I got lucky on eBay last week and picked up a Taylor 114CE with a hardshell case for a pretty screamin' good deal - I really like this thing!
I've been giving guitar lessons using my wife's parlor-sized Luna, and while it worked to get the job done, I have a few gripes with it. The Luna played OK but the string spacing was too narrow to accommodate fingerpicking the way I do, and the guitar went out of tune really easily, especially in humidity, which is an issue because three of my students live within a mile of the ocean. Also - the volume characteristics of a Parlor size didn't match well with all the dreadnaughts and electrics my students use - the Luna just didn't project very well.
After doing some research I selected a Taylor 114CE. I almost went for a 214CE but for some reason I liked the tone of the sapele a little bit better and for some reason the neck on every 114 I tried felt just a little more playable than the 214 did, even though both of them play very well and have 1-11/16" nuts. Since this is going to be a "working" guitar, I liked the satin finish as well, I'm not much of a fan of gloss finishes on acoustics anyways - the less finish on an acoustic the better, IMO. My old Seagull had a light Satin finish and that guitar really resonated well, and so does this one.
It's not the most expensive Taylor out there but it really delivers what I need in spades right now. I'd take it to any gig in a second, too. I'm a happy Taylor owner.
I've been giving guitar lessons using my wife's parlor-sized Luna, and while it worked to get the job done, I have a few gripes with it. The Luna played OK but the string spacing was too narrow to accommodate fingerpicking the way I do, and the guitar went out of tune really easily, especially in humidity, which is an issue because three of my students live within a mile of the ocean. Also - the volume characteristics of a Parlor size didn't match well with all the dreadnaughts and electrics my students use - the Luna just didn't project very well.
After doing some research I selected a Taylor 114CE. I almost went for a 214CE but for some reason I liked the tone of the sapele a little bit better and for some reason the neck on every 114 I tried felt just a little more playable than the 214 did, even though both of them play very well and have 1-11/16" nuts. Since this is going to be a "working" guitar, I liked the satin finish as well, I'm not much of a fan of gloss finishes on acoustics anyways - the less finish on an acoustic the better, IMO. My old Seagull had a light Satin finish and that guitar really resonated well, and so does this one.
It's not the most expensive Taylor out there but it really delivers what I need in spades right now. I'd take it to any gig in a second, too. I'm a happy Taylor owner.
