Dave Burrluck, Reviews Editor, replies:

Hi Kevin, thanks for your letter. I confess I get a little twitchy when we feature guitars at this price level. I don’t know too many players – working pros included – that can justify that sort of money. However, where I don’t agree with you is the clichéd ‘multinational, turning out a range of guitars with a production-line approach’. Go visit Taylor and, yes, they build a lot of guitars but you, like me, will be amazed at just how much work by hand is involved. It’s the same at Martin, PRS and many more. Bear in mind also that the 814CE DLX is a deluxe version of the standard 814CE (which, as we mentioned, retails at £1,545 less), with price-raising additions – not least the armrest which, as Andy Powers says in this issue, represents “hours and hours of really careful handwork.” And, sadly, we can’t ignore the post-Brexit effect that’s led to prices – guitars included, where dollars are concerned – rising by 15-20 percent in recent months. Obviously, the higher the ticket, the higher the increase. It brings into sharp focus what we all consider as ‘value’, not least what we are prepared to pay for today’s instruments.