350 (approx) guitar? And you stay away from all Taylors because of this? I know nothing about their MIM line, but when I was a teenager, I understood that if you buy cheap, you usually end up spending a lot more money in the long run. I saved up and bought my Martin D-35, 48 years ago, and I still have it. That old saying "You get what you pay for" is not infallible, but is often true.
The main reason for having horizontal grain on the end blocks is so that any grain movement will be in tandem with the guitar sides, minimising any chances of splitting. Back and soundboard bonding to the blocks is secondary as they already have large area bonding onto the kirfings.
I got rid of the Name blinkers 45 years ago. I've seen for myself what you have delivered here. Excellent video, keep up the great work. Subscribed straight away.
Proud Taylor fan here with over 40 years of playing experience- 3 guitars from them and they are all great. A couple of months ago I went into a shop and played about fifteen acoustics, and the Taylors were better than every Larrivee or Martin- the only guitar that was comparable was a high-end Gibson. Also played a VERY nice Yamaha BTW. Tthe 114 does not have bracing because the back is shaped to provide structural support instead. From Taylor: "A note on Taylor layered wood guitars: The Taylor 100 Series, 200 Series, Academy Series, Baby Taylor, Big Baby and GS Mini models feature a layered wood back and sides with an arched back. The arch is by design and allows us to add depth and strength to the guitar body without bracing the back"
I've never liked Taylor guitars much but not because they don't play well. Heck I imagine a Zager often plays well...but the sound usually puts me off as much as the prices, especially for the laminate guitars. I do like the 800 series sound; but my Gibson was a 2400$ Avante Garde offering that's explosive for a litte thing and it's also Rosewood.
It's subjective, I don't necessarily think Taylor's suck but they aren't anything I'd buy. I find the mojo isn't there, a bit "clinical" and uninspiring but no guitar is for everyone.
I also have seen some guitars designed specifically with this arched top. This could be a design choice by Taylor, but you have to admit the build quality of the inners is pretty bad on this particular guitar..
Taylors are good (not great, although they do make a few great ones) but are overpriced. I say this and I own 2; until recently it was 4. The GS-mini is a really good product, but a tad overpriced. I love the T5 - the "Swiss Army knife" guitar - it does everything well but nothing great, but is the best guitar for learning songs because you can go to the electrics or acoustics once you have it down, so it's a great axe to keep out. I also have an 814CE ('97) but no way I'd pay $4K for a new one - for that money there are lots of other guitars I'd rather have.
@@kippsguitar6539 Absolutely! And I agree with you totally that the bellying issue is directly related to the crappy construction. I wouldn't touch that guitar with a 10' pole. Thanks for taking the time and effort in letting us know about this.
Taylor has spent an insane amount of money on advertising to convince amateurs how great their guitars are. Then they cut corners on production and pay a team of lawyers to come up with their humidity clause which means they have no warranty because that clause can be used for anything . Taylor created a name and nothing else
About 10 years ago I inherited some money and decided to buy a 'decent' acoustic guitar. I went to a reputable local dealer and asked whether he had a Martin within my price range (I wanted to spend about £500 at the time). He advised me against buying a Martin in that price range, and instead sold me a Tanglewood TW1000-SR. I have never regretted it. It's a fabulous Dreadnought, high quality materials and workmanship, and has an amazing tone (even better after ten years of playing!).
About twenty years ago I hit every guitar shop in Leeds looking for an affordable steel string guitar. (I normally played the classical guitar that I built myself under a very good luthier.) I must have tried nearly every guitar in town that day. I kept raising my budget as I was disappointed with what I was finding. I almost gave up that day until in the last shop there was a discounted, already affordable, Tanglewood. I didn't really like the look of it much. It wasn't the style of guitar I thought I wanted but I thought I had to give it a go, like I already had with many others, and not be persuaded by such things. I could tell almost instantly I'd found it. The sound and the feel was what I'd come looking for and I found it in a guitar for a fraction of the price of some pretty high end guitars. Still got it. Still love it. Never had to do anything to it in all that time aside from maybe a touch on the truss rod here and there when changing string gauges. Having said all that I've now got a rather ropey Tanglewood acoustic bass I'm looking to get shot of. 🙂
I bought my first Taylor, a 314 CE, new in 2000. In 2007 I purchased a GS Mini, in 2010 a Taylor 814 CE and a K14 CE in 2023. They play today as well as the day I purchased them. The 314 and 814 have spent many years in the UK as well in the Carolinas, with high through low temperature and humidity conditions. With the 814 and K14, I do pay some attention to humidification, but the most I have ever needed in maintenance on any of my guitars is a quick minor adjustments to the truss rod. The only Taylor I own with a laminated back is the GS Mini. If I did ever need a neck reset, which I doubt, it is a simple switch of shims and not $1000 'major heart surgery' like many other well-known brands. Sorry it happened, but the general consensus of many luthiers on UA-cam is that this is a rare event with a Taylor if it is treated kindly, as any quality instrument should be.
Just bought a 314cefrom the 50th anniversary collection. Best guitar i have ever played. Sounds better than i expected, plays and feels amazing, and is built and set up to the highest quality. Worth every single penny and i would gladly buy another.
I bought a Taylor GS-mini brand new. Action was unplayably high. Had to have the neck shimmed under warranty in its first week. Guitar shop technician said he is doing this all the time for that model. I wondered why they would let them out of the factory like that, then I watched a ‘tour’ video where the set-ups are being done by unpaid interns…
I got lucky. I have the mini mahogany and mini e koa. Both have low action with no buzz and sound great. The mini mahogany actually sounds better than the e koa...I don't know if it's just the difference in woods or that the mini mahogany doesn't have electronics...maybe a little of both.
I have two Taylors, a 654ce 12 string from 2003 that plays like a dream, and a 614ce from 2002 that sounds exquisite! Done a neck reset on both couple of years ago to keep a nice action, it was nice simple work, bolt on necks...I'm a happy customer 😊
There have been numerous reports about Taylor's been hypersensitive to humidity, if it is humidity it's humidity issues due to a poor design that doesn't do well with humidity changes. Taylor says to keep the guitar in a space with relative humidity between 40 and 60. I think they are quite a bit more sensitive than even that. It's winter and I have four Taylor guitars, several other all solid wood acoustics in the same room, in my home it's been around relative humidity 20 in my home and I've kept my guitar room around 41 and even at that my Taylor's all seem to be having a difficult time, action is not where it was last month, etc... No belly issues, but the guitar shouldn't need a setup after spending a week at relative humidity levels between 38 and 41. None of my other guitars have been impacted. So the proof for me is there. No Taylor dealer is going to touch this issue, that would be a conflict of interest for them. But I do think there's something going on... You can also see Taylor has done several videos on the importance of proper humidification, I think they have the data and know what's going on and don't care.
I think across the board all the manufacturers at the lower end have made cost saving measures to keep their businesses stay afloat and profitable. It's not just in guitars its in all products made we use on a daily basis.
Yes Taylor has its own sound compared to Martin or Gibson, Which some people like. Structurally you can say what you want to say about that cheap Taylor model but you should also compare how it sounds it could also be that if they put too much bracing that resonance and sound projection will be affected. I am not a fan of their new V bracing but I love the sound of my 1998 815ce and 2003 914ce. I own a Martin D41 , Collings D2H and Gibson J45 as well.
Recently found a 1962 Mayfair parlour guitar,made in Japan and has been stood in a pantry since before England won the World Cup and it’s better made than that Taylor…Excellent piece by the way,well worth a sub..
Well that’s obviously a budget guitar. Are we absolutely sure it’s really a Taylor and not a knock-off? I’ve worked on a bunch of higher-end Taylors and none of them looked even remotely like this. Never worked on a budget Taylor but if this is real then yeah… unacceptable.
Regardless of whether it's high or low end it has their brand name on it and they should have stricter quality control making instruments in foreign countries. Other American guitar manufacturers have good quality instruments coming from Indonesia that are almost indentical to the quality of their "higher end" American made brothers.
I guess many commentors didn't actually listen or watch the video and just made comments. It is a Taylor and made in Mexico. I have a Taylor that was also made in Mexico and I love it. Intonation and action was perfect out of the box and the guitar is flawless. I would imagine every brand has it's problems, especially with their lower tier models.
@@jameswilliford5478 I have a 12 string that was as you described it was perfect when it came out of the box and eight months later it had bellied to the point of being unplayable. Yes I expected that to eventually happen as it was a 12 string. But eight months later is unacceptable and then when I had the neck adjusted to compensate it which was part of the reason I bought a tailor over the cheaper guild, They shimmed it with the maximum number of shims and it still was just playable a few months later bam same thing happened it got even worse. So now I'm stuck with a $900 piece of crap. I saw a used reason one in a guitar shop that was the year before mine was made and it had the same problem I don't expect the same attention to detail and quality on the high end taylor what I expected a serious mechanical physical flaw like this would not occur immediately after construction.
All my Taylors are 300 series: a Taylor 324ce 6-string, a Taylor 316ce Baritone 8-string, and a Taylor 352ce 12-Fret 12-string. I'm very pleased and thankful to have them along with my 1954 Gibson CF-100E, 1990 Custom Legend 1759 Ovation 12-string, 1991Elite Ovation 1768 six-string, a 2019 LXK2 Little Martin 6-string, and a 2023 X Series Martin 6-string.
I have a Taylor 214cd-PLUS and a Baby Taylor. There is nothing wrong with either, and while the Baby Taylor isn't quite the sound of the 214 I'm impressed with it. It's a couch guitar and a quick grab practice guitar. The action of these out the box was spot on. I have a humidistat inside of the 214ce-p (Taylorsense) and the humidity inside the Aerocase is between 48% - 56%. I live in rainy Portland Oregon where sometimes the summer humidty gets down in the 30's. Taylor, for a large brand, is good quality stuff. That sir, is a dud, which is extremely rare
I have had my 114 cents since 2017 and upgraded many aspects of it. Still plays great and is specked out. Also the 114 solid top is now warm in and sounds very good. Just upgraded to 314 baritone from them.
You are absolutely correct. Taylor has significant design and build quality issues. I’ve seen some magnificent high-end Taylors, BUT, others…Whew!!! I had their higher-end nylon-strung guitar where the top ‘telegraphed’ with six months. I then argued with Taylor for months before they finally relented and sent over a new body (why they didn’t just replace the whole instrument is beyond me). Fast forward another 4-6 months and the top of the ‘new’ body also telegraphed. I gave up and got rid of the piece of crap. And before all the armchair experts come out with nonsense, all of my guitars are kept in humidity controlled cases when not being used. Further, I’ve had high-end Martins, Gibsons, and others. I’ve been a demonstrator for Martin at showcases and I’ve built guitars and been an importer of a quality Asian brand. As I said, I’ve seen and played some great high-end Taylors, but there are some serious problems with more than a few of their cheaper to mid-range guitars. They are certainly not worth the ticket price.
I’ve owned my Taylor 214CE for nearly 20 years. Still holds tune perfectly, plays flawlessly and sounds fantastic. Id be keen to see inside mine like this, to see if its better / worse. Regardless, its been a fantastic guitar for the money and served me well.
Tanglewood are amazing value guitars, and I am always amazed at how much guitar you get for the money! Never played a Taylor I have wanted to keep playing, Only played a few Martin guitars but again haven't played one that I was impressed with... I would certainty look at Tanglewood over both Taylor and Martin, for the money its a no brainer!
As a person who used to build guitars...that is amatuer work quality at best. But, that said, that's one of Taylor's least expensive guitars, and some of those shortcuts, like the small end block and no back bracing is an attempt to free up the vibration so it sounds better. It's still junk yes, but it's intentional junk.
And the video's point is for the same or less money you can get much better, unless you are a headstock label ho. Taylor's up-line offerings are much better, but I still think for the money one can get a better instrument elsewhere at any price point.
That Taylor is $899 ( retail in the USA ) worth of JUNK. That guitar isn't worth $125 NEW. Both Taylor AND Martin have been ripping people off for quite some time now. Because no matter which price point, or quality level, there are literally DOZENS of other guitar factories that are blowing them both clean out of the water for price vs what you get. And this includes their custom shop models.
