Taylor 314ce

Scalloped V-Class with a Relief Rout is what separates the 314ce Next Generation from the standard V-Class bracing found on the 314ce Studio. Standard V-Class already trades a traditional X-brace's overtone complexity for longer sustain, a tighter low end, and truer intonation up the neck. The Next Generation takes that same V-Class geometry, scallops the braces more aggressively, and adds a relief rout carved beneath the soundhole, freeing the top to move with more sensitivity at a soft playing volume without giving back the sustain and intonation gains V-Class already provides. It's the same bracing philosophy carried one step further, built for a player who wants more dynamic range out of a light touch.

Onboard, Claria replaces Expression System 2 with a redesigned preamp built for a fuller, more natural low end when the guitar is plugged in — a meaningful step up for anyone running the guitar through a PA or DI rather than relying entirely on the acoustic voice. That electronics upgrade sits on top of the same solid Sitka spruce top over sapele back and sides found on the 314ce Studio, so the tonal character stays consistent across both generations: bright, articulate, and voiced with enough headroom to sit clearly in a mixed-instrument setting rather than getting buried under a fuller band.

Inside the Next Generation platform, the closest comparison is the 324ce. Both share the exact same Scalloped V-Class bracing and Claria electronics — the difference is entirely in the top and body wood. Where the 314ce runs spruce over sapele for a brighter, more headroom-forward voice, the 324ce swaps in a solid mahogany top over mahogany back and sides for a darker, more compressed, faster-decaying tone that leans toward a vintage-adjacent character. Neither is a strict upgrade over the other — the choice comes down to whether a player wants spruce's clarity and projection or mahogany's warmth and quicker note decay.

It's also worth separating this model from the 314ce Studio sold alongside it. The Studio isn't an older or discontinued version of this guitar — it's a parallel, lower-cost build on an earlier-spec V-Class bracing pattern with Expression System 2 electronics, sold at $1,999 rather than this model's $2,499. Both are current, both are genuine V-Class Taylors; the Next Generation buys the more refined bracing and the newer preamp.

The 314ce Next Generation suits a player who plugs in regularly — gigging, recording, or running through a home PA — and wants the clearest possible translation of the guitar's spruce-driven brightness once it hits a mix. It's also the more future-proof of the two 314ce builds, carrying Taylor's current-generation bracing and electronics rather than the earlier spec found on the Studio.

Every 314ce Next Generation sold through The Acoustic Shoppe ships under the Dread-Not Guarantee: a 30-day in-home trial to test it in your own space, plus a full year to trade it in toward anything else in the store for 90% of the purchase price back in credit — on this $2,499 guitar, that's $2,249 in trade credit, leaving $250 of real downside exposure over a full year. Every unit also completes a full 23-Point Professional Inspection by our certified in-house tech before it ships, and includes a free Bluetooth humidity monitoring kit to help the solid spruce top stay stable through Missouri's seasonal humidity swings.

This page is the standing model reference for the 314ce Next Generation at The Acoustic Shoppe — every serialized unit we sell redirects back here once it's gone. For the rest of the platform, see our Taylor 300 Series collection, and for the complete Taylor lineup, visit our Taylor Guitars collection.

The Acoustic Shoppe is an Authorized Taylor Premier Dealer and Gold Label Advantage Dealer. Every instrument ships after a full 23-point professional inspection by our in-house repair tech. As a nine-time consecutive NAMM Top 100 Dealer, we handle warranty concerns directly on your behalf.