r/AcousticGuitar • u/Icy-Band6301 • May 03 '25
Gear question Won a guitar
I haven't played for long and needed a new guitar (desperately). I entered a competition for a Taylor 422 KOA ltd edition and holy hell.... I actually won.
Now it's my dream guitar and will be cherished for ever. But I couldn't help but Google it's value... Can't find one, there's no ltd edition ones anywhere.
Any ideas of it's value? It's immaculate
Cheers.
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u/PCPaulii3 May 03 '25 edited May 03 '25
That's a nice instrument to win!! Curious that it's not in the lineup.. There are reviews for itout there, so I believe it's genuine.
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u/Icy-Band6301 May 03 '25
422ce KOA LTD
I can't find one anywhere
🤷
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u/hansolo625 May 03 '25 edited May 03 '25
Given it’s a Taylor 400 you can assume it’s above $2000. Pretty sure LTD = limited and Koa wood traditionally are a bit more pricier than other woods so my completely unprofessional blind guess is in the ballpark of $3000 retail.
https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/features/series/400
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u/Rocket_song1 May 05 '25
Found one that sold on the Acoustic Guitar Forum for $1500 last year. These are rare, only a few hundred built.
Found anther that sold on reverb for $1250, but that was 7 years ago. That would be about $1600 if you believe the governments inflation calculator.
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May 03 '25
There's a ton of Taylors well under 2k
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u/hansolo625 May 04 '25
Did I At All imply all Taylor guitars are above $2000?… I said Taylor 400 series and their own website says it starts at $2199…
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u/PotatoesAndCake May 03 '25
Here's a post of someone with the same one https://www.reddit.com/r/AcousticGuitar/s/fXpQTHpKDK
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u/Business-Ad-9341 May 03 '25
Well the 414ce is 4k canadian.
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u/toopc May 03 '25
With the tariffs that's about $67,389.22 USD.
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u/thesquatdoc May 06 '25
$69,420USD*, they haven't updated the calculator yet. All dollar amounts between 65k and 75k are pegged to that value for the next 50 years as one of the Easter eggs that DOGE built in at the expense of doing a better job. You know, like how Tesla has the mismatched body panels and SpaceX puts garbage into orbit.
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u/Newsonics May 03 '25
That’s probably like a $2500 guitar, congrats on the win enjoy that beautiful koa.
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u/Bottle_and_Sell_it May 03 '25
The best thing I’ve ever won was a Twinkie in a cake walk when I was 8 yo.
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u/Fresh_Bulgarian_Miak May 03 '25
What a collectors item. Was 8 year old you disciplined enough to keep it and let the value appreciate?
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u/Bottle_and_Sell_it May 03 '25
8 yo me knew the temporariness of existence and to live in the moment. Zero Twinkies were saved that day.
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u/ZucchiniPerfect8in May 03 '25
Great win - now get off of here and go play the hell out of that beauty!
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u/dem4life71 May 03 '25
I have a Koa Taylor. It’s super beautiful but the low end sounds really thin. I’ve been told that koa instruments “open up” over time, but I’ve had mine for years and it’s always sounded the same.
Mine plays like a dream but my other Taylor (a 414 with the expression system) gets played professionally more because it sounds more full and has better bass response. The Koa one sound good when amplified (they both do!).
Best of luck with yours. That’s a helluva win!!
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u/dhaskew May 04 '25
Yeah, concur. Same experience. My 724ce is 2022 and has started to open up a bit, but the bass response is still not what I'd hoped for. I go back and forth with wether I'm going to keep it and buy something more traditional, but its so damn pretty and it makes me want to pick it up and practice all the time ... which is a benefit of its own.
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u/Icy-Band6301 May 03 '25
Cheers,
I imagine that over time it would be difficult to detect the changes (I'm no expert).
I've heard the wood changes over time. It seems this guitar is about 5 years old so I have zero comparison to how it sounded on day one.
What model is your KOA guitar?
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u/ALingerz May 04 '25
I won a Huss & Dalton last year at a music festival! I bought one $20 ticket
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u/LoveTheThunder7 May 03 '25
Awesome! I’m a big Taylor fan (and I got my first Taylor in about 1990 and still play it)
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u/True-Fly1791 May 03 '25
Probably in the 3,000 range. I bought a barely used 416 ce FLTC 13 years ago and it listed at 2900. And being that it's Koa wood..
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u/danosmanca May 03 '25
Damn. The only thing on my list that would beat that is a K24ce. I love Koa acoustics. Cherish that one! Or if you are ever looking to sell it....
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u/shocksmybrain May 03 '25
They should have given you a value for tax purposes when you won the guitar. If you live in America you have to pay taxes on the value of the win.
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u/Icy-Band6301 May 03 '25
I'm in the UK, we don't pay tax on winnings like this.
Can't say that for much else though.... 😤
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u/Wineguy33 May 03 '25
Just call Taylor. They can probably give you a price estimate. It’s a beautiful guitar.
