Opinion needed on acoustic repair

[Surgeon]

I've had my taylor 414 for 8 years. It's been my #1 instantly live and in the studio.

The neck's starting to separate a little at the heel. It's still fully playable and smooth but if not dealt with now, it will have to be later.

-Brought it back to the dealer in Montreal for warranty repair.
-There's no certified Taylor repairman in Quebec province (would've loved to be told that when I bought it, especially considering the fluff the whole "lifetime warranty thing so much)
-It'll be 150$ for shipping (they ship it but I'm paying of course)
-After the neck reset Taylor has to do a set-up which isn't covered (105$)
-I'm also told that while they have the guitar over there, they look at it from every angle and fix/tune everything they can.

This can add 200 to 300$ to the bill on average.

I'm therefore looking at a bill between 255$ and 550$ (before taxes) for "warranty" repairs.

Back in 2004, the guitar was worth (over here in tax&import duties-land) 1700$, roughly 2200$ with sales taxes.

-Would you do it? It's not much but it's still a lot.
-Should I just play it until it gets out of hand and then have it done (which is just postponing the problem)?
-Should I save my money, buy another nice quality axe down the road when this one isn't playable anymore and attempt the repair myself (taylors are bolt-on and doing set-ups isn't a problem for me).

What would you do?

I get attached to my guitars but it's not like this one's my child or anything. I Could do without it if I had another one you know? My latest yamaha is great but it's not the same tone, more jumbo-ish...

thanks for the input.
-

 

[Aceman]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Well, to begin with, I'd raise a major stink over "warranty repair" costs. WTF?

The NECK separated? Someone didn't glue/clamp properly. So someone should eat the cost of the repair. That someone would be Taylor. Or we can discuss this from one end of the internet to the other...

 

[TheProphet]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

I know some Taylors have the neck bolted on through the neck block. The following website has some good info on it. (Although they don't show the two screws for the neck heel.

http://www.frets.com/fretspages/Luthier/Data/Guitar/Taylor/99NeckJoint/99joint.html

I'd just go in and tighten them myself.

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Well, to begin with, I'd raise a major stink over "warranty repair" costs. WTF?

The NECK separated? Someone didn't glue/clamp properly. So someone should eat the cost of the repair. That someone would be Taylor. Or we can discuss this from one end of the internet to the other...

Actually, after 8 years it's not that rare for an acoustic to need a neck reset...
Yep, I also found it weird to have to pay but sounded reasonable to pay for shipping to some extent.

Prophet: gracias for el linko.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Have you talked to Taylor? They are reknown for their service as well as great guitars. I know you have to pay to ship if you are getting a tune up or upgrade or something but I would think that thay may cover it if its a built error.

Even if not, I'd rather send my taylor to them so they can make it right and that cost is still less than a new one. But contact taylor first.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

It's illegal to force combining warranty repairs with other repairs. If more work is required after fixing the original problem that's the warranty. Under no circumstances can they just decide to do more billable work.

I highly doubt that this is official Taylor policy. Have you talked to Taylor directly about this?

They can charge whatever they want for shipping, though.

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Yeah, I contacted Taylor today to confirm the store's "approach".

Turns out they basically told me (with covered/politically correct words) that this was BS and gave me the number of the guy they refer everybody in Canada to.

Now all I have to do is wait 'til mid-february to get my guitar back when I'm in Montreal...
Until then they'll hold-on to it no problem, which still makes me nervous a bit.

thanks for the input.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Do you have pix? It could just be some cracking in the finish at the neck joint. It's not that uncommon, and not necessarily disastrous.

If it does need fixing, why ship it to Taylor to do the work? Just have a local repair person do it.

And you shouldn't need to pay $105 extra for a setup that you can do yourself. It should be part of a neck reset job.

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Do you have pix? It could just be some cracking in the finish at the neck joint. It's not that uncommon, and not necessarily disastrous.

