Will Eliixr 13-56 strings damage my 310ce

[SandyE]

I recently purchased a used 310ce and replaced the strings with Elixr 13-56 acoustic strings. A friend told me he once had a Taylor and that he ruined the neck by putting on the hi-tension 13's.
The Taylor website says to use "medium" strings on the 310. What constitutes "medium"- 11s, 12,s or 13's?. When I purchased the guitar it had 10's- which didn't give me the tone I was looking for.
I have beginning stages of arthritis in my fretting hand and am willing to put up with a little pain rather than to sacrifice tone. Do most of you use 11's or 12's? Another related question- If I keep my 13's and tune 1/2 or 1 step down, does that relieve enough tension as to not damage the neck? Elixr markets the 80/20 and the phosphor bronze- as far as tension on the neck- are both about the same? I play about 50% of the time with amp, the rest unplugged. Its the unplugged that I don't like the tinny, thin sound of the 10's that was on the guitar when I purchased it. Thanks.

[timfitz63]

Elixir medium gauge strings are the 13-56's; those are the factory-recommended gauge for Taylor Dreadnoughts (like your 310), Grand Symphonies, and Grand Orchestras.  10's would be lighter than even the Elixir light gauge strings (12-53) that are installed on the Grand Concert & Grand Auditorium bodies -- similar to electric guitar strings.

It's possible (within reason) to put any gauge strings on your 310; but since you made such a drastic change in string gauge, I would make sure the neck is still straight and adjust the truss rod accordingly.  It's pretty simple to do, but if you're not sure how to do that -- or just not comfortable doing it -- take it to a trusted luthier.  It'll take 5 minutes and ensure you don't wind up with a permanent bow in the neck (probably what happened to your friend).  Plus having the correct neck relief will make the guitar much more comfortable and enjoyable to play.

Tuning down a step will definitely relieve some of the tension resulting from the change in string gauge, but may still require a truss rod adjustment.  I'd just tune it to concert pitch and make sure the truss rod is correctly adjusted.  You should be fine after that.

[Soof]

Yes, 10s are too thin for a dread.  And yes, 13s are the recommended gauge.  So, I would suggest first off, take it to a good repair tech and have a set-up done if you haven't already.  If there's room for the strings to be lowered it will help your playing.  I was told by a Taylor rep at a Taylor event that you could go down to 11s (Elixir calls them custom lights).

I hear you brother about that arthritis problem.  There are many in the club! Me included!

Experiment a little and you'll find the right string for your needs.

[Taylorholic]

Depending on what year your 310 was made, mediums may just feel like lights on that guitar because the newer 310s all have a 24 7/8 scale length.  Not sure how long they've been doing that on that model though.  I'm considering one myself because of that.

[SandyE]

My 310ce was made in 2006. I'll leave the 13's on and take it to a luthier to properly adjust the truss rod as suggested. Is the scale length the distance between the nut and the 12th fret? 
Because of my arthritis I had to give up most barr chords and go with open ones, except hard to avoid those F/Fm, Bm, and Cm barrs. The only gigs I mainly do now is 50's/60's at nursing homes.
I used to use my Gretsch Nashville and Fender Vibrolux Reverb. The Taylor is a big change for me. I have an 2 channel Ibanez amp for the Taylor and vocals. Was at a music store earlier in the week and a Harman sales rep was there with their newly released model of the JBL wireless, battery operated stick amp. Really impressed me so I ordered one. So now the last thing to do is try
Elixir 80/20's to compare the tone with the nanoweb phosphor bronze I have on now. Thanks for all the advice.

[zeebow]

My 310ce was made in 2006. I'll leave the 13's on and take it to a luthier to properly adjust the truss rod as suggested. Is the scale length the distance between the nut and the 12th fret? 
Because of my arthritis I had to give up most barr chords and go with open ones, except hard to avoid those F/Fm, Bm, and Cm barrs. The only gigs I mainly do now is 50's/60's at nursing homes.
I used to use my Gretsch Nashville and Fender Vibrolux Reverb. The Taylor is a big change for me. I have an 2 channel Ibanez amp for the Taylor and vocals. Was at a music store earlier in the week and a Harman sales rep was there with their newly released model of the JBL wireless, battery operated stick amp. Really impressed me so I ordered one. So now the last thing to do is try
Elixir 80/20's to compare the tone with the nanoweb phosphor bronze I have on now. Thanks for all the advice.

welcome! I fixed the thread title to "Elixir" in case anyone else decides to search and look for a similar question.

Any string gauge will require a "setup" by a Luthier, which could mean truss rod adjustment / neck relief adjustment.

i don't notice a change in tension using either - BUT the major thing that I have noticed is scale length on a 12 fret.

scale length is the distance from the nut to the bridge.

i'm a HUGE fan of taylor grand concerts (x12 guitars) 12 frets - meaning that the neck joins the body at the 12 fret. add adirondack bracing and you get a super comfortable guitar to play with a lot of projection and sensitivity.

the short scale on a grand concert makes fretting easier, and the 12 fret relieves string tension, making it even easier. I notice a huge difference when playing my grand concert 12 frets vs my grand auditorium 14 frets.

check one out!

