Taylor PS14ce Honduran Rosewood

A look at the latest version of Taylor’s top-of-the-line Presentation Series.

June 21, 2021

Anyone who has followed Bob Taylor’s path as a luthier and guitar designer knows that he’s never been afraid of building guitars with fancy appointments. By the time he built his third guitar (the earliest one to survive) while still in high school, he’d discovered inlay, and though many early Taylor guitars are somewhat austere, by 1977—four years after formally founding Taylor Guitars—he had introduced the 900-series, which featured abalone purfling and extensive fingerboard inlay in addition to premium woods. In 1996, after having already built scores of elaborate custom instruments and limited-edition models, Taylor decided to introduce a new line at the top of its standard series: the Presentation Series. In the 25 years since its inception, the Presentation Series has featured different woods (early examples were built with Brazilian rosewood, and highly figured koa and cocobolo have also been used), inlay patterns have been altered, features have been added, and different body sizes have been available. One thing is shared by all Presentation Series (PS) models: They represent the pinnacle of non-custom production guitars, using the best materials available, and featuring highly elaborate inlay and appointments. These guitars are built in small numbers, and I was excited when Taylor offered to send me the latest PS14ce to check out in the Peghead Nation video studio.

The PS14ce is based on Taylor’s Grand Auditorium body. But while the guitar’s dimensions are identical to Taylor’s most popular model, the PS14ce sets itself apart with its dark brown, attractively striped, and even-grained sinker redwood top, “California Vine” inlay in the fingerboard, and Honduran rosewood back and sides. Known for its low damping factor and rich overtones, this Honduran rosewood is also complex in appearance, and Taylor further enhanced the natural color hues with an edge-burst finish. The guitar features paua shell for its purfling, trim alongside the binding, edge of the fingerboard, rosette, peghead binding, etc. Furthermore, the PS14ce has inlay on the wooden pickguard, bridge, and peghead overlay.

Since its dimensions don’t stray from Taylor’s successful Grand Auditorium formula, the PS14ce’s feel is similar to other models. The armrest bevel makes the guitar especially comfortable to hold, and, of course, its setup has the typical Taylor touch, making it very easy to play. The excellent stiffness-to-weight ratio of redwood tops often leads to a highly dynamic tonality with lots of volume, which is a good way to describe the PS14ce’s inherent character. The guitar has a welcoming warmth, great sustain, and refined balance, making the PS14ce a guitar that can do anything you want it to do. Plugging into a Fishman Loudbox Mini amp, I was greeted with the familiar Expression System 2 performance: one of the best amplified sounds available.

It’s great to see Taylor continuing to push the envelope with its most exclusive, premium line of guitars. Players who want a great-sounding instrument with familiar Taylor feel built from some of the best woods available and extensive inlay work won’t be disappointed with the latest Presentation Series!