cracked back on 2017 Taylor 312

[bykerbob]

I have been playing for 40+ years.  20 years in a Bluegrass band,    played a
Guild ,  but decided to to upgrade to a Taylor 312 nylon.   This guitar never leaves the house.   Last fall the guitar developed a crack in the back of the body.   The top also moved a little.     Shop told me it was too dry, but when I explained I have a music room I keep at 42 to 55 % humidity, as recommended, and had have no trouble with other guitars, uke, or mandolin,    Her shrugged his shoulders and said he did not know why it cracked, just some guitars don't hold up.     Has anyone else experienced this?    thanks   

[timfitz63]

My 2013 Spring Limited 614ce-LTD with African Ebony developed a few cracks in the wood on the back, even though I'd [theoretically] kept it properly humidified using the Humidipak system that Taylor recommends.  I contacted the Taylor factory and made arrangements to send it to them for repair.  After they'd received it, they freely admitted to me that the cracks were due to a manufacturing flaw (I got the impression that this was a common problem with this particular run of guitars), and they repaired it under assumed warranty; all I paid for was the shipping to and from them.  Without the closest scrutiny, the repaired areas are indistinguishable from the original finish of the guitar.

If you bought your guitar new, as the first owner, it will be under the same lifetime warranty; contact Taylor Customer Service and explain the situation.  I'm sure Taylor will make it right for you.

[bykerbob]

Thank you,  that is encouraging.    I bought it new in 2017 from the major dealer in Lacrosse, MN.    They have it now.   Maybe they will take better care of me then they indicated.     I will re-post to let you know.   

[Earl]

I would have faith in Taylor customer service.  Sometimes wood just cracks, even with the best care.  And welcome to the forum.

I can say the exact opposite about another major manufacturer who flat out denied any warranty claim for a rather expensive guitar whose top split repeatedly, also stored in proper humidity conditions where no other instruments suffered.

[bykerbob]

The Dealer said he glued the guitar from the inside and charged me $50.00  The crack is still visible, about 4" long.     I asked him to contact Taylor to see if there was any help from them.   2 weeks and no reply.     They told me some guitars take a long time to stabilize and the same cracking could happen again.   I am aware of the thin spruce tops cracking, but the backs cracking is a new one for me.        At this point I would not recommend a Taylor guitar.    Even the auto companies have a " lemon " law to handle things outside normal problems.    I will now go to Taylor directly.     

[timfitz63]

The dealer did not handle this properly; this should have been handled as a warranty claim, and they probably should have sent the guitar back to Taylor for repair or replacement.  You still might have been out some money, but at most it would have just been shipping charges -- and the guitar would have almost certainly been fixed well enough that that crack would have been almost invisible.

I definitely would contact Taylor Customer Service and let them know what the situation is.  Like I said, they should have been involved from the start...

[TaylorGirl]

The dealer did not handle this properly; this should have been handled as a warranty claim, and they probably should have sent the guitar back to Taylor for repair or replacement.  You still might have been out some money, but at most it would have just been shipping charges -- and the guitar would have almost certainly been fixed well enough that that crack would have been almost invisible.

I definitely would contact Taylor Customer Service and let them know what the situation is.  Like I said, they should have been involved from the start...

I agree with Tim. The dealer dropped the ball on this one. I had an issue with a Taylor GS mini that I bought from a respected dealer. I contacted the dealer and they agreed there was a problem, after me sending them pictures. They contacted Taylor, who agreed that the guitar needed to come back to them, under warranty. A shipping label was created by Taylor, I packed it up, and off it went to Taylor. They fixed the issue and the guitar is perfect. I didn't even pay shipping costs in my case. Taylor stepped up. The dealer agreed with my claim and coordinated with Taylor, so they could do the claim under warranty. I wouldn't get down on Taylor Guitars, I would get down on your dealer.