Taylor 514ce Urban Red Ironbark Acoustic-electric Guitar Reviews
Fresh from Taylor's stunning Urban Species series, the Urban Red Ironbark Acoustic-electric Guitar 514ce stuns with back and sides made from red ironbark, a color-rich tonewood with similarities ebony and rosewood. This guitar marks the next step in Taylor’s Urban Species line made from sustainably sourced urban forestry that was otherwise destined for removal. This wood delivers rich, clear tone augmented by a powerful torrefied Sitka spruce top and sculpted to perfection by Taylor’s acclaimed Grand Auditorium body shape. Complete with a Venetian cutaway, a bound ebony fingerboard, a comfortable mahogany neck, and gig-ready ES2 electronics, the Urban Red Ironbark 514ce from Sweetwater offers innovative modern looks with classic Taylor features and performance.
Earn $175 back in Bonus Bucks† OR pay $73/month with 48 month financing*
$175 Earn $175.00 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 $73/month
with 48 month financing*
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Highest Rated Reviews
best guitar I own.
Sounds amazing with a deep voice and highs that mix in well. I kept hearing it has a "piano sound" and didn't really understand until I played it. It's the perfect description for this guitar. I have several Taylors and this is my new go-to guitar. Compared to my 23 is -year-old 714ce it's noticeably heavier, but have already adjusted to that. The tone is much more controlled low and top ends with a bit more volume when pushed. Awesome guitar and I know why there was a backorder on these. WOW!!
best guitar I own.
Sounds amazing with a deep voice and highs that mix in well. I kept hearing it has a "piano sound" and didn't really understand until I played it. It's the perfect description for this guitar. I have several Taylors and this is my new go-to guitar. Compared to my 23 is -year-old 714ce it's noticeably heavier, but have already adjusted to that. The tone is much more controlled low and top ends with a bit more volume when pushed. Awesome guitar and I know why there was a backorder on these. WOW!!
A new tone for the Taylor lineup
My goodness. This guitar has such an impressive sound, I'm laying awake waiting to play it again in the morning. I've been a lifelong fan of acoustic rock music and bluegrass styles. My go-to beloved guitar is my Martin D18. My style is crosspicking and arpeggios like Clarence White. I wanted to try something entirely different. The torrified spruce top intrigued me. This treatment is known to give wood an old nutty sound, as if the instrument was decades older.
I'm mainly an Americana player that flatpicks over cowboy chords with a quick string-by-string cross-picking style. But, I am an improviser and songwriter, not necessarily a traditionalist. I wanted something different than my beloved D18. I needed a change.
The high two strings, when plucked and allowed to ring, will start to vibrato as they fade. This competing, almost tremelo sound, is the source of a bright shimmer when strummed.
The low string will thump with bass at first and then fade into a higher overtone. The middle strings maintain a metallic "new string" attack and as the tone quickly fades, the higher overtones take over. This is best described as a buttery gorgeous tone.
From my ears, the guitar sounds a little more woody than most Taylors I have played, but it maintains a metallic crisp attack that old guitars don't necessarily have. The EQ is comparable to a rosewood back and sides with an old top. Dare I say a 000-28 might be the closest in tone (without shimmer)? You can choose to dig in hard with a pick and hear glorious overtones, or you can lightly fingerpick and the notes are still deep and alive.
I should add that it hits 92 decibels. For perspective a d18 hits 94db and 314ce hits 88 playing those same notes. It's a loud guitar.
The neck is a little wider than other Taylors I've played. If you're a Martin person, you'll feel right at home. It does taper at the 12th fret, and a capo works beautifully across the whole situation.
And the guitar is a stunner to look at. You'll just absolutely love it.
514ce ironbark…wow.
I was looking for a grand auditorium to join my quiver of guitars.
I was initially thinking about trying to find a 514ce with the Mahogany back and sides and the Lutz spruce top. They are a little hard to find so when this guitar came out I did a little research on it and it seemed to check all the boxes.
It is always a little scary to order a guitar without playing it but after talking to my sales engineer Chris Leonard, I decided to pull the trigger.
I must say it is a stunning looking guitar but the sound, amazing.
Great sustain, each note seems to jump out at you. My friend is a hardcore Martin fan and when he tried it he said " now this is a Taylor that I could get behind !"
I have bought and sold a lot of guitars but this one is a keeper!
