2005 Taylor Custom K-14ce (K-24-ce) All Koa
This wonderful Grand Auditorium-style guitar was made in El Cajon, California, in 2005 according to its serial number (200505111101) and the Taylor website. The standard K-14ce is a substantial upgrade from even the Taylor 700 Series and most other acoustic dreadnoughts I’ve played (its current Builder’s Edition MSRP is $4999). According to the Taylor Customer Service representative, in 2005 the standard K-14ce had a Spruce top, but this one was special-ordered with the solid Koa top reserved at that time for the K-24ce for about $300 more. While it has enough flashy abalone inlays to excite anybody, its superiority is ultimately in the quality of its woods and design.
As the Taylor web-site says, “Hawaiian Koa's tone blends the midrange of mahogany with the top end of maple. Due to its density, a new koa guitar tends to start out sounding a little bright and tight, somewhat like maple. But the more a koa guitar is played, the more the sound opens up, expanding the midrange and rewarding the player with a richer, sweeter, more resonant tone. Sonically, it bears the hallmarks of koa’s unique tone, with high-end clarity balanced against the volume and sustain improvements delivered by the new bracing scheme. Koa’s inimitable aging properties also make this guitar a special find, opening and adding depth and sweetness as the guitar is played over time.”
The top and back of this K-14ce are fully bound in tortoise shell, and it has an ebony bridge with black abalone-dot pins, inlaid abalone purfling, and an inlaid abalone rosette. The 14/20 fret ebony fingerboard with abalone fretboard inlay ends in a dark Koa headstock with three-per-side enclosed gold Taylor tuners and the inlaid decoration and Taylor logo. Naturally, the soft Venetian cutaway affords access to the highest frets, and “Taylor’s ground-breaking Expression System (ES) was designed to naturally amplify the warm acoustic sound of your guitar. The ES is an all-magnetic acoustic guitar pickup system that works like a microphone to produce a pure signal and a warm, natural acoustic sound. When you plug in, you'll hear the sound of your guitar, not the sound of the pickup. No complicated controls. No tone simulators. Just a clean amplified acoustic guitar sound supported by three simple controls — volume, bass and treble.”
The K-14ce has a fully adjustable truss rod with access at the headstock, and scalloped bracing. The 1 ¾” nut is bone, as is the compensated saddle, and the action is fast and smooth at 3/32” at the 12th fret low E. As the pictures indicate, there are almost no cosmetic items to report: I found two small dings, one in the heel and one on the top of the headstock. The only other flaw I found was some visible fret wear under the B string which had no effect on play. This is a truly spectacular guitar, and while the abalone inlay, the solid Hawaiian Koa top, back, and sides, and the purity of the Taylor sound will make other musicians turn around to check it out, it will be its ability to make almost anybody who plays it play better that will make you love it.
The included original Taylor hard shell case is a 5-ply brown vinyl-covered case which is solid as a rock and shows few signs that it has been protecting this fine guitar for some time now. The five latches and hinges work well, the lining is in great shape and hugs the guitar protectively, and the exterior has only a few dings, mostly around the edges. Other than that, it is a strong complement for this wonderful guitar—and of course offers outstanding insurance for your investment.
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 outstanding guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to purchase it. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing.
Thank you for your interest in this gorgeous Taylor guitar.
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.