Guest Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 I got a new Taylor 710. The situation existed when I bought the guitar, now I'm starting to be obsessed and annoyed. The B string bridge is fashioned different from the other notes. The sound of the B string stands out more than the other strings, with a great deal of overtones ringing out. I'm thinking the guitar needs repair. I've had the guitar for a month. The question is about whether this quality of this string, sounding so different, and having a different bridge configuration than the other strings is intentional or not. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 Hi, Joe. I'm not a guitar tech, but I believe the staggered saddle location for the B-string on your Taylor 710 is just for intonation. I,ve seen a number of makers stagger their saddle this way, some even use separate (split) saddle configurations. I have a Taylor 710-CE with the Fishman Blender on-board setup. If this is what you have, go to the Fishman manual and set up your blender controls EXACTLY as per the instructions. Then if you are playing through a mixer, stage amp.,etc. roll off some mid's on a downstream EQ to get the sound you want. Also [very important], make sure you have the phase switch on the blender set to the warmest sound of the two switch positions. This will change depending how close you are to your stage amp or monitor. Many acoustics tend to have a bit too much mid-range, so don't be too surprised; even if mic'ing the guitar, use a downstream EQ to get the colors you want. If it is the pure acoustic sound that disappoints you, you may want to shop for another brand/model. Hope this helps. Regards, Bob Wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave251 Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 The saddle on Taylors is COMPENSATED, ie, tuned for the varying tensions and string diameters of the typcial steel string guitar(look at the string lengths on any electric...six different lengths). This should not cause any ringing of the 2nd string. If we are talking strictly acoustic here, there is probably a flat spot or some other innacuracy in the fitting of the saddle. It also could be a bad string. Get the guitar to an independant tech for analysis... If the problem is amplification related, then the saddle is mis-fit regarding the electronics. The output should be balanced...if not...have the saddle refit. This is all too common with saddle 'ducers. This should be covered under warranty. Dave www.electrocoustic.com Dave Wendler Instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 Thanks for the feedback. The guitar is strictly acoustic, no pickups. I think you're right, that there is a problem with the saddle. I've had two new sets of strings on it and the problem has existed both those sets. I'm going to have it looked at ASAP. Thanks again, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 13, 2001 Share Posted February 13, 2001 Call Diane at Taylor(800-943-6782 ext.210). She helped me select my new Taylor, a 12-string K65. Her knowlege of the instruments is terrific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulirv Posted February 13, 2001 Share Posted February 13, 2001 Hi, you didnt say what guage stringset you are using? I have a taylor 710-CE, and I bought it because I heard it when casually wandering through a guitar store. The sound was soooo good just plain acoustic and to have the benefits of mic/piezo too. I have never had tone problems on any string, and I use .011 through .052's. I have heard from other players that taylors seem to be optimized for a lighter string. But that might just be the beer talking! Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted February 14, 2001 Share Posted February 14, 2001 Originally posted by pirvine@ados.com: Hi, you didnt say what guage stringset you are using? I have a taylor 710-CE... I have never had tone problems on any string, and I use .011 through .052's. I have heard from other players that taylors seem to be optimized for a lighter string. But that might just be the beer talking! Paul. Paul, I also have a Taylor 710-bce (one of the 25th anniversary brazilian rosewood series), and a 414-ce. Taylor has a cool website, http://www.taylorguitars.com, If you look up the 710 series, and check the specifications, you'll see they recommend heavier strings... .13, .17, .26, .35, .45, .56. The guitars are setup for this from the factory and so the truss rod is tweaked for this string tension. Although you can certainly use lighter strings, you might be missing some of the tone potential, and your action may not be "up to factory spec.". Also lighter strings may not move the top quite as much as heavier strings do. I've kept Elixir .13's on it and they play and sound great... better and better with age! They do suggest .12's or lighter on the smaller Grand Auditorium series like my 414-ce, and I keep Elixir .12's on this one. Anyway, check out the website for this info and more including some great downloadable articles on taking care of your Taylor. I also have found their tech support people to be high quality, if you ever don't get the help you want, I suggest you try again... guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 17, 2001 Share Posted February 17, 2001 I brought my guitar back to the shop I bought it from. They couldn't hear any problems with the guitar at all! I insisted there were problems with buzziness in the 2nd string and lack of sustain or too much of a percussive sound in the first and second strings. They all said that it was just the sound of the guitar. While looking through the store at other items to buy, since I made an 45 minute trip to get to the place, one of the staff looked at the guitar again with a ruler and found problems in the neck. The bridge was compensated to lift the 1st and 2nd stings, he then cleaned the nut and the sound improved to my ear. The guy servicing the guitar also suggested that my guitar was dry and that I should leave it in my case with a humidifier system. I've done that for the past two days. I've switched strings so that I have 13s for the first string. I had Med light, 12s, strings on before. The result is that the buzziness has gone, the sustain on the first two strings sound as they should. The guitar sounds beautiful and my criticisms have been alleviated. I was going to bring the guitar to another technician other than the store tech, thankfully he used his ruler to discover what I could hear from familiarity with the the guitar that 3 other people couldn't initially hear. Thanks everyone, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc_dup1 Posted February 25, 2001 Share Posted February 25, 2001 Sort of sound funny that your problem went away when you took it into the shop. I don't know where you live but if your live in an area where you have to run your heating system your guitar may be in need of moisture. When a guitar is really dry it actually shrinks and this results in a lower action. Low action might be the cause of the slight buzzing. You can buy a guitar humidifier if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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