Taylor nylon acoustic-electric

[alisa53]

Anybody experienced with the Taylor nylon acoustic-electrics? I'm interested in the 414-CE-N. Can't find anywhere to test-drive one, and worried about buying it without getting a chance to play it. Would appreciate any feedback. Particularly wondering about the action (higher than average classicals)? Is it short-scale? Drawbacks?

[Dave T]

I briefly owned a 514ce-N 14-fret but traded it in on a 512ce-n 12-fret. I prefer the smaller body and shorter reach because of arthritis and disability that keeps me seated for all my guitar playing.

The 512 has opened nicely and sounds good un-plugged. I do not like the sound of this guitar when amplified and now wish I had ordered it without the electronics. The problem may be my poor knowledge of how to set up and electrified guitar, or it may be that I want the amp to produce the same sound I hear when the guitar is un-plugged, and it seems incapable of doing that. Don't know for sure.

As for the guitar, my biggest complaint (other than the amp problem above) is that the string width a the saddle is a little narrow for my finger-style playing. I come from being a classical owner and they have lots more room between the strings. I miss that.

Guitar is well made and the action is lower than the last classical I had, an Alhambra 7P.

Dave

[darylcrisp]

owned one and have played a couple.

i definitely recommend playing or having the recourse to return the instrument.

the taylors i played were excellent in build and nice woods-they are on the quiet side acoustically. plugged in they are as loud as your equipment.

action can be set very low, easy to play. i really like the feel and quality, the projection while played acoustic did not impress me.

d

[Tony Done]

I tried one, I can't recall which, and wasn't impressed with the acoustic tone. The reviews I've read use words like "polite" when describing the tone.

I would definitely suggest trying before buying.

[Jeff Scott]

I have a NS62ce that I got in September. Compared to several "true" classical guitars I have played the tone of the Taylor is (to me) more balanced, without the pronounced midrange emphasis of the classical guitars, which may be why Taylor NS guitars sound quieter, but it is plenty loud for my own solo needs. The action is nice and low and the slight radius of the fingerboard along with it being a bit narrower than classical guitars is a boon to playability for those of us who grew up on standard (steel string) guitars.

I agree with the comment about the sound of the pickup, the tone is much brighter and loses most of the tonal qualities of a nylon string guitar; in my case the guitar already had the ES-N system in it as it was a NOS instrument I got at a Taylor [No]Road Show (the show was cancelled due to a storm but the instruments were already at the shop ), otherwise I would probably have ordered it without the pickup, although it does come in handy for making demo recordings of my music in GarageBand. For "serious" recording I will mic the guitar.

[TVinYpsi]

I owned a Taylor NS34ce (essentially similar to the 414ce-N) and liked it a lot. Classical players find fault with the Taylor nylon string guitars. But Taylor seems to have designed them steel string players who want to cross over from time to time, so they are less like classical guitars and more like steel string guitars.
The action on my NS34 was not particularly high, and in any case the strings are under much lower tension than steel, so even if you're used to very low action, the nylon strings will not feel more difficult to play.
The Taylor Auditorium size body is much bigger in the lower bouts than a classical guitar at ~16-inches, and this affects how the player will hold the guitar when playing. Its size seems to make it ill-suited to the typical classical guitar player's posture & technique.
The tone of the NS34 was fairly strong in the bass strings. The 'G' string generally sounded dull or 'tubby' and did not resonate strongly with the body. I bought a Hannebach wound 'G' string to see if that would help, but never got around to trying it before trading the guitar in. I used 'Titanium' trebles from D'Addario for a brighter sound with a little more bite than the stock standard nylon trebles.
The pickup worked well; add a little reverb and you can sound like Pat Metheny.
The Taylor NS34ce was superior in tone, power, and manufacturing quality to the Cordoba, Yamaha, and Alvarez hybrids that I also tried.
If you're serious about expanding your tool-kit with nylon strings, and you are normally a steel-string acoustic player, I recommend you go ahead and buy a Taylor and give it more than a 1-day or 'in-the-shop' trial. Play nylon for two or three months before deciding whether or not it's for you.
Taylor seems to have very consistent manufacturing technique, so one Taylor of a given model should perform roughly as well as another.
And if you're in Michigan, go to Elderly in Lansing and ask to try out the Taylor NS34ce that was recently traded in! [limited practice time, so I decided to stick with phosphor-bronze!]