@@howabouthetruth2157 There is a lot of money to be made in the segment between €500.- and €1,000.- because that is where most of the potential buyers are. A good Martin costs €3,000+ period. I wouldn't buy a Martin under the 18 range, so D-18, 00-18 etc. And 28+ for rosewood. Spending less than 3 grand on a new Martin is wasted money. I would rather spend 1/3 of that on a Blueridge, but they are becoming more expensive too.
@@gingerbeer914 Buy a new Martin guitar in ANY price range......and you're playing Russian roulette. Seriously. Ya may get a good one......or you may get a true lemon that starts coming apart. Bridges pulling clean off of HIGH END Martin's are all too common today. There are SO many killer acoustic guitar makers right now that are much better IN ANY price range....far too many to name here. We are truly living in the golden age of luthierie right now, due to the countless options and great pricing with high quality to boot. And I never dreamed I would be saying such things only 20 years ago. ( I've been playing & singing since 1974.) But it takes millions upon millions of new guitarists to learn the hard way. They want to "feel secure" in choosing a big name........no matter the price point.......and let me tell ya Brother.......they WILL learn the hard way. Because Martin and Taylor are straight up ripping people off. I really don't enjoy saying this stuff.......but it's the sad truth: the bean counters have taken over with those big ass companies.
Thanks for this vid! I've been mixing foh for a long enough time to agree! The Taylors 👎 were never fun to work with. They absolutely sound increasingly more horrible the harder you strike them. This inspection of the build quality demonstrates why that could be true. When considering an instrument, pick one that lets you dig in and responds well to your energy. ✌️
I have a few Taylor guitars, and none are like that inside. I have a 214ce deluxe for travel. Rosewood and spruce, a 224ce in Koa and layered Koa. Also, for travel. A 414ce in Rosewood and spruce, and a 724ce all Koa. That guitar was searched out for the video. My friend has an 114ce, and it doesn't look like that.
I just bought a 36 inch Vangoa cutaway guitar and wish I could show you how it’s made it is FAR superior to what you’re showing on that Taylor. I paid 172.49 CAD Made in China. Spruce top I bought it on Amazon. 6:08 Great video thank you. 🇨🇦
I've been playing since '65 ... and professionally for about 20 of those years. I've owned a lot of guitars and have really put those guitars through the test of moving them from home to the clubs I played ... and sitting in those relatively harsh environments. For an acoustic, an Ovation held up best but it would never be my choice for a recording session. The worst acoustic I've ever owned was a Gibson. I've always thought that the Taylors were far overrated ... my opinion only. I've had a Martin, and Martins would usually be my choice for recording. I had one acoustic that developed the belly bump ... not expensive enough of a guitar to put a lot of time or money into. I used a "Bridge Doctor" to correct the hump and then made a "Nashville/High Strung" guitar out of it. I figured that the lower string tension and the bridge doctor would prevent a reoccurence of the bump ... and it did.
I almost didn't watch this video! (No clickbait title.) I am SO GLAD that i did. From now on, i will closely examine the innards of any guitar i buy! In fact, I'm gonna check out my last purchase to see if it "measures up." Just as soon as i get back home. (I'm on the other side of the country right now, and couldn't bring a beloved guitar due to potential airline screwups.) At least now i know things to look for! Thank you.
Just never buy a cheap Mexican version of an American top brand. You know that they're overpriced. Same goes for Chinese Guild guitars. Buy a genuine one that was made in USA. If your budget is way too small, buy a Korean Cort. They make decent solid spruce top guitars for very affordable prices.
I have a Taylor Academy 10e. The Jack plug has failed twice. The first time it was fixed under warranty. The second time I took it to a luthier. He says the Jack is really cheap and nasty. A Jack of decent quality only costs £10 online. It is frustrating that Taylor sell a guitar for £750 but then cut corners with poor quality components.
Belly appears pretty normal @ 0:48. How 'bout swapping the neck shim? Yes it has a neck shim. Taylor will happily send you extra shims if you need them. Awesome company.
I've gigged with a Taylor 314ce for the last two years. It's been an absolute dream. Between gigs, jams, and practice, it gets played about 10 to 15 hours per week. I play in Florida, so humidity is ever-present. I keep it in the case when not playing. My only problem is the frets are wearing quicker than I would like, but my grip is probably way too tight. That's just a 30 year flaw in my technique, not a manufacturing issue. Out of all the guitars I've owned or played at this price point, the Taylor has been my favorite so far.
This dude's video is just asinine. He takes the cheapest, bottom of the line guitar and acts like it applies to their whole range. It's disingenuous at best. Intentionally bias and misleading at worst. This is like me saying that the 250$ Ibanez i had that wore out a trem in 1 year is the same as my Prestige that is still going strong after a decade.
WOW!! Very interesting video. I have a Taylor 110e, produced last year (2023), and I have to say it plays and feels great with a lovely sound/tone. Having seen this video and taking a look inside my Taylor, I can see scorched braces and similar lack of ‘attention to detail’, there certainly is no comparison to the build quality of my Takamine. I assume a US produced Taylor would be far superior to a Mexican produced Taylor? All in all I like my Taylor but in my humble opinion, feel their Mexican produced guitars are overpriced.
Although WM Guitars genuinely experienced several badly built Taylor guitars recently, I seriously question the credibility of whether this guitar is genuinely a Taylor. I recently purchased a brand new B-stock 312ce V 12 Fret (B-stock because there is a minor water mark on headstock which I was able to remove by polishing it lightly with carnuba wax) from a reputable distributor in Europe, and both the external finish of the guitar is immaculate, and the internal construction including the back and face brace joints are outstanding, no bellying around face, and plays extremely well as a smaller body 12 Fret as I suffer from neck/shoulder injuries. Granted this maybe because 312 models are made in the USA, whereas the 114 in this video is made in Mexico. But despite this, because WM Guitars have made no effort to contact Taylor guitars, the information in this video isn't credible and not reliable, and should be taken with a pinch of salt, and at the very most serve to help viewers be cautious when buying Taylors made in Mexico until Taylor have a chance to verify whether this is a genuine production fault. Any credible luthier or guitar repair company would think twice before trying to discredit guitar manufacturers on camera as it would do more harm than good to the industry they are working in. I certainly would not use WM Guitar to service my guitar based on this video. My 312ce V 12 Fret comes with a 30day return guarantee, 3 year warranty and able to register for 12 years warranty if registered with Taylor who is a 100% employee owned company now, which gives me confidence they generally produce good guitars albeit maybe a little more expensive than guitars built by smaller guitar manufacturers.
As someone with 20+ years of Taylor ownership and gigging behind me I find this review at best ignorant and certainly not reflective of the experience I have had with the brand and I include the 114ce that my daughter and I chose after 3 hours auditioning Ina guitar shop 5 years ago. Fundamentally the 100 series achieves its tone and price point by using a shapely or walnut veneered back and sides that requires no bracing or kerfing for its strength I have a low end nylon strung Taylor CE of the same construction its plays well has good projection and sounds sweet so all those comments about interlocking bracing with kerfs is not relevant to this design. I have had ovations, Yamaha’s (on which it is impossible to do a neck reset by the way so don’t try, and own a 2000 X-braced 914ce and a more recent Y-braced Builders Edition K14ce I have had them serviced at Manson’s and I have had a wonderful ownership experience because I value the tone and I know that the action can be adjusted easily (without a traditional neck reset) because that capability has been designed into the guitar. I really have to say that you got this one wrong….
bought a tailor one fifty e twelve strength part of the reason I bought it was that I assumed eventually it would belly they all do I have a ibaness from 1991 that has bellied and it's not unplayable it's just not as playable as I'd like Higher up the neck. So I gave a Mexican Taylor a shot thinking ok the price is reasonable for an instrument I don't play all the time. I got it and it sounded wonderful amplified it played well it sounded nice maybe not as much lower mid as I'd like but it was a fine sounding instrument and played well. Eight months later I pulled it out of its case I had not used it in a couple of weeks and the action was unplayable I measured it to the gate with the gage and it was about a hair over four millimeters at the 12th fret if I had a arrow I could have shot like Robin Hood with it. on the other hand I haven't i've been as 30 years old it's not nearly the belly. So while this may be unfair to other tailors clearly Clearly their lower end line is susceptible to this. Then the way I was treated by their customer service was extremely disrespectful guitar does not belly that much in 8 months and literally in a couple of weeks they blame the humidity for it but on the other hand it was right next to a bunch of other guitars that were perfectly fine and played like they always do. then When they agreed to do warranty work on it due to the tech looking at it it took from September to march to get it done. Now part of the reason I bought this particular model rather than say a martin Was the reputation for quality even if I'm not really a fan of their sound I know they're well made or thought so and the fact that net can be shimmed to compensate for a belly. Eventually I was told by the tech that he'd use the maximum number of shims or thickness I don't remember which and then the neck could no longer be adjusted to compensate for that. And even at that point I felt the action was higher than when I bought it and it is higher than spec I don't recall the exact numbers right now so I was somewhat disappointed and then a few months later it moved again. Well not as much it still remains at the edge of playability if you don't play cowboy ports. I do not know enough about technicalities of the racings in that to say whether the guys right or wrong what I do know from experience and having seen a couple in stores that were for sale With the same issues that Taylor's low end guitars are A line to avoid like the plague. Is exactly what happened to me on my guitar within the first year of ownership. I'd also add that Taylor's warranty and Sweetwater's warranty were not worth the paper they were written on.
Bought a taylor 12 mim string guitar during covid for Christmas ,I thought OK they have the adjustable neck and when it bellies a bit like all 12 strings do I can adjust the neck in a few years. by August it had bellied so much there was 4 1/2 millimeters clearance at the 12th fret it was un playable. I have an Ibanez as 12 string that's about 30 years old but nowhere near this belly Still playable if not as playable as the Taylor when it arrived. I saw used one in the store with the exact same problem After my experience . I took the guitar to the authorized repairman in August I got it back in March. Was told the neck adjustment was maxed out. not as good as new but better , than it shifted again it's back to where it was in august last year. Yes it is the low end of Taylo. I checked them out in the store and I thought they were much superior to anyone else's low cost 12 strings so I bought one based on the confidence and reputation of the name not expecting within eight months it would be absolutely unplayable. As to the issue of humidity it was right next to a bunch of vintage guilds n Gibsons and none of them shifted. And Taylor tried to hit me with thief oh well it's the humidity it's your fault ****. Love to know how anyone even manages to tour with the Taylor guitar if they are that sensitive. .
I looked inside my yamaha fgx 800 C, which is $389 us, and it's miles above that Taylor's inners, everything was as you said it should be.. I have a scope like the one you used...yamaha is the best guitar for what you pay. I played Martin's and Taylor's fenders, etc... and the only guitar that sounded a bit better than the yami was a seagull guitar that i played at the guitar center. But way more expensive. As we're the others.
I bought a baby Taylor and regretted it very quickly. It seemed like a nice travel guitar until the back came off. They glued the back to the sides with no rims. I cant believe that the back stayed on as long as it did. Well, I called Taylor about the warrenty and they gave me a shop to bring it to, but it was 100 miles to get to it. I glued the back on myself and decided never to buy another Taylor. Ill stick with Martin. I have a Martin dc15e and I love that guitar. Its a much more expensive guitar, but that no excuse for Taylors cheap build on the Baby Taylor line.
I have a Yamaha FG800 and for $200 I have no complaints. It doesn’t have the tone woods that I would prefer but it’s not a toy. I know how to setup guitars though and that makes all the difference. I do own expensive guitars too btw.
i have a 814 11yrs old. Hands down best acoustic ive ever played in my 45yrs of playing...smoked the 10k martin i compared it with when buying. Looks like a humidity effect to me. 114 is the bottom of the line.
The bellying is an easy fix, if you know how. JLD bridge doctor from STEW-MAC around 30USD , an hour install, bingo...creates more resonance, a flat soundboard, an improved guitar. I have turned 200usd guitars into GREAT tone machines with this improvement.
I have a MIM Taylor 224ce-k dlx and love it. If I were to rethink my purchase I would still buy it today after trying what's available locally...but I would probably go with the satin finish instead of the gloss. I've only had it a few years now, but it still looks new and sounds better every year. There are definitely some excellent lower priced options available I'm sure, but I'm happy with mine.
