Taylor Customer Support Question.....

[hhuffman]

So, I bought a Taylor 814CE at the end of April and I love playing it. When I first changed the strings in late July I noticed there was a noticeable crack in the wood running in the direction of the strings, so I never noticed it.

The crack goes all the way through the wood, and I know it isn't my fault as it's in the middle of the wood, and under the strings, the guitar lives in the case and my humidity level is in the perfect 45% range.

First, my dealer told me to go through Taylor direct (my first issue is wondering why I should have to do all the work after spending $3,000+ on a guitar from their shop?) Second, I had to drive an hour each way to have a separate Taylor authorized luthier inform me that "Yes, you do have a crack in your guitar". Then I had to take the guitar with me, pack it up and ship it myself (I actually dropped it at the dealer and had them do it although they weren't psyched about it).

That was almost a month ago ago, so I called Taylor today and was told that it's been inspected already and that my paperwork is sitting on someone's desk and that they "should call me in a week...or so to discuss my options". In my opinion, what frikkin options? The guitar is 4 months old and cost an arm and a leg, so in my opinion anything other than "We'll have another guitar on it's way STAT!" is unacceptable.

I know the warranty says that they reserve the right to "repair or replace", but I assume that's only if it's questionable on whose fault it is. In this case there is no question.

What are your thoughts on my predicament? Am I overreacting, jumping to conclusions that they might not replace my guitar?

One issue I have is that if they repair it, I will never be able to sell as anything but a repaired guitar. I would understand if it was out of the warranty window, but I shouldn't have to have a "repaired guitar" after only 4 months of owning a $3,000+ guitar, especially when I have taken every precaution to keep it in pristine condition.

Blah, I hate that I put so much thought, energy and money into this purchase, and now I have terrible buyers remorse......

I await your thoughts.

Thanks,
Heath

[stepchildusmc]

really? Taylor's customer service is first rate ! i would call again and get a status update. something just doesn't sound right to me.

[flaggerphil]

Did you say "please?"

[HHP]

First, did you notice the crack when it was new? Could have occurred en route to the dealer, at the dealer, or since you got it. Cracks happen for a lot or reasons and they don't warrant them not to crack, only to fix it if it was due to oversight on their part. If it's deemed warranty issue, repair is the viable option, doubt they'd replace for a fairly minor repair. Replacement might be the case if they find the wood they used was defective or some structural issue resulted in the crack, both highly unlikely. Finally, they may deem it non-warranty if its not a defect or a result of their actions, in which case they will fix it and charge for the repair.

You won't know till you hear back from them so might be best to wait and have the info on hand before you worry too much about it.

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Originally Posted by hhuffman

So, I bought a Taylor 814CE at the end of April and I love playing it. When I first changed the strings in late July I noticed there was a noticeable crack in the wood running in the direction of the strings, so I never noticed it.

The crack goes all the way through the wood, and I know it isn't my fault as it's in the middle of the wood, and under the strings, the guitar lives in the case and my humidity level is in the perfect 45% range.

First, my dealer told me to go through Taylor direct (my first issue is wondering why I should have to do all the work after spending $3,000+ on a guitar from their shop?) Second, I had to drive an hour each way to have a separate Taylor authorized luthier inform me that "Yes, you do have a crack in your guitar". Then I had to take the guitar with me, pack it up and ship it myself (I actually dropped it at the dealer and had them do it although they weren't psyched about it).

That was almost a month ago ago, so I called Taylor today and was told that it's been inspected already and that my paperwork is sitting on someone's desk and that they "should call me in a week...or so to discuss my options". In my opinion, what frikkin options? The guitar is 4 months old and cost an arm and a leg, so in my opinion anything other than "We'll have another guitar on it's way STAT!" is unacceptable.

I know the warranty says that they reserve the right to "repair or replace", but I assume that's only if it's questionable on whose fault it is. In this case there is no question.

What are your thoughts on my predicament? Am I overreacting, jumping to conclusions that they might not replace my guitar?

One issue I have is that if they repair it, I will never be able to sell as anything but a repaired guitar. I would understand if it was out of the warranty window, but I shouldn't have to have a "repaired guitar" after only 4 months of owning a $3,000+ guitar, especially when I have taken every precaution to keep it in pristine condition.

