acoustic guitar action & string advice

MuGeN

MuGeN

MuGeN

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How do :)

So i've had my Taylor 310ce for just over a month and I really love it, but there are a couple of things I would like to change but not sure a) how to and b) if i should...

The main thing is the action, I would like a lower action but does this mean there would be fret buzz? near the neck its pretty much fine but playing up near the cutaway the action is quite high and I don't really like that - I play my own take on songs which would usually be played on an electric and I do play stuff higher up a lot...

How would I go about lowering the action and should I even do it or will other things suffer (I'm assuming this will be the case as Taylor surely know what they're doing and no one would choose a high action, would they?)

secondly, I have been through a range of strings in my 4 weeks of ownership I have played the 13s (elixir) that it came with, some d'addario 11s and some Dunlop 12s, and I'm gonna go back to the medium 13s - my question here is what make would you advise? is the 2x cost of elixirs worth it? are they even better i've got a feeling the cost is based on a coating for durability rather than sound? maybe its worth trying some Martin strings but there are a lot of types to choose from...

so yeah, 2 q's - action and strings :)
 
Action can usually be adjusted by altering the truss rod in the neck. I don't have much experience with doing that, but if you search google there will be some guides. I use D'addario 9s when playing DropC, and I find them fine for what I do, so it is up to you if you want to spend more on strings. If you thought the elixirs where better, then go with them, but if you didn't notice an improvement in sound then the d'addario branded ones would be fine.
 
Well, I can answer the first question quite easily: it's a £1000 acoustic guitar! £1000!! Fragile acoustic!!!

Take it to a respectable luthier/guitar tech and see what they can do to help you. :)
 
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I had to save up for a good while for my Taylor and its my pride and joy so yeah a proper guitar tech would be the way to go :)

However regardless of who does it - why would anyone actually choose a high action, are there advantages apart from avoiding buzz? (which i'm not entirely sure is the issue, I played some Martin guitars as part of my decision process and they had a lot lower action)
 
MuGeN said:
However regardless of who does it - why would anyone actually choose a high action, are there advantages apart from avoiding buzz? (which i'm not entirely sure is the issue, I played some Martin guitars as part of my decision process and they had a lot lower action)
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Performing with a slide is much easier with a higher action. :)
 
It also means less/no fret buzz for those that like to thrash chords without mercy or finesse.

Which, in turn, leads to a louder instrument.

It's only conjecture, but I would imagine that few players of acoustic guitars venture up the neck enough for it to become an issue.
 
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You need to have a very clear idea of what you want your guitar to be and the best way to do that is to get it setup and try loads of different strings. Now, you've obviously played with a variety of different brands and gauges. My advice would be not to use coated strings such as Elixer, D'darrio EXP, Cleartone, etc. I dislike the way they play and the way they sound and the small amount of extra time they last for doesn't justify the fact they're twice as much as a set of uncoated strings. I've tried many different brands and gauges on all of my acoustic guitars and I always return to D'darrio. My main live acoustic guitar always has D'darrio EJ16s on (12s) as I just find it easier to shred the hell out of the guitar with them on. :p They last me plenty of time and sound awesome. But try loads of strings and find some that you like (which is what it looks like you've done).

As for the action, this is where everyone is massively different. I love to have the action on my acoustic guitars so low that you couldn't fit a cigarette paper between the strings and fretboard. I find that it suits my playing better, I don't have to put as much in to get more out and it's just easier to do more complex stuff. If you bought your Taylor new (possibly second hand as well) then you would have got a truss rod adjuster with it. I haven't used the 'Taylor method' of checking the amount of relief in the neck, but I think they say to fret the second fret on the 6th and 14th fret on the E string and see if you can fit a credit card under the string at the fifth fret or something. I learned to ignore this method long ago though as I like my action setup differently to how Taylor say it 'should' be setup. :p Adjusting the truss rod yourself isn't too dangerous if you don't take too much relief out of the neck. As mentioned before, the best bet would be to get it setup professionally as this should include the relief being adjusted, a fret dress and taking the saddle down. As for buzz, I actually like to have a bit of fret buzz in my tone as I think it adds to the sound but each to their own. :p

Just for the record, Tommy Emmanuel played my Taylor and said it was beautiful. ;)
 
ok cool :)

well i might try d'addario's and maybe martins - what are the main differences in the different types from each brand and which ones would you recommend?

phosphor bronze looks nice :p
 
elixir light phosphor bronze on taylors, nothing can beat em!

but they're most expensive strings ive seen and hard to get hold of
and the g-strings in these sets are more prone to snapping at the bridge than usual
 
right, well that just conflicted the above opinions :p - i guess i've just gotta buy a few and decide :)

I won't get light anyway I wanna go back to 13s...
 
