[bg56]

For anyone interested, I contacted Taylor customer support - the answers were:
1. Yes, a T5 neck does flex
2. The only suggestion that maybe causes "easier than usual" flex was to check the T-nut to ensure it is snug
3. Given my only other guitars are acoustic dreads, he suggested I'm just putting more pressure on the neck than needed due to being familiar with the acoustics

I'm still working at it. My move from open chords to barre chords are still sometimes producing a noticeable change in pitch but as a relatively new player, I assume it's a learning process for me.