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#1
02-27-2018, 02:45 PM
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Recommendation on what to do with Taylor 814ce that repeatedly cracks.
I have a Taylor 814ce that i bought 18 years ago. It was playing great and no issues until a few years ago a small crack appeared on the top and and back. Didn't have any other issues at the time, so just tried to keep it humidified but then got a second larger crack and also needed some fret work. I didn't really have a problem with a single ~$600 repair in first 16 years of owning. Feel like that's acceptable especially given how much i play the thing.
Unfortunately, about 18-24 months later and i'm back for round two. Estimate this time is a steep $750-900. The bridge is lifting, two more cracks on top including a large one that is possibly running underneath bridge, another crack through back of the guitar running along center brace (doesn't really need to be repaired right now, but slowly spreading). Note...have moved houses, but same general area throughout 18years. I don't have a custom room w/ humidifiers but do a pretty good job of keeping it in the case w/ a soundhole humidifier in the same room as multiple other acoustics, none of which have had any problems. Taylor is my favorite to play but at this point i'm running out of options. Never have had any other guitar this fickle. Guitar is currently w/ certified Taylor repair tech awaiting decision. I love the guitar, and some sentimental value, but this has gotten ridiculous. Anyone else run into this problem w/ Taylors? Recommendations on what should I do? Suck it up and repair? Cut losses and sell as-is and buy another brand? Thank you! 
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#2
02-27-2018, 03:03 PM
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I'd start by determining what are the ACTUAL relative humidity levels of the guitar's environment. That can be done by putting an inexpensive hygrometer in the case with the guitar. It might be that a sound hole humidifier isn't sufficient. Without actual numbers, it is difficult to provide much insight.
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#3
02-27-2018, 05:05 PM
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I don't know about inside the guitar itself...Will look into one of those. Seems like a lot of coddling.
During the winter the humidity in the house is generally in 30s. sometimes during after a high pressure system or during a cold spell it drops down to the 20s for a day or two. I use an Oasis thing that seems to be fine until apparently it's not. i'm not great about using distilled water over tap but don't think that should be a huge factor. No other guitar that it's next to has had any problems. Only the Taylor, now repeatedly. Common with the brand/model? individually funky instrument? I get that it's light, one of the reasons i got it and love it, but was not expecting such a tradeoff in terms of it turning into such a fragile/delicate instrument that develops a thousand dollars in cracks while every other guitar is fine.
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#4
02-27-2018, 05:40 PM
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I've never been a fan of sound hole-only humidifiers. I prefer something that humidifies the entire case volume, usually a dampened sponge, or more lately water beads. Also note that your case can soak up a lot of moisture in the wood and padding materials, absorbing moisture before your guitar can. How often do you re-wet the Oasis?
Many of my wood guitars including several Taylor's are older than yours and don't have those issues, despite having lived in ultra-dry Alaska. Charles hit the nail on the head when he asked about hygrometer readings inside the case. Without that data, we don't know -- and more importantly you don't know -- exactly what is going on. But every symptom you listed points to very low humidity. Has there been any fret sprout (sharp ends sticking out beyond the fret board)? That may be hard to tell with a bound fret board like on your 814. I did formerly own one high-end guitar that wanted to crack while the others around it (and treated exactly the same) were just fine. My conclusion is that the particular top used was probably a bit green when built, and dried / shrunk over the coming years. But once the cracks were glued and cleated, no more appeared over the remaining 8-10 years.
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#5
02-27-2018, 06:02 PM
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The guitar is almost 20yrs old, been subjected to climate changes, also sounds like your having some bridge rotation issues.
I see guitars 1 week old with cracks and needing neck resets, so 16yrs before the first problem, thats pretty good. If you dont want to sink more money into it, sell it buy another guitar. Monitor humidity, rather than put humidifiers into the soundhole. Steve
__________________
Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE
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#7
02-27-2018, 06:40 PM
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Quote:
Quote:
If you don't want to coddle a guitar, don't complain when it cracks. No, it's not a Taylor thing. It's a good quality, solid wood guitar thing.
__________________
Fazool "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter" Taylor GC7, GA3-12, SB2-C, SB2-Cp...... Ibanez AVC-11MHx , AC-240
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#8
02-27-2018, 07:03 PM
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The 20s for a day or two can crack many/most guitars, especially larger boxes. Anything under 30% is all bets off. That kind of humidity makes a braced top on my bench go from convex to concave.
