2007 Taylor 114

[Acousticado]

Hey all. A beginner friend is asking me about a particular Taylor guitar he’s considering locally for a good price. From the serial number, it was built in Oct. 2007. It has no electronics and seems to have a Sapele top, back and sides. I haven’t seen an all Sapele without electronics before. The photo of the label is kinda blurry to know if it’s stating if it was made in Tecate or El Cajon. Can anyone shed light to know if this guitar may be solid b&s? Thanks!

[ataylor]

The 100 series instruments have always been made in Mexico, and have always had laminate back/sides. As for the top, my best guess is that it’s spruce that just appears darker because of the photo quality/lighting and a fair amount of natural aging. I could be wrong though — a phone call to Taylor would be a way to get a bit more clarity.

[Iain1231]

It seems to be built in Mexico in 2007. Its probably a sapele top with laminated sapele sides. Doesnt seem to be a ebony fretboard or bridge to me. Maybe rosewood bridge and fretboard?

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by ataylor

The 100 series instruments have always been made in Mexico, and have always had laminate back/sides. As for the top, my best guess is that it’s spruce that just appears darker because of the photo quality/lighting and a fair amount of natural aging. I could be wrong though — a phone call to Taylor would be a way to get a bit more clarity.

Thanks for the feedback. I could be wrong, but I seem to recall having read in the past that prior to ‘06 or ‘07, 100 and 200 series were made in El Cajon of all solid wood. I’ve tried to find info online about it, but have come up empty.

Originally Posted by Iain1231

It seems to be built in Mexico in 2007. Its probably a sapele top with laminated sapele sides. Doesnt seem to be a ebony fretboard or bridge to me. Maybe rosewood bridge and fretboard?

Thanks. I wondered about the fretboard and bridge wood not being ebony as well.

[Earl49]

Tom, I know that somewhere around that date production moved from El Cajon to the Mexico plant, but I do not know the exact date. The US production was generally solid wood but that may have been only the 200 series? The serial number definitely shows an early 2007 build date. Now the longer serial number starts with a "2" if the guitar is made in Tecate. Again, I don't recall exactly when the 10 and 11 digit serial numbers went into active use. A call to El Cajon is probably in order to clarify things.

Your friend could certainly do a lot worse than a nice used 114. It will be an NT neck, so easy to reset if needed. I still technically own a 114ce that lives in Anchorage for my trips up there (now stopped).

[Steve DeRosa]

Could be a skunkworks one-off - LA Guitars had some prototype hog-top 100's for sale a few years ago, so this one might have been an earlier experiment targeted at Martin's 000/J-15 models (viz. the rosewood fingerboard/bridge)...

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

Thanks for the feedback. I could be wrong, but I seem to recall having read in the past that prior to ‘06 or ‘07, 100 and 200 series were made in El Cajon of all solid wood. I’ve tried to find info online about it, but have come up empty.

Thanks. I wondered about the fretboard and bridge wood not being ebony as well.

Originally Posted by Earl49

Tom, I know that somewhere around that date production moved from El Cajon to the Mexico plant, but I do not know the exact date. The US production was generally solid wood but that may have been only the 200 series? The serial number definitely shows an early 2007 build date. Now the longer serial number starts with a "2" if the guitar is made in Tecate. Again, I don't recall exactly when the 10 and 11 digit serial numbers went into active use. A call to El Cajon is probably in order to clarify things.

Yeah, I did a little more digging and it appears I was partly incorrect — the early 100 series guitars were indeed made in California along with the 200 series models. The 100 series has always been laminate back/sides though.

The 200 series initially was all-solid Sitka/sapele, while the 100 series was made with sapele back/sides, but in the same laminate arched-back design as the Baby series guitars. The neck joint on the 100/200 series guitars was initially somewhat like the Baby series guitars too, with a flat heel, but by 2005 they had moved to the same standard NT neck joint as the 300 series and up.

2007 was the year that the 100/200 series production moved down to Mexico. The 200 series moved to a laminate rosewood back/sides with white binding and a gloss top, and at some point that year, the 100 series guitars were indeed given rosewood fretboards and bridges.

