Taylor Builder’s Edition 514ce Next Generation – Natural Top | Sitka Spruce & Urban Ash | Claria Electronics

Taylor Builder’s Edition 514ce Next Generation | Sitka Spruce & Urban Ash | Tobias Music

Shop the Taylor Builder’s Edition 514ce Next Generation featuring a Sitka spruce top, Urban Ash back and sides, Claria electronics, Action Control Neck, and Scalloped V-Class Bracing. Expertly set up and shipped by Tobias Music.

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Experience the Next Generation of Acoustic Performance

The Taylor Builder’s Edition 514ce Next Generation represents the perfect blend of innovative engineering, premium craftsmanship, and exceptional comfort. Featuring a solid Sitka spruce top paired with responsibly sourced Urban Ash (Shamel Ash) back and sides, this Grand Auditorium delivers a warm, articulate voice with impressive projection, balanced dynamics, and remarkable sustain.

Taylor’s complete Next Generation redesign introduces groundbreaking improvements including the Action Control™ Neck, Scalloped V-Class® Bracing, and the all-new Claria™ acoustic pickup system, creating one of the most versatile and player-friendly acoustic-electric guitars available today. Whether you’re performing on stage, recording in the studio, or writing your next song, the Builder’s Edition 514ce is designed to inspire.

✅ Why We Chose This Guitar

Taylor’s Builder’s Edition models have always represented the company’s most player-focused instruments, and the Next Generation 514ce raises the bar even higher.

The combination of Sitka spruce and Urban Ash creates a remarkably balanced voice with warm mids, clear highs, and a focused low end that excels across virtually every musical style. Add in Taylor’s newest innovations, and this guitar feels every bit as refined as it sounds.

For players looking for one guitar that truly does everything exceptionally well, this Builder’s Edition belongs at the top of the list.

✅ Our Expert Opinion

After more than 35 years as a Taylor Guitars dealer, we’ve watched Taylor continually redefine what an acoustic guitar can be. The Builder’s Edition 514ce Next Generation is one of the finest examples of that philosophy.

The new Action Control Neck offers even greater resonance while making future action adjustments simpler than ever. The Scalloped V-Class Bracing opens the guitar up with noticeably increased sustain, stronger projection, and improved harmonic consistency.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the Claria pickup system. It captures the natural character of the guitar with exceptional realism, making this one of Taylor’s most impressive stage guitars to date.

This is the kind of guitar that immediately feels broken-in while offering all the precision and consistency that Taylor is known for.

✅ Tone Profile

The Sitka spruce top provides outstanding headroom, articulation, and dynamic range.

Urban Ash contributes a focused midrange response that many players compare to premium mahogany, while adding excellent clarity and balance across the entire frequency spectrum.

Together they create a guitar that offers:

• Warm, woody midrange
• Crisp, articulate highs
• Tight, musical bass response
• Outstanding note separation
• Excellent sustain
• Balanced response for fingerstyle and flatpicking
• Powerful projection without harshness

The Grand Auditorium body shape makes this an ideal “do everything” acoustic.

✅ Next Generation Features

Taylor completely reimagined the 514ce with several major advancements:

Action Control™ Neck

Taylor’s revolutionary long-tenon neck design increases tonal transfer while allowing quick and precise action adjustments without a traditional neck reset.

Scalloped V-Class® Bracing

Produces greater sustain, stronger volume, improved intonation, richer overtones, and enhanced harmonic balance.

Claria™ Acoustic Pickup System

Taylor’s newest pickup system faithfully reproduces the guitar’s natural acoustic character with outstanding clarity and warmth. Convenient soundhole-mounted controls make live performance effortless.

✅ Builder’s Edition Comfort Features

Builder’s Edition Features at a Glance

Designed by Andy Powers to deliver Taylor’s most comfortable acoustic playing experience.

✔ Beveled Armrest – Eliminates the sharp edge where your picking arm rests for exceptional comfort during long playing sessions.

