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New Taylor 150E - Maintenance Suggestions?
I bought a brand new Taylor 150E about a month ago, and I'm loving it. I tried a bunch of 12's at Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI, before picking this up. The sound is the perfect 'middle ground' for me between something like a Jumbo-sized body and a more compact body like a Breedlove Concert - it's got ample bass, well-defined mids, and present highs. I dig the satin/matte finish; after playing my Fender Player Acoustasonic Tele that I've had since last July, I didn't realize how good a satin neck felt until I tried a bunch of other 12's with gloss finished necks.
Anyways, to get to my point: what suggestions might long-term Taylor 12 owners have for maintenance? I play in standard EADGBe tuning, and Taylor's customer service said that it's designed to be played and kept in that tuning. It's certainly much better constructed than my old cheap-o Charvel 625ce-12 that's currently bellied enough that the local Music Go Round wouldn't take it, I just want to make sure that I'm doing 'best practices' on this one as while it's not heirloom-quality or the most expensive out there (I got to play a $5200 all-koa Taylor K52ce short-scale 12 at Elderly that was something else.....), I intend it to be my last 12-string purchase and want to do right by it and protect my purchase. I've got a case temperature and humidity monitor that I can monitor and get alerts from on my phone via Bluetooth as well as a case humidifier that I can add to/remove as needed. I'm considering getting the TaylorSense battery box for it for the best in monitoring.... The case is a Gator Lightweight 12-string acoustic case that kind of cuts the difference between hardshell and gig bag cases; it's a hard foam shell covered in nylon fabric, and I trust it to protect my investment. The Taylor Guitars website has tons of information on maintenance, but I figured I'd reach out to some owners as well. Any and all input is appreciated, thanks to all ahead of time! |
#2
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Keep the Relative Humidity for your new Taylor in your playing environment between 40% and 55% (Taylor builds their guitars at 47% RH) and you won't have to worry about tonewood splitting in your new Taylor--ENJOY YOUR TAYLOR FOR DECADES TO COME!
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Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom Martin D-18/UltraTonic Adamas MD80 NWT 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 |
#3
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FWIW I had a Taylor 354-LTD twelve string for about a dozen years before I sold it, upgrading to carbon fiber. It was always tuned standard E-e with 47-10 light gauge strings, and never had any issues. It also lived in a 38-50% RH environment (my house) with supplemental humidifying devices inside the case from DEC-MAR.
Here is a cheap way to make a good case humidifier from water beads and a perforated soap dish, thanks to Fazool: https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=478974 |
#4
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Taylor makes a LOVELY 12 string. Probably the best playing of all the brands. Humidity and temp control is really the only thing to concern yourself with. They are made to be setup at concert pitch. And, if a neck set is ever needed, its a 15 min job for a Taylor certified tech. You likely won't need a neck set for 10 years, if ever.
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"Lift your head and smile at trouble. You'll find happiness someday." |
#5
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I agree with others. Just be vigilant about humidity. The easily resettable bolt on neck gives me piece of mind with my Taylor 12’s. Enjoy that nice guitar!
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Taylor 322 & 362ce Martin 00015SM Guild 1966 F20 Larrivee P03 sitka/hog,simple 6 OM & OM 09 Eastman E100ss-sb Gibson J185 2016 J35 & LG2 Fender player plus telecaster & Mustang P90 Gretsch MIK 5622T |
#6
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It sounds like you've already done everything you need to do. Also, being in Michigan, you already know about the humidity swings and what a furnace can do to humidity.
You're already monitoring and checking on it, so enjoy. I love to play my 150e; it's kind of like when an interviewer asked David Gilmour why a 12 string? He just strummed his, smiled, and said: "Listen to that and you tell me." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ0nPBRbXLM
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I wish I was nearly as good as my guitars are: 1977 Alvarez Yairi DY 57 / 2002 Martin DC-1E/ 2010 The Loar LH-700-VS/ 2012 Taylor Mini GS / 2015 Taylor 150e / 2015 Taylor 324ce SEB / 2018 Taylor 214e DLX / 2020 Taylor AD12e / 2021 Gibson J-185ce / 2022 Martin 000-15M ... and some electrics and such. |
#7
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Thank you for the info, I'll definitely keep it in mind and must definitely keep on enjoying this new 150e!
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#8
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The NT neck is a big part of what drew me to it in addition to the overall quality and tone; if/when a reset is needed, it's not hundreds of dollars and effort to make it happen. Thanks!
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#9
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Tags |
12 string taylor, taylor, taylor 150e |
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