Taylor 514-CE any good? Compared to the GS5/GA5

[Tayloway]

I may be trading my R. Taylor Style 1 for one of these + cash.

My Style 1 is cedar and mahogany and so is the 514-CE. The Style 1 is a GS body style and the 514-CE is a GA.

I'll be honest. I've never really cared for sitka-rosewood Grand Auditoriums I've played before. Too bright for my ears. The GS is much preferred and the GS with cedar/hog is even better.

The cash is really the selling point for me. I just want to know what to expect out of the 514-CE. It's from 2002 and it has a fishman pickup from the factory.

Do you think the cedar top warms things up enough for me to like it, or does it still have the Taylor GA "zingyness". Also, does anyone know what a fair price is for a used one? What do they typically go for? I know we can't discuss that stuff openly, so if anyone wants to shoot me a PM I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

[edward993]

Your ears ...your preferences ...who knows w/o you hearing it.

But since you asked, I would say no, keep the RT. I know the cash sounds alluring, but the RT is in a different league from all the production Taylors (yeah, I know, IMHO ...and there will be those with contrary POVs, but I'm firm in this belief). The GA5/514 is nice, but doesn't have the bottom I personally prefer in a guitar. And it sounds like you gravitate toward this as you say you don't care for rw/sit combo, and you call the GA "zingy," in which case the ced/mahog is not in comparison to spruce; but the former still is kind a bright compared with its bigger brother in ced/mahog.

Given what I "think" is the tenor of your post, I'd say you want a GS5/516. That said, the RT likely trumps them all. And I say "likely" only because I have not specifically tried a cedar/mahog 1, but I own an RT in spruce/maple, and have compared other spruce RTs to their Taylor counterparts, and the RT really belts out a deeper, bigger, larger-tone overall. As in night/day. I don't know how else to describe it, but the RTs I've had in my hands, including my own, just jump out at you ...and not in brightness or anything "sticking out" as much as it is sheer girth and richness of teh overall tone. All that said, only you can decide whether that difference is worth the cash you'll have in your hands after you trade. I'd say a resounding no; but then you may be ok with it. Maybe you can go to a store armed with your RT and do a side-by-side comparo as that would be the only real way to decide, no?

Edward

[Tayloway]

I agree there's probably no competition in terms of which guitar is BETTER. But "good enough" with a significant amount of cash on top which is what I'm looking for.

I know it's a downgrade but I do need the cash.

How would you say the 514 compares to the GS5?

[Jackson99]

I haven't had a chance to play any other 514s, so perhaps mine is an anomaly... but a comment that I often hear is that 514s lack bass response. But this is definitely NOT the case with mine. I own several other guitars (two of which have rosewood b/s), and my 514 can hold its own with any of them in the bass department. It's a very warm, woody sound with just enough sparkle on the high end to balance it out--but definitely no "zingyness". I can't comment on how it compares to the GS5, since that's the only GS model I've never played... I guess I'm so happy with my 514ce that I've never really felt the need to look at another cedar/mahogany guitar. So to answer your question, in my case, yes--the 514ce is pretty darn good!

[CelticJam]

I've had a GSMC (GS5) and I have a 514ce. I love them both but I still have the 514ce. In my case the GS5 was still a little tight and needed to be broken in. The 514ce is a 2002 with Fishman blender (sounds just like the one you are considering), broken in perfectly. I modified it with a Colosi bone saddle which definitely took it for a turn to the excellent! Kind of a magical guitar.

I think the GS has a bigger sound. I didn't get to play the 514 and the GS side by side (they missed by about a month) but something seemed "thicker" on the GS. Maybe bracing, top graduation or the recommended medium strings. The playability on my old GS seemed a little stiff.

The 514ce seems very light and pliable. For me I think the playability of the 514ce exceeded the GS by a little.

Also, if some one tells you you can't strum a 514ce, I have found that is not the case. Unless you are a major pounder, they hold up very well and sound great. Granted it is not an un-amplified bluegrass band guitar, but for praise and worship and just about everything else, it works. Shines at fingerpicking. It's an all around great guitar.

Hope this helps,
Kevin

[Glennwillow]

Hi Tayloway,

I own a 2002 514CE and recently got rid of a 2007 GS8. I love the 514CE and really disliked the GS8. In particular, I couldn't deal with the need for medium strings on the GS guitars. And the GS8 was very brash sounding even after I changed the saddle to bone and started using DR Sunbeams on it. It improved it a lot but I absolutely hated what it sounded like in DADGAD tuning. It had such a nasty edge to the sound.

I am a fingerstyle player, so the lighter strings on the 514CE are the only way for me to go. It is the easiest guitar I have to play. I also changed the saddle from Tusq to west African Hard Ivory and it really made the guitar come alive. I use D'Addario EJ16 PB lights on it. I like the old Fishman Prefix system because I can use it with the new Fishman Aura Spectrum DI and it sounds WAY better than the ES to my ears. Through the new Fishman Aura it sounds really amazing to me.

If you are a strummer and like the GS type guitar, then the 514CE may not be for you. The GS was absolutely not for me. I traded mine and some cash for a new NS74CE and now I feel so much better.

- Glenn