High action Taylor 214ce

[YamahaGuy]

I traded a guitar with a buddy and ended up with a newer Taylor 214ce with very high action. Thinking it may be over hydrated I tried drying it out. No help. I got a hydrometer as Taylor customer service recommended and found the RH in the guitar to be between 45 and 50%. I just ordered the shim kit from Taylor. I do all my own setups and have made custom bone nuts from blanks and even once glued a broken neck, so I believe I can handle the neck reset fine. Any pointers are appreciated: I'm most worried about the sticker, i.e. removing the old one cleanly and putting the new one on in the right spot.

[Earl49]

When I first saw a neck reset done live at a Road Show in front of the crowd, the factory tech from Taylor said that, "Getting the sticker back on correctly after changing the shims is the final exam for the repair department". Good luck. If I ever changed the shims, I might not bother trying to get it back in place. Maybe remove the sticker carefully, put it in a Ziploc bag and keep it with the guitar paperwork. I personally don't care if the bolts are visible on my guitar through the sound hole. YMMV and that's cool.

[YamahaGuy]

Originally Posted by Earl49

When I first saw a neck reset done live at a Road Show in front of the crowd, the factory tech from Taylor said that, "Getting the sticker back on correctly after changing the shims is the final exam for the repair department". Good luck. If I ever changed the shims, I might not bother trying to get it back in place. Maybe remove the sticker carefully, put it in a Ziploc bag and keep it with the guitar paperwork. I personally don't care if the bolts are visible on my guitar through the sound hole. YMMV and that's cool.

The shim kit supposedly comes with a few new stickers. Honestly I couldn't care less whether it's on or not, but I reckon I will try to pass the test at least once.

[John Arnold]

The key to aligning the sticker is to point the peghead toward the floor and reach in with the palm of your hand facing toward the front of the guitar. Hold the edges of the sticker between the thumb and fingers, about 1/2" from the fingertips. That allows you to feel the edges of the neck block before the sticker makes contact.

[nikpearson]

…performing the neck reset using shims.

There was a bit of trial and error involved and it helps to have a long straightedge to check the neck angle in relation to the bridge top surface.

You’ll also need a 7/16” nut driver for the neck bolts and a 3/8” hex key for the fingerboard bolt. Better still a 3/8} bit that fits into a small socket set as it’s fiddly manoeuvring a small hex wrench.

It’s a remarkably straightforward process and took me about 30 mins. Getting a label back in place is often best done with some tweezers.

If you’d like a copy of the instructions send me a private message.

And good luck.

[YamahaGuy]

Good tips given. Thanks. I'll update once I do the job.

[YamahaGuy]

High E was .127" and low E was .086" at 12th fret. Put in a new Taylor saddle, which required a slight thinning out to drop into the bridge. The two most difficult parts of the job were maneuvering the 3/16" Allen key around and getting the old sticker off. It had a 4 and 10 shim in it. I went with 24 and 30 as high as the action was. I snugged the bolts tighter than they were. The 3/16 took a bit to snug up, and there is now a minute gap at the end of the fretboard between the neck and the body. BUT, it plays great and the action is now at .087 and .066. I had to mess with the ES2 sensors to get the electronics back up and running. [I had to back them off to remove the old saddle]. It's going to be my new favorite guitar. I'll put a sticker on next time I change strings.

[YamahaGuy]

My 110E action was a little high (.117 and .087). It had a 0 and a -6 shim in it. I went with a 14 and an 8. All good now. Under 0.090 now and I got the sticker just about perfect [at least what it visible]. I think I got my money's worth now.

And I got the sticker on the 214ce pretty clean.