Unofficial Taylor Guitar Forum - UTGF

Lessons, Recordings, How Tos, Repair, Accessories => Lessons, Recordings, How Tos, Repair, Accessories => Topic started by: lutehole on June 09, 2012, 02:13:16 PM

Title: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: lutehole on June 09, 2012, 02:13:16 PM
I've heard that a newly built Taylor, say a BTO for instance, has to be kept at the same RH for the first 12 months in order for the wood to stabilize or something. True/false?
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: Strumming Fool on June 09, 2012, 03:35:02 PM
False - a BTO behaves just like any other guitar. Just take good care of it and it'll take care of you...mine is just about a year-old now, and it is in the regular rotation with my other guitars...and I'm loving its sound (which was great on day one BTW) more and more each time I pick it up to play! Here's a pic-

(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa445/abpurfling/11BTO-fullfront.jpg)
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: lutehole on June 09, 2012, 03:40:46 PM
That is an amazing top! Any pics of the back and sides?

Back to my question, what i was referring to was the structural stability and not the tone. I read somewhere that fluctuating RH hurts the newly built guitar....
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: cotten on June 09, 2012, 03:45:27 PM
This has not been the case in the past. Mind looking up where you read that and letting us know? My guess is that it didn't come from Taylor. Maybe from a competitor, though, or a salesman intent on pushing something other than Taylor.

cotten
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: lutehole on June 09, 2012, 04:27:06 PM
No, it came from the forum but i do not remember where. Hoping someone who's done a lot of BTO's would be able to say
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: jjrpilot-admin on June 09, 2012, 05:13:02 PM
No, it came from the forum but i do not remember where. Hoping someone who's done a lot of BTO's would be able to say

A BTO would be the same as any other "stock" model built and shipped to you. Taylors are structurally sound just like any other guitar. 
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: Strumming Fool on June 09, 2012, 07:42:32 PM
False - a BTO behaves just like any other guitar. Just take good care of it and it'll take care of you...mine is just about a year-old now, and it is in the regular rotation with my other guitars...and I'm loving its sound (which was great on day one BTW) more and more each time I pick it up to play! Here's a pic-

(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa445/abpurfling/11BTO-fullfront.jpg)

Sure...here's a  pic of back and sides...

(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa445/abpurfling/CustomGA-8.jpg)
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: egkor on June 09, 2012, 09:20:39 PM
The first thing the factory does is stabilize the wood(s) so that once they start to use it, it will not change shape/dimension.

-Gary K
 
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: michaelw on June 10, 2012, 01:02:30 AM
I've heard that a newly built Taylor, say a BTO for instance, has to be kept at the same RH for the first 12 months in order for the wood to stabilize or something. True/false?
yep ...
if you don't keep it at exactly 49.5% RH (not 49.501 or 49.499%)
for the first year, it's quite possible that destabilization could occur -
like this (http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3067489&postcount=3)
(http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/48004/2537887660081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)
any questions ???
i didn't think so
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: Edward on June 10, 2012, 08:11:58 PM
Now there is one guitar that has really opened up.  Nice one, Michael!  :D

Edward
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: lutehole on June 11, 2012, 10:42:06 AM
I've heard that a newly built Taylor, say a BTO for instance, has to be kept at the same RH for the first 12 months in order for the wood to stabilize or something. True/false?
yep ...
if you don't keep it at exactly 49.5% RH (not 49.501 or 49.499%)
for the first year, it's quite possible that destabilization could occur -
like this (http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3067489&postcount=3)
(http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/48004/2537887660081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)
any questions ???
i didn't think so

Didn't you humidify your guitar Michael?
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: lutehole on June 11, 2012, 10:43:45 AM
False - a BTO behaves just like any other guitar. Just take good care of it and it'll take care of you...mine is just about a year-old now, and it is in the regular rotation with my other guitars...and I'm loving its sound (which was great on day one BTW) more and more each time I pick it up to play! Here's a pic-

(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa445/abpurfling/11BTO-fullfront.jpg)

Sure...here's a  pic of back and sides...

(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa445/abpurfling/CustomGA-8.jpg)

That ovangkol is amazing. It goes really well with the flamed maple binding. Which wood binding options were you considering before deciding on maple?
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: pottski on June 11, 2012, 02:30:27 PM

Sure...here's a  pic of back and sides...

(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa445/abpurfling/CustomGA-8.jpg)

That ovangkol is amazing. It goes really well with the flamed maple binding. Which wood binding options were you considering before deciding on maple?

just to add some contrast, here's a pic of the back and sides of my BTO, which has ovangkol with ebony biding. I love the look of the flamed maple too, but I had a light top and wanted to set that off with the binding.

(http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab83/pottski81/BTO/MattBTO/895bb3f2.jpg)
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: Strumming Fool on June 11, 2012, 06:54:44 PM
False - a BTO behaves just like any other guitar. Just take good care of it and it'll take care of you...mine is just about a year-old now, and it is in the regular rotation with my other guitars...and I'm loving its sound (which was great on day one BTW) more and more each time I pick it up to play! Here's a pic-

(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa445/abpurfling/11BTO-fullfront.jpg)

Sure...here's a  pic of back and sides...

