TAYLOR 214ce Acoustic/Electric Guitar

1. TAYLOR 214ce Acoustic/Electric Guitar By: Chris Moore

2. Images

4. Taylor 214ce in action!

5. Specifications • Top of guitar made from solid Sitka Spruce. • Back and Sides are made from Indian Rosewood. • Neck of guitar is made from Sapele. • Fretboard is ebony with perloid dots. • Electronics are the Expression ES-T system. • It’s a single-source, under saddle transducer, with individual elements for each string. • Features a custom-voiced EQ system as well.

6. Noticings (General) • Craftsmanship • Joyful • Urge to pick up and play • Inspiration • Expression • Artistic • Great shape and aesthetics • Process

7. Noticings (See) • Wood patterns • Strumming marks • Shiny • Two toned wood

8. Noticings (Hear) • Bright tones • People cheering • Strings being tuned • Hammering and buffering • Relaxing, melodic, riff being strummed • Screech of the strings from a hand sliding around the fret board

9. Noticings (Smell) • Wood • Lacker and laminate • Brand new steel strings • Wood cleaner

10. Noticings (Feel) • Grain of the wood • Smoothness • Ease of turning the tuning pegs • Very light • Small sting of pressing down on the strings • The tension on the strings

11. Questions • When exactly was this guitar constructed? • What inspired this particular model? • Why these types of wood? • How long did it take to make? • Was it designed for a particular style of music? • Is there an emotion that Bob Taylor wanted to express with this model?

12. Personal Connection • I obviously have a strong personal connection with this work of art because it is my guitar. Its amazing how something like this guitar becomes so personal over time. I feel like its now a part of my identity in the strongest sense. This instrument is how I express some of my deepest and most honest feelings. Something that is involved in that process can’t help but become part of who you are as person. I have played other guitars, and felt as if I was cheating on my Taylor in some way. The people who were there said I just didn’t look right with any other guitar in my hands.

13. Social, Cultural, and Historical Context • Taylor makes hundreds of guitars per day. • 800 retailers in North America, distributes to 60 countries. • Artists: Dave Matthews, Chicago, Daryl Hall, Goo Goo Dolls, Jewel, Blues Traveler, George Strait, Taylor Swift, and Jason Mraz just to name a few. • The guitar is an ancient and noble instrument that dates back to 4000 years ago. • Has always been apart of American music but took off around World War II with the invention of the electric guitar.

14. Social Context • This model guitar is supposed to be the guitar for the average person when it comes to price tag. Most high end guitars range in price from $2,000 to $5,000 which is out of reach for most people. • The 214ce is high end in quality but cost $1000. Therefore, this guitar can be bought by more people who are looking for high end sound, not the high end price. • The cheaper price allows for more people to get involved in music. • The electronics on this guitar have changed the way most guitar makers think about amplified sound from acoustic guitars.

15. Curricular Connection • Throughout this course we have heard from our authors that art needs to be experienced, and when thinking about art, we need to focus more on the process as opposed to the final product. • My work of art is a prime example of experiencing art. I never picked up an instrument before I started playing guitar three years ago. Once my friend showed me how to play one of my favorite songs I was immediately hooked. Whenever I had free time I was picking up the guitar and working on learning a new song. Had I never experienced playing guitar I never would have been inspired to become a musician.

16. Curricular Connection Cont’d • After looking at and analyzing the 214ce it made me think more about the construction process of the guitar. I have thought more about exactly how does the designer decide on the shape, and the types of wood they use. I often wonder if the person who worked on my guitar developed a personal attachment to it like I have since I bought the guitar. This part of the process of making art is something I have learned needs to be examined more by all observers of art. My snake of clay will always be a reminder to me of how things can change during the process of creating a piece of art.

17. Line of Inquiry • Aesthetic: • How does the artist use shape, and texture to help create an aesthetically pleasing piece of art, but also produce a bright, clean tone from the instrument as well? • Pedagogical: • How does learning to play guitar (or any instrument) correlate to learning a new concept in Math, Science, English, etc.?

18. Key Ideas • Texture • Shape • Color • Sound • Art as a means for expression • Size • Role this art plays in bringing music into people’s lives • Craftsmanship • Accessibility

19. Activities • Social Studies: Could allow the students to pick a period in history and have them research what the guitar was like at that point, and how music was viewed in that particular culture. • Science: I would base a lab activity off of trying different types of wood to see which kind produced the best resonating sound qualities. We would talk about the characteristics of each type of wood and allow the students to make a hypothesis before we test the wood.

20. Activities Cont’d • Geography: I would have the students plot on a map where there are certain Taylor retailers. I would also have them plot where the first guitar is believed to have originated from to show them how far the guitar has traveled. • Math: For math I would use our geography lesson and have the students add up all the miles a Taylor guitar must travel to go from the factory to someone’s home in a particular city. • English/Language Arts: Students could write their own lyrics to a song.

21. References • www.taylorguitars.com • www.heidmusic.com • www.sweetwater.com • The Ultimate Guitar Book by Tony Bacon • American Guitars: An Illustrated History by Tom Wheeler