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#9
02-28-2018, 08:52 AM
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Unless you live down in the wet tropics, warm places like Fl or Ca or have supplemental humidification in your house - humidity can easily go down to single digits when heating.
In many places like this - you can't even push the humidity up into the 30's because of condensation on walls and windows - which drives mold problems.... And that's why we push case humidifiers... We don't humidify here in swampy South Carolina - but this winter was cold and dry... We had to drag out the kid humidifiers to stave off bloody noses, itchy skin, and cracking fingers... And we went through over 2 gallons a day through the worst of it... That was enough to get the humidity back up into the high 20's and tame the nose bleeds.... Anyway - all that said, I would have a luthier check for structural issues.. Are there a few braces popped loose or separated? Some other underlying problems driving this.... Something else may be going on driving the cracks... Next - scope of work. By the price you quoted - it sounds like you are having them do a refinish as well as the crack repairs. While I understand the desire to keep it looking beautiful - bumps, bruises, and repairs are also part of the expected life of a guitar.. And it's OK for the instrument to show evidence of this....
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#10
02-28-2018, 08:57 AM
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750-900$ for a lifting bridge and some cracks seems a bit extreme unless there's some other repair you forgot to mention.
Pictures would help quite a bit. As mentioned before if the guitar is 20ish years old and you are only just now having problems with it, that's a pretty good track record.
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#11
02-28-2018, 11:25 AM
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Quote:
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#12
02-28-2018, 11:33 AM
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Not all guitars respond the same way. After the first low-humidity crack you might have recognized low humidity as a problem. After the second round of cracks, you might have realized there is a humidity problem. After the third, you might have realized its the way you are caring for the guitars. You said yourself you don't want to coddle a guitar. I have no vested interest . My tone is one of objectivity.
__________________
Fazool "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter" Taylor GC7, GA3-12, SB2-C, SB2-Cp...... Ibanez AVC-11MHx , AC-240
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#13
02-28-2018, 12:53 PM
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Sorry, I don't have any pics of current cracks. It's at the shop and didn't take any before dropping off tho probably should have. The repair guy does excellent work and tho expensive, he seems very above board with identifying problems and priorities. Will post if/when i get back with more info.
Never realized a temporary dip or two from dry weather could cause this much damage, much less inadequacy of a soundhole humidifier. Used to play out with it all the time when i was younger. It definitely sat in the trunk overnight w/o any humidifier during its early life (10+ years ago) and never had a problem. Guess now bringing along the favorite isn't smart, at least during the winter. And that in addition to the repairs, looks like I'll need to look into turning the guest room into a humidor. Wife will love that almost as much as she will understand $900 to repair a guitar. If only the shop would appear as "Bob's Repair" on the visa bill i might be able to sneak it by as a timing belt...  Checking briefly around the internet, even when properly repaired by taylor certified technician, will be lucky to get $1900 for it... which would be an amazing deal, if it wasn't going to crack again or require me to sink a half a mortgage check into it to get there. Also seems like a lot of 800 series sitka top Taylor's from late 90s early 00s have almost identical cracks so not sure switching out makes sense either. Grrrr. Not a fun decision. Thanks everyone for their input. No good/cheap/easy solution but some helpful advice and pointers. Last edited by Kerbie; 02-28-2018 at 02:15 PM. Reason: Rule #1
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#14
02-28-2018, 01:06 PM
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Some guitars can indeed be treated like crap and survive, I know because I have two of them that I can think of. Then on the other hand, jsut this winter we had an insane dry and cold bout here in Virginia. I like to leave my guitars out on stands. And believe me I should know better having been the one who built this guitar but still... My wife and I were watching the X-Files on TV and heard a loud.... Pling! I thought a string broke, nope the top cracked.
But seriously a top crack in my shop costs about $100-150 bucks to repair. It's no where near as much work as most people think unless it needs to be splinted or color matched or if you have to remove the bridge and so on. But $900 dollars? Not even close.
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#15
02-28-2018, 01:23 PM
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Quote:
Where did you get yours fixed?
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| Tags |
| crack repair, taylor, taylor 814ce |
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