I have been talking with a guy that is selling his Taylor 214ce. It is is good looking condition with just minor marks here and there. He is the second owner and said when he bought it the electronics on it were not working and doesn’t know why. He told me he would take $400 for it but I would just like some other input on the idea. What would it cost to get electronics replaced or has anyone ever had this sort of issue?
Need advice on Taylor 214ce
It could be something trivial like a loose wire (or even a battery needs to be replaced), and it could be much worse, so the range is going to be pretty wide. I would call Taylor at 1 800 943-6782. They are on pacific time, and open at 8 PST.
The 200 series has a plywood body and is licensed to manufacturers in Mexico (at least I think it is) and doesn’t have the full Taylor ‘expression system’ electronics. Taylor electronics seem to be well-regarded among the people I’ve talked to and in the articles and reviews I’ve read. But the lower-end taylor electronics (100 and 200 series guitars) are not as well-liked. If you wanted a retrofit to the full taylor expression system electronics, you’d probably pay $200 dollars at a taylor dealer. On the other hand, if it is just a broken wire, it’s easy to fix. The real question is, why isn’t it working? Modern guitars don’t just break.
The only reason I’m posting is that I have a taylor 100 and I like it a lot. No electronics though…
Edit: now that I think of it, I don’t think Ben used the Taylor electronics back when he had to play Taylor guitars, so maybe that’s a ‘bad review’ of Taylor electronics
Ditto the positive general Taylor thoughts. My wife has a Taylor as well and it’s a fantastic playing and sounding guitar. The electronics have a nice sound.
Thanks for the advice and help. I think I’m gonna just go ahead and pass on the offer and put the money towards a new guitar, time to head to the music store and play around to see what I like.
I think $400 is a decent price for a 214 even without electronics. However, most people that buy Taylors want to plug in.
as for the ply wood sides and back I am not sure it is ply wood it may be laminated hard woods but it has the same wood on each ply I have seen them advertised as solid wood, though the 210 Ce is one I am speaking of if you look at the specifications it states solid wood on Musicians friend any way unless they have changed it recently . I will check it out on the web site for Taylor,…
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The 200 series has a plywood body and is licensed to manufacturers in Mexico (at least I think it is) and doesn’t have the full Taylor ‘expression system’ electronics. Taylor electronics seem to be well-regarded among the people I’ve talked to and in the articles and reviews I’ve read. But the lower-end taylor electronics (100 and 200 series guitars) are not as well-liked. If you wanted a retrofit to the full taylor expression system electronics, you’d probably pay $200 dollars at a taylor dealer. On the other hand, if it is just a broken wire, it’s easy to fix. The real question is, why isn’t it working? Modern guitars don’t just break.
The only reason I’m posting is that I have a taylor 100 and I like it a lot. No electronics though…
Edit: now that I think of it, I don’t think Ben used the Taylor electronics back when he had to play Taylor guitars, so maybe that’s a ‘bad review’ of Taylor electronics
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Not exactly a ply wood body but a laminated out of the rosewood it is rose wood through and through it is just made up of thinner sheets of rose wood Martin makes ther same type of guitar ,
Laminate, plywood, same diff as far as im concerned. Im not knocking it, I think they are really nice because they are lightweight and solid as a rock. Im not convinced that a solid wood back and sides is all that much nicer. My laminate flooring is harder than hardwood lol. For 400, its a fantastic guitar.
Taylor gets criticized for not having the bass that other guitars have. But like bulldog said, many taylor people like to plug inso it doesnt really matter. Thats why I thought it important to mention that the 200 guitars have different electronics than ‘real’ taylors.
For a comparison, there’s a Taylor 214 (without cutaway & electronics) for $650.00 at Elderly Instruments. Go to elderly.com. & click on used & vintage instruments to see it. Although it’s plywood/laminate, that seems like a good price even with an electronics problem. I’m not a fan of any electronics on an acoustic personally, but I understand the need & different opinions on that.
Taylor guitars are one of the most stable guitars out there & for a very fair price. I think they’re a little underated.
J.W.
I belive that taylor uses state of the art construction and manufacturing. Other companies – like collings – do too. Big name companies like martin are living off their long-past accomplishments, imo, and are embracing obsolete methods that give them short-term payoffs at the expense of their instruments’ long term survivability. The world is advancing, but martin is embracing the romance of the past. To each his own…