Hi! My1st time; new Taylor owner... I hope the forum will tell me by email if I get any answers--
I found a nice Taylor Big Baby, used, & want it to be my main guitar for practice and recording. I certainly don't expect any support from the mfr, with me buying used, but, it wouldn't be the 1st time if a guy died & left behind an ax. I have always had acoustic guitars of lesser quality than this one, but long ago I ground down to perfection, a BRASS NUT and a BRASS bridge SADDLE, which I have always called the "Bone". (You could actually make one from real bone if you wanted, & this is what the part was called by my older vendors in bygone times). When strings are removed, I've always had little or no glue holding the Nut & Bone in place. So when replacing with brass, I'd just lift off. One time I encountered a little glue attaching a nut; I took some straight piece of metal or wood, I forget exactly, but anything straight would do. Maybe I used a little screwdriver. I used a chiseling action with a hammer and the nut popped right off & I was back in business. Excellent "brightness" or, you might say, the chords "ring" in a nice way. Except various unrelated low - quality issues prompted me to get the Taylor. Such as intonation & buzzing...
Now I'd love to put my brass parts on the current guitar.; for "brightness" and to slightly lower my action, which is not very impressive. (& what's up with that notch at the B string?) I must not be the only one who likes swapping in these brass parts, because if you search, you will see these brass parts on the market. I think for maintenance & customization, manufacturers should only use a little spot of glue for use during assembly. Once the guitar's strung, the tension won't let these parts go anywhere.
ACTION (string height above the frets)
It's common knowledge that with very few acoustics having height or left-right bridge adjustability, the height at least can be carefully lowered a little by grinding down the bone from underneath, then putting it back. Taylor DOES have good enough design for decent intonation (pitch linearity going up the neck). The only solution for that, provided on electric instruments, is left - right - angle bridge adjustment. As for height, most acoustics can be experimented on for slight lowering by extracting the bone strip, setting it aside and trying a new one most stores have for a couple bucks. You grind off a little at a time in successive approximations, from underneath. (Grinding wheels are a necessary toy for just about any kind of parts fabrication.) And / or... play around with the truss rod, which I'm a little hesitant to do, and if I did, I admit it would be youtube to the rescue for a refresher course.
The Taylor saddle 'bone' & 'nut' are really glued in / on with extreme strength! Is there a way to detach them without hurting anything? I want to avoid damage but really want to try my brass parts. I've seen quite a few instruments. My favorite among the foreigners is Yamaha. Imagine; a motorcycle company... But I finally got what I wanted, which was to buy American. This is the first time I've seen the 2 parts upon which the strings rest, glued in Real Real Hard. Any non-destructive methods to remove so I can replace? Hammer & chisel? Boiling water? Hair dryer? Nain polish remover? Acupuncture?
Thank You to anybody who reads this. Happy New Year.
