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Yamaha A5R ARE
Taylor 314ce
VS
Playability
73
Sound
90
Build
89
Value
79
Score
84
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Playability
73
Sound
86
Build
82
Value
70
Score
80
FIND IT ON:
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Yamaha A5R ARE vs Taylor 314ce

Reasons to Get
Yamaha A5R ARE over Taylor 314ce

Release Year
2017 vs 2013
From a more recent year
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Graphite
Resistant, good tuning stability and rich tone
Pickup Mods
Multi-Voicing vs None
Changes the voice (tones or gain) of the pickups
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.75'' (44.5mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Dreadnought vs Grand Auditorium
Prominent low-end tones in a large body
Scale Length
25.6'' (650.2mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
15.75'' (400.1mm) vs 15'' (381mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
79 vs 70
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Taylor 314ce over Yamaha A5R ARE

Nut Width
1.75'' (44.5mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Grand Auditorium vs Dreadnought
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 15.75'' (400.1mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings

Other Key Differences
Yamaha A5R ARE vs Taylor 314ce

Back Material
Rosewood vs Sapele
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Rosewood vs Sapele
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Ivory Tusq vs Synthetic Bone
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Ebony vs West African Crelicam Ebony
Different Bridge Material
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Graphite
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Yamaha A5R ARE vs Taylor 314ce

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
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
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
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

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

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT
SET PRICE ALERT

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Yamaha A5R ARE is probably the better product overall with its final score of 84 compared to the Taylor 314ce's 80 score, although not by a lot.

The Yamaha A5R ARE wins when it comes to sound, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Taylor 314ce has the upper hand when it comes to.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

Both meet 3 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. 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. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Yamaha A5R ARE
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Taylor 314ce
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Yamaha A5R ARE Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2017 A series
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25.6"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Sitka Spruce A.R.E. w/Scalloped Bracing top
  • Solid Rosewood back
  • Solid Rosewood sides
  • African Mahogany (3-ply) neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: SYSTEM71(SRT2 System) + SRT Piezo Pickup (Preamp/Active)
  • Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Open Gear Chrome (Gotoh) tuners
  • Weight between 4.95lbs (2.2kgs) and 5.2lbs (2.4kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Taylor 314ce Overview

  • From Taylor's 2013 300 series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 15" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Sitka Spruce top
  • Solid Sapele back
  • Solid Sapele sides
  • Tropical Mahogany neck
  • West African Crelicam Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Expression System 2 Electronics (Preamp/Active)
  • West African Crelicam Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic Taylor Standard Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Taylor Nickel tuners
  • Compare Specs >

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

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.

Woods Used in the Yamaha A5R ARE

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

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.

Woods Used in the Taylor 314ce

Sapele wood pattern used for guitar building
Sapele

It's similar to Mahogany in both color and tone. It can produce warm tones, and it's known for its beautiful figured grain patterns. Find out more about Sapele.

Winner: Yamaha A5R ARE.

Electronics

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

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Yamaha A5R ARE
Sustain 95
Versatility 95
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 90
Taylor 314ce
Sustain 90
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 86

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 Yamaha A5R ARE compares to the Taylor 314ce.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Yamaha A5R ARE is built in Japan while the Taylor 314ce 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 Yamaha A5R ARE has 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.

On the other hand, the Taylor 314ce comes with a Graphite nut. It's a self-lubricating material that will allow the strings to slide over the nut without a lot of friction. It's a good type of nut if you want to have better tuning stability than with plastic, although it's not as resistant as Bone or Tusq.

Winner: Yamaha A5R ARE.

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 Yamaha A5R ARE's are Open Gear Chrome (Gotoh) while the Taylor 314ce's are Taylor Nickel

Winner: Tie.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha A5R ARE
  • Made in Japan
  • 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
Strengths & Weaknesses
Taylor 314ce
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Electronics
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Yamaha A5R ARE
Quality of materials 96
Features 80
Quality Control 90
Build Quality 89
Taylor 314ce
Quality of materials 76
Features 75
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 82

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

Yamaha A5R ARE Nut Width
Yamaha A5R ARE Nut Width
Taylor 314ce Nut Width
Taylor 314ce Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Taylor 314ce has the wider nut with 44.5mm (1.75'') vs 43mm (1.693''). This is a 1.5mm (0.057'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Taylor 314ce, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Yamaha A5R ARE's Scale Length
Yamaha A5R ARE's Scale Length
Taylor 314ce's Scale Length
Taylor 314ce'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 Yamaha A5R ARE has the longest scale: 25.6". The Taylor 314ce 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

Yamaha A5R ARE Neck Profile
Yamaha A5R ARE's neck profile
Taylor 314ce Neck Profile
Taylor 314ce'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.

Both the Yamaha A5R ARE and the Taylor 314ce have a C-shaped 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

Yamaha A5R ARE Fingerboard Radius
Yamaha A5R ARE's Fingerboard radius
Taylor 314ce Fingerboard Radius
Taylor 314ce'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 314ce's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Yamaha A5R ARE'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 Yamaha A5R ARE.

Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Yamaha A5R ARE:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Taylor 314ce:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Yamaha A5R ARE and Taylor 314ce 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

Yamaha A5R ARE
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73
Taylor 314ce
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Yamaha A5R ARE vs Taylor 314ce
General Yamaha A5R ARE Taylor 314ce
Brand: Yamaha Taylor
Year: 2017 2013
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Japan United States
Series: A 300
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: No Yes
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Sitka Spruce A.R.E. w/Scalloped Bracing Solid Sitka Spruce
Sides Material: Rosewood Sapele
Back Material: Rosewood Sapele
Bridge: Ebony West African Crelicam Ebony
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Open Gear Chrome (Gotoh) Taylor Nickel
Fretboard: Ebony West African Crelicam Ebony
Neck Material: African Mahogany (3-ply) Tropical Mahogany
Decoration: Dots Gemstone, Italian Acrylic
Scale Size: 25.6" 25.5"
Shape: Acoustic C Acoustic Taylor Standard
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15.75" 15"
Nut: Ivory Tusq Graphite
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 44.5mm (1.75'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: SYSTEM71(SRT2 System) + SRT Piezo Pickup (Preamp / Active) Expression System 2 Electronics (Preamp / Active)