In 1974, Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug founded Taylor Guitars after buying out the American Dream, a small guitar-making workshop in San Diego where they both worked as luthiers. At the time, they likely never imagined their brand would become one of the most renowned names in the guitar world.
But fast-forward a half century, and Taylor Guitars has released a series of special limited-edition models to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary, starting in January 2024. The anniversary lineup includes 18 guitars that revisit some of the brand’s most iconic designs, blending the character of the originals with modern innovations like V-class bracing and the ES2 pickup system.
Each model also features distinctive details, including gold tuner buttons, ebony bridge pins with acrylic dots, and a commemorative 50th-anniversary label. Taylor is producing limited quantities of each model. I reviewed two of them—the 614ce six-string and the 858e jumbo 12-string, both priced at $3,999—and found them impressive all around.
The 614ce LTD is a Grand Auditorium model and features a two-piece back and sides made of big leaf maple, with a Sitka spruce top and a maple neck. While Taylor describes the 614ce LTD as being inspired by some of its earlier designs—they introduced the Grand Auditorium body shape in 1994—the V-class bracing and ES2 pickup system add a modern touch.
The most striking visual feature is the gloss white/edgeburst finish on the top and back, which creates an elegant, classy look. The opaque white finish on the neck, along with the high-gloss finish, produces a smooth feel that makes playing seem effortless. Another notable feature of the 614ce, as well as the 858e, is the wood used for the fretboard binding and bridge, which are made of West African Crelicam ebony—Crelicam is the company co-owned by Bob Taylor to ensure the sustainable, responsible production of ebony.
Maple has a reputation for being bright, but the 614ce LTD is voiced to produce a warm and balanced tone. The sound is clear, but with plenty of low end. To my ear, the maple in this instrument adds just a touch of warmth and resonance, supplying a hint of a jazzy tone while maintaining clarity and clean separation between notes. Plugged in, the ES2’s behind-the-saddle design delivers an impressively natural tone that reflects the guitar’s sonic character.
I found the 614ce LTD to be a fun guitar to play. The sleek feel and snappy yet balanced tone were a good fit for a variety of styles, from strumming to fingerstyle. The guitar generally pushed me toward more aggressive, up-tempo tunes that took advantage of the superb playability and clear tone, along with the extra access provided by the cutaway.
858e LTD
Taylor has long been known for making exceptional 12-string guitars, and the 858e LTD certainly upholds that legacy. The company’s jumbo body 855 model got a boost back in 1979 when Neil Young appeared playing one in the documentary Rust Never Sleeps, and again when Leo Kottke began playing Taylor 12-strings in the mid-’80s, partly drawn to their excellent playability.
The 858e LTD is a large-body, non-cutaway 12-string guitar inspired by those earlier models but now based on Taylor’s Grand Orchestra body shape, a large guitar measuring 16-3/4 inches at the lower bout and five inches deep at the soundhole. The 858e LTD also incorporates Taylor’s modern construction features, like V-class bracing and an ES2 pickup system. One especially interesting change from Taylor’s earlier large-body 12-strings is the use of only six bridge pins, with each pin holding both strings in each course.
One might expect such a large guitar to produce an equally large sound, and the 858e does not disappoint. The guitar produces a sound that can only be described as huge—both loud and full. There is plenty of low end but also the high-end shimmer expected from a 12-string. The low action makes the playability nearly as easy as a six-string while still avoiding buzzing. Like most 12-string guitars, the 858e LTD features a somewhat wider fretboard, measuring 1-7/8 inch at the nut width, which provides the additional space required for the double courses.
The 858e makes a great rhythm instrument, producing a wall of sound when strummed, but I found it equally enjoyable to fingerpick. The guitar can deliver aggressive, percussive Kottke-esque sounds as well as delicate and ethereal textures when played more gently.
It was interesting to compare the 858e LTD side by side with my own 655ce maple-bodied Taylor 12-string. While both sound excellent, the combination of the rosewood body and larger size made the 858e LTD seem just a bit louder, fuller, deeper, and more shimmery, all at the same time.
While reviewing the 858e LTD, I was asked by a local theater group to record a backing track that captured the feel of the strummed introduction to the Eagles’ “Take It Easy.” When double-tracking several six-string guitars failed to create a sound as big as I was hoping for, I pulled out the 858e, which promptly and easily handled the task.
I was especially impressed with the intonation on the 858e. Twelves are notoriously difficult to tune—after all, you have twice as many strings to deal with! But I found that not only was the 858e easy to tune, even when switching to alternate tunings, but the intonation over the entire range of the guitar was remarkable.
The Bottom Line
The 50th anniversary models are a perfect encapsulation of Taylor Guitars’ accomplishments over five decades. The company has long set a standard for playability, quality, and consistency—while constantly raising the bar. The 614ce LTD and 858e LTD combine a look back at historically interesting and popular models with the current state of the art in construction, which Taylor continues to push forward. Both models seem just a bit sleeker and more polished than the already excellent examples I’ve been familiar with over the years, while amplifying the best qualities of the brand’s sound.
Specs
614ce LTD
Body Grand Auditorium shape; Venetian cutaway; Sitka spruce top with V-Class bracing; big leaf maple back and sides; ebony bridge with Micarta saddle; green abalone rosette; faux tortoise binding; gloss white/edgeburst finish
Neck 25.5″-scale hard maple neck; dual-action truss rod; ebony fretboard; ebony binding; green abalone wing inlays; 20 frets; 1-3/4″ black Tusq nut; Taylor tuners with gold buttons
Other Taylor Expression System 2 electronics; D’Addario XS coated phosphor bronze light strings (.012–.053); deluxe hardshell case
Made in United States
Price $3,999 street
858e LTD
Body 12-string Grand Orchestra shape; Sitka spruce top with V-Class bracing; Indian rosewood back and sides; ebony bridge with Micarta saddle and double-mounted string anchoring system; green abalone rosette; tortoise pickguard; white binding; gloss finish
Neck 25.5″-scale neo-tropical mahogany neck; dual-action truss rod; 15″ radius ebony fretboard; white binding; mother-of-pearl progressive diamond inlays; 20 frets; 1.875″ black Tusq nut; Taylor tuners with gold buttons
Other Taylor Expression System 2 electronics; D’Addario XS coated phosphor bronze light strings (.010–.047); deluxe Western Floral hardshell case
Made In United States
Price $3,999 street
