Taylor Legacy 914ce

A fabulous tribute to a high-end grand auditorium.

August 27, 2025

Taylor unveiled its Legacy Collection earlier this year. Following the company’s 50th anniversary in 2024 and a period focused on innovation, Taylor’s return to some of their classic models and X-bracing has been welcomed by many. The 900 series was first introduced in 1977, and until the Presentation series came along in 1996, it represented the highest level of standard guitars that the company offered. Early 900s were built with figured maple backs and sides, replaced by high-grade Indian rosewood a few years later, and by the late 1980s, the appointments that are generally considered the 900’s signature style were in place. 900-series models have been made in all of Taylor’s body styles, including the grand auditorium, which was introduced in 1994. The 914ce was eventually adapted for V-Class bracing (we demoed a 2018 version of the guitar with V-Class bracing), but now the Legacy version is the only 914ce available. We already had a chance to check out the Legacy 810e, 815e and 855e, and 514ce and 714ce, and now we’ll look at the new Legacy 914ce. Completists should check out this great video of Bob Taylor discussing the history of the 914ce.

As with all Legacy Collection models, the Legacy 914ce isn’t a precise clone of a previous model. Various details come from different years: The guitar has the NT neck joint (introduced around 2000), and there’s no armrest-bevel (originally added to the series in 2015). Fundamentally though, it’s a classic 914ce: It’s X-braced, has Indian rosewood back and sides (with the reddish hue associated with 900s), sports an Engelmann spruce top, and is appointed with paua-shell purfling, wooden binding accented with red strips on the guitar’s sides, and the distinctive “Cindy” fingerboard inlay that Bob Taylor originally designed for a custom guitar he built for his wife. Like the other Legacy models, the guitar uses L.R. Baggs’s Element VTC pickup system rather than Taylor’s own ES2.

I first encountered Taylor 900-series guitars in the early 1990s. Despite sharing similar tonewood combinations with the 700 and 800 series, every 900 I’ve played has been special in ways that go beyond the fancy looks, and I approached this latest iteration of the 914ce with great curiosity. I’m happy to report that the instrument surpassed my expectations: With its rich overall sound, complex overtones, and elastic dynamics, it had everything that a classic Taylor grand auditorium promises. While the newer V-Class grand auditoriums offer fantastic clarity, focus, and precision, there is definitely something about this classic design that delivers a different tonal complexity, and I found myself frequently reaching for the guitar during the few days that I had it at home prior to shooting the demo. I especially liked it for fingerstyle guitar, and it is my favorite of the many recent Taylors I’ve had a chance to play.

The Legacy 914ce is a wonderful addition to the Taylor line, and it offers a welcome traditional tonal character. Between the classic tones of the Legacy models, the modern/vintage hybrid of the Gold Label series, and the ultra-contemporary V-Class guitars, Taylor now has a wider range of sounds to choose from than ever before, so head on over to a well-stocked dealer to find out what suits your own playing style.

Legacy 914ce Specs