bolt-on neck and action change question
 

With Taylor, the recommended way of changing the action is to change the neck angle by using 2 "shims", instead of shaving down the saddle and/or nut. Are there any other guitar makers using bolt-on necks where this also applies ? I'm thinking about Collings and Furch.

I'm not sure about the other makers, but Taylor has a shim "system" that is very precise. FWIW, they don't patently say to use 2 shims. It all depends, and they have different shims of varying degrees. It's a great system, but is really best to have it done by a Taylor service center who has the shims and does this stuff all the time. Costs about $100.

I suppose you could shave the saddle if you wanted lower action, but in doing so you could potentially change the string break angle (though unlikely to be significant). But having said that, I wouldn't start shaving the original saddle, but buy a second saddle and fit it as desired. You can get bone saddles for $15, either bleached or unbleashed, wave or offset and then fit it to your guitar. Some folks, due to climate changes, have a winter saddle and a summer saddle.

Wow, Taylor really wants their players to take off the neck for action changes? That seems like a complicated operation. Ovation has the approach the other way round. They use a bunch of shims under the saddle, so to lower the action simply remove shims, to increase action add some shims. Very easy and very reversible.

It's not just about action, it's also about neck angle. That said, I'd rather have a saddle making solid contact with the bridge than a saddle that has plastic shims under it. The Taylor system is excellent. It takes an experienced repair guy less than 10 minutes to reset the neck. I've only needed to have it done once, and that was because the factory setup was a little high for my liking. My tech did the adjustment while I was waiting. Super quick and super easy.

I agree that the Taylor system is really excellent !

But I'm wondering whether other guitar builders, who are using bolt-on necks, are also recommending a similar technique (so without shaving the nut/saddle) to change the action/angle ?

Action is more than just one geometry change.

Shaving/shimming a saddle is a shortcut method. If you only need a minor change the tradeoffs are minimal.

I don't believe that the other bolt-on builders do action adjustments by removing the neck. Taylor uses the two-shim NT system (patented so others cannot use it) including the fret board extension pocket.

If you need to do a neck reset on the typical standard bolt-on system, that involves shaving or sanding the heel of the neck slightly to change the neck angle. Shaving or shimming the saddle is far easier until you have to do major surgery - less intense than a dovetail reset but still not trivial. And many of them have the fret board extensions glued to the guitar top, complicating things.

It's not complicated at all. That's the beauty of it.

Ovations also have a bolt-on necks with shims, but I have never tried to take one off because the neck angle never needed to be changed on my Ovations. On the other hand if I change string gauge, or if the top has a slight change due to humidity variations, then all I have to do is pop out the saddle and add or remove a shim(s) and that's it. Why is there a need to change the neck angle with Taylors?

Most bolt on neck situations are more than semi-permanent, and a neck reset needs actual resetting of the neck. The fretboard extension is often (normally) glued to the top. Finish is often sprayed after the neck is installed, so doing a reset involves cutting the finish and any remediation required. On those, a little bridge work is usually first in line, saddles are meant to be adjusted after all, often seasonally. When you do need a reset, it's not nearly as hard as re-cutting and shimming a dovetail joint, but neither is it 10 minutes work.

Furch and Bourgeois use a full bolt on system, with no glue involved.

For all the same reasons you might need to change the neck angle on any guitar. Taylor just makes it a lot easier to do. When my Martin needed a reset, it was in the shop for two weeks; the Taylor took 10 minutes.

The answer to your question is "no." Taylor's the only one doing it that way. I have 3 Taylors - I love it.

Other bolt-ons do it differently. I "believe" Bourgeois, while not using shims, has a nice system that doesn't require ungluing the fretboard (I reserve the right to be wrong - I never got an answer to my query to them).

This was a massive leap forward in guitar technology, as it eliminated the gluing and ungluing of the fretboard. A Bolt-on neck is great but if you have to unglue the fretboard sitll it's only half easier. Taylor added the calibrated shims to adjust neck angle and viola' they had their huge innovation.

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luth...ylorjoint1.jpg

Bourgeois uses a similar bolt-down fretboard extension but doesn't copy Taylor's patented neck shim idea.

https://bourgeoisguitars.net/wp-cont...ory_img_09.jpg

Nice pictures !

How does a neck reset for a Bourgeois work then if there are no shims ?
Do all Bourgeois guitars use this neck system ?