Taylor Next-Gen Builder's Edition 814ce with Adirondack Spruce Top

Presenting the all new Taylor Next-Gen Builder's Edition 814ce, featuring three new upgrades for the 2026 model year.

The 814ce has long been considered the quintessential Taylor guitar, thanks to its classic rosewood and Sitka spruce tonewood pairing in tandem with Taylor’s flagship cutaway Grand Auditorium body style.

Among the suite of material refinements are a soundboard upgrade from solid Sitka spruce to a carefully matched four-piece top of solid Adirondack spruce. The high-end craftsmanship reflected in the Builder’s Edition philosophy acknowledges the evolving future of the world’s forests, where a great soundboard will require careful woodworking joinery to utilize smaller sizes of the high-grade timber preferred for an heirloom instrument. The artful craftsmanship yields a high-quality soundboard and displays a beautifully consistent grain structure.

Additional comfort-enhancing woodworking details that distinguish this edition from its standard-model counterpart include an elegantly sculpted beveled cutaway for effortless high-register access, along with a beveled mahogany armrest that provides a smooth surface for the player’s strumming arm.

This new version of one of Taylor's most beloved models features three key upgrades to enhance the tone and playability of the model even further:

Action Control Neck - Debuting on the Gold Label Collection in 2025, Taylor's innovative new neck design now comes to the Grand Auditorium. The long-tenon neck joint improves the neck-to-body connection, adding warmth and depth to the guitar’s voice. At the same time, the Action Control feature makes adjusting string height quicker and more precise than ever — no need to remove strings or the neck. Players can dial in their preferred setup in seconds and adapt on the fly to changing styles or shifting climate conditions. It’s the ultimate fusion of tone, stability and setup convenience.

Scalloped V-Class Bracing: The latest evolution of Taylor’s V-Class bracing introduces a scalloped profile that unlocks a warmer low end and richer open-string resonance, while preserving the balance, pitch accuracy and projection that define V-Class. The guitars are now seasoned with a touch of low-end depth that adds more fullness to the voice. As chief designer Andy Powers puts it: “It’s as if you married the low-end response of traditional flattops with the strong midrange and top-end presence of V-Class.”

Claria Electronics: Developed with extensive input from touring artists and live sound engineers, Taylor’s new Claria System reimagines the under-saddle piezo pickup to deliver consistent plug-and-play acoustic tone in any setting. A proprietary preamp tames the harshness of traditional piezos and incorporates soundhole-mounted controls: Volume, Tone and a versatile Mid-Contour knob. The result is consistent, stage-ready tone that’s easy to shape for any setting — from solo café gigs to large-venue performances.

Other premium appointments include Gotoh 510 tuning machines in antique gold, which offer a highly precise 21:1 gear ratio, a contoured Curve Wing bridge (exclusive to Builder’s Edition models), alternating maple and black top purfling with rosewood edge trim, and a rosewood pickguard.