Blah, I hate that I put so much thought, energy and money into this purchase, and now I have terrible buyers remorse......

I await your thoughts.

Thanks,
Heath

Sorry that you have to deal with this but a top crack can happen in as little time as a week so unless you noticed it right away we have to assume it happened while the guitar was in your possession. In my opinion this is not a warranty issue but Taylor might do something for you none the less.

BTW, did anyone tell you this was a warranty issue? What did Taylor say to you about this?

[hhuffman]

Thanks all for your quick responses. First, I am very polite, and never rude, even when I don't like the answers I get.

I don't know if the crack was there when I first bought it, but I assume it was. As I said, it runs the direction of the strings, it is a tobacco burst, so it blended a bit, and I only noticed it when I removed the strings.

High-end guitar makers are supposed to be so critical of the woods, which is one of the reasons we buy the $3,000 version and not the import $600 version.

A "AAA top" doesn't mean a whole lot if it has a crack in it, or has to be repaired.

As much as I want to understand how they think a repair of a new guitar is acceptable, if that's the way they go, I wouldn't buy, or recommend a friend buy a Taylor if they think a $3,000 guitar with a crack in it is acceptable.

I promise that if I am overreacting and the solution turns out to be acceptable, I will post it here for all to see.

Oh, and as it's also my only guitar (I had to sell my Les Paul to afford this), I have already gone and bought another acoustic to hold me over until my Taylor is returned. Four weeks and counting so far..........

[hhuffman]

Originally Posted by Ted @ LA Guitar Sales

BTW, did anyone tell you this was a warranty issue? What did Taylor say to you about this?

They haven't said anything yet. That's what I am currently waiting to hear.

[hhuffman]

Originally Posted by flaggerphil

Did you say "please?"

Phil, I love your Sig quote. I have been playing for 25 years, and I always have to caveat when I tell people how long I've been playing that I have zero talent and that there are 6 year olds who play circles around me.

Can't get people's expectations too high!

Originally Posted by hhuffman

I wouldn't buy, or recommend a friend buy a Taylor if they think a $3,000 guitar with a crack in it is acceptable.

I doubt anyone at Taylor is going to say it's "acceptable." But even you don't know if the crack appeared after you bought it or not.

Originally Posted by hhuffman

I know it isn't my fault as it's in the middle of the wood, and under the strings

The location of the crack doesn't determine who, if anyone, is at fault.

Originally Posted by hhuffman

Am I overreacting, jumping to conclusions that they might not replace my guitar?

Yes, a little. I don't blame you for being upset and anxious, but I think you're getting ahead of yourself. You're already thinking about the resale value if it gets repaired, but you haven't even heard from Taylor yet. Slow down, calm down, and see what they have to say next week.

[hhuffman]

Willie, et al, fair enough. That's why I posted here to get people opinions who have far more experience with this than I. You all have helped me chill out a little and give them a chance to respond.

Thanks again all for taking the time to respond, and I will post the results of my consult with them.

[Tobias Music]

This is a tough one. We've been with Taylor 30+ years and have experienced nothing but top level service from them. I think a few of us would agree that your local dealer may have dropped the ball. For that kind of money, you deserve some serious customer service at the retail level. Tops just don't crack by themselves. Either it will show some kind of damage, possibly from impact, or perhaps the guitar had been dried out prior to purchase.
I'm sure the folks at Taylor are scratching their heads too. Before they were to go into "warranty mode", they deserve the right to figure out what happened. Do you know the serial number ? You could at least figure out how fresh the guitar is. Sounds like you didn't have it long enough to dry it out. Where exactly was the crack in the wood ?

[hhuffman]

Hi Tobias music, it goes from the edge of the sound hole back under the rosette towards the bridge. The rosette seems to be keeping it from splitting worse.

[Tobias Music]

The rosette is inlayed into the top. The crack probably goes under the rosette and you probably can't see it. I don't speak for Taylor nor do I build guitars but I think it would be difficult for you to cause a crack there. Do you know how to tell the build date from the serial number ?

[hhuffman]

Serial number 1109192051 build date I believe is 12 sep 12

[Tobias Music]

Yup, that's a year old as of next week.