2011 GS8 neck adjustment?

[warsmokeeagle]

A good friend just bought a used GS8 online (didn't get to play it first).  He's a fairly inexperienced player and asked my opinions on his new guitar.  Aside from having a great tone, the action was pretty high the further I went up the neck, and the intonation was off.  The neck seemed to have the right amount of relief when I used the 1st and 12th fret test.  I told him I was pretty sure it needed a neck adjustment, but someone at the local Taylor dealer didn't see any issue when he took it by there.  He doesn't really know what it should feel like despite playing my 814 and didn't know exactly what to tell the dealer.  The saddle appears to be a normal height. Am I crazy in thinking it's a neck adjustment issue?  I've never had one done.  Are they typically fairly inexpensive? Thanks!

[Earl]

Was that "someone" a repair tech, or just a sales clerk?  It sounds like a reset / angle adjustment / shim change is in order, but pictures and measurements would help.  With the NT system, adjustments are no big deal, and not very expensive.  (We are not allowed to discuss prices here).  The action must get higher as you go up, to allow for wider swings as the strings vibrate.  There should around 6/64" between the top of the 12th fret and the bottom of the wound bass E string, ~4/64" for the treble "e" string, and roughly 1/2" between the strings and the top measured near the bridge.

Also consider the humidity state.  If the guitar is currently very wet, the top will swell up, which raises the bridge and makes the action high.  Dry guitars have the opposite problem.

There is a more sinister possibility, that the bridge had come off and was re-glued incompetently, and not quite in the right position.  Don't panic - very low percentage of that being the case.

[warsmokeeagle]

I think that "someone" was not a tech, and my friend had never been there to know who to talk to. I'm going back with him this weekend. Nothing on the guitar suggested it hadn't been cared for. And humidity is controlled in his house. I'll update when I know something. Thanks!

Here's the guitar before it shipped to him. Guess it was a 2012 instead of 2011. https://reverb.com/item/1361760-taylor-gs8-2012

[Edward]

Yes, a neck-angle adjustment on the NT guitars is both routine work and reasonably inexpensive.  Likewise, from this point forward, the guitar should "hold" this proper angle for a good long time, barring any climatological weirdness

It may seem that this is a damper on a new-guitar purchase, but I'd remind your buddy that adjustments that "set action" are 100% routine, and tailoring (as opposed to Tayloring ) the final setup to the owner (in this case, new owner) is/should be SOP for any new acquisition.  And that he purchased a Taylor with NT, he got the cream-o-the-crop neck system that eases and perfects this adjustment like no other guitar can.  I have every confidence that when he gets it back he'll be twice convinced he made a great choice.

Edward

[warsmokeeagle]

Thanks, guys. He's not upset in the least. He was playing a $500 Gretsch acoustic before the Taylor. He's happy.

[warsmokeeagle]

Went back to the store today with my friend. Talked to someone with a little sense. They agreed it was a little off. Doing a setup the first of next week.