Great video, thank you. I remember trying to purchase my very first acoustic guitar (lol, T114, I thought it was fine). Very frustrating. So many companies, so many building techniques, so many natural materials. Too many variables. In some ways, it’s always a crap shoot. Buying your first guitar is like buying your first car without knowing how to drive.
Yup. It's a relatively inexpensive Taylor. I'd be more interested if he found these problems on a Taylor 300 or above series guitar. Still, it does appear that Taylor could have their Mexican luthiers take better care. I have a GS mini and a 150e 12-string. They're not top of the line guitars, but I still think I got value for what I paid.
I have owned a high-end Taylor 12-string, that was made in 2016, since 2020. It is a keeper. Not one of their 6-string models has ever interested me. The V-bracing looks like a bad move too.
Well done for highlighting the build quality of three different examples of what you get for your money. This particular Taylor may well be at the small end of their price range, but even that shouldn't mean it's ok to throw it together using shoddy workmanship with scrap pieces of badly finished wood slapped together with the knowledge that the average guitarist wouldn’t even think of looking inside the instrument something Taylor are banking on. Would it really have hurt them to have bothered to make it more structurally sound as after all it looks like the insides were made from remnants from the higher end of the range? I've played a few Tanglewoods and I've found them to be quite consistently good for the money.
I think Taylor tried to become all things to all guitar players when they started building cheaper guitars and they should not have gone down that road. I bought a 7 series in 1992 and it has had 3 new frets, two set ups and I recently had Gotoh 510s fitted as the original tuners were becoming very worn. It has remained incredibly stable, I have not experienced any issues apart from the fact that the neck is too narrow which can lead (very rarely) to pushing either top or bottom strings past the fret and onto the side of the neck. It seems that manufacturing quality at the lower end of the range is pretty shocking on these 100/200 Taylors and yet they have the nerve to charge big money. This video is a real eye opener, shame on Taylor! Why would you risk your reputation by building substandard guitars that are literally set up to fail and then abdicate all responsibility with a humidity clause?
Wow! If that is a genuine Taylor, I am shocked! I just looked inside my modest collection of guitars (all 'budget' models under £500) and they all have considerably better internal build quality. Even the second-hand Vintage V300 I bought for £50 is better (an amazing guitar for the money)! To be fair to Taylor, my second-hand Baby Taylor is pretty tidy inside but is a fraction of the price of the 114 you feature. Thanks for a very enlightening video!
I'm genuinely surprised and shocked. I have had a 214ce deluxe for 5 years and have never had any trouble with it! It I had around £800 to spend on a new guitar though I would buy a hand-made all solid wood construction Eastman.
I have had one of these for the last 15 years. One of the first batch of 114ce's. It sounds great in the room, but has always sounded shite plugged in. I now see why, although, I had a peek inside mine and it's not this bad, the one in the vid looks a bit newer
Anyone who has played long enough to have left a trail of new and used guitar purchases over the years knows ANY brand, including the most expensive, will put out the odd stinkaroonio which should have been shot and buried, never having seen the outside of whatever plant/shop built it. It's a miracle that Taylor, Martin, Gibson and on and on, who build thousands of guitars every year, manage to keep these seriously screwed up examples to a bare minimum. Also, even with the very best examples of these high-end manufacturers some will love them others hate them, way it goes! Personally, I'm not a fan of Martin but I have great respect for these iconic American guitars. A couple of years ago I was in the market for a new acoustic and had a $2,000 CDN budget, give or take a couple of hundred, and I took my sweet time and picked up every acoustic at three locations in the GTA (Toronto Canada) as well as going through every used acoustic in the same shops, and I didn't like a single Taylor or Martin. I ended up buying a new Epiphone Excellente, and I just love it! The other side of the quality/price coin!~ I have a budget black Yamaha FG 340 (very rare to find them painted black) and someone was having a career day when they built it back in 78 or 79 because this axe plays and sounds like "budda" aka butter, and I will never trade or see it, I absolutely love it!! I've had it for about 25 years and my wife's late uncle John, who gave me the guitar and wouldn't take no for an answer, because I flat out refused to accept it, and wanted him to keep it. I drove to his house one day and left it inside his side door when they were out. By the time I hit a few stores and got home maybe 45 minutes later, it was back! LOL! She never goes out of tune and always sounds fantastic, and the very first time it had any work was when I did a complete fret job, which it hardly needed, about five years ago. Sometimes I'll go on an extended run playing some of my other acoustics and it can sit for weeks, but I know whenever I do get back to her she will be in perfect tune, or close to it! Yamaha has quietly (compared with other labels who put great effort in advertising) been building absolutely awesome guitars in all ranges for decades!! They may not be the sexiest acoustics out there, but regardless of what price range someone may be restricted to, you will NEVER go wrong with Yamaha! Jack ~'()'~
@@bronzesnake7004 Ifdthe design calls for a single brace.. that is not the "odd stinkaroonio" it is deliberate misrepresentation of what a guitar should be. It's all about the money.
Ian a luthier in Puertorico and i have to say that they don’t make X bracing with three braces. They do it with the notch in the middle, they’re only tow braces on the X. If the customer do not care of the safety of his instrument this problems will be there.
Thanks for the "insider view" on these guitars. The Taylor, being the cheapest full size model in the lineup, could have definitely been better constructed and executed. Clearly a quick and cheap build using cheap labour. Having said that, when it comes to correcting the action on Taylors, you shouldn't even consider shaving the saddle. Your first step should be resetting the neck with a thicker set of shims. That would have addressed the action despite the top belly.
Excellent video. I subscribed. 879 Pounds? That's over $1100 U.S! I'm a Yamaha guy, and have no shame about it. I have always thought that Taylors (and Martins) are over-priced. I am not a luthier, nor am I a professional guitar tech, but have done many guitar repairs and set-ups over the decades. This guitar is a mess. So much for quality control.
I'm not a fan of Taylors ever since I first encountered them many years ago. BUT, I wish you would do this level of analysis on a higher model. That being said, I found your look inside these guitars to be instructive and enjoyable. Thanks.
I would like to see him do another video on the same model. Taylor braces the back of their guitars. That looks nothing lol the inside of my Taylor 314 which is a lesser model.
This is a brilliant review and critique. I’ve played guitar for 41 years and I very nearly bought a $7500 Taylor (a different model to this one), but found a more beautiful and stunning TAKAMINE, which remains in perfect tune to this day after 25 years of hard playing. Prior to this video I held very high regard for TAYLOR BRAND guitars based on my experience of playing many of them and liking them all. But I am utterly shocked at this appalling example of shoddy workmanship. I saw the title of the video and assumed it would be junk. Instead, WM is clearly a very accomplished and well qualified Luthier. I feel he has been very fair to TAYLOR here with his voiceover. If it were me I would have gone even harder. But one thing is certain. My next guitar WILL NOT BE A TAYLOR. They should have given this customer a full replacement of a model of his choosing, along with a QA Certification and they should have honoured their Warranty - the fact they didn’t is my main concern and that’s the reason I will never buy one because they clearly cannot be trusted to stand by their own promise, and their QA process is catastrophic. Cheap junk from China would probably play better. Very poor form TAYLOR GUITARS. 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎 Great video WM Guitars 👍 You’ve won a new subscriber.
I bought a guitar from a Chinese website for around $400. I was shocked when I got it, that headstock was the Taylor logo. I have a 912CE and a 414ce and a GS Mini Koa. None of them are made like the guitar you are showing. My knockoff Taylor does look very familiar. You might want to ask your client where he got it.
I’ve owned Taylor’s for 25 years. Everything from 200 series up to Builder’s Editions. If you take care of them with proper humidification, they’re great guitars. Crisp, articulate, full tone and response. The more you play them, the more seasoned they get.
I bought a Taylor in 2013, the 110 model for $450 brand new. It is amazing. Never had to do any work on it at all. Stays in tune. I am guessing their QC has declined.
@@coiner105 I had no Idea that there were even Mexican made Taylor's. I have only seen them made in California. Are the Mexican ones only for the European market?
@VajrahahaShunyata the 300 series and up guitars are made in California. Anything lower is made in their factory in Mexico, which is like 50 miles from the American factory in El Cajon, California. Still all very well built guitars and I have never picked one up and been disappointed. Even with the Mexican made 100 and 200 series.
I must say my acoustic of choice is Gibson but I do have a Taylor 114 that's about 12 years old that is left out all year round when the humidity in my house is very low and I haven't had any issues at all with it. I put some lighter strings which has actually made it sound better and it is very playable. I've seen the same type of videos with Gibson. I'm sure they all have their flaws and it's a matter of taste. As far as sound forget about it, everyone will have a different opinion.
Have to agree totally. Seen them on the wall at stores! People pick one up like its a master piece guitar! Same thing big belly in the guitar Overpriced junk!. .Seen 20year old Yamaha play & sound better?!
I have this exact Taylor guitar model. It plays great, stays in tune, great intonation, electronics are solid. Is it full of overbuilds and high end woods? No, and it didn’t need to be. It’s a great instrument at this price point.
This is interesting - I bought a Taylor and didn’t get on with the Expression system at all. It went back to Taylor and when I got it back it still kept cutting out on stage. I couldn’t trust it after that. Very heavy guitar too. It sat in the case unplayed for 11 years then I traded it for a Gibson American Eagle which is awesome.
If I saw pictures of the inside construction of that guitar without first knowing it was a Taylor, I would have guessed that it was an entry level guitar made in China.
I bought a 314CE years ago when the pre-amp had AA batteries in it which rotted out and, well, you know that story. As my playing went more into tapping and harmonics, I found that the bolt on neck was sonically a detriment and the guitar is just taking up space in a closet.
I have handled and played a bunch of Taylors including 50th Ann. $10k+ models. They always feel too heavy for any given size. I own a D35 Martin and an OMC16. My guitar mentor has 2 800 series models and they are bricks by comparison. On top of that almost all of them I pick up are so poorly set up from the factory as to be unplayable. Local shop had a Taylor Parlor slot head 12 fret on the wall. Even had a finish I could like. Picked it up and did not even try to play it. Strings at least 3mm off 1st fret by nut. I have never picked up an unplayable new Martin and I have owned 5 in total (all USA Martins and Taylors for comparison). Taylor sound is kind of sterile to my ear acoustically. Plugged in they sound great but so does my 1960s plywood $80 Framus Texan with an eBay sound hole pickup.
Taylor has been going down in quality for several years. In the 1990's and early 2000's they made great guitars. They BS about making all the improvements to guitars is nothing but cost saving measures while raising prices. and it'd gotten worse since Andy Powers took over.
Yes, because Taylor found out idiots would pay just as much or more for a substandard guitar as they would for a fine instrument. Their market segment went from guitar players to profilers just wanting folks to see that Taylor name on the headstock.
I have a 1996 910 (original owner) and it's a ridiculously good guitar. I've played some really nice Tayors recently so it depends on which model you buy. Not much different than any other guitar company.
Imho they were never "great". . They were never exciting. Very even sounding (some, called "balanced"), nothing stood out. A middle of the road dependable instrument only.
And that's just the thing I have a Mexican roadwornTelecaster cause I'm not really a tele guy but it's turned out to be my favorite telecast i've ever played I actually like it better than my friends real 50s. So fender has a budget line in Mexico that delivers the goods why can't Taylor
Wow, suddenly I realize that the amazing Taylor I bought only after playing every other guitar in the shop, many of which cost several times as much, is in fact not a good guitar after all even though it projects astonishingly, feels alive in my hands and has a rich sound I've never heard from anything else but another Taylor. Thanks for this not at all clickbait video, which I assure you I actually took the time to watch.
