I'll share a story about this guitar. I spend about two months, visiting a local music store showroom at lunch 1-2 times per week. Almost every visit I had the acoustic room to myself and I played four guitars: The Taylor AD17, Taylor 317, 417 and this 217e SB Plus. I intended to buy the AD17, but this model just kept speaking to me. I had a hard mental time with Made in Mexico and Layered back and sides, but the truth is the 217 just sounds better... not just the AD17 and 317, I think for this body shape, the C-bracing just delivers what the GP body needs to find the right balance and the V-Class just ends up too thin, especially on the open chord strumming.... To my ears this is one of the best 200 series models they've put out. Aside from the different bindings, headstock inlay and gold tuners it looks almost identical to the 417, but again to my ears the C bracing just delivers with this GP body shape.
Glad you wrote this. I’ve been agonizing over an upgrade and just ordered this last night. Still watching reviews and hoping I made the right choice since it’s a big purchase. Glad to hear this take.
@@RetroVann81 It is a great guitar, a hard guitar to put down! But be warned, at this point I've had to exchange two of them. The first had a neck that my local Taylor certified tech pointed out was slightly bowed couldn't be shimmed. To get the action back to factory spec it would have to be replaced... The second had really odd figuring on the top just in one spot that was an eye swore, that guitar played perfect otherwise. Both of those bought through that popular big box guitar store with the red logo.... I got my [third] replacement from an on-line dealer that shows you pictures of the exact guitar you're getting before you buy and out of the box, it needs a setup.... The Taylor tech I went to is a Silver Plus tech he told me he works on hundreds of Taylor guitars every year and he sees this sort of thing on the 100 and 200 series a lot more than the USA built product... The good news is you get a lifetime of neck resets with the guitar.
Amen Brother. My 214esb deluxe is my go to stage guitar recommended as such by Matt Chulka. I love the durability of the layered back and sides. And for $1199 the sound is very comparable to my Yairi Adirondack dreadnaught that I use for more intimate (safer) 😁 venues. 👍🏼❤️
Agreed. The layered back and sides are all real wood. The inside and outside layers that you see through the soundhole and back/sides are about a 1mm layer of rosewood and the inner "core" between is about a 2mm layer of poplar. If you look at a cross-section it's a sandwich of 3 layers in all. No artificial "high pressure laminate" plastics or "printed" woods that other manufacturers use.
Sounds great, but why is it NOBODY ever bothers to demo an acoustic/electric guitar plugged in? Don't you think customers might want to hear that? (Otherwise, why else would I be looking at an electric model at all?)
I wasted a lot of money buying Taylor Guitars until I realized that Yamaha is a lot better and a lot cheaper at the same time! Taylor guitars are beautiful, that’s all!They always sound so thin! My first Taylor 214 sounded very metallic, it was just loud. I had some GS minis too and I can say that I only enjoyed the mahogany one. I own a Yamaha LL16 solid Rosewood with torrified Spruce top and I paid only $900 and oh man! What a full, sweet and gorgeous sound!!! This Taylor in the video sounds ok, but still very metallic due to laminate rosewood that doesn’t have the same full sound and powerful tone of solid rosewood. Taylor is so expensive and delivers so little! It’s a ripoff!
Gilson, vi que você é brasileiro. Eu também sou. Você fala isso porque só experimentou modelos mais baratos da Taylor. Já tive mais de 15 Taylor’s, então acho que conheço bem a marca. Experimenta tocar num Taylor da linha 300 pra cima (todo sólido). Concordo que os violões da Yamaha (linha premium) são ótimos, mas, na minha opinião, Taylor é mais violão. Comparar um LL16 com um Taylor linha 200 (todo sólido x apenas tampo sólido) é complicado. Nesse caso eu também ficaria com o LL16. Resumindo, acho Taylor melhor, mas a Yamaha tem um excelente custo x benefício.
@@diogoramos6228 rapaz eu tive outro Taylor 214 versão limitada Quilted Sapele com spruce top e aquele eu gostei muito do som, mas custou $1699 e não era um vilão todo solido, então no final foi caro por não ser solido. Mas eu vi que tem agora o Taylor 50th Anniversary 314ce que tem solid sapele back and sides, gostei muito, acha que vale a pena esse? Custa $2,799 dividido em 48x pela Stillwater. Eu achei muito bonito ele.
The sound seems incredible. There is no issue with laminate back and sides.