(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa445/abpurfling/CustomGA-8.jpg)

That ovangkol is amazing. It goes really well with the flamed maple binding. Which wood binding options were you considering before deciding on maple?

I was considering koa, rosewood and maple. The Taylor guys (Breedlove and the gang) dissuaded me from the koa, because they felt there would be too may contrasting elements (too busy). They liked either rosewood or maple. My wife recommended maple, so that's what I did....
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: KevinIndiana on July 03, 2012, 05:25:40 PM
 ;D LOL!!  ;D

> "My wife recommended maple, so that's what I did...."

SMART MAN!!!!!  (has nothing to do with the relative merits of your wood choices)
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: Strumming Fool on July 03, 2012, 06:08:45 PM
;D LOL!!  ;D

> "My wife recommended maple, so that's what I did...."

SMART MAN!!!!!  (has nothing to do with the relative merits of your wood choices)

Well, I needed a tie-breaker, because it was split equally between rosewood and maple with the Taylor guys! In the final analysis, I'm glad I chose maple, because it really makes the other woods pop!
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: Von Beerhofen on July 03, 2012, 10:01:51 PM
I've heard that a newly built Taylor, say a BTO for instance, has to be kept at the same RH for the first 12 months in order for the wood to stabilize or something. True/false?
yep ...
if you don't keep it at exactly 49.5% RH (not 49.501 or 49.499%)
for the first year, it's quite possible that destabilization could occur -
like this (http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3067489&postcount=3)
(http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/48004/2537887660081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)
any questions ???
i didn't think so

Didn't you humidify your guitar Michael?

Brings back fond memories.
That's about how my first spanish guitar looked after refurbishing it with a single coil in the soundhole and then practising Pete Townsend's rotating arm strumming technique.
Those were the days!

Von Beerhofen
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: michaelw on July 04, 2012, 02:01:15 AM
;D LOL!!  ;D

> "My wife recommended maple, so that's what I did...."

SMART MAN!!!!!  (has nothing to do with the relative merits of your wood choices)

Well, I needed a tie-breaker, because it was split equally between rosewood and maple with the Taylor guys! In the final analysis, I'm glad I chose maple, because it really makes the other woods pop!
the maple frames everything in quite well ... nice :)
koa would've looked ok too, i think ;)
(http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/49211/2655386670081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)
hmm ...  if macassar ebony was offered as a binding option, i wonder how that'd be :o
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: Strumming Fool on July 04, 2012, 10:06:11 AM
Koa binding is really nice- it's a slam-dunk on my next BTO!
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: michaelw on July 04, 2012, 12:29:34 PM
koa can also accent rosewoods pretty well, i think :)
cocobolo, in this case :D
(http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/21674/2747143280081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)
(http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/37528/2150294600081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: Strumming Fool on July 04, 2012, 01:20:16 PM
Yeah, that's where I think I'm going...tobacco burst engelmann/EIR bound in koa...perhaps later this year!
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: michaelw on July 04, 2012, 03:20:22 PM
Yeah, that's where I think I'm going...tobacco burst engelmann/EIR bound in koa...perhaps later this year!
adi CV & gotohs ???
koa has a nice contrast with an ebony headstock overlay, imho :)

i wonder if a maple rosette would be an option with the tobaccoburst,
as it might visually 'pop' a bit more, although it wouldn't match the binding

maple purfling
(http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/47193/2005239550081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)
or maple edge trim on the top (like on the current K2X series) could be cool, but
currently that option isn't shown yet - i wonder if it might  be on the next revision ???
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: BigSkyTaylorPlayer on July 04, 2012, 04:17:41 PM
Beautiful!!  I'm getting close to ordering an all-hog 12-string with maple binding and rosette.
Title: Re: Newly built and easy to break
Post by: Strumming Fool on July 04, 2012, 05:28:45 PM
Yeah, that's where I think I'm going...tobacco burst engelmann/EIR bound in koa...perhaps later this year!
adi CV & gotohs ???
koa has a nice contrast with an ebony headstock overlay, imho :)

i wonder if a maple rosette would be an option with the tobaccoburst,
as it might visually 'pop' a bit more, although it wouldn't match the binding

maple purfling
(http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/47193/2005239550081788860S600x600Q85.jpg)
or maple edge trim on the top (like on the current K2X series) could be cool, but
currently that option isn't shown yet - i wonder if it might  be on the next revision ???


Definitely Adi and Gotohs. I agree that koa binding around an ebony headstock overlay would look great. I'm thinking of a single ring koa rosette with a koa bound soundhole. I have a koa rosette on my 514 with a honey burst top, and I love the way that looks. Here's a pic:

(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa445/abpurfling/514-closeupfront.jpg)