I had a 114-CE for a few years. It was perfect on all levels. It had perfect action and it sounded beautiful (considering it is what Taylor considers their entry-level guitar). But, in all fairness to your video, I never went inside the body with a cool little camera to pick it apart construction-wise like you were able to. Also, in my 50 years of playing guitar professionally, I never really even thought about doing that because I was so completely thrilled with the instrument as a player's guitar. It kept nicely up with my 4 other Taylors. 2 of them (314-CE and 315-CE) 25 and 18 years old). Frankly, your video demonstrates more that you are over-thinking something here. It seems like you are not a fan of Taylors to make such negative sweeping generalizations about them. Stick your camera into the body of any guitar and you will most likely find some cosmetic flaws. Also, anything could happen to a guitar in 6 months. Maybe it's the lighting, but it looks to me that the owner of this 6-month-old Taylor hasn't even bothered to peel the protective plastic off the pickguard yet. Could it be that they have just generally neglected this guitar because of lack of connection or bonding with it. Maybe left it out on a guitar stand sitting beside the fireplace. Who knows? Do you? Anything can happen to a guitar in 6 months to dry it out or and warp the wood (top) from being too damp if it is left neglected. I used to be the guitar setup guy at a Long & McQuade in Canada and I too can say a few things about guitar quality and construction. You really seem to have it out for this Taylor. This video would be quite enough for me to stay away from going to you as a guitar setup guy. I guess I was just lucky. All 5 of my Taylors were top-shelf in every way. The ones I still own still are perfect. They have aged well. My 50+ years of playing have me loving Taylors. I don't think I have ever played one that wasn't consistently excellent. But, then, I didn't over-think them. I just played them.
I have a 13 year Taylor 600 series and a 10 year old Presentation series. Both guitars have been perfect since new and are built entirely differently to this new Mexico one. Taylor make great guitars but it seems they trade on their name to get away with poor quality on their lower end models.
I've been gigging my Taylor 814 for over 20 years. I got it refretted with stainless steel frets and plekked about 6 years ago. It is the best playing guitar I've got overall, action is perfect, even 6 years after the setup, even with the previous 14 years I played it before. I've made tens of thousands of dollars playing that guitar. He is looking at a model that is closer to the bottom of the line than the top, so that is a big difference. It is braced differently than my 814. Taylors provide a top notch playing experience overall, so before you say no to this brand, do a little research, get a second opinion. I'm not saying this tech is wrong, that he is not seeing what he is seeing, I'm not trying to dismiss his evaluation but I WOULD say this has not been my experience, at all (and again, the 814 model is about as good a Taylor as you can get). You get what you pay for, and if you can get a better guitar for the same or less money , then by all means do so. One last thing...my Taylor 814 was bought so I didn't have to beat up a custom guitar I own. After 20 years of gigging, the Taylor, although road worn, is the superior sounding guitar. These things, when played, will grow from a good guitar into a great guitar and that is not true for every guitar out there.
This is a CLICK BAIT, 'cause he had to do this. It's clear to me that this guy is just promoting their own brand of guitar. And that's why he's bias against Taylor and had to talk bad about Taylor. Every guitar manufacturers have their own flaws and imperfections with their guitars, either high-end models or cheap models of theirs. There can be a lot of factors or reasons why or how an acoustic guitars can go bad or unplayable. Number one is CARE and MAINTENANCE. Guitar owners and players are responsible for their own actions. Obviously, they have to take good care of their own guitars and practice good and proper maintenance on their instruments, so that they can stay on their best condition everytime, that's it.
To be fair, the Taylor that was on your bench was in fact a dud. But also, to be fair, that is not a good representation of Taylor guitars. I work on Taylor guitars every week and have worked on thousands of them. I do measure the soundboard deflection on every acoustic that comes on the bench and I rarely see this kind of severe hump on a Taylor. But coincidentally, I just happen to have a Taylor in the shop that has that kind of severe hump. In my case it is due to a brace that came unglued. I would suggest that you should perhaps check if there is an unglued brace on your Taylor, as well. Perhaps you can't see the gap with the endoscope because you did loosen the string tension. I typically check the braces with a thin feeler gauge, when I suspect that there might be an unglued one.
The detail that you mentioned, that the end block is not glued to the soundboard could possibly be by design. There's a possibility they did that to avoid decreasing the surface of the soundboard. It's possible.
Also, the saddle on a Taylor should only be shaved in the event that one cannot get the action on speck, on both sides, after doing a neck reset. A neck reset will of course lower or raise the action on the bass side and on the treble side by the same amount. But if the guitar settled in a way that there is a differential soundboard deflection, so there's more deflection on one side than on the other, then we have to shave one side of the saddle to compensate. But in general, that is not needed, as the neck reset will do the action adjustment.
I see a lot of Taylor guitars with saddles that have been shaved by previous techs and on some of those guitars there's barely any string break angle left on the strings going across the saddle. That's why I always keep a supply of Taylor saddles in stock, so I have them ready, to bring the saddle height back on speck.
A set of Taylor neck shims only costs $55, directly from Taylor and the set comes with a set of original Taylor neck block labels, to cover the two bolts. I already worked out a formula to pretty much nail it when I do a neck reset, so I immediately grab the correct shims to get the action right. I do part of my setup with the old strings, measure the action, do my calculation, then when I take the old strings off, to clean the guitar, I already know which shims are to be used to get the correct action. I rarely have to take the new strings off to get another set of shims, to fine tune the action.
Also, Taylor will only charge you one time for the shims. At that time you can also request that they throw in a set of shims for the GS mini, for the Baby Taylor, etc. And when you run out of certain shims, you can just call them and they'll send you whichever shims you need, at not extra cost.
The person I deal with , at Taylor, is Bo Santos. He'll hook you up if you need their help. I'm not sure what the arrangements with shipping costs outside of the US might be, though.
To be fair, the neck blocks on the other 2 guitars that you showed were pretty slim. I don't recall that you showed the neck block on the Taylor. But, if I saw this correctly, I believe that the Mayson had a gap between the neck block and the fingerboard extension block. That's the main structural part of any acoustic guitar and if there's a gap there, that is certainly not good. I also don't believe there's any significant advantage to the carbon fiber layers on the laminate fingerboard extension block. What are the odds that such a short piece of plywood will ever bend?
My personal opinion about Taylor guitars is that they are a good choice for the recreational player. I usually just have to do setups on Taylors and I rarely see the need for any structural repairs. There will always be the odd one. Taylor guitars are assembled in a strict humidity controlled plant and they hardly ever develop soundboard cracks, even in cases when people are not aware of the fact that they need to use a humidifier during the winter.
By comparison, Martin guitars are awful. They dry up all the time (Martin has no humidity control at the pant), they have bridge lift issues, the binding keeps coming off, braces keep coming off, soundboards crack al the time. On every X-series Martin I've ever seen there is a gap at the heel of the neck. Even on more costly Martin guitars the neck angle is almost always wrong. I've often seen, they slice into the soundboard, around the bride, with a sharp blade, in an effort to make a nice bridge glue joint. But the cut is often deep into the soundboard. So, now you have to fix the soundboard, crape off more of the finish around the bridge footprint, so that you can use an oversized bridge to cover up that cut and hopefully reinforce that part of the board. Martin truly makes some awful guitars.
OK, I talked enough.
Thanks for listening (reading) and I hope at least some of it makes sense.
Take care.
If you honestly believe that $899 retail in the USA is "a fair deal" for this P.O.S. Taylor 114ce, then I am utterly speechless. In his earliest days, Bob Taylor made some really fine dreadnoughts. Of course he was attacked by many when he revolutionized the use of a bolt-on neck, but we must give him credit where credit is due. An acoustic guitar better be really nice & have a high value in order to re-set a neck with a dovetail joint. A GOOD bolt-on neck design makes a lot of sense, and is much less costly to repair or replace. But with all of that being said, I purchased a brand new upper shelf Taylor ( I can't recall the model now ) back in 2005. The price was around $2600, as best I can recall, from a local music store. I really loved the sound & how it played at first. But after several months, I began to notice something: my expensive Taylor wasn't very touch responsive like any of my 3 Japanese Takamine's. No matter if you play a Taylor softly or really digging in, they just sound the same. A really GREAT acoustic guitar SHOULD give you what you ask of it. And all 3 of my Japanese Takamine's blew that Taylor right out of the water.......and none of my Takamine's cost as much as that Taylor did. Quite frankly, ALL Taylor guitars are grossly over-priced, and because we are truly living in the golden age of luthierie right now, there are MANY options that are MUCH better than ANY Taylor for the money. ME: 62 yr old, lifelong guitarist/singer/blues harp/stage performer of many many years. I was forced to sell off all of my guitars, amps, gear, etc during that awful recession of '08 to save our home. After years of financial recovery, I have since purchased 4 AMAZING acoustic guitars produced by HSIENMO ( they build no more than 400 guitars PER YEAR )......all from their custom shop. Loved the first one SO much, I bought 3 more. 1 D45 clone dreadnought, a grand auditorium, and 2 medium jumbo's. My D45 clone and grand auditorium both have top-shelf Adirondack spruce tops with SOLID Honduran rosewood back & sides. One of my medium jumbo's has German spruce top with solid Indian RW back & sides, while the other has a killer western cedar top with solid cocobolo back & sides. 2 have solid single pc mahogany necks while the other 2 have killer 5 pc laminated flamed maple/rosewood necks. I won't even go into the GORGEOUS quilted mahogany, ebony, abalone, flamed maple binding/purfling/back strips, etc......they're all loaded, and built RIGHT inside & out. And they all 4 sound as gorgeous as they look & play. I took each one in to show them off ( one by one as I purchased them ) to my buddy's working at a local music store, which happens to be an authorized Taylor dealer. They have a huge selection of Taylor's from low-end models to the Presentation series costing OVER 10 GRAND. 3 of the 4 of my Hsienmo's absolutely smokes the best Taylor they have in their shop, and even they admit it. 2 of my Hsienmo's ( the D45 clone and my grand auditorium ) are $2500 each, and the 3rd ( one of my medium jumbo's with the cedar top and the most beautiful cocobolo we've ever seen on any acoustic ) costed only $1890. All 4 have bolt-on necks VERY nicely done/fit........just as all 4 have floating ebony fingerboards that will never warp over the body. All 4 also have camel bone nuts, saddles, and bridge pins. All 4 were set-up perfectly right out of the case. From my own personal experience: guitarists everywhere are getting SEVERELY RIPPED OFF BY TAYLOR. Their "Builder's Series" especially......because they figured out a way to get rid of the binding, YET CHARGE MORE MONEY. Oh, and by the way: I purchased 4 Journey Tek EP001K pick-up systems & installed them all myself, and they too, blow away Taylor's system. Hsienmo doesn't even offer a "cheap budget guitar". When you can but a top-shelf HAND-MADE acoustic guitar with all the bells, whistles, and appointments that is BUILT RIGHT, and sounds as glorious as it looks, for ONE/FIFTH of the price of a top shelf Taylor.......then something is horribly wrong with Taylor. And the same thing goes for MARTIN. Both Taylor AND Martin nowadays, are all about mass production & profits...but even their custom shop models are being smoked by acoustics made by other fabulous builders & factories that cost quite a bit less. Thanks for listening/reading.......and I hope THIS is making sense.
Longest comment and reply I've ever seen watching a UA-cam video.
Even though I stopped reading 1/3 of the way through on both' I still have both of you a 👍.
@GuitarQuackery 's comments on Martin are so extreme and beyond belief (if true, Martin would have gone out of business a long time ago) that you have to wonder how reliable his comments on Taylor are.
@@jDominiqueS I can totally understand that my comments on Martin can be questioned.
I'll make some Martin videos at some point in the future. In fact, as it turns out, I just fixes some binding (again) on a Martin (this time it was an OM-28). I did make plenty of recordings, but it it does take a while to edit all of that into a coherent video. So, I am not sure when I'll be ready to post it.
BTW, it is well known in the guitar repair world that Martin guitars have all these issues that I am describing. About 50% of them are garbage.
@@BryanClark-gk6ie Yep, I kind of got carried away with my rant. But hopefully it helps someone at some point in the future. Thanks.
Wow. I have several Taylor guitars. From several different years. They all sound great. Play great. Built great. 🤷🏻
Same here. I've tried a couple Martin's and sent them back to Sweetwater.
Your builder were not drunk that day. Lucky you
Why the heck would you buy several Taylor guitars. Did it take that many to get to a playable one. I bought one 4000 Taylor. It was my last, never again
Me too, in fact I’ve never played a bad Taylor.
@@troytempest290 Me neither. I had a T5 that I just didn’t like. So I sold it. But then again, I don’t really play electric guitar anyway.
