Tone Lounge: 50th Anniversary Taylors - Are They Any Good?

Tone Lounge demo veterans Richard Barrett and Neville Marten test drive two stunning-looking Taylor acoustics in the mid-tier of the Californian company's range: the 50th Anniversary 217e SB-PLus LTD and the 50th Anniversary Builders Edition 314CE LTD. With progressive features ranging from sustainable Urban Ash (314CE) to the C- and V-Class bracing patterns pioneered by Taylor, these acoustics stand at the bleeding edge of guitar design - and represent the apex of 50 years of luthiery at Taylor. Nev and Richard put them through their paces to see how good they sound and play and decide if they are worthy commemorations of five decades of luthiery.

[@eichaan]

Tone Lounges are my favorite videos-I watch them over and over because the musicianship and natural, friendly conversation are so wonderful. Thanks so much!

[@johngraydon506]

They are a couple of cool chaps 😊

[@paul_sebastian1154]

Great sounding guitars and some lovely playing, really appreciate the informative but chilled way you guys present these videos.

[@SingSurfStrum]

Thank you Chaps, lovely chat. After 30 years as Martin and Gibson player I would recommend everybody try a recent Taylor. Precision and now character

[@jakiknowles1830]

They sound great to me. I think Taylors sound has improved massively over the last 10 years,the build has always been excellent. Keep up the good work Taylor.

[@Sixstringsecrets]

I got one of the 217e SB’s a couple of months back. It’s a wonderful guitar, absolutely love it

[@baloubear]

Like Richard says the 217 has wonderful bass and treble, and I looked at both guitars, although I couldn’t find the exact one Martin is playing there, but one similar. I went for the 217, because it just does it all, and it’s the easiest acoustic I’ve ever played. Not sure if they’re all like that, but this one really floats my boat. Apart from that, why spend £3k when you can have this for less than £1.5k… I have many acoustic guitars (including an old J45 and a D18) and I love them all for their own thing they do, but the 217 is the one I just can’t put down when writing or just noodling. I also love the fact that there’s only 1974 of them, and let’s face it, guitarists also do a bit of vanity, and thats just the way it should be. Great atmosphere in this video. Thank you both. Balou from Scotland.

[@TheBenb1999]

These sound incredibly bright in this video. I love Taylors but this is exactly what people who don’t like them complain about. The Wegen picks are bright and metallic as well so bring out that sound even more.

[@rmzzz76]

It's interesting the 217e SB-Plus LTD has a fuller sound when strummed than the 314CE. I feel like the 314 sounds a bit thin. I've never been a big fan of the V-class bracing, but I think what they are doing with "C bracing" on the 100 and 200 GP models works quite nicely, at least for my taste.

[@bobnolin9155]

Loving my new Alvarez Laureate. Paid $1300 new.

[@steve39]

when it's layered back and sides wood,the sound is 'tighter',not as smooth;but if you play plugged in,it's ok. I sold my takamine because of that but for taylor,they do better with laminates.

[@steve39]

can a torrified top crack over time because of the dryness?

[@espcustom]

research seems to show the opposite as it makes the wood more stable and less prone to humidity and external factors fluctuation.

[@jeffberdin]

Neo-tropical mahogany = Honduran mahogany grown in Fiji

[@richardbarrettguitar1228]

I find the Wegen picks very full sounding - not bright or metallic at all, not in the 1.4mm thickness anyway…