Taylor's Most Player-Focused Guitar Just Got Better
There's a reason the Taylor 514ce has been a go-to for working players for years — Grand Auditorium body, cutaway, solid tonewoods, electronics. But the 2026 Next Generation Builder's Edition 514ce takes that foundation and rethinks nearly everything about how the guitar connects to the person playing it. This is a guitar built around the act of actually playing, from the very first note to hour three of a gig.
The combination of a solid Sitka spruce top with Shamel ash back and sides — sourced through Taylor's urban wood initiative in Southern California — produces a voice that's distinctly its own: woody, dry midrange, controlled overtones, strong fundamental focus. It doesn't sound like a rosewood guitar, and it doesn't try to. The Kona Burst finish sweeps across the top in warm amber and brown tones, with a matching burst on the back, sides, and neck, all under a gloss coat that brings out the ash grain beautifully.
If you play a lot — long sessions, live gigs, late-night writing — the Builder's Edition comfort features will matter to you immediately. The beveled armrest and matching beveled cutaway remove the hard body edge that most acoustic guitars dig into your forearm. Add the chamfered body edges and you have a guitar that genuinely disappears while you're playing it.
Scalloped V-Class Bracing and the Action Control Neck
The "Next Generation" designation isn't marketing — it signals three specific structural upgrades over the previous Builder's Edition. First: scalloped V-Class bracing inside, which opens up the low-end response and adds open-string resonance and room-filling projection beyond what the standard V-Class delivers. Second: the Action Control Neck, a long-tenon design that joins the neck deep into the body block, improving vibration transfer for added warmth and depth while also allowing players to dial in their preferred string height with a simple bolt adjustment — no neck reset, no truss rod guesswork.
The neck itself is neo-tropical mahogany with a Standard Carve profile, landing at 1-3/4" at the nut and a 25.5" scale length. The West African Crelicam ebony fingerboard is smooth and articulate, with faux pearl Compass inlays that match the headstock veneer. The satin-finished neck back stays comfortable even when your hands get warm.
Claria Electronics for the Stage
Taylor's Claria undersaddle pickup system replaces the ES2 found on previous 514ce variants and is designed specifically for live performance. Controls for Volume, Mid-Contour, and Tone are mounted in the soundhole for easy access mid-set. Players who have spent time wrestling with acoustic stage tone will appreciate the straightforwardness here — plug in, adjust by ear, play.
Gotoh 510 antique chrome tuners cap things off on the headstock. These are premium machines with a reputation for accuracy and long-term stability, well matched to a guitar you're likely going to trust for a long time.
Appointments and Finish
Taylor's design team put real thought into the visual details on this one. A single-ring Italian acrylic faux pearl rosette, Compass inlays in the same material, a firestripe pickguard, and the ebony Curve Wing bridge give the guitar a cohesive, handsome look without crossing into flashy. The hand-sprayed Kona Burst on the back, sides, and neck — with the natural-adjacent burst on the top — gives this guitar a look that stands out without screaming for attention.
Product Features:
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Body: Grand Auditorium with beveled cutaway, chamfered edges, and beveled neo-tropical mahogany armrest
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Top: Solid Sitka spruce, gloss finish, Kona Burst top coat
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Back & Sides: Solid Shamel (urban) ash, sourced through Taylor's urban wood initiative
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Bracing: Scalloped V-Class bracing with relief rout
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Neck: Neo-tropical mahogany, Action Control long-tenon design, Standard Carve profile, satin finish
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Fingerboard: West African Crelicam ebony, 25.5" scale length, 1-3/4" nut width
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Electronics: Claria undersaddle pickup with soundhole-mounted Volume, Mid-Contour, and Tone controls
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Tuners: Gotoh 510 antique chrome
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Finish: Gloss body, satin neck back; Kona Burst on back, sides, and neck; Kona Burst top coat
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Inlays/Rosette: Faux pearl Compass inlays, Italian acrylic single-ring rosette, firestripe pickguard
Brand: Taylor Guitars
Model: Next Generation Builder's Edition 514ce Kona Burst
SKU: A515002618407840259
Condition: New
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