Hawaiian Koa Meets Grand Auditorium — Taylor's Most Versatile Shape Just Got More Interesting
If you've spent any time exploring Taylor's acoustic lineup, you already know the Grand Auditorium is their bread-and-butter body shape — comfortable to hold, adaptable across playing styles, and genuinely easy to love. The 214ce-K takes that foundation and adds something visually striking: layered Hawaiian koa back and sides with a natural finish that lets the wood's organic grain do the talking.
The top is a solid torrefied spruce, which means Taylor ran it through a special heat-treatment process before it ever left the factory. The result is a soundboard that already has some of that warm, opened-up responsiveness you'd normally only get from years of regular playing. First-note clarity and balanced projection are there right from the start, without waiting for the guitar to "break in."
Add in a Venetian cutaway for easy upper-fret access, Taylor's Expression System 2 electronics, and a neo-tropical mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard — and you've got a well-rounded acoustic-electric that works equally well at home, in the studio, or on a small stage.
A Top That's Already Done Its Time
Torrefied wood is regular spruce that's been heat-treated in a low-oxygen environment — a process that mimics decades of natural aging in a matter of hours. Taylor's C-Class bracing complements the roasted top by enhancing volume, extending sustain, and adding some extra weight to the low end. The combination gives the 214ce-K a maturity in its voice that's unusual at this price point.
The solid torrefied spruce top handles a wide dynamic range gracefully. Whether you're playing quietly for yourself or pushing the guitar with a pick, it responds with clarity and evenness rather than getting harsh or congested at louder volumes.
Hawaiian Koa — Beauty and Tone Together
Koa is a prized Hawaiian tonewood known for a bright, articulate top-end presence and a focused midrange. The back and sides here are layered koa — multiple plies of genuine Hawaiian koa over a stabilizing inner core. Layered construction keeps the guitar more resistant to humidity fluctuations than an all-solid instrument, which is a real practical benefit for players who take their guitar to gigs or travel with it.
Visually, the natural finish lets the layered koa's grain pattern speak for itself — warm amber tones with figuring that varies from guitar to guitar. It's a distinctive look that earns attention on a stage without requiring any flashy hardware to do it.
Neck, Electronics, and Playability
Taylor's neo-tropical mahogany neck runs a comfortable standard carve with a 1-11/16-inch nut width and a 25.5-inch scale length — a little bit of extra real estate between frets compared to a shorter-scale guitar, which players who prefer clear articulation and solid intonation tend to appreciate. The West African Crelicam ebony fretboard has a 15-inch radius and 20 frets, and the Venetian cutaway clears the path to the top of the register without any awkward contortions.
Taylor's Expression System 2 pickup is a behind-the-saddle design developed in collaboration with audio engineer Rupert Neve. It captures both string vibration and top movement, producing a plugged-in sound that stays close to the guitar's natural acoustic character. The onboard controls include bass, treble, and volume, mounted on the upper bout where they're easy to reach mid-performance.
Product Features:
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Top: Solid torrefied spruce — heat-treated for aged-in warmth and response from day one
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Back & Sides: Layered Hawaiian koa — organic grain, natural finish, humidity-resistant construction
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Body Shape: Grand Auditorium with Venetian cutaway — Taylor's most versatile body style
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Bracing: C-Class — enhances volume, sustain, and low-end response
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Neck: Neo-tropical mahogany, Taylor standard carve, 1-11/16" nut width, 25.5" scale length
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Fretboard: West African Crelicam ebony, 15" radius, 20 frets
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Electronics: Taylor Expression System 2 (ES2) — behind-saddle pickup with bass, treble, and volume controls
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Finish: Natural, satin body with gloss top
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Strings: Phosphor bronze light
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Nut & Saddle: Nubone nut / Micarta saddle
Brand: Taylor Guitars
Model: 214ce-K
SKU: 214CE-K
Condition: New
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