Introduction
For over four decades, Taylor Guitars has been renowned for building some of the finest acoustic instruments in the world. From their factory in El Cajon, California, Taylor combines innovative technology with expert craftsmanship to produce guitars acclaimed for their playability, tone, and longevity.
The pinnacle of Taylor’s pursuit for the ultimate acoustic guitar is embodied in their Builder’s Edition collection. As the name implies, these instruments represent the finest work of Taylor’s master builders, showcasing the most premium materials and cutting-edge enhancements the company has to offer.
Within the Builder’s Edition line, the 816ce stands out as Taylor’s flagship grand symphony acoustic-electric. It’s a guitar that exemplifies the quality and innovation that has earned Taylor Guitars its sterling reputation among the world’s top musicians. In this review, we’ll explore what makes the 816ce such an exceptional instrument worthy of the Builder’s Edition distinction.
Taylor 816ce Grand Symphony Body Shape
The Taylor 816ce features Taylor’s Grand Symphony body style, which is their largest acoustic guitar body shape. With dimensions of approximately 20" wide, 16.5" deep, and 4.75" thick, the Grand Symphony boasts Taylor’s biggest footprint. This increased body size provides several tonal benefits compared to smaller shapes like the popular Grand Auditorium and Grand Concert models:
- Greater internal air volume produces louder acoustic volume and projection
- The large lower bout provides enhanced bass response and resonance
- The expansive soundboard allows for wider dynamic range
Compared to the slightly smaller Grand Auditorium shape, the Grand Symphony delivers a more robust, powerful acoustic voice ideal for rhythm playing. The Grand Concert’s diminutive proportions make it better suited to fingerstyle, while the booming Grand Symphony excels at both strumming and fingerpicking.
The 816ce’s Grand Symphony shape is perfect for players wanting the loudest and most resonant acoustic tone possible from a Taylor guitar. From the thunderous bass to the crystalline highs, this body style highlights the rosewood and spruce tonewoods while projecting sound with authority. Whether you’re jamming with a full band or need to cut through a mix, the 816ce Grand Symphony empowers your playing.
Premium Tonewoods
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 816ce utilizes a carefully selected combination of premium tonewoods that contribute to its rich, balanced acoustic voice. The back and sides are made from Indian rosewood, which is prized for its warm, complex tones and excellent resonance and projection. Indian rosewood has an articulate bass, pronounced midrange, and shimmering highs that add depth and dimension to each note.
The top is constructed from Lutz spruce, which is harvested from high elevation old-growth forests. Lutz spruce is known for its exceptional stiffness-to-weight ratio, giving it great sensitivity while still allowing the top to vibrate freely. This results in a very dynamic range, excellent headroom, and crystalline high frequencies.
The ebony used for the fingerboard and bridge provides extremely clear and bright tone transmission. Ebony is also very hard and durable, making it ideal for fingerboards. The ebony helps notes sing out with clarity and articulation.
The synergy between the Indian rosewood back and sides, Lutz spruce top, and ebony appointments allows the 816ce to produce a gorgeously balanced and nuanced acoustic tone. The guitar excels at both complex fingerstyle playing and energetic strumming across various genres.
V-Class Bracing
Taylor’s V-Class bracing represents a major innovation in acoustic guitar design. Rather than the traditional X-bracing pattern used by most steel-string acoustics, V-Class utilizes a unique bracing layout optimized for volume, sustain, and intonation.
Whereas X-bracing relies on an X-shaped pattern of braces under the guitar top, V-Class bracing is arranged in a V-shape with a more efficient break angle across the body. This increased stiffness provides greater stability and projection, allowing the top to vibrate more freely.
The stiffer V-Class bracing also provides more consistent intonation and harmonic complexity across all registers of the guitar. Notes ring out with increased sustain, and chords sound richer and more in tune. Trebles have added sparkle and basses are deep and resonant.
In video demos, the 816ce’s powerful, balanced voice is apparent both when strummed and fingerpicked. Chords have tremendous presence and authority thanks to the V-Class bracing, while single-note runs have impressive clarity and note separation. Whether delicately plucked or aggressively strummed, each note sounds commanding and perfectly in tune.
V-Class bracing represents a new milestone in acoustic guitar engineering, and players can hear the striking difference compared to traditional X-braced models. The 816ce harnesses the benefits of this innovation for superlative volume, sustain, and intonation.
Soundport Cutaway
The Taylor 816ce features a unique soundport cutaway design that helps project the guitar’s sound towards the player. Unlike a standard cutaway, Taylor’s soundport has an opening that goes all the way through the side of the upper bout. This allows more of the guitar’s natural acoustic resonance to reach the musician’s ears without being trapped inside the body.
The soundport cutaway provides several advantages for the player:
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Enhanced Monitoring: With more sound directed upwards, the 816ce offers excellent monitoring of your tone while playing live on stage. You can better hear the nuances and dynamics of your performance.
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Improved Playability: The soundport’s improved resonance gives the 816ce a very lively and reactive feel. The guitar responds quickly to your touch, helping inspire your playing.
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Ideal for Gigs and Recording: The enhanced monitoring and feel make the 816ce with soundport ideal for gigs and studio work. You can craft your tone with confidence in any playing situation.
The soundport cutaway is a smart design innovation by Taylor that offers noticeable benefits. It’s a feature that both beginners and professionals can appreciate.
