Our 900 Series stands out as our most luxurious class of rosewood guitars, blending a raft of tone-enhancing details with premium aesthetic features. The 914ce acoustic-electric Grand Auditorium boasts V-Class™ bracing, which functions as a new sonic engine for the guitar. Not only does it enhance the volume and sustain, it also changes the soundboard movement in a way that improves the guitar’s natural intonation, or “in-tuneness.” The result is more power in the upper register and more harmonic agreement between all fretted notes, which helps chord voicings sing like never before. Players who love the deep lows and sparkling highs of rosewood will appreciate how well behaved the overtones are as notes bloom. Premium features include a beveled ebony armrest that makes your picking/strumming arm more comfortable, along with Gotoh 510 tuners, whose 21:1 gear ratio allows for precise tuning. Refined appointments include ebony binding, our Ascension fretboard/peghead inlay in paua and pearl, a paua rosette with koa and ebony purfling, and paua/koa trim along much of the body and neck. All V-Class guitars feature a black graphite nut and a new guitar label that bears the signature of master guitar designer Andy Powers.

Features:

Grand Auditorium

Body Length: 20″ / Body Width: 16″ / Body Depth: 4 5/8″

Taylor’s signature shape embodies the ultimate all-purpose acoustic.

• An original Bob Taylor design introduced in 1994

• Full in the lower register, present in the midrange, and sparkling on the treble strings

• Our most popular shape and a good place to begin your search

Our most popular and versatile body shape, the mid-size Grand Auditorium arrived in 1994 bearing refined proportions that fell between a Dreadnought and Grand Concert. While the bigger Dreadnought was traditionally considered a flatpicker’s guitar and the smaller Grand Concert catered to fingerstylists, the GA was designed to deliver on both fronts. The shape produced an original acoustic voice that was big enough to handle medium-strength picking and strumming, yet with impressive balance across the tonal spectrum, especially in the midrange, producing clear, well-defined notes that suited both strumming and fingerstyle playing. The GA’s overall presence tracks well with other instruments both in a studio mix and on stage, and singer-songwriters have embraced its utility both for composing and traveling with one guitar. Many people want a single guitar that can cover a variety of styles, which is why the GA continues to be our bestselling shape. If you want a great all-purpose guitar, the multi-dimensional GA won’t let you down.

Sitka Spruce

Origin: Northwestern North America (Coastal Rainforests of Alaska and Canada)

As a guitar soundboard, or top, Sitka spruce is the tonewood standard of the modern era. It’s used on 85-90 percent of the guitars that Taylor makes. Its combination of strength and elasticity translates into a broad dynamic range, yielding crisp articulation and allowing for everything from aggressive strumming and flatpicking to fingerpicking. Sitka spruce is Bob Taylor’s personal favorite for an all-around great guitar.

Indian Rosewood

One of the most popular and traditional guitar woods of all time, rosewood takes the basic sonic thumbprint of mahogany (which has a strong midrange) and expands it in both directions. Rosewood sounds deeper in the low end and brighter on the top end (one might describe the treble notes as zesty, sparkly or sizzly, with more articulation). If you look at its frequency range visually, rosewood would appear to be more scooped in the middle, yielding less midrange bloom than mahogany. Like mahogany, rosewood’s vintage heritage has helped firmly establish its acoustic legacy. It’s a great sound in part because we know that sound. In some music circles in which preserving the traditional sound helps bring a sense of authenticity to the music — certain strains of Americana, for example — rosewood has an iconic status. Also like mahogany, rosewood is a versatile tonewood, which has contributed to its popularity. One can fingerpick it, strum it and flatpick it. It’s very consistent, so players can usually rely on it to deliver.

Expression System 2

The Taylor Expression System 2 (ES2) is a revolutionary pickup design that delivers the latest in Taylor’s ongoing innovation in acoustic guitar amplification. The heart of the Expression System 2 is Taylor’s patented behind-the-saddle pickup, which features three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated pickup sensors. The location of the sensors enables a more dynamic range of acoustic sound to be captured than ever before. Together with Taylor’s custom-designed “professional audio”-grade preamp, this system produces exceptional amplified tone and responsiveness. On stage through a PA, plugged into your favorite acoustic amplifier, or direct into recording software, the Expression System 2 faithfully conveys the voice of your Taylor guitar.

Venetian Cutaway

Standard on all “ce” models in the 300 Series through the Presentation Series, the Venetian cutaway is known for its soft, round lines. The sloping peak of the cutaway will vary depending on the shape of the guitar. The Grand Concert, Grand Auditorium, and Grand Symphony have a steeper slope, while the Dreadnought and Jumbo are a bit flatter. Our Grand Concert nylon-string models also feature a subtle, flatter slope, while our 100 and 200 Series cutaway models incorporate our flattest slope.

Highlights