Taylor Guitars Limited Legacy 714ce

A Legacy of Tone

Wildwoodians, our friends at Taylor Guitars have been reinventing the acoustic guitar ever since they hit the ground running 1975, and they've changed the landscape of the acoustic world with their innovative designs and fresh approach. Now, to celebrate their 50th Anniversary, they've decided to take a look back and their company's history with their Legacy Collection. Basically, the Legacy Collection is an exploration of where Taylor came from. Based on some of Bob Taylor's earliest designs, Legacy Collection guitars feature X-bracing instead of V-Class bracing in a configuration that hearkens back to the early days of the company, as well as cosmetic appointments inspired by vintage Taylors. This guitar is especially cool, because it's one of the first 100 made, which means that Kurt Lustig and Bob Taylor hand-signed its interior label. What does all of that translate to sonically? Read on and find out!

Sonic Evaluation

When I pulled this Legacy 714ce out of the case, I was immediately blown away by how responsive, dynamic, and rich it sounded. It's one of those guitars that feels like an extension of your hand, responding to your input with lightning precision and impressive speed. What makes it remarkable, though, is how much you can change this serial's timbre by altering your technique. When you play softly, it has a warm, deep, sweet tone full of deep purple and orange overtones. When you dig in, all of a sudden you awash in gorgeous golden-hued sparkles as the low-end and midrange tighten up a bit.

In between those two extremes, you have a vast arrays of tones, which made me feel like a painter with a palette a mile long! Its articulation, note separation, and string-to-string-balance are also world-class, and it handles complex chord voicings with ease. Single-notes also have plenty of weight and presence, even up past the cutaway! If you're looking for an uber-responsive Grand Auditorium with a rich voice, check this serial out!