MidnightLamp said:
elixir light phosphor bronze on taylors, nothing can beat em!

but they're most expensive strings ive seen and hard to get hold of
and the g-strings in these sets are more prone to snapping at the bridge than usual
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'You can't beat 'em' yet the g-string is prone to snapping (this will be the break angle on your saddle rather than the string itself) and they cost a bomb?

As I said before, personally, I hate the way coated strings sound and feel. That's why I'd always go for a set of uncoated strings, and my strings of choice are D'darrio EJ16s. I use them on my Taylor and my Maton, both of which have very different styles played on them and what not.
 
cant beat the sound to my ears on my R.taylor! i was on d'addario phosphors before elixirs, and they too are excellent,
everyone has to try elixirs and see if its their thing. for that slightly extra boost to sound I get, I gladly pay £15 a set and suffer the string breaks

how do you like maton? heard very good things about their electrics
 
That's the only thing mine has going for it. The pickup is absolutely superb, making it the best live instrument I've ever had the pleasure of using. With regard to the build quality, you'd probably feel physically ill playing it if you're using an R.Taylor. I've always had a rule with myself that I would never EVER buy a guitar from the internet, but I decided to go with my gut and order one from GuitarVillage and it was the worst thing I've ever done. The build quality is hugely substandard for an instrument of the price. It features possibly the poorest example of a scarf joint I've ever seen on any instrument of any price... Truly shocking. But yes, the pickup is great. :p

It's nothing compared to an R.Taylor. ;)
 
when you say an R. Taylor, is that different to a normal Taylor? maybe a premium (well... more premium) version worthy of the extra letter?

out of interest what do you guys reckon to the 310ce?
 
I think that the 310CE is a stunning guitar. I'm not as fond of the dreadnought shape, but that's obviously down to personal taste. Tonally, they're awesome and they're great to play once setup and what not. When I was chatting to Tommy Emmanuel backstage before one of his concerts (:D), he played my 214 which has been played and setup to death, and he said he thought it was fantastic. He then went onto say that he had NEVER played a bad Taylor, he said that he'd played many bad guitars from other brands but never a bad Taylor. If that's not something for Taylor to brag about, then I don't know what is.
 
out of interest, how much do you think is a sensible amount to be paying for the guitar to be set up? After spending what I did on it there isn't much free cash floating about but I know a place in Brum that does it for around £60 which sounds a lot to me (although I probably know deep down it isnt) - whats par for the course?
 
Well, my local luthier (whom is actually extremely good) only charges me £15 for a full setup including a fret dress, but this is ridiculously cheap. I wouldn't be too inclined to spend more than this as I like to fine tune the setup myself once I've got the instrument back. But I'd say ~£40 is closer to the mark in terms of a fair price. My closest big guitar shop is Mansons and they charge £40 for a very very good service, a thorough setup with all of the trimmings. I wouldn't be too hesitant about spending £60 on it if I knew that I was receiving a top service. Also, it is a really good idea just to learn how to do a basic setup yourself just so you can sort out little niggles yourself, rather than spending that much getting it done by someone else.
 
MuGeN said:
when you say an R. Taylor, is that different to a normal Taylor? maybe a premium (well... more premium) version worthy of the extra letter?

out of interest what do you guys reckon to the 310ce?
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yeah the spiel with R.taylors is they're made in a separate workshop, all handbuilt by select luthiers under watch from mr taylor himself, how much of that is true i dont know, my repairer said the necks were machine built

soundwise they're incredible, i actually find them very different from normal taylors. bass is the most incredible ive heard on any acoustic, and they handle sparkley treble notes right up the fretboard amazingly too. definitely more of a fingerpickers guitar

although one big problem my repairer has stipulated with taylors is the neck join to the body is a bit shallower than standard, and my neck cracked after only a year and half of playing. could be coincidence but its the second taylor this month she's worked on with a cracked neck! its in repairs as we speak

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:(:(
 
Dingleberry88 said:
You like dropping that name don't ya? :p
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Ummm. ;)

As for your Taylor's neck snapping, my Taylor snapped at the biscuit joint between the neck and headstock. I did have a pathetic amount of relief in the neck though, so I sort of expected it. Thankfully, Ivor (my luthier) tided it up an absolute treat and you can't see any damage. Maybe it is something to do with Taylors... My neck was machined as well, and adding a join at the headstock is ridiculous as it's the weakest part of the neck.
 
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