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The K14ce is an exciting debut for Taylor's revolutionary new V-Class bracing, and a harbinger of things to come. Find out more in our review.
Last December, I had the opportunity to be part of a group of editors from several music magazines based here and abroad, who were invited by Taylor Guitars to get an early look at a guitar with an entirely new bracing system that chief designer Andy Powers had developed with the goals of enhancing the expressive range of an acoustic, while also improving intonation. What we witnessed in the guitar being demonstrated was a revolutionary system called V-Class bracing, which had resulted from Powers finding himself at the limit of what he could do to further refine the traditional X-bracing (invented by Martin in the early 1900s) that most steel-string acoustic makers, including Taylor, have been using for decades.
To celebrate the V-Class launch, Powers created the Builder’s Edition K14ce on review here, featuring a Grand Auditorium body style with Hawaiian koa back and sides and a torrefied (or roasted) spruce top. “I like the way those woods work together, and the V-Class design actually intensifies the flavors of what you build with,” says Powers. The guitar also boasts other ergonomic body features to create an armrest—including beveled edges that widen on the lower bout and cutaway (which has a reshaped curve to flow more cleanly into the neck heel)—designed to make it Taylor’s most player-friendly offering yet. All Taylor V-Class guitars will further be distinguished by new interior label bearing Andy Powers’ signature (Bob Taylor’s name is a graphic element now), and a new black synthetic nut that contains more graphite to help the strings glide smoothly through the slots.
The K14ce is beautifully adorned with abalone inlay, including the rosette, headstock,