Question for those who do their own setups

[Mr LV19E]

You should send it back to Sweetwater with a note in the case stating what is wrong with the guitar. Sweetwater can then decide if it should be sent to Taylor for evaluation.

If you sell it no one will be able to get the guitar repaired under warranty.

I believe original owners have a responsibility to make sure their guitars don't need any warranty work beforehand if they are going to list it for sale. You should inspect it or have it inspected by a pro to determine if there are any loose braces, that the neck is straight, tuners all work, no loose bridge and that the nut and saddle are within specs. Then you can sell with a clear conscience and everybody walks away happy.

[Hot Vibrato]

Originally Posted by Mr LV19E

You should send it back to Sweetwater with a note in the case stating what is wrong with the guitar. Sweetwater can then decide if it should be sent to Taylor for evaluation.

Sounds a bit premature, doesn't it?

Has anyone even attempted to adjust the rod? That might be all it needs. It obviously has too much bow. I assume since Taylor provides a truss rod wrench with their guitars, that means that it's okay for someone who's not an authorized service person to adjust the neck.

Has a luthier looked at it? It's a new guitar, and it's not quite right, so why not take it to a professional? I never charge when someone brings a guitar to my shop for evaluation. A trained luthier will be able to tell you what it needs. My guess is a setup. That is not a warranty issue, and it's no reason to panic. If you have a legitimate issue, a professional can advise accordingly and communicate effectively to the retailer or the manufacturer if necessary. On several occasions, I've spoken to dealers or manufacturers on behalf of the customer to help them get the service they need. I didn't charge a dime for that.

[Mr LV19E]

Originally Posted by Hot Vibrato

Sounds a bit premature, doesn't it?



Has anyone even attempted to adjust the rod? That might be all it needs. It obviously has too much bow. I assume since Taylor provides a truss rod wrench with their guitars, that means that it's okay for someone who's not an authorized service person to adjust the neck.



Has a luthier looked at it? It's a new guitar, and it's not quite right, so why not take it to a professional? I never charge when someone brings a guitar to my shop for evaluation. A trained luthier will be able to tell you what it needs. My guess is a setup. That is not a warranty issue, and it's no reason to panic. If you have a legitimate issue, a professional can advise accordingly and communicate effectively to the retailer or the manufacturer if necessary. On several occasions, I've spoken to dealers or manufacturers on behalf of the customer to help them get the service they need. I didn't charge a dime for that.

Read post 23 then read the rest of my post above, not premature at all.

[Mr LV19E]

Reading through the OP's posts I see he has not talked to Sweetwater on the phone.
My guess is your sales adviser does not have time to respond to emails during his regular working hours, he's busy taking care of customers that are calling in wanting answers to there issues.
No offense to the OP but you can't expect to get immediate feedback from emails, it could be days before you receive a response.
Sweetwater is a huge business , I'm pretty sure they don't have people sitting around. I haven't dealt wth them lately but when I did I talked with them on the phone and my questions were answered, although I was on hold for a few minutes while the sales rep asked someone else for the answer .

[JeffreyAK]

Originally Posted by Hot Vibrato

If factory spec is .0125", then their specs are outdated by about fifty years. An eighth of an inch at the twelfth fret is way too high for any modern player who's not playing slide. With the rod set with the proper amount of relief, and the neck fretted or capoed at the first fret, the action should measure about 3/32" (.093) at the twelfth fret on the low E, and a little over 1/16" (around .070) at the twelfth on the high E to suit the average player.

Bringing the action down the thickness of a high E string will make a very noticeable difference for a seasoned player. But a not-so-seasoned player might not be able to tell.

FWIW, the low E strings at the 12th fret on my 3 guitars measure (with no capo, the OP didn't mention a capo for his measurements):
Taylor 456ce: 2.9 mm = 0.114" on the thicker string, as delivered out of the case
Tonedevil S12: 2.8 mm = 0.110", as delivered out of the case
Stratocaster: 2.7 mm = 0.106", as set by me (way higher than factory spec because I like it that way)

0.125" would be a bit high for me, but you adapt unless it's just unplayable, and if that's the factory spec then that's what you'd expect out of the case - a quarter mm tolerance seems reasonable, especially given that they have no control over the guitar once it leaves the factory. What you like depends on what music you play, how you play (fingerstyle can usually use lower action, flatpickers and heavy strummers need higher action to avoid slapping the frets), and how you tune (tuning down makes fret slap more likely).

Bottom line, you either play it and enjoy it, or you change it until you like it. It would probably be a simple truss rod adjustment to get it back to 0.125", going significantly lower would probably require taking material off the bottom of the bridge piece and could affect intonation. Either can be done at home, but there are plenty of people who do these things for a living who could make the changes for a small fee. I spent all of $60 a while back getting the nut on my Strat replaced, and that's a lot more work than resetting the action on an acoustic guitar, so we're not talking much money here in comparison to the cost of the guitar.

EDIT: removed post as per charles Tauber's recommendation.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

Oh, the drama...

This is a dead issue: it was resolved, the curtain closed. See other thread(s) in the main forum. Let's not prolong the drama.

Buyer contacted retailer; retailer came through to make good; buyer refused offer, but is now impressed with customer service; buyer sold guitar to friend; buyer has new sales "engineer", is happy, and will buy stuff from them in the future. Now a word from our sponsor...

[cooper59]

Originally Posted by Truckjohn

Taylor might if you send it back for warranty. I know they are easy enough to shim.

In real life though - everybody else just adjusts the trussrod and saddle/nut as needed. You aren't going to reset the neck 2x a year for summer/winter changes in humidity. You just slap in your summer or winter saddle and go on with it.

Takes less than 15 minutes to adjust neck. Thats as quick as changing saddles and is the right way