10 year old Taylor, ES 1.3

[rschultz]

Hi,

I'm considering a local Taylor 214ce DLX. Anything to be aware of? It has the ES 1.3 which I'm not opposed to (some say it's better than ES2). Pictures look like it's in great shape.
I am wondering about neck angle and belly bulge... does that happen on Taylors over time?

Thanks.

[leew3]

Originally Posted by rschultz

Hi,

I'm considering a local Taylor 214ce DLX. Anything to be aware of? It has the ES 1.3 which I'm not opposed to (some say it's better than ES2). Pictures look like it's in great shape.
I am wondering about neck angle and belly bulge... does that happen on Taylors over time?

Thanks.

I can only respond from my limited experience so be careful not to generalize this to all Taylors. I have a 2006 GS-6 and a 2012 814ce. I've had the preamp in the GS-6 replaced but other than this have had no trouble with either in terms of the neck angle or belly bulge. The ES-1 takes a bit of EQ to dampen the midrange but both of them sound good amplified. These are both actively gigged and kept cased in a climate and humidity controlled room when they are home. I hope this helps.

[drtedtan]

A belly can bulge on any guitar, but a Taylor with a bolt on neck is quick, easy, and cheap to reset if ever necessary, so that shouldn’t be a concern IMO.

As for the electronics, I’m one who prefers the ES1.3 to the ES2, but like leew3 said, both will require some EQ to sound their best.

Go play it and, if you like it, I say buy it.

[rschultz]

Just purchased it for $725! Seems like a good deal for a 214ce DLX. The action is high, 0.120-0.090". Not terrible, I but should be able to bring it down. One of the drawbolts on the case is missing, will fix that.

But overall fantastic shape for a 10 year old guitar. Absolutely no scratches on it. The case is a bit beat up... but I can live with or fix that.

[edward993]

Originally Posted by rschultz

Just purchased it for $725! Seems like a good deal for a 214ce DLX. The action is high, 0.120-0.090". Not terrible, I but should be able to bring it down. One of the drawbolts on the case is missing, will fix that.

But overall fantastic shape for a 10 year old guitar. Absolutely no scratches on it. The case is a bit beat up... but I can live with or fix that.

First off, when you say "belly bulge" do you mean the back? The Taylor 100/200s have an arched back. Which is why they have no bracing on the back; this is by design.

Secondly, the NT neck allows a simple reset to re-establish the proper neck geometry. Do not merely shave the saddle! Contact Taylor and obtain the proper neck shims so that you can reset the neck properly, and do so by design. That's the beauty of the NT: ease, precision, at ability to perform it at any time and without any intrusive work onto the guitar. And Taylors are very stable over years, dare say decades.

As for the ES, I presume the guitar is model year ca 214: anything from 2010 to around 2014 will be ES1.3 or ES2. There was overlap in this era: if you have 3 allen screws on the bridge behind the saddle, that's ES2; if not, it's the former. Taylor also had the ES-T which I think was available on some years of the 100s, but this should not apply to the 200 series. Fwiw, I use both 1.3 and ES2 and absolutely, unequivocally prefer the live tone of the 1.3 without hesitation. Have you confirmed it works?

Edward

[Guitars44me]

“ As for the ES, I presume the guitar is model year ca 2014. anything from 2010 to around 2014 will be ES1.3 or ES2. There was overlap in this era: if you have 3 allen screws on the bridge behind the saddle, that's ES2; if not, it's the former. Taylor also had the ES-T which I think was available on some years of the 100s, but this should not apply to the 200 series. Fwiw, I use both 1.3 and ES2 and absolutely, unequivocally prefer the live tone of the 1.3 without hesitation. Have you confirmed it works?”

I too prefer the ES1.3 of all the Taylor pups over the years and I have had em all.

Must say I like a regular old K&K passive under bridge plate pup even better, but the 1.3 is dang nice, and does sound closest to a good condenser mic of all Taylor’s pups.

Do the neck set properly with the shims, or have a good tech do it. Setups are worth it to me!

Have FUN

Paul

[rschultz]

Originally Posted by edward993

First off, when you say "belly bulge" do you mean the back? The Taylor 100/200s have an arched back. Which is why they have no bracing on the back; this is by design.

Secondly, the NT neck allows a simple reset to re-establish the proper neck geometry. Do not merely shave the saddle! Contact Taylor and obtain the proper neck shims so that you can reset the neck properly, and do so by design. That's the beauty of the NT: ease, precision, at ability to perform it at any time and without any intrusive work onto the guitar. And Taylors are very stable over years, dare say decades.

As for the ES, I presume the guitar is model year ca 214: anything from 2010 to around 2014 will be ES1.3 or ES2. There was overlap in this era: if you have 3 allen screws on the bridge behind the saddle, that's ES2; if not, it's the former. Taylor also had the ES-T which I think was available on some years of the 100s, but this should not apply to the 200 series. Fwiw, I use both 1.3 and ES2 and absolutely, unequivocally prefer the live tone of the 1.3 without hesitation. Have you confirmed it works?

Yes the pickup works and sounds nice, although I haven't confirmed it's ES1.3... the seller told me it's ES1.3. I'm don't think the neck needs reset.

[rschultz]

Did a setup on it last night. Neck angle is perfect, straight edge down the fretboard kisses the top of the bridge. Neck relief is 0.009”, seems good. Action was a little high at 0.110-0.085, I brought that down to 0.100-0.080”. New battery, new strings. It has TaylorSense, kinda neat.

My wife asked me how it sounded and played. Without hesitation I said:
“Sounds like a Taylor. Plays like a Taylor. Sounds great, plays great.”

I will say I noticed a difference between the ES1.3 and what I remember of the ES2, I sold my 714 (with ES2) a couple years ago. ES1.3 has a little more midrange to my ear and the B string seems a bit hot, not necessarily bad, just different.

[drtedtan]

HNGD!

Glad to hear that it’s a good one.