Taylor 314e: X or V?

[jkilgour2000]

X..all day long

[Jeremy]

X brace here as well. The last version of X-bracing they used on the 300 series was a neutered version of the Advanced Performance bracing (developed for the re-voiced 800 series) called Performance Bracing (an upgrade from Standard II but not quite as good as Advanced Performance), and if you prefer bass response over the more neutral tonal consistency of V-Class, that would be the way to go.

I own a V-Class 317e (Grand Pacific) that has it all - bass response and tonal consistency; but I don't think V-Class works well for the other designs.

[Social Exodus]

I don't have a 314ce, but I have a 2015 814ce X-braced model, and a 2005 X-braced 714ce that I wouldn't trade for the world. I also have and X-braced 458e 12 string that I absolutely love and bought immediately after playing it the first time.

Without hopefully starting a feud (which is why I qualified my response above), I figured this was just a marketing campaign early on, and in so doing decided I was done buying Taylors for all intents and purposes. And I love my Taylors. Truly.

If it isn't broke don't fix it in my mind. Having played V braced guitars all thorough the current line, I wouldn't pay the upcharge personally. At best V bracing does nothing sonically, and the long term viability of the design is yet to be seen in terms of durability.

[sstaylor58]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

X brace here as well. The last version of X-bracing they used on the 300 series was a neutered version of the Advanced Performance bracing (developed for the re-voiced 800 series) called Performance Bracing (an upgrade from Standard II but not quite as good as Advanced Performance), and if you prefer bass response over the more neutral tonal consistency of V-Class, that would be the way to go.

I own a V-Class 317e (Grand Pacific) that has it all - bass response and tonal consistency; but I don't think V-Class works well for the other designs.

Do you know when they used the AP bracing on the 314”s? I have a 2012, wondering what type bracing that has...

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by Social Exodus

...I figured this was just a marketing campaign early on, and in so doing decided I was done buying Taylors for all intents and purposes. And I love my Taylors. Truly.

I too am pretty much done buying Taylors. With this last iteration in their line, the shine has worn off their brand name. The thing is that to maintain sales and market share they had to do something new and "exciting". IMO, like many Taylor "innovations" they came up with another way to make a product cheaper, and marketed the heck out of it as an improvement, much like they have in the past.

I don't see Taylor moving backwards any time soon, though perhaps in a few years I can see them marketing "classic braced" models (like Coke Classic) as the newness of the V-class guitars will have run out of steam (except maybe GP's). And as their prices creep up, it would point me toward more boutique brands.

[Jeremy]

Originally Posted by sstaylor58

Do you know when they used the AP bracing on the 314”s? I have a 2012, wondering what type bracing that has...

2012 predates AP and Performance bracing, so your model would be Standard II w/relief route.

[sergeko]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

The only models I like the V-bracing in are the Grand Pacifics. Makes sense because it’s the model Andy originally designed the new bracing for. Though I do sometimes wonder what they’d sound like with X bracing. Guess we’ll never know...

Also the 12-fret V-braced models are in my opinion absolutely amazing. The bridge placement of the 12 fret compensates for the loss of bass and the V-bracing gets you better intonation past the 7th fret.

[seannx]

Of the V braced Taylors I’ve played, the 314 and 317 Grand Pacific models have been the best. The builders editions were nice, too, but at that price point they should be.