Taylor 514ce Next Generation electro-acoustic guitar

Taylor 514ce Next Generation — Cedar-Top Grand Auditorium with Modern Refinements

The Taylor 514ce Next Generation is a 6-string acoustic-electric guitar built around a Western Red Cedar top and Neo-Tropical Mahogany back and sides, finished in full-body gloss with white body binding. The Grand Auditorium body delivers a balanced voice for fingerstyle and strumming, while the Venetian cutaway opens up the upper register. As part of Taylor's 2026 Next Generation standard-series refresh, this instrument replaces the previous Legacy edition and brings together three signature innovations: scalloped V-Class bracing, the Action Control Neck, and the Claria pickup system. Players who appreciate cedar's warmth and mahogany's woody character will find a focused midrange response with soft-touch sensitivity.

What Sets This Model Apart

Inside the body, scalloped V-Class bracing with a relief rout increases volume, lengthens sustain, and improves open-string resonance across the neck. The Action Control Neck pairs a long-tenon joint — which adds warmth and low-end depth — with a patented system for quick string-height adjustment. Onstage, the Claria Acoustic Pickup System uses a reimagined piezo pickup to deliver clear amplified tone.

Body & Tonewoods — Cedar Warmth, Mahogany Focus

Western Red Cedar tops respond to a light touch with extra warmth and immediate note bloom, while Neo-Tropical Mahogany back and sides add a dry, woody midrange voice with controlled overtones. All-solid construction lets these woods resonate freely under the gloss finish.

• Body Shape: Grand Auditorium — Taylor's flagship shape, balanced for fingerstyle and strumming
• Top Wood: Western Red Cedar — warm, touch-sensitive soundboard
• Back/Side Wood: Neo-Tropical Mahogany — dry, woody midrange with strong fundamental focus
• Scalloped V-Class bracing with relief rout — boosts volume, sustain and intonation across the neck

Neck & Playability — Action Control and Ebony Feel

The mahogany neck carries a West African Crelicam Ebony fretboard for a smooth, dense playing surface with crisp note articulation. Inside this design, the Action Control Neck pairs a long-tenon joint with a patented system that lets players dial in string height quickly without removing the strings.

• Neck Wood: Neo-Tropical Mahogany — stable, resonant neck with a satin finish
• Fretboard Wood: West African Crelicam Ebony — smooth, dense fingerboard with faux pearl Meridian inlays
• Scale Length: 648 mm (25-1/2") — standard Taylor scale for clarity and projection
• Nut width of 44 mm (1-3/4") — comfortable spacing for fingerstyle and chord work

Electronics, Hardware & Case — Stage-Ready Out of the Box

The Claria Acoustic Pickup System is designed for reliability and ease of use, with a reimagined piezo pickup that delivers clear acoustic tone for any application. Taylor Nickel tuners provide smooth, accurate tuning stability, and the guitar ships with D'Addario XS Coated Phosphor Bronze Light (.012–.053) strings and a Brown Taylor Deluxe Hard Shell Case.

• Electronics: The Claria Acoustic Pickup System — clear, dependable plugged-in tone
• Cutaway: Venetian Cutaway — soft, round lines with full upper-fret access
• Taylor Nickel tuners with nickel buttons — smooth, accurate tuning stability
• Case: Brown Taylor Deluxe Hard Shell Case — protective, durable, included

Who the 514ce Is For

The 514ce is the right choice for fingerstyle players, singer-songwriters, and gigging acoustic performers who want cedar's warmth and mahogany's woody focus in a stage-ready instrument. The Grand Auditorium body suits players who split their time between delicate fingerpicking and rhythmic strumming, while the Venetian cutaway serves lead lines and high-fret melodic work. Claria electronics make it a reliable partner for live performance, and the Action Control Neck benefits players who frequently adjust action to suit different tunings or playing styles. From home recording to touring, this guitar covers a broad range of musical situations.

The Next Generation Story — Taylor's Standard-Series Refresh

Taylor's 2026 rollout revitalized the standard series across the 300, 400, 500, 700 and 800 lines, and this model is part of that wave. The 500 series has long been defined by its mahogany back and sides, and the 514ce returns to that classic cedar-over-mahogany pairing while folding in the same trio of innovations — V-Class bracing, the Action Control Neck, and the Claria pickup — that debuted on the 314ce, 414ce and 814ce refreshes. The result is a 514ce that pairs a 648 mm scale with a 44 mm nut and ships with D'Addario XS Coated Phosphor Bronze Light strings.