I'll share a story about this guitar. I spend about two months, visiting a local music store showroom at lunch 1-2 times per week. Almost every visit I had the acoustic room to myself and I played four guitars: The Taylor AD17, Taylor 317, 417 and this 217e SB Plus. I intended to buy the AD17, but this model just kept speaking to me. I had a hard mental time with Made in Mexico and Layered back and sides, but the truth is the 217 just sounds better... not just the AD17 and 317, I think for this body shape, the C-bracing just delivers what the GP body needs to find the right balance and the V-Class just ends up too thin, especially on the open chord strumming.... To my ears this is one of the best 200 series models they've put out. Aside from the different bindings, headstock inlay and gold tuners it looks almost identical to the 417, but again to my ears the C bracing just delivers with this GP body shape.
Glad you wrote this. I’ve been agonizing over an upgrade and just ordered this last night. Still watching reviews and hoping I made the right choice since it’s a big purchase. Glad to hear this take.
@@RetroVann81 It is a great guitar, a hard guitar to put down! But be warned, at this point I've had to exchange two of them. The first had a neck that my local Taylor certified tech pointed out was slightly bowed couldn't be shimmed. To get the action back to factory spec it would have to be replaced... The second had really odd figuring on the top just in one spot that was an eye swore, that guitar played perfect otherwise. Both of those bought through that popular big box guitar store with the red logo.... I got my [third] replacement from an on-line dealer that shows you pictures of the exact guitar you're getting before you buy and out of the box, it needs a setup.... The Taylor tech I went to is a Silver Plus tech he told me he works on hundreds of Taylor guitars every year and he sees this sort of thing on the 100 and 200 series a lot more than the USA built product... The good news is you get a lifetime of neck resets with the guitar.
Gorgeous guitar. Wish I could afford this.
I wish this was in a deluxe instead of plus. I think it should definitely come with a hard case at least!
Don’t let the laminate back and sides fool you. I have a 2009 214ce that sounds incredible 👍🏻
Amen Brother. My 214esb deluxe is my go to stage guitar recommended as such by Matt Chulka. I love the durability of the layered back and sides. And for $1199 the sound is very comparable to my Yairi Adirondack dreadnaught that I use for more intimate (safer) 😁 venues. 👍🏼❤️
Agreed. The layered back and sides are all real wood. The inside and outside layers that you see through the soundhole and back/sides are about a 1mm layer of rosewood and the inner "core" between is about a 2mm layer of poplar. If you look at a cross-section it's a sandwich of 3 layers in all. No artificial "high pressure laminate" plastics or "printed" woods that other manufacturers use.
Sounds great, but why is it NOBODY ever bothers to demo an acoustic/electric guitar plugged in? Don't you think customers might want to hear that? (Otherwise, why else would I be looking at an electric model at all?)
Does this get into J45 territory?
I wasted a lot of money buying Taylor Guitars until I realized that Yamaha is a lot better and a lot cheaper at the same time! Taylor guitars are beautiful, that’s all!They always sound so thin! My first Taylor 214 sounded very metallic, it was just loud. I had some GS minis too and I can say that I only enjoyed the mahogany one. I own a Yamaha LL16 solid Rosewood with torrified Spruce top and I paid only $900 and oh man! What a full, sweet and gorgeous sound!!! This Taylor in the video sounds ok, but still very metallic due to laminate rosewood that doesn’t have the same full sound and powerful tone of solid rosewood. Taylor is so expensive and delivers so little! It’s a ripoff!
Gilson, vi que você é brasileiro. Eu também sou. Você fala isso porque só experimentou modelos mais baratos da Taylor. Já tive mais de 15 Taylor’s, então acho que conheço bem a marca. Experimenta tocar num Taylor da linha 300 pra cima (todo sólido).
Concordo que os violões da Yamaha (linha premium) são ótimos, mas, na minha opinião, Taylor é mais violão. Comparar um LL16 com um Taylor linha 200 (todo sólido x apenas tampo sólido) é complicado. Nesse caso eu também ficaria com o LL16. Resumindo, acho Taylor melhor, mas a Yamaha tem um excelente custo x benefício.
@@diogoramos6228 rapaz eu tive outro Taylor 214 versão limitada Quilted Sapele com spruce top e aquele eu gostei muito do som, mas custou $1699 e não era um vilão todo solido, então no final foi caro por não ser solido. Mas eu vi que tem agora o Taylor 50th Anniversary 314ce que tem solid sapele back and sides, gostei muito, acha que vale a pena esse? Custa $2,799 dividido em 48x pela Stillwater. Eu achei muito bonito ele.
If you think this sounds bad you probably need new headphones. Is it the best sounding acoustic? No. Thin? Now you’re just being disingenuous.