How’s it going? I’d like to share my Taylor 110e review with you. In this review, I will assess the quality of the guitar based on its cost and in comparison to other acoustic guitars of a similar price.
To get the best idea of how a guitar will sound and how it will play it's a good idea to look at it from a few different perspectives.
The Body of the Taylor 110e
The dreadnought cutaway gives you the most popular guitar style body while providing the perfect combination of sound quality and projections.
The 110e comes with a solid Sitka Spruce back and sides. Spruce is ideal in this guitar, because it mixes well with other tonewoods (more on that next). You can easily identify this as a spruce guitar because of the pale wood color.
One of my favorite aspects of this guitar is the solid Sitka Spruce top. The solid wood gives you more resonance and increased quality. An easy way to spot a cheap guitar is whether it has a solid top or laminate top.
Let's Take a Look at the Neck
The neck is made from Mahogany, this is a great material for guitar necks. This material will add warmth to your tones.
The bridge of the 110e is made from ebony. Because it is a dense and hard material and this helps to transfer the energy from the vibrations of the strings into the soundboard, this is a great choice for the bridge.
You also don't want the bridge to be too heavy. In my opinion (and in most guitars) Ebony and Rosewood are the best bridge materials so the 110e gets the tick from me here.
Bridge Pins, Saddle & Nut: The bridge saddle, pins & nut are all made from TUSQ, which is a synthesized material that is made to replicate bone. Whilst some swear by bone others think TUSQ is just as good and in some ways better as you can control the consistency in a synthesized material.
I wonder what this guitar would sound like with bone in place of the TUSQ and whether that would increase the sustain.
If you really want bone or some other material for your nut and bridge saddle then this might be something you can look into to getting changed on the tusq but the 110e does a pretty good job in my opinion– how much difference bone would make could only be told once you changed it.
Now on to the Fingerboard
The 110e has an Ebony fingerboard (fretboard). Ebony is typically seen on more high-end guitars so you get value with ebony which is perfect for both bridges and fingerboards.
Keep in mind though that, like all woods, that one piece of ebony won't be the same as another. There will be different levels of quality– it's unlikely that Taylor are using the best ebony they can get their hands on for this guitar but it still makes for a nice playing surface for your fingers.
I really enjoyed the feel of the 110e's fret-board, because it was enjoyable to play.
Action: Unlike some cheaper guitars and other mid-range guitars, the action on the 110e is set up pretty well from the get go so you may not have to put in that extra effort adjusting the action (or extra cost of having it adjusted).
That said I felt like it could be a tad bit lower. When I started to play barre chords towards the higher fret,s I found it took a bit more effort. If you like a lower action then it may be something that you would consider getting done if you bought this guitar.
Let's Consider the Neck Width
The Taylor 110e has a slightly smaller than standard neck-width at 1 and 11/16 inches. This makes it slightly more difficult for finger-style playing but will be easier to play for those with smaller hands or those who like the feel and playability of a narrower neck.
I really liked the feel of the narrower neck and I didn't feel that it affected my finger picking at all. The neck felt strong and light. Great to play on!
On the Strings
You also shouldn't need to change the strings as the guitar comes with a decent set. From what I've seen it usually comes with NANOWEB Coated Elixir Light Gauge or Medium Gauge Strings. I'm pretty sure the ones I played on were medium gauge.
You might want to change them anyway if you have favorite strings you want to put on. Or you might prefer a different string material or gauge. You could definitely just play it with the strings as they are.
Last, but certainly not least, is the electronics option for the Taylor 110e. With the added electronics, the 110e gives you a guitar that is ideal for both acoustics and electronic playing. You're getting an instrument that is ready for stage performances and recording you next album!
Still not sure if the Taylor 110e is perfect for you? Watch this video by Shoreline Music.