As far as I can tell, there were some 2007 100 series guitars made in California and some made in Mexico, with serial numbers starting in 2007 either way. The labels of the USA-made guitars have “Made in El Cajon CA” in small white lettering at the top of the yellow oval with “Established in 1974” at the bottom. The Mexican-made guitars have the “Established in 1974” at the top and nothing at the bottom. Even though the photo of this label is blurry, it appears to be a US-made 114, since it has lettering at both top and bottom of that oval.

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Could be a skunkworks one-off - LA Guitars had some prototype hog-top 100's for sale a few years ago, so this one might have been an earlier experiment targeted at Martin's 000/J-15 models (viz. the rosewood fingerboard/bridge)...

It’s possible, but I think some of those prototypes have been more recent — within the last 5–10 years. In doing some searching of sold 2007 100 series listings, I’m seeing a fair amount of rosewood fretboards/bridges, and similarly striped spruce tops used, some appearing darker like the guitar in question here, and some that may have been kept in a case more often and have retained the initial lighter coloration.

[Acousticado]

Thanks ataylor, for your follow-up with the extent of detail. Much appreciated! Upon earlier suggestion, I’ve sent an email to Taylor support, so hopefully what you’ve found will be confirmed, maybe I’ll learn even more.

[Acousticado]

Very quick response from Taylor support...

“This guitar was partially built in Tecate Mexico as well as in the US. The body and neck would have been built in Mexico, shipped to the US, and assemble right here in El Cajon, CA. The top is solid Sitka Spruce, it's just gotten darker as it's aged. The bridge and fingerboard are indeed Rosewood and the back and sides are solid Sapele. These were standard model specs in 2007.”

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

Very quick response from Taylor support...

“This guitar was partially built in Tecate Mexico as well as in the US. The body and neck would have been built in Mexico, shipped to the US, and assemble right here in El Cajon, CA. The top is solid Sitka Spruce, it's just gotten darker as it's aged. The bridge and fingerboard are indeed Rosewood and the back and sides are solid Sapele. These were standard model specs in 2007.”

Interesting. Makes sense that as a transitional year, there might have been some production between the two factories on these guitars.

I’m afraid the information they’ve given on the back/sides is incorrect though. I know for a fact that the 100 series has always been laminate construction. I even got out my old 2004/05 catalog to double check!

You can clearly see that there is no back bracing on this guitar due to the laminated, arched construction, which is how Taylor does all their laminate models. They started using that technique with the Baby and Big Baby models, and later used it on the 100 series, followed several years later by the 200 series guitars, and more recently by the GS Mini and Academy series guitars.

I bought a 210 in 2006 and helped a friend get a 310 the following year, so the 100 series was on our radar at the time. Even though we both opted for all-solid guitars, the 100 series Taylors were — and still are — really nice guitars. If the price is nice on this guitar and it’s in good shape, it seems like a solid buy regardless of the laminate construction.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by ataylor

Interesting. Makes sense that as a transitional year, there might have been some production between the two factories on these guitars.

I’m afraid the information they’ve given on the back/sides is incorrect though. I know for a fact that the 100 series has always been laminate construction. I even got out my old 2004/05 catalog to double check!

You can clearly see that there is no back bracing on this guitar due to the laminated, arched construction, which is how Taylor does all their laminate models. They started using that technique with the Baby and Big Baby models, and later used it on the 100 series, followed several years later by the 200 series guitars, and more recently by the GS Mini and Academy series guitars.

I bought a 210 in 2006 and helped a friend get a 310 the following year, so the 100 series was on our radar at the time. Even though we both opted for all-solid guitars, the 100 series Taylors were — and still are — really nice guitars. If the price is nice on this guitar and it’s in good shape, it seems like a solid buy regardless of the laminate construction.

Thanks again. From the soundhole photo, I tend to agree with you that it’s layered b&s, which would be fine. The seller is asking too much...I’ve advised my friend what I think he should pay if the guitar checks out in every way upon seeing/playing it. Cheers!