Why does Taylor factory install Elixir Nanoweb Bronze 80/20's on 814's

[jjrpilot-admin]

Brian,

I completely understand that Taylor's primary motivation in using Elixers is to assure that the strings have as long a life as possible in the guitar shops, but it sure seems like the vast majority of people who report a string preference in this and other forums greatly prefer phosphor/bronzes to 80/20s.  I agree that string preference is a very personal thing, so I would ask you this:  if you knew that your customer base preferred PBs to 80/20s, would you switch at the factory?

Like many have stated, most will change strings either way.  If one preferred the Elixers...and bought a model off the floor, I'd assume that they would probably put on a new set of Elixers anyway.  Changing strings at the factory will never satisfy everyone.  I personally love the Elixers...been using them on my Alvarez for years...and was stoked to learn that Taylor put them on all the guitars leaving El Cajon!

[michaelw]

my guess is that perhaps 80/20s are what Taylor likes to use
... i think the reason it is done is for consistency across all the models overall &,
perhaps, may best represent Taylor's signature tone on all guitars that are in shops

imho, NanoWeb 80/20s are likely the most popular replacement string for Taylors, as
i imagine those that have 'no string preference' will replace them with 'what came on it'...

or, may be not ...  imho, strings are based on one's personal preference - either can/be change(d)

ymmv

My guess is that the primary goal for strings from the factory is to make the guitars sound good for as long as possible while hanging in the shops ... I can attest to the fact that the condition of strings on shop guitars are crucial to first impressions ...

Elixir 80/20's probably fit the bill best given the above ... most seaoned players are going to change the strings to their liking anyway so the 80/20's are not intended to be the end-all or an endorsement from Taylor that these are the absolute best strings for all Taylor's and all Taylor players ...

We have a winner!

The easiest way to modify your guitar is to change the strings. Use what you like - everyone is different. String recommendations should be taken with a grain of salt... because nobody plays like you, has hands like yours, etc.

+3

imho, in terms of the number of folks that are on internet guitar forums vs the overall number
of Taylor guitars sold is most likely a relatively small percentage, in the grand scheme of things &
i believe that Bob & the folks at Taylor are doing what is best for their guitars & dealers overall -
i imagine that on a BTO, one could possibly request Elixir NanoWeb PB strings on it ... er, no

if one was contemplating a purchase of a new guitar, i believe that a good constant would be the strings
that came from the factory, just as a guitar with mahogany back & sides makes a good 'baseline', imho -
with so many different strings available, i would venture to guess that the majority of all
Taylor owners that have have bought a guitar since the switch was made to Elixir 80/20
NanoWebs probably still use them ... unless, they have found something they like better

perhaps contacting Elixir's customer service & asking them what string most of their customers prefer
would be a good start ... i've seen 80/20 PolyWebs on new Alvarez guitars too & their set-ups are nice

ymmv

[DennisG]

my guess is that perhaps 80/20s are what Taylor likes to use
... i think the reason it is done is for consistency across all the models overall &,
perhaps, may best represent Taylor's signature tone on all guitars that are in shops

imho, NanoWeb 80/20s are likely the most popular replacement string for Taylors, as
i imagine those that have 'no string preference' will replace them with 'what came on it'...

or, may be not ...  imho, strings are based on one's personal preference - either can/be change(d)

ymmv

My guess is that the primary goal for strings from the factory is to make the guitars sound good for as long as possible while hanging in the shops ... I can attest to the fact that the condition of strings on shop guitars are crucial to first impressions ...

Elixir 80/20's probably fit the bill best given the above ... most seaoned players are going to change the strings to their liking anyway so the 80/20's are not intended to be the end-all or an endorsement from Taylor that these are the absolute best strings for all Taylor's and all Taylor players ...

We have a winner!

The easiest way to modify your guitar is to change the strings. Use what you like - everyone is different. String recommendations should be taken with a grain of salt... because nobody plays like you, has hands like yours, etc.

+3

imho, in terms of the number of folks that are on internet guitar forums vs the overall number
of Taylor guitars sold is most likely a relatively small percentage, in the grand scheme of things &
i believe that Bob & the folks at Taylor are doing what is best for their guitars & dealers overall -
i imagine that on a BTO, one could possibly request Elixir NanoWeb PB strings on it ... er, no

if one was contemplating a purchase of a new guitar, i believe that a good constant would be the strings
that came from the factory, just as a guitar with mahogany back & sides makes a good 'baseline', imho -
with so many different strings available, i would venture to guess that the majority of all
Taylor owners that have have bought a guitar since the switch was made to Elixir 80/20
NanoWebs probably still use them ... unless, they have found something they like better

perhaps contacting Elixir's customer service & asking them what string most of their customers prefer
would be a good start ... i've seen 80/20 PolyWebs on new Alvarez guitars too & their set-ups are nice

ymmv

All guesses aside, until Taylor surveys their customers, we'll never know what the majority prefers.  While the preferences of forum members don't necessarily represent the preferences of the entire customer base, it's at least a start in beginning to understand what kind of strings people like.

[Cindy]

Personally I like the 80/20s on most of my Taylors. Many people describe Taylors as being brighter than Martins (in general), and by putting PB's on Taylors, it is going to warm up the tone a bit. From what I've read, Bob uses the 80/20s because he likes the combination of their tone with his guitars. Granted there are Taylor owners who prefer PB's, but from what I've read, Elixir PB's don't seem to be the #1 choice when it comes to phosphor bronze strings (people seem to prefer other brands for PB's).

