I'm asking for suggestions regarding (what I consider) is a unique requirement for a Taylor. I'm looking at an instrument that I can tune up 2 steps permanently, that will still play and sound good. First, some background.
As I progressed and developed my vocals (solo folk and country), my range increased and got higher. I was using a capo on the 2nd fret for 16 or so songs. The capo really affected the tuning and sustain, so I tried to jack my 114ce up 2 steps. The intonation suffered and it was like playing hacksaw blades, and the neck bow increased making it harder to play. My GS Mini was strung with Elixir meds, so I thought, "change to lights, tighten the truss rod, tune up 2 steps and see what happens". Well it worked! So well, in fact, I would like to consider a higher-end guitar that would work as well.
So my thoughts are something on the order of a 312-812, shorter scale and smaller body type. I think Taylor recommends Elixir mediums for those guitars (due to short scale like the Mini), but before I plop down big bucks on a whim, I'd like to hear your suggestions, and, hopefully from an artist with a similar experience. Thanks