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Takamine TH90
Taylor 814ce-N
VS
Playability
70
Sound
84
Build
87
Value
70
Score
80
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Playability
73
Sound
88
Build
85
Value
67
Score
82
FIND IT ON:
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Takamine TH90 vs Taylor 814ce-N Specs Comparison
Takamine TH90 Taylor 814ce-N
General
Brand: Takamine Taylor
Year: 2018 2012
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Japan United States
Series: Hirade & Classical 800
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: No Yes
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Spruce Solid Sitka Spruce
Sides Material: Rosewood Rosewood
Back Material: Rosewood Rosewood
Bridge: Fixed Ebony
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Takamine Classical Nickel
Fretboard: Ebony Ebony
Neck Material: Mahogany Tropical Mahogany
Decoration: Element
Scale Size: 25.6" 25.5"
Shape: Acoustic Asymmetrical C Acoustic Taylor Standard
Frets: 19 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: Flat 15"
Nut: Bone Ivory Tusq
Nut Width: 51mm (2.008'') 47.6mm (1.875'')
Electronics
Pickups: CTP-3 CoolTube (Preamp / Active) ES-N Electronics (Preamp / Active)
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Gold Nickel

Reasons to Get
Takamine TH90 over Taylor 814ce-N

Release Year
2018 vs 2012
From a more recent year
Number of Frets
19 vs 20
Warmer neck pickup
Neck Profile
Acoustic Asymmetrical C vs Acoustic Taylor Standard
Adapts to the natural shape of your hand
Pickups Brand
Takamine vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Width
2.008'' (51mm) vs 1.875'' (47.6mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Classical vs Grand Auditorium
Compact body with soft nylon strings
Scale Length
25.6'' (650.2mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
Flat vs 15'' (381mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
70 vs 67
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Taylor 814ce-N over Takamine TH90

Neck Profile
Acoustic Taylor Standard vs Acoustic Asymmetrical C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Number of Frets
20 vs 19
Allows to reach higher notes
Nut Width
1.875'' (47.6mm) vs 2.008'' (51mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Grand Auditorium vs Classical
Wide and narrow body with a balanced tone
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 25.6'' (650.2mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
15'' (381mm) vs Flat
Easier to play chords without muting strings

Other Key Differences
Takamine TH90 vs Taylor 814ce-N

Saddle Material
Bone vs Ivory Tusq
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Fixed vs Ebony
Different Bridge Material
Nut Material
Bone vs Ivory Tusq
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Takamine TH90 vs Taylor 814ce-N

Back Material
Rosewood
Same Back Material
Sides Material
Rosewood
Same Sides Material
Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Ebony
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

Takamine TH90 Prices

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    SET PRICE ALERT

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    Hand Size Comfortability

    And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Takamine TH90 favors large hands more than the Taylor 814ce-N.

    Takamine TH90:
    Big Hands
    Small Hands
    Taylor 814ce-N:
    Big Hands
    Small Hands

    Beginner Friendliness

    The Takamine TH90 meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Taylor 814ce-N meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

    New Player Friendliness

    Takamine TH90
    • Comfortable shape
    • Easy-to-use bridge
    • Tall frets
    • Comfortable neck
    • Soft Strings
    • Comfortable fretboard
    • Narrow nut
    • Short scale
    • Locking tuners

    New Player Friendliness

    Taylor 814ce-N
    • Easy-to-use bridge
    • Tall frets
    • Comfortable neck
    • Soft Strings
    • Comfortable shape
    • Comfortable fretboard
    • Narrow nut
    • Short scale
    • Locking tuners

    Sound Quality Comparison

    The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

    Woods Used in Both

    Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
    Mahogany
    Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
    Ebony
    Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
    Spruce
    Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
    Rosewood

    Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

    Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

    Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

    Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

    Winner: Tie.

    Electronics

    Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.

    Winner:Tie.