I've gotten the impression that when it comes to Elixir strings, the 80/20s are the most popular.

[Brian Swerdfeger @ Taylor]

We use 80/20 because WE like them on OUR guitars... once YOU buy a Taylor, it becomes YOUR guitar and YOU can put whatever kind of string on it that YOU desire. 

Be careful to not over think this one, it's subjective and we all like what we like. Also be careful not to believe that 50 people on an internet forum represent a true sampling of the almost one million Taylor players worldwide.

BTW - I sound better playing 80/20...

[roadbiker]

When I bought my 814ce in November, i played it against a D-18 and a Songwriter Deluxe. All very nice guitars in about the same price range. I narrowed ny choice to between the Taylor and the Gibson. I assume the Taylor had the Elixer NW 80/20's on it and I'm not sure what the Gibson was sporting. Regardless, to me and my friend who came with me to offer a second opinion, the strings on both guitars sounded dead and the shop restrung them both with strings of my choice - D'Addario PB lights, which I have been using happily for years. I recently made my first string change and am now playing my Taylor with Elixer NW 80/20's for a bout two weeks now. The jury is still out, but so far I prefer the D'Addario PB's.

To the original question, I have also heard, as has been previously mentioned, that Taylor uses the Elixer NW 80/20's for shelf-life while the guitar is hanging on the wall. In my case it didn't seem to work, and to michaelw's point, they probably use them because they generally last a long time, sound good, are inexpensive, and anticipate that the buyer will likely change them when he/she gets home.

I also think cost is a major factor in this decision. When in mass production, every penny saved goes directly to the bottom line.

Jim

[dangrunloh]

Brian,

I completely understand that Taylor's primary motivation in using Elixers is to assure that the strings have as long a life as possible in the guitar shops, but it sure seems like the vast majority of people who report a string preference in this and other forums greatly prefer phosphor/bronzes to 80/20s.  I agree that string preference is a very personal thing, so I would ask you this:  if you knew that your customer base preferred PBs to 80/20s, would you switch at the factory?

Bob likes them better and he makes guitars with the sound he likes?  It's a personal thing.  And the "vast majority" might be closer to 60/40 or 70/30. I know some have claimed than when they switched to Elixers only the 80/20's were available so that''s what they used and now the guitars are voiced or built for this type.  Surely the Elixer PB's last as long as the 80/20's so why not put them on the certain models?  Ask Bob why.  He will know. I bet he will say he likes the sound better with 80/20's

[dangrunloh]

Brian,

I completely understand that Taylor's primary motivation in using Elixers is to assure that the strings have as long a life as possible in the guitar shops, but it sure seems like the vast majority of people who report a string preference in this and other forums greatly prefer phosphor/bronzes to 80/20s.  I agree that string preference is a very personal thing, so I would ask you this:  if you knew that your customer base preferred PBs to 80/20s, would you switch at the factory?

Bob likes them better and he makes guitars with the sound he likes?  It's a personal thing.  And the "vast majority" might be closer to 60/40 or 70/30.

After writing that I thought I would do an actual check of preferences on another earlier thread on this board. "What kind of strings do you use on your Taylor and how often do you change them?"

http://www.unofficialtaylorguitarforum.com/index.php?topic=161.0

Out of those 40 posts 21 discussed brands but did not give preference on type (or used) both kinds.  There were 11 that loved PB's and 7 that preferred 80/20's.   While boards posts are a perfect measure of customers preference that thread indicated about 64% prefer PB's.

[bo1142]

I think Brian has made Taylor's pick pretty clear.  I don't think 11 people on a website are going to change their minds.  By the way, I like the nanoweb 80/20's

[Igniten]

Kind of silly question, but can anyone verify that Taylor (814) comes with 80/20 from the factory? I cant seem to find anything on their website on this. It just says Elixir Nanowebs.

I have an ongoing dispute with som mates, and they claim Taylor comes with factory installed PB

 

[bo1142]

Refer to Brians post.  I would say he's a pretty trusted source, seeing that he works there

[Igniten]

 Should probaly have noticed that myselft 

Thanks

[michaelw]

hi Igniten,
here is a link to the string types & gauges that Taylor installs at the factory
http://www.taylorguitars.com/blog/taylor-support/faq-string-types-and-gauges
it states Elixir NanoWebs without any other notation, but they are 80/20s

also, i was wondering how it's going with your 814ce & if it has improved with 80/20 lights

[Igniten]

Just installed 80/20. Have only tested for an hour or so, but so far it feels a bit easyier on my fingers.

Litle bit off topic, but does anyone use 0.11 on GA Taylor?

[michaelw]

hi Igniten,

i'm glad that the change in strings was more favorable to your fingers -
i've used the custom light gauge (.011 - .052) in the past, but after a good 6 months of
solid playing (3-4 hrs a day), i found that i preferred the tone & longevity of .011 - .054
(DR Extra custom sets) & then .012s - .054s (Ernie Ball & GHS) & .012 - .056s (EXP19s)

the odd thing about it is that switching strings on some of my previous GA Taylors,
i found that the tone was no longer what i was desired & i attribute that fact to my
change in tonal preference, as opposed to having put the 'wrong' set of strings on
 
i feel that strings, & picks if you use them, are a great way
to experiment to find what suits you the best ... have fun