Taylor 326ce Acoustic-electric Guitar - Shaded Edgeburst Reviews
On the hunt for an ambitious and assertive acoustic-electric? Taylor’s 326ce powerhouse combines classic Grand Symphony projection with new additions like V-Class bracing and a hybrid Florentine cutaway with a soundhole for an acoustic guitar that’s potent, dynamic, and versatile all at once. With a full mahogany build and a 20-fret ebony fingerboard, strummed chords shine with full-bodied clarity, yet also clean up nice when fingerpicking thanks to excellent balance and response enhanced by V-Class technology. Expect chunky midrange, warm lows, and balanced highs that sound great either acoustic or plugged-in via the onboard ES2 electronics. Sweetwater players on the hunt for supersized Taylor voice look no further than the 326ce!
Earn $135 back in Bonus Bucks† OR pay $57/month with 48 month financing*
$135 Earn $135.00 back in Bonus Bucks† on this purchase when you use your Sweetwater Credit Card without financing. Select your offer in checkout. Terms
As low as $57/month
with 48 month financing*
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Highest Rated Reviews
The Perfect Guitar for Me
I'm going to try and be as objective as possible in this review.
I own a $ Ibanez bought back in 2009 at Target. It is a very basic starter guitar, dreadnought body, stupid high action, all laminate body. Although it was in storage for a good 10+ years without a protective cover, it does not have any markings or damage on it. But it has been exposed to many different kinds of weather and humidity. The Ibanez is over 13+ years and to my ears, it has a resonant bass sound.
I received the Taylor 326ce on May 3 2023, it's been about 2 weeks as of this review. My initial impressions of the Taylor was obviously the looks, it looks even better in person. Second, was how it felt amazing in the hands, although the strings felt really stiff, it is expected as it is a new guitar. But the neck was smooth, the strings slid easily, the action was great, everything felt very premium on the Taylor.
The sound was the most surprising for me. If you're looking for a deep bass tone, you will probably want a dreadnought. My first time playing this Taylor, I heard more highs and mids than lows. I personally think it's a combination of new strings and a new guitar. However, after about 2 weeks of putting it through its paces, the strings loosened up a bit, and the sound is starting to come through even better.
With only two weeks of playing this guitar, I don't think it is enough time for the guitar to fully open up. I think the strings can get more loose, I personally want to take the guitar out more and let the sun and nature kiss it to really 'bake' and 'treat' the wood. But in my two weeks, I've been enjoying the Taylor more and more, and it is sounding better and better the more I practice and play.
Now onto my personal opinions.
I choose the Taylor 326ce because I really wanted a shorter neck to play on, and I wanted it to maintain a dreadnought-like sound profile - main reason why I didn't want a parlor or 3/4 guitar. Although the old Ibanez I own does have a noticeably more bass tone to it, the sounds are more mumbled compared to the Taylor. The best way I can describe it is that the Taylor has a more enunciated sound - imagine someone mumbling vs someone enunciating their words.
Additionally, I wanted a guitar that was similar to a dreadnought but not exactly a dread because I wanted a different sound profile. Finally, coming from my old Ibanez, I wanted an all wood body. The Taylor 326ce fit all these wants of mine. I'm sure I could have found another guitar that also met these requirements, but this Taylor also looked amazing!
My final thought is that if you're going to buy this guitar, play on it and play on it hard. Let the strings open up, and give the body some time to open up as well. Me personally, I'm enjoying the Taylor sound compared to my Ibanez dreadnought, and it's only been 2 weeks. I can't wait to hear what the Taylor will sound like years down the road. Very happy with my purchase!
Amazing
One of the best sounding and playing guitars I've ever used
My son's private guitar instructor was so impressed with his Taylor 326ce...he bought one for himself the very next week!
Ok...I'll be honest. I'm a musician, but guitar is not one of my instruments. I play flute, piccolo, clarinet, sax, and a little piano by ear, but not a stringed instrument. My son told me he wanted to learn to play the guitar (he didn't really have to convince me...I was already doing a happy dance that my musical genes had been passed on now to three of three children). The guys here at Sweetwater tried to help me choose Logan's first guitar; but I'm a researcher. I researched tonal woods and their uses as the front vs the back and/or sides. I researched pickups. I read about bracing: traditional X vs the Taylor V-Class bracing. Stop right there. I had chosen the woods I preferred...but the V-Class bracing had me sold. Don't get me started...you'll find I'm a geeky Nurse who does Math for fun. I called my rep to tell him what I'd decided. "You want to buy a $ guitar for a beginner?" No, I'm not what you would call "well-off", nor am I crazy. But I believe that when anyone is willing to pour heart and soul into a newly learned skill, they should have the best tools (in this case, instrument) that can be afforded. Think of it this way: if you are a musician in your soul, and a perfectionist by nature (as my son and I both are), after a few months of lessons he is either going to be happy with what he hears when he plays...or he won't. It would be tragic if he was disappointed in "what he could do" because of the restraints of the instrument rather than his lack of talent.
I've waited almost a year to write this review. Both the guitar and my son are freaking awesome! The Taylor is warm without being "twangy", each note is clear, the chords robust and seem as if they are in tune even if I pick it up and give it a go. I know guitarists want a much more technical review and I'm sorry this is lacking in that regard...
...but this is a beautiful guitar and every guitarist who has seen it and heard him play (he's still learning), have ended up snagging his guitar for a few moments of quiet strumming in reverie....or ended up giving us a show! I think I made a wise choice. To all the guitarist's, follow my son's instructor. To all the mom's...if you can make it work, don't scrimp on their dream!
A pretty good guitar…but…
I purchased this guitar for two reasons: I wanted a Taylor with another tone wood profile besides Sitka spruce (which is on most Taylor guitars). I also wanted to see what this sound port was all about. The mahogany tone wood is nice, it sounds a bit dry and woody like many Martins sound. The string action and neck profile are all very good, the guitar is nice to play. I was very disappointed in the sound port. I could hear no difference while playing the guitar. The port really added nothing to the sound profile. As I think about it, the only people I've heard rave about the sound port were Taylor employees or Taylor dealers. In my opinion, I'd skip the 326 and just buy one of the 300 series guitars without the port. The mahogany is great, but I feel the port is a gimmick that is not worth paying extra for. I returned the guitar to buy something else.