✔ Beveled Cutaway – Ergonomically contoured for easier access to the highest frets while reducing strain on your fretting hand.

✔ Chamfered Body Edges – Smooth, rounded body contours replace traditional sharp edges for a more natural feel against your body.

✔ Rolled Fretboard Edges – Creates the broken-in feel of a well-played vintage instrument from the very first chord.

✔ Curve Wing Ebony Bridge – Beautifully sculpted bridge with softened edges that enhances playing comfort while showcasing Taylor’s precision craftsmanship.

✔ Premium Gotoh® 510 Tuners – Ultra-precise 21:1 gear ratio tuning machines provide outstanding tuning accuracy and stability.

✔ Builder’s Edition Cosmetic Details – Compass inlays, Italian acrylic rosette, firestripe pickguard, premium appointments, and a deluxe Taylor hardshell case complete the flagship presentation.

• Beveled armrest
• Beveled cutaway
• Chamfered body edges
• Silent satin neck finish
• Premium Gotoh 510 tuning machines
• Deluxe Taylor hardshell case included

These enhancements make long playing sessions noticeably more comfortable while giving the guitar an elegant, refined appearance.

✅ Construction & Features

• Grand Auditorium body
• Solid Sitka Spruce top
• Urban Ash (Shamel Ash) back & sides
• Neo-Tropical Mahogany neck
• West African Crelicam Ebony fingerboard
• Ebony bridge
• 25-1/2” scale length
• 1-3/4” nut width
• Scalloped V-Class Bracing
• Action Control Neck
• Claria Acoustic Pickup System
• Beveled armrest
• Beveled cutaway
• Chamfered body edges
• Gotoh 510 Antique Chrome tuners
• Gloss body finish
• Natural top
• Deluxe Taylor Hardshell Case

✅ Who It’s Perfect For

The Builder’s Edition 514ce Next Generation is ideal for:

• Professional performers
• Recording musicians
• Fingerstyle guitarists
• Singer-songwriters
• Worship musicians
• Acoustic solo performers
• Players wanting one premium “lifetime” guitar
• Anyone seeking Taylor’s newest innovations

✅ Why Buy From Tobias Music?

For decades, Tobias Music has specialized in helping musicians find instruments they’ll enjoy for years to come.

Every guitar receives a careful inspection and professional setup before it leaves our store. Our experienced staff understands Taylor guitars inside and out, ensuring your instrument arrives playing exactly as it should.

When you purchase from Tobias Music, you’re buying from musicians who genuinely care about matching players with exceptional instruments.

✅ Tobias Music Insight

There are guitars that impress you immediately, and there are guitars that continue revealing new qualities every time you pick them up.

The Builder’s Edition 514ce Next Generation falls squarely into the second category.

Its remarkable comfort encourages longer playing sessions, while the balanced tonal response makes it equally satisfying for delicate fingerstyle arrangements or aggressive rhythm work. The new Action Control Neck and Claria electronics demonstrate that Taylor isn’t simply refining its guitars—it continues redefining what modern acoustic performance can be.

For players wanting one guitar capable of covering virtually any musical situation, this is one of the most complete instruments Taylor has ever produced.

✅ Specifications

• Model: Taylor Builder’s Edition 514ce Next Generation
• Body Shape: Grand Auditorium
• Top Wood: Solid Sitka Spruce
• Back & Sides: Urban Ash (Shamel Ash)
• Neck: Neo-Tropical Mahogany
• Fingerboard: West African Crelicam Ebony
• Bridge: Ebony
• Bracing: Scalloped V-Class
• Neck System: Action Control Neck
• Electronics: Claria Acoustic Pickup System
• Nut Width: 1-3/4”
• Scale Length: 25-1/2”
• Tuners: Gotoh 510 Antique Chrome
• Finish: Gloss Body / Natural Top
• Case: Taylor Deluxe Hardshell Case