ES2 Electronics
Taylor’s proprietary ES2 pickup system is designed to accurately capture the 816ce’s natural acoustic tone and resonance. The ES2 uses behind-the-saddle piezo pickups with an onboard preamp and EQ controls. This allows you to easily shape and adjust your amplified tone without compromising the integrity of the guitar’s acoustic voice.
The ES2 electronics have simple volume and tone knobs, making on-the-fly adjustments easy during live performances or in the studio. The volume knob controls the output level, while the tone knob lets you dial in more brilliance and presence or roll off the highs for a warmer sound. With just these two knobs, the ES2 provides a lot of tonal versatility.
The quality of the ES2’s amplified tone is impressive. It retains the sparkling highs, balanced midrange, and tight low-end of the all-solid-wood 816ce. There’s no harsh piezo quackiness or artificial-sounding effects muddying up the amplified tone. It’s as close to the natural acoustic sound as you can get with an onboard pickup system. Whether you’re plugging into an acoustic amp or PA system, the 816ce’s ES2 electronics will provide excellent amplified acoustic tone for gigs and recordings.
Playability and Feel
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 816ce offers exceptional playability and feel that will inspire you to play for hours. The neck has a comfortable, hand-friendly profile that makes it easy to grip and maneuver up and down the fretboard. Taylor uses a standard 25.5" scale length along with a 1 3/4" nut width, which most guitarists will find very comfortable and familiar.
The cutaway on the 816ce provides easy access all the way up to the 20th fret and beyond. This allows you to easily reach those high notes when soloing. The cutaway is paired with a slim neck heel that further improves upper fret access.
Many players praise the dynamic and responsive feel of the 816ce. The solid woods and V-Class bracing provide excellent note articulation and lively string-to-string response. The guitar feels very "alive" and reactive in your hands, connecting you directly to the resonant tonewoods. This makes the 816ce extremely fun and inspiring to play. Whether fingerpicking or strumming, you’ll find the 816ce has exemplary playability.
Aesthetic Appointments
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 816ce features several luxurious aesthetic appointments that give it an elegant, high-end look. This starts with the special Builder’s Edition inlay motifs along the ebony fingerboard and headstock. These inlays have a floral vine motif and the words "Builder’s Edition", showcasing the guitar’s premium status.
Complementing the inlays is a striking rosette accent made from Hawaiian koa wood and paua shell. The concentric rings of koa and paua provide a beautiful visual pop around the spruce soundhole. Koa is prized for its figuring and coloration, while the iridescent paua shell adds a touch of nautical elegance.
For players wanting a vintage vibe, the 816ce also comes in an exclusive Wild Honey Burst finish. This graduated sunburst finish transitions from golden honey around the edges to a warm caramel brown in the center, giving the spruce top an aged, antiqued look.
It’s these subtle high-end accents, from the ornate inlays to the rosette and custom finish, that help give the Taylor Builder’s Edition 816ce its refined, luxurious aesthetic. They complement the world-class tonewoods and construction to create a guitar that looks as good as it sounds.
Sound Profile
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 816ce has a beautifully balanced tone with a clear low end that provides a solid foundation. The Indian rosewood back and sides offer a warm, rounded bass response while the Lutz spruce top provides crisp, articulate highs.
The V-Class bracing enhances the guitar’s harmonic complexity, resulting in rich overtones across the tonal spectrum. This allows the 816ce to really sing with sustain and resonance. Chords ring out with shimmering depth, and single notes carry a wonderful harmonic bloom.
Whether playing intricate fingerstyle arrangements or energetic strumming patterns, the 816ce is highly responsive. Notes have an immediate attack yet still bloom into a pleasing decay. The dynamic range allows for delicate fingerpicking nuance as well as powerful rhythmic accompaniment.
The balanced and articulate tonal profile makes the 816ce excel in a wide variety of musical genres. From folk and country to jazz and pop, this guitar provides the versatility to handle diverse playing styles with ease. The clear, detailed sound allows the guitar’s natural resonance to shine through beautifully.
Who the 816ce is Best For
The Taylor Builder’s Edition 816ce is designed with the discerning, professional guitarist in mind. While it carries a premium price tag, the 816ce delivers the tone, playability, and build quality demanded by the most serious players.
Specifically, the 816ce excels as an instrument for:
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Professional Recording and Touring Musicians – With its resonant voice, articulated tone, and ability to project in large venues, the 816ce is built to deliver in the studio and on the stage. The quality woods and construction ensure it will hold up to the rigors of professional use.
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Fingerstyle Guitarists – The balanced tone, dynamic range, and clear note articulation of the 816ce make it an exceptional choice for intricate fingerstyle playing. The soundport cutaway also lets fingerstylists hear their tone perfectly.
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Jazz Musicians – The warmth and complexity of the rosewood and spruce, along with the clear treble notes, suit the nuanced chord melodies and walking basslines of jazz guitar. The 816ce provides an acoustic tone jazz players will appreciate.
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Singer-Songwriters – As an inspiring songwriting tool or performance guitar, the 816ce’s versatile voice pairs well with vocals across musical genres. The comfortable feel and playability inspire you to play for hours.
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Players Wanting Premium Materials – For guitarists who appreciate the difference that quality materials make in tone and playability, the 816ce delivers top-tier woods, craftsmanship, and attention to detail worthy of a premium instrument.
In summary, while any guitarist can appreciate the 816ce, it truly shines in the hands of professionals, fingerstylists, jazz players, singer-songwriters, and the most discerning acoustic guitarists. For these players, it represents the pinnacle of Taylor’s innovation in acoustic guitar design.