This is the Taylor 414ce-R with V bracing. It is an upgrade of the run of the mill 414s. I bought this brand new about a year ago but have only played it a half dozen times and it has sat in the case the rest of the time. It is made of the same materials and with the same construction as the 814s and 914s. Spruce top and Rosewood back and sides. Acoustically, it is the best sounding Taylor I played the day I bought it, even though it is technically a lesser model than many of the other ones. Sounds as good as many 4-5k Taylors. This is due to the Rosewood and the V bracing. The only thing that's better on the 814s and 914s is the intricate detail work, like inlays, and piezo quality but personally I don't care about that intricacies and don't play acoustics through an amp. If you want the concert quality acoustic sound of the 814 or 914 you get it with this without the extra expense. There are no scratches or blemishes apart from the one on the headstock in the pictures which is so miniscule you'd hardly notice if not pointed out. I currently have very light strings (9-44s). It functions well with this light guage with really good action but can easily be put back to factory guage strings. No modifications were made for the lower guage. Thanks for looking and let me know if you have any questions.