I almost didn't click on this, as I thought it was just an all Taylor's suck thing, but I am glad I watched it. It prompted me to check my Martin D10-E . I put my phone in and took some photos. I was please to see no glue leaking and what looked like very nice construction. I'll have to do that next time I go looking at guitars at the local shop. Thanks! Also, I have looked at that same Taylor model at the time I bought my Martin. I am now very glad I purchased the Martin.
Get a furch, just as good and half the price
I play Taylor for many years. They are amazing guitars. As a musician, my main concern is tone quality, intonation, tuning stability and playability. They are perfect in that regard. To be clear: I am talking about their higher end models. What you show in this video is *completely* different from what I see in the interior of my instrument. Conclusion, *the title of this video is a click bait* . Because it generalizes and judges a brand by one of their guitars where the main defect is a excessively curved top, which is what you get if you're not careful regarding humidity and other environment influences. You can ruin even the best guitar in that way.
Taylor has highly automated factories. Which means: uniformly machine shaped parts. That's why many vendors say they rarely have to return an instrument to the factory. This is another argument to distrust the correctness of this video.
I don’t even believe that’s a Taylor. It’s a fraud guitar.
It's not click bait, these are still Taylors and are crap and it's their responsibility
@@kippsguitar6539 Clickbait typically refers to the practice of writing sensationalized or misleading headlines in order to attract clicks on a piece of content. It often relies on exaggerating claims or leaving out key information in order to encourage traffic. In the most optimistic explanation of this case, it's about generalizing something that relates to one single instrument or one low end series out of the large number of models, which is disproportionate You can do this trick on most guitar brands.
@@kippsguitar6539 if it’s a Taylor, they should have replaced it. Whoever built that particular guitar did a terrible job. That’s why I thought it would be interesting to see a comparison of the exact same model to see if it was built with higher standards. I own a 314 and it’s a fine guitar. I own about 15 guitars from 200.00 to over 3000.00, so I have no particular attachment to my Taylor. I have others that play as well and are less expensive, but I think we should be fair here. Taylor used a 3 layer wood back. They don’t call it laminate because they claim laminate could imply other materials besides wood. Also every Taylor guitar come with a gig bag or a hard case. If the owner of this one bought it new and didn’t get a case, he got ripped off again. There’s no question the quality of workmanship on this guitar is awful and should have been replaced. Along with an apology. I bought RVs for over 150,000.00 with the same garbage craftsmanship. Some people have no pride in their work.
Around 10 yrs. ago I bought new a Taylor GC-3 that has lived most of it's awful sounding life inside it's case. The low E string sounds like a thud and the high strings ring forever. Taylor bragged about these guitars, we've been building these GC's for 30 years and they are wonderful! Being left-handed I just can't pick one up and try it, I had to order one. Being a machinist and handy with my hands I've made bone saddles for every guitar I owned that didn't have one, they all sounded better, even a $110.00 Johnson guitar (my first) guitar that had a laminated top. This GC-3 sounded like shit, the high strings rang f o r e v e r, and the low E string still had the thud sound. I immediately took the bone saddle out and put the tusk one back in. Also, the bridge pin holes were bored oversize, you could put the bridge pins in, turn the guitar upside down and they would all fall out. I called customer service and the guy said they are suppose to be loose. I said well, you obviously don't know shit either. I bought .005 oversize bridge pins to fix their mistake. Taylor did send it in a good guitar case. So a year or two after I bought this guitar Taylor redesigned it, they made the body thicker and blah, blag, blah. For about eight years I got their brag ass magazine twice a year. From the magazine I learned Taylor is very good at tooting their own horn. My guitar and the one you have in hand would make good fire started..if they're not to damp. pun- intended.
Why not sell it. There are people out there that dream of owning a Taylor. Maybe it doesn't sound good to YOUR ears. And good to somebody elses. I have a Taylor and I am happy with it. It's not a real expensive one. But fair enough for me.
Ther Wood & Steel did do a bit of bragging. :)
I bought a new 710 in 1997 and the low e sounded the same and the neck was twisted, never looked at a Taylor since.
They're garbage and any acoustic enthusiasts will tell you as much. Unless you're ordering a custom shop model and paying way over the odds compared with other solid big name builders [larrivee, maton, martin].
I have a Taylor 114ce also and has the same problem. Good sounding guitar but below the 5th fret it will make your fingers hurt. I didn't realize the top had such an arch just like the video. This has been one of those regret buys. Thanks for posting this video as it has enlightened me to why it has action issues. Very good assessment !!
I had the same problem with a Taylor gs mini and the belly was so bad that unglued the bridge. There was no waranty etc ect. The guitar was brand new after it happens. What a terrible experience as a customer. Thanks for showing the real reasons of this, I tought it was the humidity but clearly its not, cheers
I have the same thing with Taylor Academy I have to pay for someone to reset the neck they still could get into spec
I had a Taylor GS Mini that did the same thing. It bellied up so much that the action higher up the neck made it almost unplayable. At first I thought it just needed a neck reset, but after watching a video from Guitar Spa Singapore I realized that the GS Mini had alomost no tracking. They sound good for a few years though until they have to problem. I finally sold it to a guy who said he never played up the neck and didn't care about the belly. I was very glad to be rid of it and have stayed away from Taylors since.
I had the same experience with my brandnew GS mini, extreme bellying around the bridge and no warranty from Taylor at all, thanks to the humidity-clause😊 . A GS mini is advertised as a traveller guitar, for god’s sake! No more Taylor’s for me ,,,
@@smyrna5 Are you talking about a $350 (approx) guitar? And you stay away from all Taylors because of this? I know nothing about their MIM line, but when I was a teenager, I understood that if you buy cheap, you usually end up spending a lot more money in the long run. I saved up and bought my Martin D-35, 48 years ago, and I still have it. That old saying "You get what you pay for" is not infallible, but is often true.
I've got a Taylor 210ce and it's absolutely amazing!👌
The main reason for having horizontal grain on the end blocks is so that any grain movement will be in tandem with the guitar sides, minimising any chances of splitting. Back and soundboard bonding to the blocks is secondary as they already have large area bonding onto the kirfings.
I got rid of the Name blinkers 45 years ago. I've seen for myself what you have delivered here. Excellent video, keep up the great work. Subscribed straight away.
Yes I have a 150 dollar Vietnamese guitar that's better than my 2500 dollar takamine which was a waste of money, Spot on
Proud Taylor fan here with over 40 years of playing experience- 3 guitars from them and they are all great. A couple of months ago I went into a shop and played about fifteen acoustics, and the Taylors were better than every Larrivee or Martin- the only guitar that was comparable was a high-end Gibson. Also played a VERY nice Yamaha BTW. Tthe 114 does not have bracing because the back is shaped to provide structural support instead. From Taylor: "A note on Taylor layered wood guitars: The Taylor 100 Series, 200 Series, Academy Series, Baby Taylor, Big Baby and GS Mini models feature a layered wood back and sides with an arched back. The arch is by design and allows us to add depth and strength to the guitar body without bracing the back"
I've never liked Taylor guitars much but not because they don't play well. Heck I imagine a Zager often plays well...but the sound usually puts me off as much as the prices, especially for the laminate guitars.
I do like the 800 series sound; but my Gibson was a 2400$ Avante Garde offering that's explosive for a litte thing and it's also Rosewood.
It's subjective, I don't necessarily think Taylor's suck but they aren't anything I'd buy. I find the mojo isn't there, a bit "clinical" and uninspiring but no guitar is for everyone.
I also have seen some guitars designed specifically with this arched top. This could be a design choice by Taylor, but you have to admit the build quality of the inners is pretty bad on this particular guitar..
Taylors are good (not great, although they do make a few great ones) but are overpriced. I say this and I own 2; until recently it was 4. The GS-mini is a really good product, but a tad overpriced. I love the T5 - the "Swiss Army knife" guitar - it does everything well but nothing great, but is the best guitar for learning songs because you can go to the electrics or acoustics once you have it down, so it's a great axe to keep out. I also have an 814CE ('97) but no way I'd pay $4K for a new one - for that money there are lots of other guitars I'd rather have.
@@TeleCaster66that’s a perfect description.! Some said balanced, which they were..all the strings sounded boring.
Glad someone finally said it! Coated in plastic sounds like a tool?
Good video, not that i am interested in Taylor guitars, but for pointing out what to search for when looking inside the guitars
Yep, it's a crappy build. But, it is a cheaper, MIM Taylor. To imply that all Taylor's suck may be overstating it a bit. :)
True but they are still responsible for their products
@@kippsguitar6539But is it a Taylor or a fake Taylor?🤔
@@jono1457-qd9ft genuine Taylor 100 series, seen 2 really bad ones my students bought
@@kippsguitar6539 Absolutely! And I agree with you totally that the bellying issue is directly related to the crappy construction. I wouldn't touch that guitar with a 10' pole. Thanks for taking the time and effort in letting us know about this.
Taylor has spent an insane amount of money on advertising to convince amateurs how great their guitars are. Then they cut corners on production and pay a team of lawyers to come up with their humidity clause which means they have no warranty because that clause can be used for anything . Taylor created a name and nothing else
About 10 years ago I inherited some money and decided to buy a 'decent' acoustic guitar. I went to a reputable local dealer and asked whether he had a Martin within my price range (I wanted to spend about £500 at the time). He advised me against buying a Martin in that price range, and instead sold me a Tanglewood TW1000-SR. I have never regretted it. It's a fabulous Dreadnought, high quality materials and workmanship, and has an amazing tone (even better after ten years of playing!).
About twenty years ago I hit every guitar shop in Leeds looking for an affordable steel string guitar.
(I normally played the classical guitar that I built myself under a very good luthier.)
I must have tried nearly every guitar in town that day. I kept raising my budget as I was disappointed with what I was finding.
I almost gave up that day until in the last shop there was a discounted, already affordable, Tanglewood.
I didn't really like the look of it much. It wasn't the style of guitar I thought I wanted but I thought I had to give it a go, like I already had with many others, and not be persuaded by such things.
I could tell almost instantly I'd found it.
The sound and the feel was what I'd come looking for and I found it in a guitar for a fraction of the price of some pretty high end guitars.
Still got it. Still love it. Never had to do anything to it in all that time aside from maybe a touch on the truss rod here and there when changing string gauges.
Having said all that I've now got a rather ropey Tanglewood acoustic bass I'm looking to get shot of. 🙂
I bought my first Taylor, a 314 CE, new in 2000. In 2007 I purchased a GS Mini, in 2010 a Taylor 814 CE and a K14 CE in 2023. They play today as well as the day I purchased them. The 314 and 814 have spent many years in the UK as well in the Carolinas, with high through low temperature and humidity conditions. With the 814 and K14, I do pay some attention to humidification, but the most I have ever needed in maintenance on any of my guitars is a quick minor adjustments to the truss rod. The only Taylor I own with a laminated back is the GS Mini. If I did ever need a neck reset, which I doubt, it is a simple switch of shims and not $1000 'major heart surgery' like many other well-known brands. Sorry it happened, but the general consensus of many luthiers on UA-cam is that this is a rare event with a Taylor if it is treated kindly, as any quality instrument should be.
Just bought a 314cefrom the 50th anniversary collection. Best guitar i have ever played. Sounds better than i expected, plays and feels amazing, and is built and set up to the highest quality. Worth every single penny and i would gladly buy another.
I bought a Taylor GS-mini brand new. Action was unplayably high. Had to have the neck shimmed under warranty in its first week. Guitar shop technician said he is doing this all the time for that model. I wondered why they would let them out of the factory like that, then I watched a ‘tour’ video where the set-ups are being done by unpaid interns…
I got lucky. I have the mini mahogany and mini e koa. Both have low action with no buzz and sound great. The mini mahogany actually sounds better than the e koa...I don't know if it's just the difference in woods or that the mini mahogany doesn't have electronics...maybe a little of both.
I have two Taylors, a 654ce 12 string from 2003 that plays like a dream, and a 614ce from 2002 that sounds exquisite! Done a neck reset on both couple of years ago to keep a nice action, it was nice simple work, bolt on necks...I'm a happy customer 😊
You make me feel better about my guitar zagger guitar .i glad there people out there like you
Now that's funny!
