LKSM-12 and Intonation

[Dave1973]

A question about the Taylor LKSM-12 and intonation. I purchased an one a couple of years and I rarely play it because the intonation is off. Tuned to C# tuning with heavy gage strings if I press any of the stings down especially on the first few frets they will be sharp by 1/4 step. It drives me crazy. I've had it a repair shop twice, someone who is excellent, but he says there's nothing further he can do. The only thing he could suggest is to lighten my touch and not press the strings down as hard. If anyone has an LKSM-12 I would love to know if they have a similar problem. I've been looking for another one in a near by guitar shop so I could compare but no luck.

[cpmusic]

You might contact Taylor directly. If the guitar is under warranty they will fix it for free assuming there's no sign of damage or neglect, though you will need to pay for shipping. If it's not under warranty, they will still do repairs, and their fees are reasonable. Their repairs are top-notch, and if anyone can fix that guitar, it's them.

[MexicoMike]

I don't have one but 1/4 step?  HOLY MOLY!  I'd call that a horrible case of manufacturing error on the fretboard/fret position or nut position. Sure, if you press the strings hard you will get some rise in pitch but 1/4 step is a lot.  I have seen guitars with very high action height do that but an action adjustment fixed it.  Sounds like the tech has probably looked at that. So I agree that Taylor needs to check it out.

If you play an open string and then lightly fret it (as lightly as possible to make it play) do you get a good octave?  Howabout a octave harmonic?  Is the fretted octave and harmonic both good pitchwise compared to the open string?

I one had famous-name  flamenco guitar that had the same sort of issue.  I had to actually cut the fretboard slightly so as to move the nut toward the bridge (shorten the speaking length of the string) in order for it to fret true.  Clearly, in that case, the fret-to-fret distance was correct but the end of the fretboard had been mis-cut and the nut had been improperly placed at the factory.  This was a $5000 guitar in 1992 dollars!  So don't ever assume some manufacturer can't mess something up just because they are well-known! 

[GBS]

I have to agree - Taylor is your best bet for a fix.
How well have you been humidifying it?  I notice a substantial change in the top when going from 40% humidity in-the-case (winter, when the actual house is around 25%) to 65% summer.  So much so that I have to have 2 saddles, one for each season.  And in the winter, the top sinks enough that I have to have the winter saddle re-intonated (break point moved to the optimal point for each string).  Nothing as bad as yours - but if it has "bent" due to humidity issues, and your tech is not familiar with what is spec for a LKSM as far as top flatness, arch, etc. it could be overlooked.  Taylor will fix it up for you and advise as needed.