Taylor 254ce 12-string Review

Dream Guitar

Well, I've wanted a Taylor 12 string for about 5 years now. Just couldn't get the funds up to add it to the stable (Guitar is my 4th instrument behind keys, bass and drums). Glad I finally did. This guitar is AMAZING. The tone and the action are beyond. Followed the standard advice and tuned to DGCFCD with a capo on the 2nd fret. I've been using a Yamaha FG 335 (which is also brilliant… read more btw), but the tone of this Taylor is so alive and bright. Can't wait to get into studio and work with both on some new tracks. Beautiful craftsmanship. Beautiful tone. Beautiful playability. TUSQ nut. This is truly a dream come true for me.

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Taylor

I decided to treat myself to a new 12 string guitar. After much research I bought the Taylor 254ce. Right out of the box this guitar sounded amazing. Taylor guitars sound fantastic and are a true pleasure to play. Treat yourself to a Taylor guitar, you won't be sorry.

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This guitar is 5 stars for the money

I've played a handful of 12 strings recently but after laying my hands on this, the search was over. For not spending a fortune, it plays like a dream. Action is perfect, has a rich tone, it's not too loud but not too soft with the grand auditorium shape and it's comfortable as the body isn't massive. The neck is great, it's smooth with a satin finish and the ebony fretboard is… read more excellent. Tuning is stable, the Sitka spruce top is gorgeous in its natural finish and the layered rosewood doesn't smell as good as solid rosewood, but it looks just as good. I like that they didn't add a gloss finish or fill in the wood grain, it makes this guitar look and feel unique. Looking forward to logging more playtime on this one!

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Listen to the internet gurus...

Just received my Taylor 254ce today and was initially disappointed near to tears as to how terrible the action was, the sustain was horrible, bass strings sounded "dead" when fretted. I was ready to send it back to Sweetwater, ask to exchange her for ANYTHING else. But every guru on the internet says to tune your 12 string down a full tone, go to DGCFAD instead of EADGBE and capo… read more the second fret if you want it to sound to 440 tuning. So what the heck, I gave it a go and..OHHHH Baby! She absolutely came alive in my hands! Beautiful sustain! Bar chords a breeze! She leapt from 1/2 star to 5 stars immediately!Plus playing down a full tone without the capo (if you are playing solo) just sounds so awesome in the first place. That low droning bass D adds a warm, mellow hue that is great for so many arrangements - I'm tempted to do the same on my Martin 6 string just because.And no...it did not result in unwanted buzz. It resulted in spot-on action.I could probably have accomplished this by paying a luthier a couple of hundred bucks for a level 2 set up, but...why? A capo is waaaay cheaper and does the same thing!By the way a HUGE shout out to the Sweetwater team in general and Ben Elder specifically for their/his help in making this latest acquistion go smoothly. C12H22O1-H20 SAXA! (Translation: SWEETWATER ROCKS!)

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It’s a Taylor!

Ok, first off this is my first Taylor and first 12-string so take what you will from this review. I did a fair amount of research prior to this purchase into popular 12-string brands and kept coming back to the Taylor 254ce. I'd had some friends in the past who had cheap 12-string acoustics and although they sounded great while in tune they were constantly needing adjustments to… read more keep them sounding that way. I figured a 12-string in the $700-$1,200 range would probably result in a reliable guitar with minimal adjustments needed upon delivery as due to the COVID-19 the Sweetwater 55-point inspection wasn't possible and being a somewhat newbie at the moment in regards to making neck, bridge, etc. adjustments I was pleasantly surprised to find the guitar arrived in great condition and looks fantastic in its natural finish. This is my first acoustic guitar in this price range and I'm quite pleased with what you get for the money. The gig bag is nice and although I would have loved to have had a hard shell case at this price point, this will work just fine. The playability is excellent as it's probably the easiest neck profile I've ever played on an acoustic and am already looking into their 6-strings as a future addition. One thing I noticed immediately was how loud this guitar can get! I was floored by the sound you could get out of just playing basic chords. If you're looking for something a little different, this guitar will definitely bring you inspiration. It did for me as I've been playing more since it arrived than I've ever done in the past. I think this was my third guitar purchased through Sweetwater/Anthony Giraldi (Sales Engineer) and it definitely won't be my last purchase via the online route and bank account willing will not be my last Taylor guitar!

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