614ce-2014 Grand Auditorium Cutaway ES2 Acoustic-Electric Guitar

The Taylor 614ce Grand Auditorium Cutaway ES2 Acoustic-Electric Guitar is great for live performance situations, easily able to hold its own with the rest of the band. The 614ce is a visual standout, too with jaw-dropping maple figure in a gorgeous finish. Includes case.

Big Leaf Maple/Stika Spruce
Bg leaf maple back and sides with a Sitka spruce top give the 614ce-N a crisp, bright tone that cuts through on stage.

Grand Auditorium (GA)
The GA is Taylor' most versatile and popular shape, excelling at light-touch fingerstyle and strumming. Great for micing and recording, the GA' balanced mid-range and bright tone exemplify the Taylor voice.

Expression System 2
The Taylor Expression System 2 (ES2) is a revolutionary pickup design that delivers the latest in Taylor' ongoing innovation in acoustic guitar amplification. The heart of the Expression System 2 is Taylor' proprietary behind-the-saddle pickup (patent pending), which features three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated pickup sensors. The location of the sensors enables a more dynamic range of acoustic sound to be captured than ever before. Together with Taylor' custom-designed œprofessional audio-grade preamp, this system produces exceptional amplified tone and responsiveness. On stage through a PA, plugged into your favorite acoustic amplifier, or direct into recording software, the Expression System 2 faithfully conveys the voice of your Taylor guitar.

Behind the ES2 Design: Rethinking the Piezo Pickup
For decades, piezo-electric transducers have been positioned under the saddle of a guitar based on the long-held belief that the string and top vibration cause the saddle to œbounce up and down. But Taylor' electronics team, led by developer David Hosler, discovered that the vertical movement is actually heavily restricted, and that the saddle gets œlocked down due to the string tension' downward pressure. That' why a traditional under-saddle pickup with piezo-electric crystals often responds with a sound often characterized as thin, brittle, brash or synthetic, especially with more aggressive playing.

The saddle' natural range of movement as the guitar is being played is actually back and forth like a pendulum. That revelation led Taylor' design team to relocate the crystals from under the saddle to behind it. The new positioning enables the crystals to respond more naturally to the guitar' energy as it is transferred through the saddle. Three pickup sensors are installed behind the saddle, through the bridge, with three tiny Allen screws that calibrate the position of the sensors in relation to the saddle.

Like the original Expression System, the ES2 features the same volume and tone control knobs. The preamp is similar but with a slightly different gain structure. As a result it will be about 25 percent hotter, which is more in line with other pickups. This makes it plug-and-play friendly both for artists and live sound mixers.