Nah no pics, but I do know the difference so no, it's not just finish cracking.

If it does need fixing, why ship it to Taylor to do the work? Just have a local repair person do it.

Taylors have lifetime warranties. If I get a local luthier to do it (which there are NONE around here) I lose my warranty coverage.
There are luthiers in Montreal (6 hours away where I left my guitar) but the cost of a neck-reset + set-up will be much more than what I'll pay for shipping the guitar myself to the service center in Ontario. Just doing the reset will be about the same as shipping to Ontario so why wouldn't I have a certified tech do it?

And you shouldn't need to pay $105 extra for a setup that you can do yourself. It should be part of a neck reset job.

I agree with this 100%

 

[Bludave]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Taylors have bolt on necks. Take it to a competent repair guy who will do the neck set for about $250. That will probably include a setup(not counting strings). IMHO you are ahead of the game. I had a Taylor that also needed a neck set. I shipped it to breedlove guitars who at the time was doing their warrantee work..(Breedlove used to work for Taylor). I got it back and all the issues were addressed in the repair. But since I sold that guitar I have witnessed many needing a neck set. Its pretty easy for a repair guy to fix. You just have to loosen the bolts and carefully separate the neck & body then reattach the neck at the proper angle. Not saying I would tackle it myself but I have seen it done & for a guy who is competent it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Screw the Warantee work, get it done locally and be done with it. that's part of the reason why I sold it. I had to ship the Guitar to Santee CA for any repairs and living in NY it was costly so I sold my Taylor and bought a Martin(among some other brands). Fortunately I have a local guy that does all my repair work who is phenomenal. I also own a Sant Cruz and after about 5 years I noticed the bridge lifting. Needless to say it was covered under warantee, but I had to send the guitar to them(Santa Cruz, CA). I called them and spoke to them and asked if I could have it repaired locally. I gave them the name of the guy who i was going to use. They agreed & shipped a new bridge to him. Granted a neckset is different but I would still consider having it fixed locally.

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Taylors have bolt on necks. Take it to a competent repair guy who will do the neck set for about $250. That will probably include a setup(not counting strings). IMHO you are ahead of the game. I had a Taylor that also needed a neck set. I shipped it to breedlove guitars who at the time was doing their warrantee work..(Breedlove used to work for Taylor). I got it back and all the issues were addressed in the repair. But since I sold that guitar I have witnessed many needing a neck set. Its pretty easy for a repair guy to fix. You just have to loosen the bolts and carefully separate the neck & body then reattach the neck at the proper angle. Not saying I would tackle it myself but I have seen it done & for a guy who is competent it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Screw the Warantee work, get it done locally and be done with it. that's part of the reason why I sold it. I had to ship the Guitar to Santee CA for any repairs and living in NY it was costly so I sold my Taylor and bought a Martin(among some other brands). Fortunately I have a local guy that does all my repair work who is phenomenal. I also own a Sant Cruz and after about 5 years I noticed the bridge lifting. Needless to say it was covered under warantee, but I had to send the guitar to them(Santa Cruz, CA). I called them and spoke to them and asked if I could have it repaired locally. I gave them the name of the guy who i was going to use. They agreed & shipped a new bridge to him. Granted a neckset is different but I would still consider having it fixed locally.

This is all good advice Dave.

Doing the work "locally" means 6 hours from me anyways.
The service centre isn't that far so I'll be way below the 250$ you're talkin' about with shipping.
I know they're bolt-on and thought of doing it myself but gave up on the idea.

I'm actually surprised by the number of taylors I've heard of needing neck resets. Even when the work's done for free, shipping is often a bit high anyways...

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Yeah, I contacted Taylor today to confirm the store's "approach".

Turns out they basically told me (with covered/politically correct words) that this was BS and gave me the number of the guy they refer everybody in Canada to.

Now all I have to do is wait 'til mid-february to get my guitar back when I'm in Montreal...
Until then they'll hold-on to it no problem, which still makes me nervous a bit.

thanks for the input.

