A couple of weeks back I posted an overview of Taylor?s 100 series. So I thought I?d do a follow up that post by looking at the Tayor 200 series acoustic guitars.
There are 14 guitars in the 200 series with prices ranging from $1,068 (USD MSRP) up to $1,738 (USD MSRP). THough the actual prices you pay are likely to be less. I will show a list of “actual” aka “street” prices at the end of the post.
The 14 200 series guitars are:
- 210ce
- 210 DLX
- 210e DLX
- 210ce DLX
- 210ce-K DLX
- 214ce
- 214 DLX
- 214e DLX
- 214ce DLX
- 214ce-K DLX
- 214ce-SB DLX
- 214ce-BLK DLX
- 214ce-N (Nylon String)
- 254ce DLX
Before we get started looking at each guitar let?s see what the names stand for.
- The first number signifies the series of the guitar – in this case 2 because they are part of the 200 series
- The 2nd number signifies the type of the guitar. 1 for six string and 5 for 12 string.
- The 3rd number signifies the shape of the guitar. 0 is for dreadnought. 4 is for Grand Auditorium.
- If there is a letter C in the name this signifies that the guitar has a cutaway
- If there is a letter E in the name this signifies that the guitar has electronics
We?ll look at the other letters as we look at the individual guitars.
210ce – MSRP $1,328
Starting with the dreadnoughts we?ll first look at the 210ce model.
>>See My Full Review of this Guitar
The 210ce features:
- Body Shape/Size: Dreadnought
- Solid Sitka Spruce Top
- Layered Rosewood Laminate Back and Sides
- Forward shifted scalloped X Bracing
- Sapele Neck
- Ebony fretboard
- 25.5? (648mm) scale length
- 1 11/16? (43mm) nut width
- Nubone Nut
- Ebony Bridge with Tusq saddle
- Cutaway: Yes
- Electronics: Expression System 2
Going through the specs?I wanted to see how this might differ from the 100 series equivalent – the 110ce.
They are very similar guitars with the main difference being that the 210ce has layered rosewood back and sides compared to the 110ce?s layered Sapele back and sides. Otherwise the only other (small) differences are:
- Tortoise pickguard on the 210ce compared to the 110ce?s black pickguard
- The 210ce has white binding and the 110ce has black binding
- Gloss top finish on the 210ce compared to the varnish top finish on the 110ce
- Satin back/side finish on the 210ce compared to the varnish back/side finish on the 110ce
- Satin neck finish on the 210ce compared to the varnish neck finish on the 110ce
- Satin peghead finish on the 210ce compated to the varnish peghead finish on the 110ce
- The 210ce comes with a hard bag and the 110ce comes with a soft gig bag
Apart from the back and sides and those 6 small, mostly cosmetic, things this guitar is the same as the 110ce.
I was?curious to see if there is any notable difference in sound or playability in these two guitars. So I played?these two together at my local?music store to see for myself. The 200 series versions definitely had that “rosewoody” tone to them. The highs were brighter and more pronounced and the lows were also more pronounced – the 110ce was more mid-rangey.
I discuss the differences in more detail in the post at the link below.
210 DLX – MSRP $1,068
The next on the 200 series list is the 210 DLX.
The major differences between this and the 210ce is that the 210 DLX:
- Doesn?t have electronics
- Doesn?t have a cutaway
And this is why this is also the cheaper model.
The DLX model does have some other minor differences which make it the ?deluxe? model.
- The truss rod cover is rosewood on the DLX and black plastic on the 210ce
- The 210 DLX comes with a hardshell case and the 210ce comes with a hard bag
- The 210 DLX has Chrome (100/200) tuners compared with the 210ce?s Diecast Chrome Tuners
- The 210 DLX has a 2 piece configuration for the back compared to the 210ce?s laminate configuration
- Gloss back and side finish on the DLX and Satin back/side finish on the 210ce
- Diamond inlays on the 210 DLX and dot inlays on the 210ce
Again these are only minor things. The major difference is the electronics and the cutaway – though it is good to get that hardshell case with the deluxe model.
210e DLX – MSRP $1,328
Literally the only difference between the 210e DLX and the 210 DLX is that the 210e DLX is fitted with the Expression 2 System electronics.
210ce DLX – MSRP $1,598
The only difference between the 210ce DLX and the 210e DLX is that the 210ce DLX has a cutaway and the 210e DLX doesn?t.
You could also look at this as the deluxe version of the 210ce.
Whether you went with this one or the 210ce would depend on whether you thought it was worth the extra $270 for those little extras you get with the deluxe version – the major thing for me is that the deluxe comes with a proper hard-shell case.
210ce-K DLX – MSRP $1,718
The main difference between the 210ce-K DLX and the 210ce DLX is that the 210ce-K DLX has layered Koa back and sides.
The other small difference is that the binding is cream colored rather than white.
I?m not sure how much difference in sound that the layered Koa would make – although there was a noticeable difference between the 110ce and 210ce because of the layered back and side wood used. Koa tends to start out life quite bright but becomes warmer as it ages. I’m not sure whether layered Koa would age the same as solid Koa though.