[alisa53]

thanks, all - pleased to report my local Sam Ash is going to get a 214-ce-N for me to try. Apparently there is one in a nearby store (well, New York, which is not all that near to Virginia, but they're willing to make the offer). Although the 214s are not solid woods, at least I can check out the playability, sound and action. Don't much care if it's on the quieter side - I have several pretty loud guitars, and this one would often be plugged in. Just like a nice, even guitar, and am particularly cautious about action (having learned on a classical), and that scale issue. Recently picked up something with a shorter scale and found I just couldn't get my fingers to make proper chords higher up the fretboard, by the cutaway. Certainly don't have chubby fingers. Can't figure why that was so. But now I'm especially cautious about that. Thanks for the input, everyone!

[jmiked0]

I've had a Taylor NS-32ce for about 10 years, and I like it. It is easy to play, what with the fingerboard radius and a slightly lowered action. As others have said, the acoustic sound isn't all that loud although it is OK for practice and playing for a few friends. I very much prefer the 12-fret over the 14-fret models, because they are easier for me to play.

I wasn't happy with the sound of the piezo pickup that was standard, so I bought a McIntyre contact microphone and stuck it under the top. Now I like the plugged-in sound a lot.

Although I can't prove it, I think the overall sound is better now than when I bought it new in 2003.

[dosland]

I'm surprised that you're seriously considering a Taylor NS, given that you learned on a classical. I also learned on the classical side, and when I test drove a Taylor NS 24 a couple years ago, I was totally unimpressed. I'm glad you have the chance to check it out so you know what you're getting into, the action is likely to be quite nice, but, for me, everything else about it (even plugged in) was totally off-putting: lack of tone, fragile and thin across the middles, lack of resonance, etc. (I don't think this is all due to my lack of playing skill, though some of it may be). Some people complain that the Taylor NS tends to be overbuilt, since Taylor's coming at it from the steel-building side of things. That said, I don't have the same steel string experience that most people around here have, so I'm pretty sure that would make a big difference to how I interact with a Taylor NS. Good luck with the 214, if you like that, then everything up the pricing chain from there will be even better! I think you're wise to focus on the 414 as a candidate, if you're totally committed to the Taylor brand.

[alisa53]

Yup - that's why I'm focused on giving it a shot. Totally unsure how I would/wouldn't like it. Although I learned on a classical, I've played steel strings recently. The Taylor is a bit of a hybrid and (as I think I get it) more of a "generalist's" instrument. My style is more pop-classical these days. MIGHT be a good fit. Might not. Don't want to take a shot on it without having some idea first - and certainly not if I'm paying shipping on something.

[Jeff Scott]

Where do you live? There may be someone around you with a Taylor NS you can check out.

[alisa53]

I'm close to Charlottesville, Virginia. As I said, the Sam Ash in Richmond is bringing in a 214-ce-n for me to try. I wouldn't buy that one - would prefer solid wood - but at least will have a general idea of how they sound and play.

[Jeff Scott]

Well, if you get a reason to come up to the Cleveland, Ohio area you are more than welcome to try my NS62ce. Solid Engelmann spruce with big leaf maple b&s.

[alisa53]

thanks a million - you're not far from the Serpent Mound, which I've always wanted to see - so, who knows?

[Jeff Scott]

Serpent Mound is a lot closer to Cinci than Cleveland, but if you are into historical stuff we do have some great things in Cleveland. Case in point is Lakeview Cemetery:

http://www.lakeviewcemetery.com/index.php

Lots of history buried here!