Taylor Next Generation Builder's Edition 514ce - kona burst

Featuring a unique combination of Sitka spruce and responsibly sourced Shamel ash, TAYLOR Next Generation Builder's Edition 514ce (Kona Burst) Grand Auditorium offers an enticing blend of focused midrange tone and exceptional playing comfort. The pairing of spruce and Shamel ash delivers a woody, dry response with controlled overtones and remarkable warmth, resonance and sustain thanks to the scalloped V-Class bracing inside, while our long-tenon Action Control Neck adds more low-end presence while making it easy to dial in the perfect string height for any playing style or scenario.
Performing players will appreciate the ease and broad utility of the Claria undersaddle pickup system, which features soundhole-mounted Volume, Mid-contour and Tone controls. The Next Generation Builder's Edition 514ce sports a beveled armrest, matching cutaway and chamfered body edges for a truly intimate, seamless feel, with ultra-precise Gotoh 510 tuning machines to cap the player-friendly feature package. Visual details include a single-ring Italian acrylic rosette, matching Compass inlays, a firestripe pickguard and a gloss finish with a natural top and a Kona Burst on the back, sides, and neck.

Sourced from urban Souther California city trees in need of removal (due to age, safety concerns and other factors), Shamel Ash produces midrange power and balance comparable to Honduran mahogany. It reflects Taylor’s commitment to finding more sustainable, responsible ways to source tonewoods.
Tonally, Shamel ash’s properties—comparable to high-quality Honduran mahogany—make it a strong contender as a high-grade guitar wood of the future. With its focused, fundamental-strong voice, it produces clean notes mostly free of ringing overtones—the note you play is the note you’ll hear. This makes it supremely adaptable to the particular style of the player. Compared to the “swamp” ash used by electric guitar makers, this species is heavier, denser and more resonant, but not nearly as heavy as the Northern ash used for baseball bats.