Complaint Part 2
Not made to last, but they sure sound pretty.
How to fix your cracked Taylor Guitar.
This website, blog and youtube channel are a direct result of Taylor Guitar's customer service policies. Sometimes companies forget they owe their customers loyalty, good service and of course excellent products.
I called Taylor an told them I have a broken guitar it's splitting at the seams and it's less than two years old. They should have said, send it in and we'll take care of it, the guitar has a lifetime guarantee. The answer I got was "Too bad you didn't humidify the guitar properly, and it broke, that not covered by your Taylor Guitar lifetime warranty. As a result of that answer, I decided to do a little research. Turns out Taylor Guitars are not meant to live in the real world.
I feel like this is Design Defect in the guitar. Even more so, now that I found a video of Bob Taylor, fixing a guitar in a video from 2009 that has the same problem as mine, in 2020. Why would Bob Taylor make the" how to fix your broken Taylor Guitar video," if problems weren't pretty consistently the same with Taylor Guitars. The humidity percentages that Taylor requires, only exists in 6 states. So 88% of the United States is not Taylor Friendly. Most guitar players do not have a humidity controlled environment, in which to keep their Taylor guitar. It's like giving a person an ice cube and telling them to keep it frozen without a freezer.
Now, since Taylor Guitar gave me that answer and Bob Taylor gave me the videos, I've decided to make sure that other people are aware of this Taylor Guitars problem.
I've spoken to several people in the bluegrass community that have had their Taylor's split. I own several guitars and none of them have split due to humidity. The problem is that Taylor's really aren't meant to live in most states. So here the graph https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DlVOdZcUwAAoaJp.jpg that the math is based on. They say on their website, "humidified environment of 45-55 %," but most of us are so excited to get a Taylor, we overlook that. Only 6 states have a humidity level between 45 and 55 percent year round. I live in Vermont, and my Taylor sits next to my 1956 Acoustic Gibson.
After the Taylor company told me my fault. I'm calling them out for telling me that I was out of luck. The Customer Service Rep agreed with the video. Then, he told me they have a lifetime guarantee, but I don't qualify. Really, Two Years in Vermont? I feel ripped off. I loved the way they sound but they are not made to last and if I shell out good cash for one it should last, if I bought one for a couple hundred, I probably would not care. This video is a Valid, critique of a brand name guitar, otherwise my brand new beautiful laminate 214 CE would not have split. They split on the top, in the solid area, at the joints.
Taylor's are not meant to last otherwise you would not have to baby sit them, guitars are meant to be played. I disagree with the basic "you didn't take care of it." Sounds like the response from Taylor. I plan to let other people know about it. I'm happy to accept email responses. in my bluegrass circle 3 other fairly new Taylors have split as well. I also know this is an uphill battle.
Best,
Guitar Goober