12-string Shimmer Meets Timeless 800 Series Appointments
A chiming 12-string spin on Taylor's trusted 800 series acoustic formula, the 854ce ensures renowned sound performance and articulation with show-stopping looks for any stage gig or studio recording session. A time-trusted rosewood and Sitka spruce tonewood marriage binds the 854ce with exemplary projection and clarity, all the while servicing easy navigation and performance via a smooth satin-finished tropical mahogany neck and responsibly sourced Crelicam ebony fretboard. Of course, the 854ce bears Taylor's proprietary Expression System 2 electronics, supplying 3-section control over tone with remarkable authenticity for accurate amp and recording results. Topped off with top-shelf V-Class bracing, gorgeous maple binding, and Taylor smoked nickel hardware, the 854ce represents the pinnacle of the company's latest expertise in sound, performance, and visual appeal.
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A classic tonewood combination
From the 6-string to the 12-string, nothing beats the sound of rosewood topped with spruce. As a top tonewood, Sitka spruce offers a combination of strength and elasticity that delivers a broad dynamic range with crisp articulation that’s ideal for a wide range of playing styles, from delicate fingerpicking to aggressive flatpicked strumming. Used for the back and sides of the 854ce, Indian rosewood’s extended frequency range and rich, musical tonality have elevated it to premium status among tonewoods. Its potent low end can serve up a throaty growl, while sparkling treble notes ring out with bell-like clarity. Slighted scooped in the midrange (as compared with mahogany), rosewood acoustic guitars are perfect for solo performance, vocal accompaniment, and tracking in sparser arrangements.
Grand Auditorium body style delivers exceptional presence
Taylor’s beloved Grand Auditorium body style, featured on the 854ce, employs the width and depth of a dreadnought, so it delivers prodigious volume that makes it a “tone cannon” in its own right. However, its waist is narrower, which gives Grand Auditorium-bodied acoustic guitars more treble zing, along with improved playing comfort and a sleeker look. The 854ce’s Grand Auditorium body style also helps to sharpen the definition of each note you play, balancing out nicely with the excellent projection of its V-Class-braced Sitka spruce top.
V-Class bracing: a sonic revelation
Bracing is the internal framework of an acoustic guitar that helps shape its sound. Although X-bracing has been standard in acoustic guitars for over a century, it creates an innate conflict between two key elements of a guitar’s sound: volume and sustain. The guitar’s top (its soundboard) contributes to both. The flexibility of the top generates volume (projection), while its stiffness generates sustain. And with X-braced guitar tops, here’s where the tradeoff comes in: when something is made stiffer, its flexibility is reduced (and vice versa). V-Class bracing changes all that.
With Taylor’s V-Class bracing, an acoustic guitar top can be both stiff and flexible — for more volume and sustain. V-Class bracing provides stiffness parallel to the strings for more rigidity and hence sustain. Flexibility on either side generates the air movement necessary for robust projection. It’s the best of both worlds. This groundbreaking innovation also improves intonation; not only producing notes that are louder and with longer sustain — but more in tune with each other. V-Class bracing boosts volume evenly across the tonal spectrum, increases sustain, and improves the natural intonation of the instrument by creating a more synergistic response from the soundboard. This fosters a more harmonious relationship between the notes you play, helping chords to ring out in cohesive splendor. Pick up a Taylor with V-Class bracing and experience what guitarists at Sweetwater have already discovered.
Cutting-edge Taylor Expression System 2 electronics
If you play plugged in, you’re going to love the Taylor Expression System 2 (ES2) electronics built into your 854ce. The key to this fantastic system is the 3-section proprietary pickup located behind the saddle. Because of where it’s positioned and how it’s integrated into the guitar’s saddle, the ES2 pickup provides you with remarkably clear and accurate sound. In addition to a master volume control, a pair of tone controls let you tweak your highs and lows to get the sound you need, and a discreet polarity switch offers vital onboard feedback suppression.
Taylor 854ce Features:
- Taylor's beloved 800 series Grand Auditorium formula in shimmering 12-string form
- Sitka spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides produce a clear and tight sound with plenty of room-filling power
- V-Class bracing supplies bold, projected sonics
- Tropical mahogany neck with satin finish for swift navigation
- Responsibly-sourced Crelicam ebony fretboard with silver dot side markers and MOP element inlays
- Ebony bridge and black TUSQ nut provide exceptional vibrational stability and intonation support
- Taylor smoked nickel tuning machines and hardware
- Taylor ES2 electronics for supreme onstage use
- Handcrafted by Taylor luthiers in California