Glad you called Taylor.. I figured they would do better than you were told based on all the feedback Ive heard from them or others about them over the years.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

This is all good advice Dave.

Doing the work "locally" means 6 hours from me anyways.
The service centre isn't that far so I'll be way below the 250$ you're talkin' about with shipping.
I know they're bolt-on and thought of doing it myself but gave up on the idea.

I'm actually surprised by the number of taylors I've heard of needing neck resets. Even when the work's done for free, shipping is often a bit high anyways...

Taylors are really good guitars and because they have a "bolt on" they do move a bit especially if you don't keep Humidity & temperature where its supposed to be. As you said earlier any acoustic guitar is going to need a neck set at some point during its lifetime. We as players need to decide if its worth it. if we were talking about a Yamaha I would say go buy a new guitar, but it sounds like you are really playing the crap out of it and that is part of the reason it needs some work. This is a good thing. The only thing I would recommend is after the neck set is done do everything you can to keep the humidity right. That is probably what caused the neck to move initially. Taylors are made in Santee California. Its fairly dry there but I would say that you want to keep the humidity at or about 45 to 50%. You can do this a couple of ways. One is keep it in the case and humidify the guitar in the case(use a dampit or something similar. If you choose to keep the guitar on a stand in a room then you need a room humidifier. They run about $100. to 250, but its a small price to pay to keep the guitar playing and sounding right.

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Taylors are really good guitars and because they have a "bolt on" they do move a bit especially if you don't keep Humidity & temperature where its supposed to be. As you said earlier any acoustic guitar is going to need a neck set at some point during its lifetime. We as players need to decide if its worth it. if we were talking about a Yamaha I would say go buy a new guitar, but it sounds like you are really playing the crap out of it and that is part of the reason it needs some work. This is a good thing. The only thing I would recommend is after the neck set is done do everything you can to keep the humidity right. That is probably what caused the neck to move initially. Taylors are made in Santee California. Its fairly dry there but I would say that you want to keep the humidity at or about 45 to 50%. You can do this a couple of ways. One is keep it in the case and humidify the guitar in the case(use a dampit or something similar. If you choose to keep the guitar on a stand in a room then you need a room humidifier. They run about $100. to 250, but its a small price to pay to keep the guitar playing and sounding right.

Thanks for the advice but ever since I got it I've been obsessive about keeping it between 40 and 50% humidity.

I have played it more than a lot but I've done nothing but take extremely good care of it, including set-ups, humidity levels' stability, fret-board hydration, etc...

I don't wanna sound pretentious but not many folks out there take as good care of their guitars as I do.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Yeah, I contacted Taylor today to confirm the store's "approach".

Turns out they basically told me (with covered/politically correct words) that this was BS and gave me the number of the guy they refer everybody in Canada to.

Now all I have to do is wait 'til mid-february to get my guitar back when I'm in Montreal...
Until then they'll hold-on to it no problem, which still makes me nervous a bit.

thanks for the input.

4 weeks is not excessive to hold a guitar if you wont be in town. Do it!

 

[Bludave]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Thanks for the advice but ever since I got it I've been obsessive about keeping it between 40 and 50% humidity.

I have played it more than a lot but I've done nothing but take extremely good care of it, including set-ups, humidity levels' stability, fret-board hydration, etc...

I don't wanna sound pretentious but not many folks out there take as good care of their guitars as I do.

Glad to hear that you take really good care of your guitars. I do as well. I have room humidifiers in the room where I store & play my electrics. I also keep & store my acoustics in their case so these are humidified in the case. With 32 instruments it has become a project to say the least. it takes me about 20 to 30 minutes 2X per week to check the dampits. Every day I am adding water the the humidifiers. I don't mind doing it its just time consuming. That said is I rarely have any issues with my guitars. And I certainly didn't mean to assume you were not caring for them. its just you never know. In my friends guitar shop people come in all the time with dried out acoustics, split bridges top cracks etc. All this can be eliminated by proper care. your doing it, I am too. I wouldn't worry too much about the neck set its a normal thing for an acoustic to go through. I know its difficult but finding a competent luthuier is essential for any player. I know I have no desire to do a neck set. I am a player not a tech. I can do a really good setup(at least the way I like it) but anything beyond basic maintenance I go to a tech. Good luck with the Taylor..