There have been numerous reports about Taylor's been hypersensitive to humidity, if it is humidity it's humidity issues due to a poor design that doesn't do well with humidity changes. Taylor says to keep the guitar in a space with relative humidity between 40 and 60. I think they are quite a bit more sensitive than even that. It's winter and I have four Taylor guitars, several other all solid wood acoustics in the same room, in my home it's been around relative humidity 20 in my home and I've kept my guitar room around 41 and even at that my Taylor's all seem to be having a difficult time, action is not where it was last month, etc... No belly issues, but the guitar shouldn't need a setup after spending a week at relative humidity levels between 38 and 41. None of my other guitars have been impacted. So the proof for me is there. No Taylor dealer is going to touch this issue, that would be a conflict of interest for them. But I do think there's something going on... You can also see Taylor has done several videos on the importance of proper humidification, I think they have the data and know what's going on and don't care.
I could see someone who paid 2 grand for a guitar defending it. But, the guy is showing exactly what’s inside. Kinda hard to argue facts
I think across the board all the manufacturers at the lower end have made cost saving measures to keep their businesses stay afloat and profitable. It's not just in guitars its in all products made we use on a daily basis.
They are still responsible for their overpriced products
@@kippsguitar6539 To an extent. The price of the product comes down to the sales team not the quality department.
The only valuable response to that thread! Thanks!
Yes Taylor has its own sound compared to Martin or Gibson,
Which some people like.
Structurally you can say what you want to say about that cheap Taylor model but you should also compare how it sounds it could also be that if they put too much bracing that resonance and sound projection will be affected.
I am not a fan of their new V bracing but I love the sound of my 1998 815ce and 2003 914ce.
I own a Martin D41 , Collings D2H and Gibson J45 as well.
Wow you are amazing
Recently found a 1962 Mayfair parlour guitar,made in Japan and has been stood in a pantry since before England won the World Cup and it’s better made than that Taylor…Excellent piece by the way,well worth a sub..
Well that’s obviously a budget guitar. Are we absolutely sure it’s really a Taylor and not a knock-off? I’ve worked on a bunch of higher-end Taylors and none of them looked even remotely like this. Never worked on a budget Taylor but if this is real then yeah… unacceptable.
Would be interesting to see another one that is at a Taylor dealer.
It has a Taylor scan chip and he said it cost £879
Regardless of whether it's high or low end it has their brand name on it and they should have stricter quality control making instruments in foreign countries. Other American guitar manufacturers have good quality instruments coming from Indonesia that are almost indentical to the quality of their "higher end" American made brothers.
I guess many commentors didn't actually listen or watch the video and just made comments. It is a Taylor and made in Mexico. I have a Taylor that was also made in Mexico and I love it. Intonation and action was perfect out of the box and the guitar is flawless. I would imagine every brand has it's problems, especially with their lower tier models.
@@jameswilliford5478 I have a 12 string that was as you described it was perfect when it came out of the box and eight months later it had bellied to the point of being unplayable. Yes I expected that to eventually happen as it was a 12 string. But eight months later is unacceptable and then when I had the neck adjusted to compensate it which was part of the reason I bought a tailor over the cheaper guild, They shimmed it with the maximum number of shims and it still was just playable a few months later bam same thing happened it got even worse. So now I'm stuck with a $900 piece of crap. I saw a used reason one in a guitar shop that was the year before mine was made and it had the same problem I don't expect the same attention to detail and quality on the high end taylor what I expected a serious mechanical physical flaw like this would not occur immediately after construction.
All my Taylors are 300 series: a Taylor 324ce 6-string, a Taylor 316ce Baritone 8-string, and a Taylor 352ce 12-Fret 12-string. I'm very pleased and thankful to have them along with my 1954 Gibson CF-100E, 1990 Custom Legend 1759 Ovation 12-string, 1991Elite Ovation 1768 six-string, a 2019 LXK2 Little Martin 6-string, and a 2023 X Series Martin 6-string.
I have a Taylor 214cd-PLUS and a Baby Taylor. There is nothing wrong with either, and while the Baby Taylor isn't quite the sound of the 214 I'm impressed with it. It's a couch guitar and a quick grab practice guitar. The action of these out the box was spot on. I have a humidistat inside of the 214ce-p (Taylorsense) and the humidity inside the Aerocase is between 48% - 56%. I live in rainy Portland Oregon where sometimes the summer humidty gets down in the 30's. Taylor, for a large brand, is good quality stuff. That sir, is a dud, which is extremely rare
I have had my 114 cents since 2017 and upgraded many aspects of it. Still plays great and is specked out. Also the 114 solid top is now warm in and sounds very good. Just upgraded to 314 baritone from them.
You are absolutely correct. Taylor has significant design and build quality issues. I’ve seen some magnificent high-end Taylors, BUT, others…Whew!!! I had their higher-end nylon-strung guitar where the top ‘telegraphed’ with six months. I then argued with Taylor for months before they finally relented and sent over a new body (why they didn’t just replace the whole instrument is beyond me). Fast forward another 4-6 months and the top of the ‘new’ body also telegraphed. I gave up and got rid of the piece of crap. And before all the armchair experts come out with nonsense, all of my guitars are kept in humidity controlled cases when not being used. Further, I’ve had high-end Martins, Gibsons, and others. I’ve been a demonstrator for Martin at showcases and I’ve built guitars and been an importer of a quality Asian brand. As I said, I’ve seen and played some great high-end Taylors, but there are some serious problems with more than a few of their cheaper to mid-range guitars. They are certainly not worth the ticket price.
I’ve owned my Taylor 214CE for nearly 20 years. Still holds tune perfectly, plays flawlessly and sounds fantastic.
Id be keen to see inside mine like this, to see if its better / worse.
Regardless, its been a fantastic guitar for the money and served me well.
Tanglewood are amazing value guitars, and I am always amazed at how much guitar you get for the money! Never played a Taylor I have wanted to keep playing, Only played a few Martin guitars but again haven't played one that I was impressed with... I would certainty look at Tanglewood over both Taylor and Martin, for the money its a no brainer!
As a person who used to build guitars...that is amatuer work quality at best. But, that said, that's one of Taylor's least expensive guitars, and some of those shortcuts, like the small end block and no back bracing is an attempt to free up the vibration so it sounds better. It's still junk yes, but it's intentional junk.
And the video's point is for the same or less money you can get much better, unless you are a headstock label ho. Taylor's up-line offerings are much better, but I still think for the money one can get a better instrument elsewhere at any price point.
Yes indeed: buy a Blueridge instead!
That Taylor is $899 ( retail in the USA ) worth of JUNK. That guitar isn't worth $125 NEW. Both Taylor AND Martin have been ripping people off for quite some time now. Because no matter which price point, or quality level, there are literally DOZENS of other guitar factories that are blowing them both clean out of the water for price vs what you get. And this includes their custom shop models.
@@howabouthetruth2157 There is a lot of money to be made in the segment between €500.- and €1,000.- because that is where most of the potential buyers are.
A good Martin costs €3,000+ period.
I wouldn't buy a Martin under the 18 range, so D-18, 00-18 etc.
And 28+ for rosewood.
Spending less than 3 grand on a new Martin is wasted money.
I would rather spend 1/3 of that on a Blueridge, but they are becoming more expensive too.
@@gingerbeer914 Buy a new Martin guitar in ANY price range......and you're playing Russian roulette. Seriously. Ya may get a good one......or you may get a true lemon that starts coming apart. Bridges pulling clean off of HIGH END Martin's are all too common today. There are SO many killer acoustic guitar makers right now that are much better IN ANY price range....far too many to name here. We are truly living in the golden age of luthierie right now, due to the countless options and great pricing with high quality to boot. And I never dreamed I would be saying such things only 20 years ago. ( I've been playing & singing since 1974.) But it takes millions upon millions of new guitarists to learn the hard way. They want to "feel secure" in choosing a big name........no matter the price point.......and let me tell ya Brother.......they WILL learn the hard way. Because Martin and Taylor are straight up ripping people off. I really don't enjoy saying this stuff.......but it's the sad truth: the bean counters have taken over with those big ass companies.
Thanks for this vid! I've been mixing foh for a long enough time to agree! The Taylors 👎 were never fun to work with. They absolutely sound increasingly more horrible the harder you strike them. This inspection of the build quality demonstrates why that could be true.
When considering an instrument, pick one that lets you dig in and responds well to your energy. ✌️
I have a few Taylor guitars, and none are like that inside.
I have a 214ce deluxe for travel. Rosewood and spruce, a 224ce in Koa and layered Koa. Also, for travel.
A 414ce in Rosewood and spruce, and a 724ce all Koa. That guitar was searched out for the video. My friend has an 114ce, and it doesn't look like that.
My Taylor is 314ce, made in USA, great construction woods and sound , one testimony can't affect a hole brand !!
I have the same and love it
I have one also. One look inside and you can see it’s not a Taylor.
Yes and back to the theme of this video, this Taylor is 1000 dollars and junk, keep up
I just bought a 36 inch Vangoa cutaway guitar and wish I could show you how it’s made it is FAR superior to what you’re showing on that Taylor. I paid 172.49 CAD Made in China. Spruce top I bought it on Amazon. 6:08 Great video thank you. 🇨🇦
I've been playing since '65 ... and professionally for about 20 of those years. I've owned a lot of guitars and have really put those guitars through the test of moving them from home to the clubs I played ... and sitting in those relatively harsh environments. For an acoustic, an Ovation held up best but it would never be my choice for a recording session. The worst acoustic I've ever owned was a Gibson. I've always thought that the Taylors were far overrated ... my opinion only. I've had a Martin, and Martins would usually be my choice for recording. I had one acoustic that developed the belly bump ... not expensive enough of a guitar to put a lot of time or money into. I used a "Bridge Doctor" to correct the hump and then made a "Nashville/High Strung" guitar out of it. I figured that the lower string tension and the bridge doctor would prevent a reoccurence of the bump ... and it did.
I almost didn't watch this video!
(No clickbait title.)
I am SO GLAD that i did.
From now on, i will closely examine the innards of any guitar i buy!
In fact, I'm gonna check out my last purchase to see if it "measures up."
Just as soon as i get back home. (I'm on the other side of the country right now, and couldn't bring a beloved guitar due to potential airline screwups.)
At least now i know things to look for!
Thank you.
Just never buy a cheap Mexican version of an American top brand. You know that they're overpriced. Same goes for Chinese Guild guitars. Buy a genuine one that was made in USA.
If your budget is way too small, buy a Korean Cort.
They make decent solid spruce top guitars for very affordable prices.
I have a Taylor Academy 10e. The Jack plug has failed twice. The first time it was fixed under warranty. The second time I took it to a luthier. He says the Jack is really cheap and nasty. A Jack of decent quality only costs £10 online. It is frustrating that Taylor sell a guitar for £750 but then cut corners with poor quality components.
What a great INSIDE look at these guitars! Thank you. I learned a lot. 🙂
I have a sheerden by Lowden almost same price as that Taylor but mine beautiful, very well built and the sound is amazing.
Do you have the ed Sheeran scarf and pendant too? Oh dear
Belly appears pretty normal @ 0:48. How 'bout swapping the neck shim? Yes it has a neck shim. Taylor will happily send you extra shims if you need them. Awesome company.
I've gigged with a Taylor 314ce for the last two years. It's been an absolute dream. Between gigs, jams, and practice, it gets played about 10 to 15 hours per week. I play in Florida, so humidity is ever-present. I keep it in the case when not playing. My only problem is the frets are wearing quicker than I would like, but my grip is probably way too tight. That's just a 30 year flaw in my technique, not a manufacturing issue.
Out of all the guitars I've owned or played at this price point, the Taylor has been my favorite so far.
This dude's video is just asinine. He takes the cheapest, bottom of the line guitar and acts like it applies to their whole range. It's disingenuous at best. Intentionally bias and misleading at worst. This is like me saying that the 250$ Ibanez i had that wore out a trem in 1 year is the same as my Prestige that is still going strong after a decade.
Damn it! You should sue Taylor for their lousy frets. :)
WOW!! Very interesting video. I have a Taylor 110e, produced last year (2023), and I have to say it plays and feels great with a lovely sound/tone. Having seen this video and taking a look inside my Taylor, I can see scorched braces and similar lack of ‘attention to detail’, there certainly is no comparison to the build quality of my Takamine. I assume a US produced Taylor would be far superior to a Mexican produced Taylor?