This might also come down to which one you like the look of more. And if you do prefer the look of the Koa, then you?ll need to decide if you like it enough more to pay the extra for it. But the sound might also come into it.
Now let?s take a look at the Grand Auditorium models.
214ce – MSRP $1,328
The only difference between the 214ce and the 210ce is the shape/size.
>>See Full Review for the 214ce
But this is a fairly significant difference.
Neither is better than the other but they will produce different tone, sustain, volume etc. so it comes down to the sound and feel that you like better.
The 214ce is a grand auditorium shape as opposed to the 210ce?s Dreadnought shape. Taylor?s Grand Auditorium shape has a more defined waist between the lower and upper bouts compated with the dreadnought.
The sound is nice and balanced between being great for strumming and flat picking and also for fingerpicking. Where the Dreadnought excels at flat-picking and strumming and the Concert size is great for fingerstyle, the GA is the perfect balance of both.
Check out the differences in size in the table below:
| Dreadnought | Grand Auditorium | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Length | 41 | |
Wait, what’s the difference!? So there’s no actual difference in those specs – it’s the shape that makes the difference. As you can see in the image above the Grand Auditorium has a narrower waist than the dreadnought models.
214 DLX – $1,068, 214e DLX – $1,328, 214ce DLX – $1,598, 214ce-K DLX – $1,718
The differences between these models are the same as the differences between the Dreadnought models.
- 214 DLX = 210 DLX but with Grand Auditorium shape/size
- 214e DLX = 210e DLX but with Grand Auditorium shape/size
- 214ce DLX = 210ce DLX but with Grand Auditorium shape/size
- 214ce-K DLX = 210ce-K DLX but with Grand Auditorium shape/size
214ce-SB DLX – $1,658
The 214ce-SB DLX is the same as the 214ce DLX except that it:
- Has a Tobacco Sunburst Top
- Has a Pearloid Rosette compared to the plastic rosette on the 214ce DLX
214ce-BLK DLX – $1,658
The last of the 6 string models in the 200 series is the 214ce-BLK DLX. The differences between this model and the 214ce DLX are mostly cosmetic – like with the sunburst model above. Those differences are:
- No pick guard
- Pearloid rosette
- Black finish on top, back, sides and neck
- Headstock overlay is ebony compared to rosewood on the 214ce DLX
254ce DLX – $1,738
Finally we come to the 254ce DLX. This is the only 12 string model in the 200 series. It is most similar to the 214ce DLX, having a Grand Auditorium Shape with cutaway plus electronics. Practically?the only difference between it and the 214ce DLX, is that it is a 12 string guitar.
The other major difference is a wider neck to accommodate the extra strings.
The 254ce DLX has a 1 7/8? (47.6mm) nut.
The other small differences are (mostly to accommodate the fact it?s a 12 string guitar):
- Die-Cast Chrome Mini Tuners
- Tropical Mahogany neck and heel (Sapele on the 214ce DLX)
- Micarta Saddle (Tusq on the 214ce DLX)
- 100/200 Series 12-String Bracing
More Accurate Pricing
The pricing above is the MSRP – which is usually above what the typical actual price is (when it comes to guitars).
A more accurate pricing would be closer to:
- 210ce & 214ce – $999
- 210 DLX & 214 DLX – $799
- 210e DLX & 214e DLX – $999
- 210ce DLX & 214ce DLX – $1,199
- 210ce-K DLX & 214ce-K DLX – $1,299
- 254ce DLX – $1,299
Thanks for Reading
I hope this post has helped you to learn more about Taylor?s 200 series acoustic guitars and that you now know if any of the 200 series guitars are suitable for you.
Related: 210ce Full Review
Related: 214ce Full Review
Tim Fitzpatrick says
Do you know the difference between a 210e and a 214e ? Which one is a better guitar?
Does the 210e mean it has DLX necessarily or is the DLX an upgraded version of the 210e?
What is the diff between a 210e and a 210e DLX?
Thanks for your help. Much appreciated your quickest response.
Thanks again
Tim
Nate says
Hi Tim
The 210e is a Dreadnought guitar – so it has Taylor’s Dreadnought shape/size whereas the 214e has Taylor’s Grand Auditorium shape/size.
The Dreadnought will produce a boomier sound that has a higher volume ceiling but requires you to put in more effort to get a big sounds out of it. The Grand Auditorium is slightly smaller and has a narrower waist and this will be a little more responsive to a lighter touch (but as much so as something like a Grand Concert) and will have a lower volume ceiling (though not as low as something like a Grand Concert).
The DLX is an upgraded version – there are a few subtle differences for the DLX – i.e.:
1. The truss rod cover is rosewood on the DLX and black plastic on the non DLX
2. The DLX comes with a hardshell case and the 210ce comes with a hard bag
3. The DLX has Chrome (100/200) tuners compared with the non DLX Diecast Chrome Tuners
4. The DLX has a 2 piece configuration for the back compared to the non DLX?s laminate configuration
5. Gloss back and side finish on the DLX and Satin back/side finish on the non DLX
6. Diamond inlays on the 210 DLX and dot inlays on the non DLX
Hope this answers your questions