Taylor Acoustic Neck Reset

[Don Korth]

Does anyone know of a reputable third party supplier for the shims that are used in doing a Taylor acoustic neck reset? To the best of my knowledge Taylor does not sell these and a buddy of mine brought me a Taylor acoustic with a new Tusq saddle and asked me to lower his action via sanding down the saddle. Well, I did this for him as requested and retained the original Tusq saddle in case he wanted to revert. Actually, to me, the guitar played just fine prior to the saddle replacement but my friend primarily plays a Tele and wanted a lower action.

Obviously, this affected the break angle of the strings over the saddle which lowered the volume considerably and he asked me to ramp the bridge to get the proper break angle in which I refused. I told him the best way to achieve action adjustments on those Taylor guitars was doing a neck reset as opposed to lowering the saddle and it's a $2k or more instrument and I really don't want to ramp the bridge. In fact, I won't ramp that bridge period it's a beautiful instrument.

I know I could make the shims but if there's someone who already does this it would be much easier to purchase them. In fact, if I can't get the shims I will send him to an authorized Taylor facility as it would probably be cheaper for him in the long run because I know the authorized shops can get the shims from Taylor.

Thanks for any info!

[Greg Mirken]

Talk to Taylor Customer Service. Unless they have changed their customer service philosophy recently, I bet they'll be happy to send you the shims.

[nathan clark]

You can block plane the existing shim at the heel. You may or may not need to replace the shim under the fretboard tongue. What size shims to you need?

[Don Korth]

Hi Nathan,
The guitar is no longer in my possession so I really don't know the size shims I need. I have decided to refer him to an authorized Taylor service center as he is the original owner of the instrument and this would be considered warranty work the way I understand it. As much as I would like to do this for him just to gain the knowledge of the system I think it's best to send him to Elderly as they probably already have the shims in stock and can do it while he waits if he makes an appointment.

[Hesh Breakstone]

I'm not aware of any third party sellers of Taylor shims but this is not surprising since Taylor is a very responsible company and greatly values thier customers.  

Sure you could make one, plane one, etc. but your last idea is what I would do.  If the customer is the original purchaser of the guitar send them to an authorized Taylor repair center.  Neck resets, if it needs one, are covered 100% under the Taylor warranty which would most definately be cheaper for the client.

[Don Korth]

IMO this guitar doesn't NEED a neck reset but to lower the action and maintain the proper break angle of the strings over the saddle a neck reset is the recommended procedure on the Taylor guitars due to the fact that a neck reset on those is so simple and they were designed with this in mind. So, having said that I don't know if this would qualify as warranty work or not as it doesn't NEED a neck reset he just wants the action lowered. I have already lowered his action sanding down the bottom of a new saddle but the break angle was reduced as well and I don't like it but he's happy with it.

[Billy Etheridge]

The Taylor NT neck has a two shim system. There is a formula for replacing the shims so that the fretboard extension over the body is not put in a bind when the neck is reset. If your friend is the original owner, a certified Taylor warranty service provider can do this for him at no charge. Even if he is NOT the original owner, I would not hesitate to call Taylor customer service and let them know the situation. As a Taylor Silver Level warranty service provider, IMHO, I would not recommend sanding or altering the existing shims. The reset is not all that hard but should be installed with the proper combination of shims to avoid more serious problems over time. As Greg mentioned above, they may send you the shim sets with the video of Rob Magargal (head of Taylor service), instructing the procedure....

[Don Korth]

Thanks for the info Billy and I would love to watch that video and learn the proper procedure/formula for doing this as I find it very interesting and ingenious the way Taylor chose to go with this system. I would have never guessed that these were bolt on necks and those are some very tight tolerances the Taylor CNC's those neck heels to. All acoustic guitars should be so easy to do a neck reset IMHO and Taylor has a winner with this design.

When I initially shaped the new saddle for my friend I was unaware that these were bolt on necks but I still made him get a new saddle so we could revert if he wasn't happy with the results. He is actually very pleased with the guitar as is cause he mainly uses the on board electronics when performing with the instrument so the actual decrease in volume from the low break angle is negligible from his perspective but it sure bothers the heck out of me. But then, I am an acoustic guitarist and he isn't per say

[nathan clark]

Well, it's not a video but here's my routine:

http://fingerlakesguitarrepair.com/taylor-neck-reset/

[Don Korth]

Hi Nathan,
The link you provided above is the one I had previously seen when I Googled the topic and I already had it bookmarked for reference.

[nathan clark]

It's really no big deal to block plane the correct taper into the existing shim. Most of the time it's necessary anyway since those shims (well, the ones that Taylor set me years ago) are never quite the exact taper the math calls for.

[Don Korth]

Thank you for the replies all and he is the original owner of the Taylor with the NT neck so I am going to refer him to Elderly in Lansing MI. I know the neck resets are a breeze on those and I don't want to alter his existing shims either. As previously stated, if it were my guitar I would have left the action as it was initially cause it played just fine IMO but then I am accustomed to playing acoustic guitars and also accustomed to heavy strings. Anything lighter that a set of .012 guage strings on an acoustic just doesn't sound good to me.

Heck, I play with 11's on my tele and that's the lightest string guage I will use and only because I can't find a set of 12's with a plain third string. Don't much care for bending wound thirds as the frets tend to cut into the windings and they don't last otherwise I would have 12's on my tele too. All my jazz guitars are strung up with 13's flat wound and I really like those.

[Paul Verticchio]

"As previously stated, if it were my guitar I would have left the action as it was initially cause it played just fine IMO but then I am accustomed to playing acoustic guitars......."

Kudos, Don. There seems to be a new generations of kids that do NOT understand the distinction between the set-up mechanics AND functional application of the flat top acoustic guitar. Axioms like, "A bit higher action = better tone" and "You DO need a stout gauge of strings to properly drive the top for optimal tone", etc. The thing that kills me is how many kids (and adults) are putting 9-42 & 10-46 gauge nickle strings on GOOD acoustics. Talk about a waste of engineering and craftsmanship. That's why Fender makes those awful "Telesonic/Stratasonic" instruments. And, they also wonder why their strings buzz and the guitar won't intonate properly or stay in tune. A Taylor T-3 or T-5 would much better serve your customer.

Pardon the rant but it's a shame to see so many quality acoustics treated like an import Strat. To me, it's geetar blasphemy. ;)

btw: Elderly has a superior repair facility &/or contract repair staff. He'll be in trusted hands.

To summarize: THANK YOU for doing it 'properly', man :) :)