All in all I like my Taylor but in my humble opinion, feel their Mexican produced guitars are overpriced.
Although WM Guitars genuinely experienced several badly built Taylor guitars recently, I seriously question the credibility of whether this guitar is genuinely a Taylor. I recently purchased a brand new B-stock 312ce V 12 Fret (B-stock because there is a minor water mark on headstock which I was able to remove by polishing it lightly with carnuba wax) from a reputable distributor in Europe, and both the external finish of the guitar is immaculate, and the internal construction including the back and face brace joints are outstanding, no bellying around face, and plays extremely well as a smaller body 12 Fret as I suffer from neck/shoulder injuries. Granted this maybe because 312 models are made in the USA, whereas the 114 in this video is made in Mexico. But despite this, because WM Guitars have made no effort to contact Taylor guitars, the information in this video isn't credible and not reliable, and should be taken with a pinch of salt, and at the very most serve to help viewers be cautious when buying Taylors made in Mexico until Taylor have a chance to verify whether this is a genuine production fault. Any credible luthier or guitar repair company would think twice before trying to discredit guitar manufacturers on camera as it would do more harm than good to the industry they are working in. I certainly would not use WM Guitar to service my guitar based on this video. My 312ce V 12 Fret comes with a 30day return guarantee, 3 year warranty and able to register for 12 years warranty if registered with Taylor who is a 100% employee owned company now, which gives me confidence they generally produce good guitars albeit maybe a little more expensive than guitars built by smaller guitar manufacturers.
As someone with 20+ years of Taylor ownership and gigging behind me I find this review at best ignorant and certainly not reflective of the experience I have had with the brand and I include the 114ce that my daughter and I chose after 3 hours auditioning Ina guitar shop 5 years ago. Fundamentally the 100 series achieves its tone and price point by using a shapely or walnut veneered back and sides that requires no bracing or kerfing for its strength I have a low end nylon strung Taylor CE of the same construction its plays well has good projection and sounds sweet so all those comments about interlocking bracing with kerfs is not relevant to this design. I have had ovations, Yamaha’s (on which it is impossible to do a neck reset by the way so don’t try, and own a 2000 X-braced 914ce and a more recent Y-braced Builders Edition K14ce I have had them serviced at Manson’s and I have had a wonderful ownership experience because I value the tone and I know that the action can be adjusted easily (without a traditional neck reset) because that capability has been designed into the guitar. I really have to say that you got this one wrong….
He’s just going for the click-bait.
bought a tailor one fifty e twelve strength part of the reason I bought it was that I assumed eventually it would belly they all do I have a ibaness from 1991 that has bellied and it's not unplayable it's just not as playable as I'd like Higher up the neck. So I gave a Mexican Taylor a shot thinking ok the price is reasonable for an instrument I don't play all the time. I got it and it sounded wonderful amplified it played well it sounded nice maybe not as much lower mid as I'd like but it was a fine sounding instrument and played well. Eight months later I pulled it out of its case I had not used it in a couple of weeks and the action was unplayable I measured it to the gate with the gage and it was about a hair over four millimeters at the 12th fret if I had a arrow I could have shot like Robin Hood with it. on the other hand I haven't i've been as 30 years old it's not nearly the belly. So while this may be unfair to other tailors clearly Clearly their lower end line is susceptible to this. Then the way I was treated by their customer service was extremely disrespectful guitar does not belly that much in 8 months and literally in a couple of weeks they blame the humidity for it but on the other hand it was right next to a bunch of other guitars that were perfectly fine and played like they always do. then When they agreed to do warranty work on it due to the tech looking at it it took from September to march to get it done. Now part of the reason I bought this particular model rather than say a martin Was the reputation for quality even if I'm not really a fan of their sound I know they're well made or thought so and the fact that net can be shimmed to compensate for a belly. Eventually I was told by the tech that he'd use the maximum number of shims or thickness I don't remember which and then the neck could no longer be adjusted to compensate for that. And even at that point I felt the action was higher than when I bought it and it is higher than spec I don't recall the exact numbers right now so I was somewhat disappointed and then a few months later it moved again. Well not as much it still remains at the edge of playability if you don't play cowboy ports. I do not know enough about technicalities of the racings in that to say whether the guys right or wrong what I do know from experience and having seen a couple in stores that were for sale With the same issues that Taylor's low end guitars are A line to avoid like the plague. Is exactly what happened to me on my guitar within the first year of ownership. I'd also add that Taylor's warranty and Sweetwater's warranty were not worth the paper they were written on.
He showed the garbage construction. How is he wrong. People get to emotionally invested in corporations.
Bought a taylor 12 mim string guitar during covid for Christmas ,I thought OK they have the adjustable neck and when it bellies a bit like all 12 strings do I can adjust the neck in a few years. by August it had bellied so much there was 4 1/2 millimeters clearance at the 12th fret it was un playable. I have an Ibanez as 12 string that's about 30 years old but nowhere near this belly Still playable if not as playable as the Taylor when it arrived. I saw used one in the store with the exact same problem After my experience . I took the guitar to the authorized repairman in August I got it back in March. Was told the neck adjustment was maxed out. not as good as new but better , than it shifted again it's back to where it was in august last year. Yes it is the low end of Taylo. I checked them out in the store and I thought they were much superior to anyone else's low cost 12 strings so I bought one based on the confidence and reputation of the name not expecting within eight months it would be absolutely unplayable. As to the issue of humidity it was right next to a bunch of vintage guilds n Gibsons and none of them shifted. And Taylor tried to hit me with thief oh well it's the humidity it's your fault ****. Love to know how anyone even manages to tour with the Taylor guitar if they are that sensitive. .
I looked inside my yamaha fgx 800 C, which is $389 us, and it's miles above that Taylor's inners, everything was as you said it should be.. I have a scope like the one you used...yamaha is the best guitar for what you pay. I played Martin's and Taylor's fenders, etc... and the only guitar that sounded a bit better than the yami was a seagull guitar that i played at the guitar center. But way more expensive. As we're the others.
Yamaha makes excellent guitars.
I bought a baby Taylor and regretted it very quickly. It seemed like a nice travel guitar until the back came off. They glued the back to the sides with no rims. I cant believe that the back stayed on as long as it did. Well, I called Taylor about the warrenty and they gave me a shop to bring it to, but it was 100 miles to get to it. I glued the back on myself and decided never to buy another Taylor. Ill stick with Martin. I have a Martin dc15e and I love that guitar. Its a much more expensive guitar, but that no excuse for Taylors cheap build on the Baby Taylor line.
I have a Yamaha FG800 and for $200 I have no complaints. It doesn’t have the tone woods that I would prefer but it’s not a toy. I know how to setup guitars though and that makes all the difference. I do own expensive guitars too btw.
i have a 814 11yrs old. Hands down best acoustic ive ever played in my 45yrs of playing...smoked the 10k martin i compared it with when buying. Looks like a humidity effect to me. 114 is the bottom of the line.
The bellying is an easy fix, if you know how. JLD bridge doctor from STEW-MAC around 30USD , an hour install, bingo...creates more resonance, a flat soundboard, an improved guitar. I have turned 200usd guitars into GREAT tone machines with this improvement.
I have a 355CE 12 string made in 2000. It plays and sounds beautiful.
I have a MIM Taylor 224ce-k dlx and love it. If I were to rethink my purchase I would still buy it today after trying what's available locally...but I would probably go with the satin finish instead of the gloss. I've only had it a few years now, but it still looks new and sounds better every year. There are definitely some excellent lower priced options available I'm sure, but I'm happy with mine.
I have a Taylor 114e walnut back and sides with Es2 electronics. I think it sounds great and plays great.
Thank you for showing this. Very informative.
I have a Masonite guitar. Such a nice sound and great playability. They're doing wonders with linoleum these days.
Great video, thank you. I remember trying to purchase my very first acoustic guitar (lol, T114, I thought it was fine). Very frustrating. So many companies, so many building techniques, so many natural materials. Too many variables. In some ways, it’s always a crap shoot. Buying your first guitar is like buying your first car without knowing how to drive.
Good points. Your careful case would definitely hold up in court.
Yup. It's a relatively inexpensive Taylor. I'd be more interested if he found these problems on a Taylor 300 or above series guitar. Still, it does appear that Taylor could have their Mexican luthiers take better care. I have a GS mini and a 150e 12-string. They're not top of the line guitars, but I still think I got value for what I paid.
I have owned a high-end Taylor 12-string, that was made in 2016, since 2020. It is a keeper. Not one of their 6-string models has ever interested me. The V-bracing looks like a bad move too.
Wow. A real eye opener for sure. Great information. Thanks for this detailed video.
Well done for highlighting the build quality of three different examples of what you get for your money. This particular Taylor may well be at the small end of their price range, but even that shouldn't mean it's ok to throw it together using shoddy workmanship with scrap pieces of badly finished wood slapped together with the knowledge that the average guitarist wouldn’t even think of looking inside the instrument something Taylor are banking on. Would it really have hurt them to have bothered to make it more structurally sound as after all it looks like the insides were made from remnants from the higher end of the range? I've played a few Tanglewoods and I've found them to be quite consistently good for the money.
Really great info. Thanks for posting
I think Taylor tried to become all things to all guitar players when they started building cheaper guitars and they should not have gone down that road. I bought a 7 series in 1992 and it has had 3 new frets, two set ups and I recently had Gotoh 510s fitted as the original tuners were becoming very worn. It has remained incredibly stable, I have not experienced any issues apart from the fact that the neck is too narrow which can lead (very rarely) to pushing either top or bottom strings past the fret and onto the side of the neck. It seems that manufacturing quality at the lower end of the range is pretty shocking on these 100/200 Taylors and yet they have the nerve to charge big money. This video is a real eye opener, shame on Taylor! Why would you risk your reputation by building substandard guitars that are literally set up to fail and then abdicate all responsibility with a humidity clause?
Wow! If that is a genuine Taylor, I am shocked! I just looked inside my modest collection of guitars (all 'budget' models under £500) and they all have considerably better internal build quality. Even the second-hand Vintage V300 I bought for £50 is better (an amazing guitar for the money)! To be fair to Taylor, my second-hand Baby Taylor is pretty tidy inside but is a fraction of the price of the 114 you feature. Thanks for a very enlightening video!
I'm genuinely surprised and shocked. I have had a 214ce deluxe for 5 years and have never had any trouble with it! It I had around £800 to spend on a new guitar though I would buy a hand-made all solid wood construction Eastman.
I have had one of these for the last 15 years. One of the first batch of 114ce's. It sounds great in the room, but has always sounded shite plugged in. I now see why, although, I had a peek inside mine and it's not this bad, the one in the vid looks a bit newer
Had a 414ce top started the same thing . Then the electronics crapped, so, having no room for failures, Outya go!
I have a Taylor guitar…..and it most definitely doesn’t suck!
Anyone who has played long enough to have left a trail of new and used guitar purchases over the years knows ANY brand, including the most expensive, will put out the odd stinkaroonio which should have been shot and buried, never having seen the outside of whatever plant/shop built it.
It's a miracle that Taylor, Martin, Gibson and on and on, who build thousands of guitars every year, manage to keep these seriously screwed up examples to a bare minimum.
Also, even with the very best examples of these high-end manufacturers some will love them others hate them, way it goes!
Personally, I'm not a fan of Martin but I have great respect for these iconic American guitars. A couple of years ago I was in the market for a new acoustic and had a $2,000 CDN budget, give or take a couple of hundred, and I took my sweet time and picked up every acoustic at three locations in the GTA (Toronto Canada) as well as going through every used acoustic in the same shops, and I didn't like a single Taylor or Martin.
I ended up buying a new Epiphone Excellente, and I just love it!
The other side of the quality/price coin!~
I have a budget black Yamaha FG 340 (very rare to find them painted black) and someone was having a career day when they built it back in 78 or 79 because this axe plays and sounds like "budda" aka butter, and I will never trade or see it, I absolutely love it!!
