Buzzing... neeeed help

[ayrton]

Hey Folks!


I have been on the hunt for a good guitar for three months now

Is it just my style of playing, or has anyone else experienced buzzing on the 6th string. (low E) when barred on F,F#,G, everything else on the scale is wonderfull.

Ihave been playing for over 25 years now and have owned Guilds, Maya`s and yamahas over the years. I play primarily finger style, no picks! I strum once in a while and pluck agressively at times (this is when some taylors i tried started buzzing on the low keys)

I have noticed this on the Ga and Gc models.
Although I love the sound tone and feel of the guitars Ive tried I am getting
very frustrated and having second thoughts(help me), on purchasing one of these models.

It was suggested by one of the sales persons
in a dealer here in my area that the NECK adjustments would take off the buzz...

And..suggested by another that probably Taylors are not the guitars for me
or for my style. and that I choose a gutar from another famous maker.(I pray he`s **** wrong)

I love this forum and hope to be around for good.

thanks!
Ayrton

[ayrton]

Anybody?
Long timers?
gentlemen(ladies) w/ tons of taylors?

Im in a dillema...
your help is much appreciated..

Ayrton

[Dancing Bear]

Look at a different Taylor. check for bad string. you didnt mention any one model. Try a 15 fingerstyle or even a 10, with the new neck width. You may answer your own questions.

[dink]

Out of all the Taylors that I have had or still have, I have never heard a Low E buzz. Usually if I hear a buzz it comes from the B string in the C# to D# area. This is easily remedied with a slight neck adjustment. dink
________
Autozam az-1

[bagelsgirl]

Ok, guess I'll have to chime in here...sorry it is lengthy...

I didn't want to discourage you, because I am a major fan of Taylor guitars, of both the instruments and of the company itself...

Take your time, and you may find your special Taylor, but it seems to me some of them just arent made to stand up to a real hard attack...

I have had a 510ce for 4 years and love it. I play a lot of fingerstyle but also strum pretty hard on some numbers. I have played other Taylors and noticed varying degrees of buzzing in the lower register... Until recently I assumed this was just a set-up issue. Recently I tried to buy a gorgeous 510ab. (You can find numerous threads about it if you search this forum, and my whole experience with it.) Basically, it had a buzz that could never be resolved. And that was after going back to Taylor Guitars in California TWICE, all the way from Florida, at Taylor companys' expense. It buzzed a little bit when I bought it, like all guitars do when strummed hard, but like I said I always assumed this was a set-up issue. The buzz became more pronounced in the two weeks after purchase. After two guitar tecnicians looked it over and could not help, I was having Taylor check for possible loose braces, they found none, returned it, it still buzzed, they offered to take it back, and set it to the exact specs as my old 510ce and see if that worked. (Basically, you know, I thought a Tayloor 510ce and a Taylor 510ab should play the same... but there was a world of difference between these two instruments..)

The boys at taylor bent over backwards to help me on the deal. I couldn't have been more impressed with what they did for me, but in the end, I couldn't keep the guitar. I simply could not keep a guitar i could not perform any upbeat songs with! And talking about it on the phone with taylor, they were so mice, and they were like, yeah, we tried our best but, you know... Taylors are built a certain way, and sometimes, a certain instrument or a certain company just doesn't suit a particular players' style...

I am still a little mystified about what the whole problem was, but I seem to have a Taylor exceptionally suited to my playing style (the 510ce).

The people at Taylor even went so far as to say, 'hey, we are all the way in Calif, yes we set up the 510AB to the exact 510CE specs, but we can't SEE your instrument, your instrument may even have a neck angle or top movement or something that has changed since your guitar has left the factory and is way off specs for most taylors'... but you know, I loved this Taylor from the minute I picked it up. If this Taylor has changed its shape to suit my playing style, I must have developed the playing style along with the guitar, because i never had a complaint with the instrument from day one, and I had been playing guitar for 21 years when i bought it.

They also admitted there are just real differences in the way the NT neck Taylors are designed, and actually the height of the bridge off the top differs by almost a full mm from the old to the new design (I measured it, I believe it is the newer Taylors that the bridge is lower to the soundboard) ... I am not knowledgeable scientifically about this, but apparently there is a fundamental difference in the angle at which the neck hits a certain point above the body...any the folks at Taylor
intimated that hey, maybe the "new" Taylors just weren't the right guitar for me....

but I have played lots of Taylors with the new neck design, and while i still admire them, I must say I am quite wary of any type of buzz (now-after this experience-) and I have played many that buzzed excessively, and several that I thought stood up to the kind of strumming I am referring to and might like to own... notably another 510 and two 710s recently, were beautiful... the dreads must suit me best, they always do say dreadnoughts are strummers' guitars. I don't recall playing a 710 I did not like, come to think of it...

So whats the conclusion? I own a Taylor 510ce that I would not sell for ANY amount of money. I will NEVER part with it. I love the tone, and the feel, and the looks of Taylor guitars. I would definitely buy Taylor again, BUT... I would spend a long, LONG time playing the instrument in the store, before making such a decision. I'd make darn sure the instrument could handle every bit of what I would be planning on dishing out. Good luck.

[ayrton]

Im off today to see Stanley from the Mandolin bros. guitar co. and maybe pickup the w12ce with the buzz, and keep my fingers crossed, I really hope there is a simple solution to my problem, or that it will get better over time.. or with a well thought off string change..

The tone and feel of this certain w12ce beats all the others I have tried, (from a lot of martins to most taylors) the Taylors tone and and its playability has so far been unbeatable (especialy in breaking chords over the 9th fret) a wonder with with classical pieces on a steel string guitars.
so far the Taylors are the best in this area.

This will be like purchasing a grand piano with 5 of its lowest keys missing.

for playing through aggressive Blues Tunes, Lou reed, and Dave matthews, my beaten up 1986 Guild will have to do for now. I will maybe save up some a for a martin hd35, and definitely keep the Taylor dreadnoughts in mind.

I pray I dont catch the taylor fever in which most of you guys are afflicted with.

wish me luck on the w12ce.

Thanks again Folks!!
Ayrton