2014 Taylor 810e Custom Shop Brazilian Rosewood
Description
According to The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, “The Taylor 800 series are referred to as ‘the descendants of Bob Taylor’s original design’” and are a substantial upgrade from even the revered 700 series dreadnoughts. The last MSRP of the East Indian Rosewood 810 dreadnought was about $3400; its superiority to the much more common 310 ($1400), 410 ($1700), 510 ($2600), and 710 ($2800) is in the quality of its woods and design in addition to its abalone inlays.
The Taylor 810e is a full dreadnought guitar, with a rounded 16” lower bout. It has a solid Sitka spruce top, a solid Indian rosewood back, solid Indian rosewood sides, and a mahogany neck. The body and neck are fully bound, and it has a tortoiseshell pick guard, an ebony bridge with black pins and a bone compensated saddle, and a multi-stripe plus abalone inlaid rosette. The 14/20 fret ebony fingerboard with abalone “snowflake” inlay ends in a bone nut and a rosewood veneer headstock (also bound) with enclosed gold Schaller tuners and the Taylor logo inlaid in pearl.
However, this particular 810e has an increasingly rare upgrade which hugely enhances its value: the back and sides are solid Brazilian Rosewood, gorgeously figured and virtually unavailable ever again except from the hoarded stocks used by guitar makers for their most special creations. While this is obvious at a glance, to confirm my judgment I sent the serial number to Taylor customer service and received this reply:
On Tuesday, February 18, 2020, 05:25:36 AM EST, Susana Raya (Taylor Guitars) wrote:
Susana Raya (Taylor Guitars)
Feb 18, 2:25 AM PST
Hi Arthur,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your 810e #1112154096; it's a pleasure to help. This guitar was built in El Cajon, California (US) on 15th December, 2014.
Back and sides: Brazilian Rosewood
Top: Sitka Spruce
Fretboard, bridge, peghead veneer: Ebony
Neck and heel: Mahogany
Electronics: Expression System 2
Hope it helps. Feel free to contact for additional questions.
Best regards,
Susana Raya
Customer Service Representative
Maroastraat 113
1060 LG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
+31 20 667 60 30
taylorguitars.com
To put this in perspective, the Taylor site offers this price list for custom options:
Options for Additional Cost
$500 Adirondack Spruce Top
$6,000 BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD BACK/SIDES [emphasis added]
$300 Tobacco Sunburst
$150 Nut widths: 1 11/16" or 1 7/8" (except nylons, 12-frets and 12-strings)
$175 Gotoh 510 Antique Gold tuners w/ black buttons per set of 6 (except 12-fret)
$175 Gotoh 510 Antique Gold/Chrome per set of 6 (except 12-fret)
$300 Florentine cutaway except nylon (Substitute for Venetian)
This is one gorgeous guitar! For many players, the total MSRP of $9400 is not an unreasonable price for an instrument which can only get rarer and rarer. Since Brazilian Rosewood is more resonant even than East Indian Rosewood, this guitar has been dominating lesser instruments for six years, and the power and subtlety of its tonewoods will only improve with each new generation of players. Its classic good looks make it stand out in a crowd, but it’s the purity of the vintage Taylor sound that will make other musicians turn around to check it out.
As on most Taylors, the action is fast and smooth, and the sound is beautifully balanced and resonant. The bass is far more powerful than on my less expensive guitars, and the treble and mid-range are incredibly clear, even with the rather old strings currently on it. The action is currently set up at a hair over 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, and the neck is extremely comfortable. The acclaimed factory Expression System 2 electronics are readily accessible through the end pin jack, but the clarity of this guitar carries extremely well even without amplification. And the sound will only get better as it’s played.
As I hope the pictures indicate, there are no significant cosmetic items to report beyond the faint evidence of a very professional touch-up of a 2” crunch on the treble edge of the lower bout and an equally careful touch-up of a hairline crack on the end at the battery compartment; these are barely visible in the pictures, so I have included a close-up of the spot in the lower bout. The finish is in excellent condition—in fact, aside from the items mentioned it looks virtually unplayed. There is a full list of the specifications at the end of this description.
The included non-original hard shell case is apparently an upgrade even from Taylor’s fine factory cases. While it is made by Gator, I can only assume that it’s a deluxe version in excellent condition as well. Naturally the latches and hinges work perfectly, the scarlet plush lining is in great shape, and structurally it is solid as a rock, as if molded inside and out specifically for this model guitar. It is an excellent complement for this gorgeous instrument—and of course offers outstanding protection.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashiers and personal checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have made every effort to describe and illustrate this superb guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before buying. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing.
Thanks.
STANDARD TAYLOR 810E SPECIFICATIONS
Model 810e
Price $3,399
Series 800
Specialty 6-String
Shape Dreadnought
Top Wood Sitka Spruce
Body Wood Indian Rosewood
Electronics Expression System® 2
Cutaway Non-cutaway
Body Length 20"
Body Width 16"
Body Depth 4 5/8"
Scale Length 25-1/2"
Nut & Saddle Tusq/Micarta Saddle
Bracing Advanced Performance
Truss Rod Cover Ebony
Pickguard Rosewood
Number of Frets 20
Tuners Taylor Nickel
Case Taylor Deluxe Brown
Brand of Strings Elixir Medium
Binding/Edge Maple
Top Finish Gloss 3.5
Back Configuration 2-piece No Wedge
Rosette Size Single Ring
Back/Side Finish Gloss 3.5
Rosette Material Abalone
Fretboard Inlay Element
Neck Width 1-3/4"
Fretboard Binding Maple
Heel Cap Binding Maple
Type of Neck Joint Taylor Neck
Neck/Heel Tropical Mahogany
Fretboard Wood Ebony
Neck Finish Satin
Heel Length 3-1/2"
Peghead Finish Gloss
Peghead Binding Maple
Peghead Type Standard
Headstock Overlay Ebony
Peghead Logo Taylor Mother of Pearl
Peghead Purfling None
Bridge Pins Ebony w/ Abalone Dots
Buttons Nickel
Edge Trim Indian Rosewood
ALUMPSTER'S GUITARS
2014
Taylor 810e Custom Shop
Excellent
Brazilian Rosewood
Hard
24/7 by e-mail: akmgj@bellsouth.net. I'm old; I don't sleep much.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.