    Final Sound Quality Scores

    Takamine TH90
    Sustain 90
    Versatility 75
    Tuning Stability 70
    Sound 84
    Taylor 814ce-N
    Sustain 95
    Versatility 85
    Tuning Stability 70
    Sound 88

    Build Quality Comparison

    When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Takamine TH90 compares to the Taylor 814ce-N.

    Country of Origin

    The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Takamine TH90 is built in Japan while the Taylor 814ce-N is made in United States.

    Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.

    The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

    Winner: Tie

    Nut Material

    If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

    The Takamine TH90 has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

    On the other hand, the Taylor 814ce-N comes with a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.

    Winner: Tie.

    Fret Material

    Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

    Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

    Winner: Tie.

    Tuners

    Both come with regular tuners. The Takamine TH90's are Takamine while the Taylor 814ce-N's are Classical Nickel

    Winner: Tie.

    Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

    Strengths & Weaknesses
    Takamine TH90
    • Made in Japan
    • Expensive Wood
    • Bone Nut
    • Top Brand Pickups
    • Electronics
    • Bone Saddle
    • Solid Top Wood
    • Solid Side Wood
    • Solid Back Wood
    • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
    • No Locking Tuners
    • No Compound Radius Fretboard
    • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
    • No Strap Lock
    Strengths & Weaknesses
    Taylor 814ce-N
    • Made in United States
    • Expensive Wood
    • Ivory Tusq Nut
    • Electronics
    • Ivory Tusq Saddle
    • Solid Top Wood
    • Solid Side Wood
    • Solid Back Wood
    • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
    • No Locking Tuners
    • No Top Brand Pickups
    • No Compound Radius Fretboard
    • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
    • No Strap Lock

    Final Build Quality Scores

    Takamine TH90
    Quality of materials 81
    Features 85
    Quality Control 95
    Build Quality 87
    Taylor 814ce-N
    Quality of materials 81
    Features 75
    Quality Control 100
    Build Quality 85

    Playability Comparison

    Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

    Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

    Nut Width

    Takamine TH90 Nut Width
    Takamine TH90 Nut Width
    Taylor 814ce-N Nut Width
    Taylor 814ce-N Nut Width

    The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Takamine TH90 has the wider nut with 51mm (2.008'') vs 47.6mm (1.875''). This is a 3.4mm (0.133'') difference

    This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Takamine TH90, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

    Scale Length

    Takamine TH90's Scale Length
    Takamine TH90's Scale Length
    Taylor 814ce-N's Scale Length
    Taylor 814ce-N's Scale Length

    The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

    The Takamine TH90 has the longest scale: 25.6". The Taylor 814ce-N is only 25.5" long. This is a 0.1'' (2.5mm) scale length difference.

    This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

    This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

    Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

    Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

    Neck Profile

    Takamine TH90 Neck Profile
    Takamine TH90's neck profile
    Taylor 814ce-N Neck Profile
    Taylor 814ce-N's neck profile

    No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

    In this case, both have different neck shapes:

    The Takamine TH90 has a Asymmetrical type of neck. Even though this neck shape looks like a poorly-made job, it's, in fact, the neck that most naturally adapts to the arc of your hand when grabbing a guitar neck. You'll notice that the lower part of your palm makes a more pronounced, deeper curve while the upper part makes a more subtle arch. This is the shape that adapts the best to that natural arch your hand makes while playing.

    The Taylor 814ce-N, on the other hand, has a C neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

    Fretboard Radius

    Takamine TH90 Fingerboard Radius
    Takamine TH90's Fingerboard radius
    Taylor 814ce-N Fingerboard Radius
    Taylor 814ce-N's Fingerboard radius

    Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

    In this case, the Taylor 814ce-N's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Takamine TH90's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Takamine TH90.

    Fret Size

    Takamine TH90 and Taylor 814ce-N Frets Size
    Both have a similar Medium fret size

    Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.

    Final Playability Scores

    Takamine TH90
    Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
    Chord Playability 75
    Solo Playability 60
    Playability 70
    Taylor 814ce-N
    Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
    Chord Playability 65
    Solo Playability 80
    Playability 73