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Taylor Set up
I just bought a new Taylor 324CE non V class. I am new to owning a Taylor, and needing some information. Those of you that own a Taylor especially a new one, do you find the need to take it to a Luthier and have it professionally set up?
I play equal time of Finger Style and strumming. My strumming tends to be more medium and a very few occasions hard. If I were to take my guitar to a Luthier I have no idea what or how to set this guitar up. Help please?
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Martin SC 13E 000 40 Maple Larrivee Custom SD-40 ME Larrivee 1817 Ovation vintage |
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strings. When I have brought my Taylors to a Luthier- they very seldom required much adjustment. |
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If you bought it from a store they should probably recommend that you play it for a week or two and then take it in for a setup. They will then discuss what your needs are and if there is in fact any need to adjust anything. String height and so on is personal but also dependent on style -strumming and soloing you might lower action and light to medium light strings; finger style might suggest slightly higher action and so on. As I say, it’s very personal.
My Taylor didn’t need any adjusting when I bought it. It’s had a couple of tweaks since but Taylor took care of that when they did the two pickup upgrades.
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Gibson ES-335 Studio 2016; Furch OM34sr 2015; Fender MiJ Geddy Lee Jazz bass, 2009; Taylor 414CE 2005; Guild D35 NT 1976; Fender MIM Classic 60s Tele 2008; Fender US Standard Strat 1992; G&L ASAT classic hollowbody 2005; Ibanez RG350MDX 2010(?); Ibanez Musician fretless, 1980s; Seymour Duncan Tube 84-40; Vox AC4TV; Ex-pat Brit in Sweden
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My new K14ce Builder's Edition that I did a trade for at a local Guitar Center about 6 weeks ago, had a rather high action. I brought it to the shop that does Taylor warranty work. They did a minor adjustment with the truss rod and the action came right down where it should be. Had I tried doing it myself, I would have been sanding down the saddle, so I am glad I took it to somebody who knows what he is doing.
Tony
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“The guitar is a wonderful thing which is understood by few.” — Franz Schubert "Alexa, where's my stuff?" - Anxiously waiting... |
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https://markstonemusic.com - American Primitive Guitar in West Texas Instruments by Kazuo Yairi, Alvarez, Gibson & Taylor Former AGF Moderator |
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I virtually always take new guitars in for a setup. I say “virtually” because of the nearly two dozen guitars I’ve owned there were two that were spot on right out of the box. Both were Taylors - a 214 and my 327e Grand Pacific.
Bottomline: You should be able to tell if a guitar needs a setup (beyond a slight truss rod adjustment which is DIY material). If you’re not sure, take it in and let a pro help you decide what needs adjusted for your playing style.
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Walker Clark Fork (Adi/Honduran Rosewood) Edmonds OM-28RS - Sunburst (Adi/Old Growth Honduran) |
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Neither of my 2 Taylors needed to be setup when I bought them. After 11 years I did need a neck reset and a fret level on my 314ce (which I got done a couple years ago).
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I've owned about 15 Taylors and have never had to have any altered from factory specs. From talking to my favorite local dealer, who no longer sells Taylors, he loved them as they needed little, if any setup work when they arrived from Taylor.
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Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom Martin D-18/UltraTonic Adamas I 2087GT-8 Ovation Custom Legend LX Guild F-212XL STD Huss & Dalton TD-R Taylor 717e Taylor 618e Taylor 614ce Larrivee D-50M/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Sunburst Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom RainSong BI-DR1000N2 Emerald X20 Yamaha FGX5 Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2 |
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Just about every Taylor I've played has had a great factory setup. Minor truss rod adjustments needed here and there, but that's all.
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Now, being largely incarcerated for the next 3 more weeks, is a good time to learn about setup so you can check for yourself. The good news about acoustics is that once they're set up they rarely, if ever, need to have a major setup. This of course bars major events such as belly bulge, etc. The one thing you'll want to be able to do for yourself is adjust the neck relief as it can change throughout the year and you shouldn't need to take it to the shop for that.
My Taylors generally have a string height, measured at the 12th fret of about 5/64" at the 6th string and just under 4/64" on the 1st string. The neck relieve on my 814ceDLX .006" (.13mm)- very low, yet with no string buzz. You will need a tool to measure string height. Here's one that's easy and not too expensive that ships from NJ. Similar ones are available from China that are cheaper, but you may prefer stuff coming from the US right now. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1xString-Ac...oAAOSwVqtdtpDx You may want a gap feeler gauge for setting neck relief. But once you get used to the process you will find you can eyeball it pretty well. This too is USA, but they can be had for about $3 from China. https://www.ebay.com/itm/32-Blades-F...QAAOSw~-Nc6Ow2 You'll also want to have a Taylor truss rod wrench. I suggest buying the genuine Taylor one as it has a little tighter tolerances than some of the Chinese knockoffs. https://www.taylorguitars.com/taylor...uss-rod-wrench As far as adjusting string height, typically you'll want an authorized shop to do it as the "proper" way to do that on a Taylor guitar is resetting and shimming the neck. However, it is not improper to sand the saddle which DIY'ers tend to do. If you choose to go that route I recommend getting a new replacement saddle and keep the original in original condition. I've found that replacing the Micart and Tusq saddles with bone was a fantastic and cheap upgrade (only $15 from Macnichol guitars). Anway... There are tons of videos on YouTube. Other than adjusting nut slots, setting up a guitar is very straight forward. Good luck.
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Assuming is not knowing. Knowing is NOT the same as understanding. There is a difference between compassion and wisdom, however compassion cannot supplant wisdom, and wisdom can not occur without understanding. facts don't care about your feelings and FEELINGS ALONE MAKE FOR TERRIBLE, often irreversible DECISIONS |
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Wow, thank you so much for the info!! That helps!!!
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Martin SC 13E 000 40 Maple Larrivee Custom SD-40 ME Larrivee 1817 Ovation vintage |
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I have bought a LOT of Taylors and find them perfect upon purchase. I did buy a used 254ce DLX that did not play to where I wanted so I had a local guitar guy put new strings and straighten the neck and now it plays perfectly.
If you don't like how it plays, have someone make the necessary adjustments for you. |
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Do understand that there is no such thing as a perfect, universal setup for a guitar. Every player has different needs and tastes. Setup on a manufactured guitar is always a compromise between time/cost and yield. Guitar manufacturers, and even some small-shop luthiers, typically set up their guitars to a reasonable compromise that allows as many users as possible, both heavy-handed flat-pickers and light-handed finger pickers, to enjoy the guitar.
There is often room for improvement and specifically personalization. I say this as a Taylor user. They do typically have marvelous actions. I've taken a Taylor guitar to my luthier/tech and had him say there wasn't anything needed. However, he did a complete setup on another one. My tech knows my playing style and adjusts my guitars to it. He isn't cheap, but the guitars he sets up for me always feel and play better because of his work. So it makes sense to have a good local tech and to take your guitars to him for optimization. Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website) |