If you’re looking to buy an authentic Taylor acoustic but without breaking the bank, then the the 114 and 214 models are your best bet. The iconic Grand Auditorium shape makes these models very comfortable to play with and gives them a clear and articulate tone.
But what is the difference between these guitars?
In this article, I’ll directly compare the two most closely match guitars, the 114e and the 214ce, to help you decide which is the best acoustic guitar for you.
The Quick Answer
The Taylor 114 has walnut back and sides whereas the 214 has rosewood back and sides. The 214 is more expensive and has some upgraded features including the pickguard design, body inlays, gig bag and tuning machines. Both guitars have a spruce top and grand auditorium body shape.
Here is a list of the differences between the two most closely matched models which are currently available, the 114e and the 214ce.
| Specification | Taylor 114e | Taylor 214ce |
| Cutaway | No | Yes |
| Back and Sides Material | Layered Walnut | Layered Rosewood |
| Neck Material | Maple | Mahogany |
| Heel Cap Binding | Black | White |
| Body and Neck Finish | Varnish | Satin |
| Tuning Machines | Chrome (100/200) | Chrome (Die-Cast) |
| Nut | Tusq | Nubone |
| Pickguard | Black Plastic | Tortoise |
| Body Edge Trim | None | Black and White |
| Case | Gig Bag | Structured Gig Bag |
Taylor 114e
Taylor 214ce
Images link to Amazon
Tone Comparison
There are two main differences between these guitars which impacts the tone:
- The 114e has layered walnut back and sides, whereas the 214ce has rosewood back and sides
- The 214ce has a cutaway whereas the 114e does not have a cutaway
First let’s discuss the wood.
Rosewood is a notable upgrade on the 214ce as it is typically regarded as a better wood than walnut and is often seen on higher-end guitars. Rosewood is more expensive because it is harder to export and get into the USA.
In terms of the tone of rosewood, it is often described as sounding dark and rich as it is dense in overtones. It has a scooped mid-range and has a lot of bass-emphasis making it sound quite “boomy” when strumming.
Walnut has a fairly balanced tone with more mid-range than rosewood. It sounds brighter and more “shimmery” compared to rosewood as well.
The second difference we need to address is the cutaway. The 214ce has a cutaway which makes it favour treble-frequencies slightly more giving it brighter and more articulate tone. The 114e does not have a cutaway which gives it a warmer and darker quality with more bass response.
Okay so what about when we consider the guitars as a whole?
To my ears, the 114e sounds a bit brighter than the 214ce which sounds a little warmer. There’s not a great difference between the two though as the difference between the back and side woods is offset by the presence of the cutaway on the 214ce.
Feel and Playability
These guitars both have the same necks, the only significant difference in terms of playability we need to consider is that the 214ce has a cutaway and the 114e doesn’t.
The cutaway on the 214ce helps to aid upper fret access which is very useful particularly if you are taking full advantage of the fretboard. The 114e is a comfortable guitar to play, but if you are looking to use the upper register, it’s probably not the ideal option.
It is also worth mentioning that the 114e has a gloss neck and the 214ce has a satin neck. The satin finish on the 214ce feels a little faster to play on since it isn’t quite as “sticky”.
Other Differences
The 214ce is a step up in price compared to the 114e, hence it has a few extra features to make it a bit more premium besides the use of rosewood on the back and sides.
Here are the other differences between the 114e and 214ce:
- The 114e has a maple neck whereas the 214ce has a mahogany neck
- The 214ce has upgraded tuning machines
- The 114e has a black pickguard and the 214ce has a tortoise pickguard
- The 114e has black heel cap binding whilst the 214ce has white heel cap binding
- The 214ce has a black and white body edge trim whereas the 114e does not feature any trim
- Both guitars come with a gig bag, but the quality is improved with the 214ce’s
Similarities
Here’s a list of similarities between the Taylor 114e and 214ce:
- Spruce top
- Grand auditorium shape
- Ebony fretboard
- X-bracing
- Expression System 2 pickup
- 25.5″ scale
- Neck shape, fretboard radius and width
- Heel length
- Stock strings
- Micarta saddle
- Rosette design
- Peghead logo
- Black plastic truss rod cover
Full Specification Comparison
Here is a full list of the current specifications for the Taylor 114e and 214ce as of 2022.
| Specification | Taylor 114e | Taylor 214ce |
| Shape | Grand Auditorium | Grand Auditorium |
| Cutaway | No | Yes |
| Top Material | Solid Sitka Spruce | Solid Sitka Spruce |
| Back and Sides Material | Layered Walnut | Layered Rosewood |
| Neck Material | Maple | Mahogany |
| Fretboard Material | Ebony | Ebony |
| Bracing | X-Bracing | X-Bracing |
| Pickup | Expression System 2 | Expression System 2 |
| Body Length | 20” | 20” |
| Body Depth | 4.63” | 4.63” |
| Lower Bout Width | 16” | 16” |
| Waist Width | 9.63” | 9.63” |
| Scale | 25.5” | 25.5” |
| Nut Width | 1.69” | 1.69” |
| Fingerboard Radius | 15” | 15” |
| Heel Length | 3.5” | 3.5” |
| Heel Cap Binding | Black | White |
| Body and Neck Finish | Varnish | Satin |
| Tuning Machines | Chrome (100/200) | Chrome (Die-Cast) |
| Strings | Bronze Light | Bronze Light |
| Nut | TUSQ | Nubone |
| Saddle | Micarta | Micarta |
| Pickguard | Black Plastic | Tortoise |
| Truss Rod Cover | Black Plastic | Black Plastic |
| Rosette | 3 Ring | 3 Ring |
| Peghead Logo | Taylor Colorcore | Taylor Colorcore |
| Body Edge Trim | None | Black and White |
| Case | Gig Bag | Structured Gig Bag |
If you’re interested in either of these guitars, make sure you check the current price on Guitar Center. Here are the links:
Check out my comparison between the Taylor 110e and 114e.