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Glad to hear that you take really good care of your guitars. I do as well. I have room humidifiers in the room where I store & play my electrics. I also keep & store my acoustics in their case so these are humidified in the case. With 32 instruments it has become a project to say the least. it takes me about 20 to 30 minutes 2X per week to check the dampits. Every day I am adding water the the humidifiers. I don't mind doing it its just time consuming. That said is I rarely have any issues with my guitars. And I certainly didn't mean to assume you were not caring for them. its just you never know. In my friends guitar shop people come in all the time with dried out acoustics, split bridges top cracks etc. All this can be eliminated by proper care. your doing it, I am too. I wouldn't worry too much about the neck set its a normal thing for an acoustic to go through. I know its difficult but finding a competent luthuier is essential for any player. I know I have no desire to do a neck set. I am a player not a tech. I can do a really good setup(at least the way I like it) but anything beyond basic maintenance I go to a tech. Good luck with the Taylor..

I know what you mean. Most folks really don't care much about it but they really should. All my acoustics are stored in their cases with humidifiers in the winter (central heating) and silica packets in the summer (lakeshore) + a hygrometer in each case 24/7. I've been able to keep 'em all in the 40-50% zone but in the dead of winter it's quite demanding as you stated. At least I only own 3 good acoustics, which makes it more manageable.

That Taylor's been played so much, I'm not surprised that at some point it needs something. Even with great care, something's bound to happen. Countless shows, studio time, all my writing, it's all been done on that one, it's a workhorse, albeit in great shape for its age and the useage it's seen.

 

[CTN]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Surgeon, where up north are you located? There are tons of luthiers in Quebec. I know a couple, one of whom is located in Sherbrooke although he only does electrics. I could ask around for a reference if you'd like.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Resetting a neck on a Taylor with the NT neck (made since 2001) is literally a 10 minute job. I had one of mine reset at a Taylor clinic a few years ago and it was really slick. But you really should take it to a Taylor AUTHORIZED repair center, or at least one they recommend--or send it to the factory. They use special shims that are propietary, so you want to make sure the repair guy has them. It should be covered under warranty if you are the original owner.

The Taylor NT neck system is a remarkable piece of engineering, but like any guitar they will require some maintenance in time.

Oh, and the neck reset I had done on a Martin with the dovetail joint cost $250. So even it it not covered under warranty, you should be getting it done for about 1/10 of that price.

Good luck!

Bill

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Opinion needed on acoustic repair

Surgeon, where up north are you located? There are tons of luthiers in Quebec. I know a couple, one of whom is located in Sherbrooke although he only does electrics. I could ask around for a reference if you'd like.

Thanks man. I know a few good ones as well from when I lived in Quebec-city and traveled frequently to Montreal. However, none are Taylor authorized service centers... which is my problem at the moment.

Resetting a neck on a Taylor with the NT neck (made since 2001) is literally a 10 minute job. I had one of mine reset at a Taylor clinic a few years ago and it was really slick. But you really should take it to a Taylor AUTHORIZED repair center, or at least one they recommend--or send it to the factory. They use special shims that are propietary, so you want to make sure the repair guy has them. It should be covered under warranty if you are the original owner.

The Taylor NT neck system is a remarkable piece of engineering, but like any guitar they will require some maintenance in time.

Oh, and the neck reset I had done on a Martin with the dovetail joint cost $250. So even it it not covered under warranty, you should be getting it done for about 1/10 of that price.

Good luck!

Bill

Thanks, that's indeed the plan...