I've had it for about 25 years and my wife's late uncle John, who gave me the guitar and wouldn't take no for an answer, because I flat out refused to accept it, and wanted him to keep it. I drove to his house one day and left it inside his side door when they were out. By the time I hit a few stores and got home maybe 45 minutes later, it was back! LOL!
She never goes out of tune and always sounds fantastic, and the very first time it had any work was when I did a complete fret job, which it hardly needed, about five years ago.
Sometimes I'll go on an extended run playing some of my other acoustics and it can sit for weeks, but I know whenever I do get back to her she will be in perfect tune, or close to it!
Yamaha has quietly (compared with other labels who put great effort in advertising) been building absolutely awesome guitars in all ranges for decades!! They may not be the sexiest acoustics out there, but regardless of what price range someone may be restricted to, you will NEVER go wrong with Yamaha!
Jack ~'()'~
@@bronzesnake7004 Ifdthe design calls for a single brace.. that is not the "odd stinkaroonio" it is deliberate misrepresentation of what a guitar should be.
It's all about the money.
Well done you. Excellent advice.
Ian a luthier in Puertorico and i have to say that they don’t make X bracing with three braces. They do it with the notch in the middle, they’re only tow braces on the X. If the customer do not care of the safety of his instrument this problems will be there.
Thanks for the "insider view" on these guitars. The Taylor, being the cheapest full size model in the lineup, could have definitely been better constructed and executed. Clearly a quick and cheap build using cheap labour.
Having said that, when it comes to correcting the action on Taylors, you shouldn't even consider shaving the saddle. Your first step should be resetting the neck with a thicker set of shims. That would have addressed the action despite the top belly.
Excellent video. I subscribed. 879 Pounds? That's over $1100 U.S! I'm a Yamaha guy, and have no shame about it. I have always thought that Taylors (and Martins) are over-priced. I am not a luthier, nor am I a professional guitar tech, but have done many guitar repairs and set-ups over the decades. This guitar is a mess. So much for quality control.
Top end yamaha and furch guitars are far superior to High end Taylors these days.
I'm not a fan of Taylors ever since I first encountered them many years ago. BUT, I wish you would do this level of analysis on a higher model. That being said, I found your look inside these guitars to be instructive and enjoyable. Thanks.
I would like to see him do another video on the same model. Taylor braces the back of their guitars. That looks nothing lol the inside of my Taylor 314 which is a lesser model.
This is a brilliant review and critique. I’ve played guitar for 41 years and I very nearly bought a $7500 Taylor (a different model to this one), but found a more beautiful and stunning TAKAMINE, which remains in perfect tune to this day after 25 years of hard playing. Prior to this video I held very high regard for TAYLOR BRAND guitars based on my experience of playing many of them and liking them all.
But I am utterly shocked at this appalling example of shoddy workmanship. I saw the title of the video and assumed it would be junk. Instead, WM is clearly a very accomplished and well qualified Luthier. I feel he has been very fair to TAYLOR here with his voiceover. If it were me I would have gone even harder.
But one thing is certain. My next guitar WILL NOT BE A TAYLOR. They should have given this customer a full replacement of a model of his choosing, along with a QA Certification and they should have honoured their Warranty - the fact they didn’t is my main concern and that’s the reason I will never buy one because they clearly cannot be trusted to stand by their own promise, and their QA process is catastrophic. Cheap junk from China would probably play better. Very poor form TAYLOR GUITARS. 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎
Great video WM Guitars 👍
You’ve won a new subscriber.
I bought a guitar from a Chinese website for around $400. I was shocked when I got it, that headstock was the Taylor logo. I have a 912CE and a 414ce and a GS Mini Koa. None of them are made like the guitar you are showing. My knockoff Taylor does look very familiar. You might want to ask your client where he got it.
I’ve owned Taylor’s for 25 years. Everything from 200 series up to Builder’s Editions. If you take care of them with proper humidification, they’re great guitars. Crisp, articulate, full tone and response. The more you play them, the more seasoned they get.
I had a Taylor 614. The standard series Martins cost less, and are better. I like the way Taylor does nylon string guitars. The neck is perfect.
FINALLY, someone brave enough to address the elephant in the room.
I bought a Taylor in 2013, the 110 model for $450 brand new. It is amazing. Never had to do any work on it at all. Stays in tune. I am guessing their QC has declined.
A thousand usd for a Mexican made, laminated guitar. Absolutely nutty before you even pointed the other things out
Absolutely true
@@coiner105 I had no Idea that there were even Mexican made Taylor's. I have only seen them made in California. Are the Mexican ones only for the European market?
@VajrahahaShunyata the 300 series and up guitars are made in California. Anything lower is made in their factory in Mexico, which is like 50 miles from the American factory in El Cajon, California. Still all very well built guitars and I have never picked one up and been disappointed. Even with the Mexican made 100 and 200 series.
I wouldn't have gotten it.
I agree 1000%. The 214ce-k is now around 1600 out the door. That's insane considering the amazing guitars one can get in that price range
I must say my acoustic of choice is Gibson but I do have a Taylor 114 that's about 12 years old that is left out all year round when
the humidity in my house is very low and I haven't had any issues at all with it. I put some lighter strings which has actually made it sound better and it is very playable. I've seen the same type of videos with Gibson. I'm sure they all have their flaws and it's a matter of taste.
As far as sound forget about it, everyone will have a different opinion.
Have to agree totally. Seen them on the wall at stores! People pick one up like its a master piece guitar! Same thing big belly in the guitar Overpriced junk!. .Seen 20year old Yamaha play & sound better?!
I have this exact Taylor guitar model. It plays great, stays in tune, great intonation, electronics are solid. Is it full of overbuilds and high end woods? No, and it didn’t need to be.
It’s a great instrument at this price point.
It's not, as demonstrated, since you can get much better - and without structural weaknesses/flaws - for much less.
This is interesting - I bought a Taylor and didn’t get on with the Expression system at all. It went back to Taylor and when I got it back it still kept cutting out on stage. I couldn’t trust it after that. Very heavy guitar too. It sat in the case unplayed for 11 years then I traded it for a Gibson American Eagle which is awesome.
If I saw pictures of the inside construction of that guitar without first knowing it was a Taylor, I would have guessed that it was an entry level guitar made in China.
I bought a 314CE years ago when the pre-amp had AA batteries in it which rotted out and, well, you know that story. As my playing went more into tapping and harmonics, I found that the bolt on neck was sonically a detriment and the guitar is just taking up space in a closet.
I have handled and played a bunch of Taylors including 50th Ann. $10k+ models. They always feel too heavy for any given size. I own a D35 Martin and an OMC16. My guitar mentor has 2 800 series models and they are bricks by comparison. On top of that almost all of them I pick up are so poorly set up from the factory as to be unplayable. Local shop had a Taylor Parlor slot head 12 fret on the wall. Even had a finish I could like. Picked it up and did not even try to play it. Strings at least 3mm off 1st fret by nut. I have never picked up an unplayable new Martin and I have owned 5 in total (all USA Martins and Taylors for comparison).
Taylor sound is kind of sterile to my ear acoustically. Plugged in they sound great but so does my 1960s plywood $80 Framus Texan with an eBay sound hole pickup.
Taylor has been going down in quality for several years. In the 1990's and early 2000's they made great guitars. They BS about making all the improvements to guitars is nothing but cost saving measures while raising prices. and it'd gotten worse since Andy Powers took over.
Amen brother.
Yes, because Taylor found out idiots would pay just as much or more for a substandard guitar as they would for a fine instrument. Their market segment went from guitar players to profilers just wanting folks to see that Taylor name on the headstock.
They used to be 100% made in the US. Now they are shit made by cheap labor across the border?
I have a 1996 910 (original owner) and it's a ridiculously good guitar. I've played some really nice Tayors recently so it depends on which model you buy. Not much different than any other guitar company.
Imho they were never "great". . They were never exciting. Very even sounding (some, called "balanced"), nothing stood out. A middle of the road dependable instrument only.
Very informative video
great education in comparing the internal structural elements of one guitar to another. Great educational video. Thanks for that...
All Taylor's up to series 2 are made in Mexico, 3 and upwards are made in USA
And that's just the thing I have a Mexican roadwornTelecaster cause I'm not really a tele guy but it's turned out to be my favorite telecast i've ever played I actually like it better than my friends real 50s. So fender has a budget line in Mexico that delivers the goods why can't Taylor
Wow really?
Faith brand guitars are well worth a look ! Tanglewood often end up in 2nd hand shops.
Wow, suddenly I realize that the amazing Taylor I bought only after playing every other guitar in the shop, many of which cost several times as much, is in fact not a good guitar after all even though it projects astonishingly, feels alive in my hands and has a rich sound I've never heard from anything else but another Taylor.
Thanks for this not at all clickbait video, which I assure you I actually took the time to watch.
I agree.
Same...lol...but at least it might make me take more notice of build quality when I do find one I like the sound and feel of.
I had a 114-CE for a few years. It was perfect on all levels. It had perfect action and it sounded beautiful (considering it is what Taylor considers their entry-level guitar). But, in all fairness to your video, I never went inside the body with a cool little camera to pick it apart construction-wise like you were able to. Also, in my 50 years of playing guitar professionally, I never really even thought about doing that because I was so completely thrilled with the instrument as a player's guitar. It kept nicely up with my 4 other Taylors. 2 of them (314-CE and 315-CE) 25 and 18 years old). Frankly, your video demonstrates more that you are over-thinking something here. It seems like you are not a fan of Taylors to make such negative sweeping generalizations about them. Stick your camera into the body of any guitar and you will most likely find some cosmetic flaws. Also, anything could happen to a guitar in 6 months. Maybe it's the lighting, but it looks to me that the owner of this 6-month-old Taylor hasn't even bothered to peel the protective plastic off the pickguard yet. Could it be that they have just generally neglected this guitar because of lack of connection or bonding with it. Maybe left it out on a guitar stand sitting beside the fireplace. Who knows? Do you? Anything can happen to a guitar in 6 months to dry it out or and warp the wood (top) from being too damp if it is left neglected. I used to be the guitar setup guy at a Long & McQuade in Canada and I too can say a few things about guitar quality and construction. You really seem to have it out for this Taylor. This video would be quite enough for me to stay away from going to you as a guitar setup guy. I guess I was just lucky. All 5 of my Taylors were top-shelf in every way. The ones I still own still are perfect. They have aged well. My 50+ years of playing have me loving Taylors. I don't think I have ever played one that wasn't consistently excellent. But, then, I didn't over-think them. I just played them.
I have a 13 year Taylor 600 series and a 10 year old Presentation series. Both guitars have been perfect since new and are built entirely differently to this new Mexico one. Taylor make great guitars but it seems they trade on their name to get away with poor quality on their lower end models.
I've been gigging my Taylor 814 for over 20 years. I got it refretted with stainless steel frets and plekked about 6 years ago. It is the best playing guitar I've got overall, action is perfect, even 6 years after the setup, even with the previous 14 years I played it before. I've made tens of thousands of dollars playing that guitar.
He is looking at a model that is closer to the bottom of the line than the top, so that is a big difference. It is braced differently than my 814. Taylors provide a top notch playing experience overall, so before you say no to this brand, do a little research, get a second opinion.
I'm not saying this tech is wrong, that he is not seeing what he is seeing, I'm not trying to dismiss his evaluation but I WOULD say this has not been my experience, at all (and again, the 814 model is about as good a Taylor as you can get). You get what you pay for, and if you can get a better guitar for the same or less money , then by all means do so.
One last thing...my Taylor 814 was bought so I didn't have to beat up a custom guitar I own. After 20 years of gigging, the Taylor, although road worn, is the superior sounding guitar. These things, when played, will grow from a good guitar into a great guitar and that is not true for every guitar out there.
This is a CLICK BAIT, 'cause he had to do this. It's clear to me that this guy is just promoting their own brand of guitar.
And that's why he's bias against Taylor and had to talk bad about Taylor. Every guitar manufacturers have their own flaws and imperfections with their guitars, either high-end models or cheap models of theirs.
There can be a lot of factors or reasons why or how an acoustic guitars can go bad or unplayable. Number one is CARE and MAINTENANCE.
Guitar owners and players are responsible for their own actions. Obviously, they have to take good care of their own guitars and practice good and proper maintenance on their instruments, so that they can stay on their best condition everytime, that's it.