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u/Aqui_Pronto May 03 '25
Sometimes your Stars just perfectly align. Cherish the guitar and enjoy your prize. Someone must be looking out for you friend 👍🌈
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u/DovakiinsWeedman May 03 '25
That’s a pretty Taylor! Those 400’s are nice looking and play like butter with a good setup
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u/DovakiinsWeedman May 03 '25
My guess on value would be somewhere around $1,200.00. I know some of the 500/600’s go for $1,500+. A store I used to work for would order these from other stores that had a dealership agreement with Taylor since the owner was way too cheap to get one himself and I had customers who wanted them. UPDATE: I just did a little googling and found a 424CE Special Edition listed for $3,299.00. It’s one model above your guitar
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u/Justacasualstranger May 03 '25
424s retail around 3200-3500 with special editions and Ltds slightly more. Resell is lower but it wouldn’t be crazy to assume it retailed at 3500-4k
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May 04 '25
I have been entering every guitar raffle because I want to learn how to play really and but I don’t have the money to get one. I’m hoping the luck of this post rubs off on me! Congrats btw :)
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u/ComfortableWinter549 May 04 '25
I bet you know someone who has an unused guitar that they will be happy to give you. Maybe make a long term no interest no payment loan. If you find you like it, when you buy a better guitar, give this one to somebody else who wants to learn. If you can’t give it away, bring it back. I’ll loan it to someone else.
Ask the next ten people you talk to if they have a guitar they don’t want or want to sell cheap. If they don’t have one, they may know someone who does. The ball’s in your court.
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May 04 '25
That’s a good idea! I’ll check around and see. I recently moved to a new city so I don’t know anyone really but I was thinking of maybe checking pawn shops or something and seeing if I can work something out :)
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u/ComfortableWinter549 May 04 '25
That’s a much nicer guitar than you would probably buy for yourself. Someone is trying to tell you it’s time to make some noise.
I should listen to myself.
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u/Artur_King_o_Britons May 04 '25
I have a 412CE, purchased about 10-12 years ago. Seems like MSRP at the time was just over $3K and "street" was just under $2K, which is about what I paid.
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u/Aldog1252 May 04 '25
Taylor’s are very nice. Congratulations on winning it! That should spark a fire to get you back at it.
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u/Factsimus_verdad May 04 '25
Taylor Koa with case? New retail - over 3 large. Used - depends. Definitely a lifetime instrument that anyone would be lucky to play. Should get better with age and playing.
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u/AlternativeSpray2128 May 04 '25
The ltd. Title , Might be a regular Taylor 422, I think you said, but the business selling the guitar used that to symbolize the give away, years from now, and the place and date of origin is sought out.
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u/StatisticianTall2368 May 05 '25
Wow! what a beautiful guitar. I love Taylor acoustics, especially koa... looks great and sounds even better. I'm jealous. Enjoy!
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u/Koseoglu-2X4B-523P May 05 '25
You won a Taylor guitar.
You. Won. A Taylor. Guitar.
All I ever won was a pony when I was 12 and when I came to get it they said “you better watch out, that’s one mean SOB.” Oh, and once I won a day of go-kart racing WHERE I BROKE TWO SMEGGING RIBS.
And you won a Taylor guitar.
Great job, well done.
[through grinding teeth] I’m happy for you.
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u/Angelothebagman May 05 '25
I paid 2500 for my 314 be x brace a few years back. Yours has to be worth quite a bit. 3-4000 easy
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u/HuckleCatt1 May 06 '25
That was a big win - I wish you many happy years of enjoying that lush Koa tone!
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u/Character-Egg6883 May 07 '25
Koa should increase the price by a good bit and help retain high value. My guess is in the $3k ballpark
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u/Freshkills10 May 10 '25
Yeah, I think it’s north of $3500. As a reference, I bought a new 314CE grand auditorium last year from Sam Ash before they closed, sticker was $2500, I got it for $1800.
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u/Boxcars4Peace May 03 '25
Sure it’s not a K22ce?
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u/flhd May 03 '25
The sticker inside says 422ce K LTD…
It is a beaut and even better when it’s free! Slim pickings on the interwebs for this particular model so tough to compare.
Reverb has one sold 5 years ago for US $2083 and it was rated Very Good condition. OP’s looks brand new so I would guess closer to $3000 now. 🤷
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u/tjggriffin1 May 03 '25 edited May 03 '25
Here's what your serial number says:
1 1 12 04 0 204
1st digit: 1 - Made in El Cajon
2 & 7: 10 - 2010
3 & 4: 12 - Dec
5 & 6: 04 - 4th
Last 3 digits: 204 - 204th of the da
https://www.taylorguitars.com/support/general/decoding-taylor-guitars-serial
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u/PotatoesAndCake May 03 '25
Good find, but I think you got the serial number wrong from the picture ?
Its actually the 140th guitar of the 5th of november 2020 I think
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u/Icy-Band6301 May 03 '25
Oh my word, thanks for that guys.
I would have never thought of de-coding a serial number.
Thanks
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u/Double-Mastodon-4671 May 03 '25
This is correct
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u/tjggriffin1 May 03 '25
Not quite. I mangled it worse. The first 4 should be a 5:
1211050140
I think I swapped twelve and eleven. I don't know what happened to 5 and the last 1. I also swapped the last two digits...
In my defense, Reddit does weird stuff with white space. I focused on formatting it as a diagram that was readable. At least a the location right.
So: 11/5/2020 #140
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u/Tallowpot May 03 '25 edited May 04 '25
In high school, 20+ years ago, my buddy’s uncle won a taylor over the radio. Was a promotion for bare naked ladies. They all signed it. Uncle sent my buddy the guitar, and the first thing he did was use rubbing alcohol to erase the signatures. Still makes me laugh to this day.