Taylor 50th Anniversary Builder's Edition 814ce LTD – Sinker Redwood – Includes Deluxe Hardshell Case – Used Excellent
In 1974 Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug bought a small San Diego guitar shop and started building instruments. Fifty years later Taylor Guitars is one of the most respected acoustic guitar makers in the world, and the 50th Anniversary Builder's Edition 814ce LTD is how they chose to mark the occasion — not with gimmicks or excessive ornamentation, but with the finest version of their most beloved model they have ever built. Production was limited to 1,974 guitars worldwide, one for each year of the company's founding, which makes every example both a serious playing instrument and a piece of history. The tonewood pairing at the heart of this guitar tells the story. Indian rosewood back and sides bring the rich, complex lows and sparkling highs that have made rosewood the benchmark for acoustic guitar building for generations. The top is sinker redwood — logs reclaimed from the riverbeds of Northern California, submerged for decades and emerging with a tonal character that sits somewhere between cedar and spruce, blending warm, immediate touch sensitivity with bold projection and a wide dynamic range that rewards both fingerpicking and strumming. Underneath it all is Taylor's V-Class bracing, which resolves the fundamental tension between volume and sustain that has defined acoustic guitar building since X-bracing was introduced in the nineteenth century — louder and more sustained than an X-braced instrument, and more consistently in tune with itself across the full fretboard. The Grand Auditorium body with beveled armrest, beveled cutaway, chamfered edges, and Curve Wing bridge represents the full Builder's Edition ergonomic treatment — every surface that touches the player's body has been considered and refined. The ebony fingerboard and bridge, Gotoh 510 antique gold tuners, green abalone rosette, gold-hued mother-of-pearl Element inlays, rosewood pickguard, Kona edgeburst finish, and ebony bridge pins with gold acrylic dots round out an instrument that is as beautiful to look at as it is to play. The commemorative 50th anniversary label inside the body completes the picture. Our Taylor-certified technicians have inspected this guitar and it is set up and ready to go.
That sinker redwood top delivers exactly what the best examples of this model promise — a warmth in the bass notes and a softness and bloom in the overall voice that beautifully complements Taylor's characteristic clarity and precision. It is a more complex, more dimensional sound than a standard spruce-topped 814, and it is genuinely stunning to play. Set up just right and presenting nearly new. One tiny nick on the lower bout edge, very superficial signs of play, very minimal fret wear in the cowboy chord area on the B string, and some light finish wear on the tuners — that is the entire condition story. A serious instrument at a meaningful discount from new pricing, in a limited edition that will not come around again.
- Make: Taylor
- Model: 50th Anniversary Builder's Edition 814ce LTD
- Year: 2024
- Country of origin: USA (El Cajon, CA)
- Production: Limited to 1,974 guitars worldwide
- Body shape: Grand Auditorium
- Cutaway: Beveled Venetian
- Top: Solid sinker redwood, gloss finish, Kona edgeburst
- Back and sides: Solid Indian rosewood, Kona edgeburst
- Bracing: V-Class
- Neck: Neo-tropical mahogany, satin finish
- Fingerboard: West African Crelicam ebony, Element inlays in gold-hued mother-of-pearl
- Bridge: West African Crelicam ebony, Curve Wing
- Nut: Tusq, 1-3/4"
- Scale length: 25.5"
- Fingerboard radius: 15"
- Frets: 20, medium
- Rosette: Green abalone with maple and rosewood accents
- Purfling: Alternating maple and black with rosewood edge trim
- Pickguard: Rosewood
- Tuners: Gotoh 510, antique gold, 21:1 gear ratio
- Bridge pins: Ebony with gold acrylic dots
- Electronics: Taylor ES2
- Hardware: Antique gold
- Armrest: Beveled mahogany
- Interior: Commemorative 50th anniversary label
- Modifications: None
- Condition: Used Excellent – one tiny nick on lower bout edge, very minimal fret wear in cowboy chord area on B string, light finish wear on tuners, very superficial signs of play otherwise, presents nearly new
- Inspected and set up by our Taylor-certified technicians
- Includes: Taylor deluxe hardshell case
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Ships carefully packed and insured for full value. International buyers are welcome — please contact us for a shipping quote before purchasing.
About Mill River Music
Mill River Music is an independent, human-powered music shop located in downtown Northampton, MA, run by a team of players, enthusiasts, and certified repair technicians. Every piece of used gear we sell is personally inspected, tested, and set up before it ships — we don't list it until we'd be happy to play it ourselves.
As Martin and Taylor certified techs, we hold our guitar work to a high standard, and we're committed to full transparency about the condition of everything we sell. No surprises.
When you buy from Mill River, you're supporting an independent local business that genuinely cares — about gear, about players, and about doing things right. We're here every step of the way. Reach out anytime.