[Edward]

Hey there Sandy,

First off, this "damage the neck" business is utterly wrong, with respect to your friend who mentioned it.  Not only are Taylor's dreds designed for 13-56, you can comfortably put these mediums on the GA as well which were designed for 12s.  Taylor necks simply do not "get ruined" with such a common string option.  You are perfectly good in using either the mediums or the lights (12s). 

Another option to reduce tension, however, is to try Elixir's "medium-lights" which use the EAD from the med set, and the GBE from the light set.  This maintains much of the bass, which is a wonderful thing for your dred, but may help you in fretting, barre or not.

And yes, do experiment with 80/20 vs PBs.  If you have nano PBs in med now, going to the same set in 80/20 --as you likely already know-- will give you a brighter overall tone ...which may or may not be what you want, so think about what you're hearing now and ask yourself if you want to give that direction a try!

Finally, after you determine what gauge and string composition you personally prefer, take your guitar to a luthier who is authorized to work on Taylors. The reason for "authorized" is that these techs have access to the graduated set of Taylor shims needed to accurately/properly set up your neck for the best possible action.  Moreover, the "best" setup is not a "spec" but is the setup that works for your style, your paick attack, and your fretting hand, so discuss this with your luthier.  A truly good setup is a game-changer for any guitar, and can easily transform a "good" guit into a stellar one.  Hope this helps you a bit! 

Edward

[mgap]

Hey there Sandy,

First off, this "damage the neck" business is utterly wrong, with respect to your friend who mentioned it.  Not only are Taylor's dreds designed for 13-56, you can comfortably put these mediums on the GA as well which were designed for 12s.  Taylor necks simply do not "get ruined" with such a common string option.  You are perfectly good in using either the mediums or the lights (12s). 

Another option to reduce tension, however, is to try Elixir's "medium-lights" which use the EAD from the med set, and the GBE from the light set.  This maintains much of the bass, which is a wonderful thing for your dred, but may help you in fretting, barre or not.

And yes, do experiment with 80/20 vs PBs.  If you have nano PBs in med now, going to the same set in 80/20 --as you likely already know-- will give you a brighter overall tone ...which may or may not be what you want, so think about what you're hearing now and ask yourself if you want to give that direction a try!

Finally, after you determine what gauge and string composition you personally prefer, take your guitar to a luthier who is authorized to work on Taylors. The reason for "authorized" is that these techs have access to the graduated set of Taylor shims needed to accurately/properly set up your neck for the best possible action.  Moreover, the "best" setup is not a "spec" but is the setup that works for your style, your paick attack, and your fretting hand, so discuss this with your luthier.  A truly good setup is a game-changer for any guitar, and can easily transform a "good" guit into a stellar one.  Hope this helps you a bit! 

Edward

Yes what Edward said!

I have tried mediums for most of my Taylors.  I now use medium-lights on most now, only because I bought a bunch of them.  The mediums have never given me any trouble with the neck other than I usually needed to adjust the truss rod a bit.  Your dread was fitted for mediums straight out of Taylor's hands.  Enjoy.

[SandyE]

So what constitutes a Taylor "authorized" luthier? Does the Taylor website list them? I visited a big music store recently in a neighboring city. They had just a couple Taylors hanging on the wall but I don't know if that makes them "authorized" or not as far as service. The music store in my own city used to carry the major brands like Taylor, but now sell only guitars selling for $400 or less. Many major brands will only sell to those stores who will stock high minimum quantities that many stores can't afford to carry in inventory. Many stores like this couldn't remain in business if not for school band instrument sales and rentals, and music lessons. Not like it was years ago.

[Edward]

If you call Taylor and give them your zipcode, they will let you know who is near you.  If you're in a major city, you'll have several to choose from.  And these are typically repair shops, not "stores" that sell guitars. 

Edward

[robhanesworth]

So what constitutes a Taylor "authorized" luthier? Does the Taylor website list them? I visited a big music store recently in a neighboring city. They had just a couple Taylors hanging on the wall but I don't know if that makes them "authorized" or not as far as service. The music store in my own city used to carry the major brands like Taylor, but now sell only guitars selling for $400 or less. Many major brands will only sell to those stores who will stock high minimum quantities that many stores can't afford to carry in inventory. Many stores like this couldn't remain in business if not for school band instrument sales and rentals, and music lessons. Not like it was years ago.

Taylor Service Centers:

https://www.taylorguitars.com/support/service-centers

They are listed alphabetically by first letter of city name. Here in the Indianapolis area both Guitar Center and Sam Ash are silver level centers. They can handle all the adjustments mentioned in this thread.