My Sick Baby

[BobS]

I have a Baby that I think has a maple top..not sure. I got it used last spring and it was my first Taylor. When I got it I could not believe how nice it sounded for a small guitar. I played it for a couple of months before got my 612ce.

It has not gotten much use for the last 5 months and I took it out the other day and put some new Nano lights on it. But is sounds.....well like crap. It has a twangy tinny sound that like I might get if I made my own guitar out of an old coffee can. I know I have been playing a 612 but I also KNOW this sounded better before. It also sounds like its always a little out of tune.

This is very weird....am I crazy? (Ok...I could be crazy - in general - but has anyone ever experienced this kind thing?)

Bob

[cpmusic]

Your Baby probably has a spruce top, as most do (the Baby-M has a mahogany top). To the best of my knowledge, Taylor has never used maple for any guitar tops.

As for the sound differential, I'd chalk it up to your playing the 612ce exclusively for several months. Babys are good, but not that good, and they're bound to sound small and trebly by comparison. Play just the Baby for a week or two and see if it doesn't sound better with time.

[LarryH in Texas]

Bob --

In addition to Chris' comments, did you have Nano's on the Baby previously, or did you switch from Poly's to Nano's? If you switched, that could also affect the sound.

On a similar note, I picked up my Baby T last night, for the first time in nearly two months. Same as your experience, she didn't sound as nice as I remembered, but that's after playing a rosewood GC, a maple jumbo and two electrics within the last week or so.

On the "out of tune" sound, you're not tuning or playing under a ceiling fan, are you? The "pulses" in the air flow around you caused by the fan blades can really mess up your perceptions about whether the guitar is in tune or not. Also, a brand new set of strings can take a while to stabilize; the strings are still stretching the first few hours that they're under tension.

[rbachman]

Try out the Poly lights.

[cpmusic]

Another thought on the out of tune sound: I've found that the shorter scale seems to magnify small difference in string tension as I'm playing, giving me a slightly out-of-tune sound if I press too hard. It also makes the strings much easier to bend, resulting in "off" tones if my fingers move sideways a little. A lighter touch usually clears this up.

Also, check the guitar's intonation. I found it off just a bit on the low E and A strings on my Baby-M, and ended up cutting a new saddle compensated toward the bridge pins under these strings. If yours is really off, it might need adjustment beyond that, best done by a luthier.

[GordonHLau]

Because of the shorter scale of the Babys, the intonation is not going to be as good as the full scale Taylors. Even though Taylor now recommends against it, I tune my Baby up a half a step (F). The extra 16 lbs of tension improves intonation and greatly improves the tone. All my guitar friends who play my Baby always comment on how mine sounds so much better than the ones they played in the stores. I've done this for three years and haven't had any problems with the guitar. If something does happen, I don't sweat it since I view the Babys as a disposable guitar. I'm also pretty sure my Baby is going to need a refret job in another 3 years and for the price of a refret job, it's cheaper to buy a new Baby.

Doyle Dykes and Laurence Juber tune theirs up by a full step (F#) to get the best possible tone out of them but I'm not willing to go that far.

GL

[bjarock]

I agree that the lil babe will sound a little off compared to a full sized guitar. The action seems to be a bit higher too, and when you press too hard it can seem out of tune.

I tend to fingerpick my baby and try to stay away from hard strumming.

It is a great guitar for playing when walking around the house and it's nice to not have to worry about being so careful with it. So, travel or roughing it the Baby T serves its purpose well.

[BobS]

I am going to try the tuning it up a 1/2 step. That was my inclination because it seems to be so ...loose. I kept checking the tuning sure it must be flat...but no. I know playing the 612 is hugely different...but I just dont think that accounts for all of this. I think I may go play a couple in the store this week and see how others compare...probably take mine in and if its really off -- I'll leave it for repair.

an old joke.....

Air conditioning breaks in the mental institution. Patient comments to a nurse.."Am I crazy or is it hot in here?"

wakka wakka

Bob

[mgracing]

Bob, I've had that experience. After a 3 week business trip overseas, I had become very intimate with my Baby Taylor and came to like it's tone quite a bit. After playing my full size Taylors for a few months and picking up the Baby, eeeeeek!? Part of it is frame of reference but I found that it also takes a different style of playing to coax the tone from those little buggers.
That doesn't mean there isn't something wrong with your guitar though. Hope not. Keep us posted.

[BobS]

I went by the music store Friday and played a couple of Babys the first one I picked up sounded really nice and I said ah ha...there is something wrong with mine. Then I played a rosewood Baby...and eeech...sounded just like mine. hmmm maybe it is the 612..

Bob