Used 2015 Taylor Guitars 614ce

Maple Magic

Andy Powers is a visionary, a genius, and possibly a wizard. Whether he has magic powers or not, he has revolutionized the world of acoustic guitar design as Taylor's master guitar designer. One of his first projects was to redesign of Taylor's 600 Series guitars, and his enhancements put his brilliance on full display. Basically, Andy re-defined what a guitar with maple back and sides can be.

The 600 series features guitars with spruce tops and maple back and sides. This classic combo has produced many legendary sounds, but some guitarists are a bit leery of dipping their toes into the wonderful world of maple. Though maple-bodied guitars are renowned for their bright, clear, transparent tone and exceptional articulation, they can sound a bit strident and thin until the aging process mellows them out. Andy Powers sought to rectify this problem and craft a maple-bodied acoustic that everyone could love.

Torrefaction Attraction

In order to accomplish this Herculean feat, Andy utilized the magic of torrefaction. Basically, torrefaction is when you heat a piece of wood to somewhere between 200 and 320 °C. At that point, the wood dries out and develops a cellular structure similar to an actual vintage instrument that has aged naturally.

More importantly, the torrefaction process imparts a vintage sound. Guitars with torrefied tops have a warmer, woodier timbre with a rounder attack and greater openness. All of these qualities are heavenly when paired with maple. You get crisp, quick response, fast decay, superb articulation, and a bright chiming high end from maple. Then, the torrefied top gives that sound a healthy sunny glow by smoothing out the harsh edges and providing balancing warmth.

Normally, maple guitars are bright and transparent. The redesigned 600 series still sounds transparent, but now the guitars mostly sit right in the middle of the spectrum between bright and dark. By using torrefied tops and tweaking the bracing pattern, Andy Powers has redefined what is possible with maple.

A Maple Monster

We're proud to showcase such an inspiring instrument for our exceptional customers. Thanks to Andy Powers's redesign, the 614ce sounds like no maple guitar you've ever heard. We invite you to pick one up, give it a strum, and experience the magic of maple. Once you do, you'll be completely addicted to the 614ce's sweet sounds.

Condition Report

This 614ce is clean, mean acoustic machine! It has a few marks on the top (mostly small ones below the bridge and one near the pickguard), and the frets show some light wear, but that's all there is to report. It comes with its original hardshell case, too!