Taylor 254ce 12-String Grand Auditorium
Overview
The Taylor 254ce is a 12-string acoustic-electric guitar built on the Grand Auditorium body shape, offering a more balanced and articulate alternative to the booming dreadnought format that dominates the 12-string market. The solid spruce top with layered rosewood back and sides produces a clear, detailed tone with excellent string separation, allowing individual courses to ring out distinctly rather than blurring together into a wash of sound. This clarity makes the 254ce particularly effective for fingerpicking patterns and intricate strumming where note definition matters. Taylor's Expression System 2 pickup faithfully captures the guitar's natural voice for amplified performance, with controls mounted discreetly inside the sound hole. The Grand Auditorium body is more comfortable than a dreadnought for seated playing and smaller-framed musicians, while still delivering plenty of volume and projection for stage work. The satin finish keeps the price accessible and gives the guitar a pleasant, understated visual character. Build quality is consistent with Taylor's 200 Series standards, featuring clean fretwork, reliable hardware, and a comfortable neck profile that mitigates the inherent demands of navigating twelve strings. This is an excellent choice for players who want 12-string richness with greater note clarity and a more manageable body size. The layered rosewood back and sides keep the price down but limit the tonal complexity compared to all-solid-wood construction.
12-String Guitars
Grand Auditorium 12-string with solid spruce top and ES2 pickup offering superior note clarity and a more manageable body than dreadnought 12-strings.
Instrument Details
$1,099
Intermediate
Brand
Taylor
Type
12-String Acoustic Guitar
Made In
Mexico
Year
2020
