Help me choose please!!

[bwatteful]

Well my dream guitar has been a 914c with cindy inlay, I have been saving up for this for a while and I am now in the ballpark and have the cash. I just came across a 912c pretty close to my house, it has no ES system and has the cindy inlay, its a 2000. I have always seemed to be pretty picky about the guitar being a 914, but how much different is the grand concert from the grand auditorium? Is there much of a difference tone wise or shape wise? I have to say that I love the sound of all taylors, but I just loved the shape of the x14's, Ive never paid attention to the x12's before now. Thanks

[walkin_man]

If you have the money, buy what you want. However, there's no harm in trying out the guitar. If you find the 912 size and sound suits you, then you've got an extra 2 grand to buy a second guitar.

[Ed422]

The x12 and x14 are very different guitars. I'd say give the x12 a try and see if you like it but don't expect them to sound similar.

Ed

[quaddoc54]

In another active thread on this forum, Bill Nichols is selling what looks like "mint" 914ce. Looks like a magnificent guitar - might be worth looking at. Best of luck to you and your search.

[e8n]

Originally Posted by bwatteful

Well my dream guitar has been a 914c with cindy inlay, I have been saving up for this for a while and I am now in the ballpark and have the cash. I just came across a 912c pretty close to my house, it has no ES system and has the cindy inlay, its a 2000. I have always seemed to be pretty picky about the guitar being a 914, but how much different is the grand concert from the grand auditorium? Is there much of a difference tone wise or shape wise? I have to say that I love the sound of all taylors, but I just loved the shape of the x14's, Ive never paid attention to the x12's before now. Thanks

If you have your heart set on a 914 I would hold out for it. As is suggested in this threat there are some really nice ones in the For Sale section of this site and would fit the bill and save you some money.

-Dave

[Scott Whigham]

Are there any stores close to you that also have a 914 in stock? That way you could play both and there would be no guesswork.

[Tiger519]

And of course the new 914's have Cindy inlays Hoping mine will arrive next month!

[Herb Hunter]

There is enough of a difference between a grand auditorium guitar and a grand concert that, for the most part, I have no interest in the smaller guitar but I like Walking Man's advice. It wouldn't hurt to try one. You might like the smaller guitar much more than I do. Just be sure to play a 914 or 814 before you go try the 912.

[dpoirier]

Originally Posted by Ed422

The x12 and x14 are very different guitars. I'd say give the x12 a try and see if you like it but don't expect them to sound similar.

Ed

Hey Ed, can you elaborate a bit? I'm actually curious as to how the x12, x14 *and* x16 sound relative to one another (from the same series / tonewoods). In other words, just the sonic impact of the body shape/size.

I know, I could travel to a well-stocked shop that has them all, but no such luck in my area. If you could provide some general tendencies of these different shapes, I'd be grateful.

[D. Dubya]

I played a Taylor GA (414kce) for a long time and loved it. Lately, however, I've decided that I really like a smaller guitar that's more comfortable under my right arm. So, I'm thinking about picking up a 312ce. The GC body is a bit smaller and not as deep as the GA. This makes it very comfortable, but you do give up some bass and some overall volume. Of course, Rosewood is a great wood for lending some thump to a smaller body so, I would highly recommend at least playing the 912.

Here's a comparison. By the way, Taylor changed up the GC a bit in 2004.

GA (x14):
Body Depth: 4-5/8"
Body Width: 16"
Body Length: 20"
Scale Length: 25-1/2"

2000 GC (x12):
Body Depth: 4-1/8"
Body Width: 15"
Body Length: 19-1/2"
Scale Length: 25-1/2"

2004 - Current GC (x12):
Body Depth: 4-3/8"
Body Width: 15"
Body Length: 19-1/2"
Scale Length: 24-7/8"

[olrocker]

This is the most basic parameters but, the larger the lower bout, the stronger the bass fundamentals. Nice thing about the Taylor is that, while the bass gets stronger as you go larger, you don't necessarily lose the upper end. It stays sharp and crisp, and still cuts thru the bass on all models so, generally speaking...x14 is "bass-ier' than x12, and x16 is "bass-ier' than x14.

[fishstick_kitty]

I've owned both sizes (at the same time) and prefer the *14 sound. Yeah it's a little more uncomfortable, but the sound difference is significant. Not that the *12 size is bad...it's great!!! It's just missing some of the thump and tends to accentuate a different (higher) frequency range.

[riorider]

I agree with fishstick, but part of that is what you want to use it for. If you are playing quiet, intimate fingerstyle, the x12 is a great shape - comfortable, articulate, sweet.

If you are going to be doing some strumming for ensemble or vocal accompaniment, you may want the fuller tone of the x14. That was the decision I made - moving from an x12 to an x14 (but I kept the x12).

The x16 is even more of what I wanted, and for standing with a strap and doing the same ensemble strumming, I'd lean that way these days (the only GS I have is a 12 string, which is great, but I can't really compare it for you).

The x14 is the "swiss army knife" of the Taylor line, though - it compromises only slightly but is able to handle light fingerstyle, flatpicking, and full-on strumming well, with good volume and clarity. For your "one guitar to do it all", I'd lean x14.

I hope this helps!

Phil

[Ed422]

Originally Posted by dpoirier

Hey Ed, can you elaborate a bit? I'm actually curious as to how the x12, x14 *and* x16 sound relative to one another (from the same series / tonewoods). In other words, just the sonic impact of the body shape/size.

I know, I could travel to a well-stocked shop that has them all, but no such luck in my area. If you could provide some general tendencies of these different shapes, I'd be grateful.

I think Dubya and Olrocker have pretty well covered it. The basic thing is bass. The bigger the bout, the more bass you get. But, I think there's more to it. Each body shape has it's inherent "EQ curve". To get a similar sound out of each requires adaptations in technique. The on top of the sound there are the ergonomics. Some people like a big jumbo (x15) and some can't play them because they are so big. Some like the small GC (x12) and some find them too small to hold comfortably. All or any of that may Or may not matter to you. It's a great age when we have all the options available.

Ed

[fishstick_kitty]

Originally Posted by riorider

The x16 is even more of what I wanted, and for standing with a strap and doing the same ensemble strumming, I'd lean that way these days

Hehe...the GS shape is the only one I own now...LOVE IT!!