Since I can't afford another guitar...

[John712]

--I bought a Taylor baseball cap. Like everything else Taylor, its top quality, superbly made and cooly understated. I also reserved my Liberty Tree DVD. Did you know that the customers who order the DVD early will get a laser cut image of the liberty tree in genuine liberty tree wood? That's too cool. Had to have one. The nice people at Taylorware also included a glossy Taylorware catalog, so I had to call back yesterday and order a black T shirt (to wear under my AF BDUs) and a coffee mug. I'm going to circle other stuff and leave the catalog out as a hint for father's day.

[jif6251]

Yesterday's Scoreboard:

Office Floor 1
Taylor Coffee Mug 0

Time to get some Krazy Glue.

Jim

[John712]

Is is repairable? I'd recommend sending it back to Taylor rather than trusting it to a local guy.

Maybe I'm unique but I just love stuff out of catalogs.

Has anyone else purchased Taylorware? What do you think and what's your favorite item?

[rsimper]

Yeah- call Mike, Zach, or Glen. If they are in good moods, they might even cover shipping both ways. Are you sure it wasnt a humidity issue? Often times people think the floor caused the cracks, but its actually the low humidity that weakened the ceramic long before anything actually became visible.

I bought the honey brown suede strap- I love it, but I am really looking forward to getting that black leather one. The pictures on Rick Criders webpage really sold me on it- the thickness and quality is astounding!

[jif6251]

I used a coffee-hole humidifier on it, had a hygrometer by my monitor and kept it in the case when not in use.

The problem is, I bought it on eBay with an unsigned warranty card. Do you think it'll still be covered?

If repairable, it'll be kept more as a "show" piece instead of a daily player.

The suede straps are reeeeeeally nice.

Jim

[Steve314]

Originally posted by John712
Has anyone else purchased Taylorware? What do you think and what's your favorite item?

I bought a shirt there when I picked up my 314. It's a pullover; the same one that Jim Kirlin is wearing on the cover of the last (not the current) Taylorwear catalog.

I also bought a Taylor Guitars t-shirt about two weeks ago. It has a huge Taylor log on the front. It's been discontinued, as well.

The next one I get will probably be the black "roadie" t-shirt. I'm a t-shirt kinda' guy, so the fact that I live so close to the Taylorwear store is kinda' dangerous...

Steve

[rsimper]

You might want to consider getting your humidifier calibrated...sometimes they can get a bit out of whack...

Its also possible that the ceramic on your particular mug was just of poor quality, and that there was really nothing you can do. I know Taylor makes hundreds of these things, and ships them out with very few problems, but its inevitable that some will have problems and it might be best to just send it back to them and see if they can find something different to suit your needs.

I thought BobT said that UV finish wouldnt crack!!!

The suede strap is REALLY nice...and for 25-30 bucks depending where you get it, its a deal! I wish they made it in black, I THINK...not sure how it would look, but the honeybrown doesnt look very good with my cocobolo...I think black will look better, which is why Im gonna get the leather one.

[John712]

I hadn't thought about the humidity problem

I have an unhumidified office and a collection of fine cups above my desk. I don't know if my 94 Promisekeepers cup is solid stoneware or laminate. Should I be concerned?

[rsimper]

Check with the manufaturer for the specs. If the construction is solid, by keeping them in the open in an unhumidified office space you are taking a calculated risk...

It might behoove you to keep it in its case when it is not in use. Remember, fine stoneware like this is certainly art, and fun to show off, but it is also very fragile and even the slightest carelessness can have disasterous consequences...

You might want to consider leaving your 94 model in the case except for special occasions, and invest in a cheaper laminate "beater" for your everyday use. The quality might not be as good but at least you wont spend each day at the office worrying about what could happen to it.

[jira]

I sure hope that wasn't that irreplaceable Brazilian Porcelain. Brazilian Porcelain is no longer available and is protected by the E.P.A. - The Endangered Porcelain Act.

What is left is either black market, or low quality picked through bits if plates and mugs. What ususally happens to produce a mug from Brazilian Porcelain these days is that they have to use multiple pieces of Brazilian. It is generally less desirable that the one piece mug, and there is debate over whether people can actually taste the difference.

With the Bahia porcelain region completely wiped out, moving forward we'll have to rely on some of that cheap Chinese Porcelain. At least if the mug you have isn't repairable, you can get one of the new ones from Taylor with the NT handle. With no humps at the thumb point, it really reduces mug hand fatigue.

[John712]

Isn't Brazilian Porcelain against the law? I don't think any of my mugs are brazilian, although they very well could be exotic oriental stoneware. Ryan--while I'm willing to display them in my office, I could never advise using them in a dorm room. That's asking for trouble cause you never know what someone would use them for or how they would handle them. I agree with a beater mug for loaner purposes. Right now, the ONLY people using my mugs are my wife and myself. I don't think I'll even let her drink out of my Taylor mug.

jif--don't know how your holding up under the loss--gotta be tough and hang in there until you can get it fixed or replaced.

[rsimper]

Dont forget to look into alternative stonewares. As Jira mentioned, Brazilian Porcelain is really on the out now due to regulations and scarcity. I would consider East Indian porcelain, which, in its best forms, is actually rumored to provide a better drinking experience than mediocre currently available Brazilian porcelains.

One other one I would check out is a newer stoneware that many people in the industry have heard of, but the consumer is just not that aware of...Pocoloco. Its got a beautiful appearance, and it is VERY heavy, so it is manufactured thinner than conventional stonewares, and your mug might actually hold more volume than before because of this. The reason its not as popular as it should be, despite what master potters call an appearance and performance close to that of Brazilain porcelain, is the fact that in its unfinished forum, Pocoloco is oily and difficult to handle. It often causes skin irritations and respiratory disorders. Still, many potters put several out per year simply because its allure is too strong.

Im glad youll look into a beater mug. I got one several months ago, and my Pocoloco is now used exclusively by me.

[pdave]

If you'll check the tech sheet, 'Mugs and Moisture', Taylor warns:

"Prolonged humidification through 'nursing a drink', 'forgetting where I left my @$$%&*coffee, etc......can lead to deep cracks in the finish."

On Page 17, you'll read:

"Avoid overexposure to GRAVITY!"


Unfortunately, to cut costs, Taylor doesn't include a tech sheet with the mugs, you have to download

There are some good articles.."Rim re-dressing...why live with the chips?", and "How to know if you need a handle re-set"....on Frets.com.

To avoid these very problems, M****n has gone to micarta.

Drink safely, kids

Dave

[James Willer]

My favorite is still the old mahogany porcelain, call me old fashioned. I try to use a lighter pick when I play the coffee cup and haven't lost one yet! Another thing is to turn your amp up, something about the vibrations and keepin that coffee hot! And yes that suede strap is nice, also got a couple tee shirts.

[jif6251]

I'm bummed over it, but I'll make it.

Since it was only the handle that broke, I may just send it back to El Cajon, as it was an NT handle. I think they intended to show the procedure on the NT video, but ran out of tape.

It is a nice flamey piece of ceramiporcewood. Not sure about two- or three-piece, but the handle is a three-piece-one-big-chip. The flames are only apparent from the inside of the mug. Someone told me that I should try washing it more often and I told them "no, it's supposed to look like that".

In the interim, I refuse to use a laminate("styrofoam"). I've reverted to the "Beauty And The Beast" mug my daughter bought me last year.

Jim

P.S. You guys kill me.......