Newly built and easy to break

[lutehole]

I've heard that a newly built Taylor, say a BTO for instance, has to be kept at the same RH for the first 12 months in order for the wood to stabilize or something. True/false?

[Strumming Fool]

False - a BTO behaves just like any other guitar. Just take good care of it and it'll take care of you...mine is just about a year-old now, and it is in the regular rotation with my other guitars...and I'm loving its sound (which was great on day one BTW) more and more each time I pick it up to play! Here's a pic-

[lutehole]

That is an amazing top! Any pics of the back and sides?

Back to my question, what i was referring to was the structural stability and not the tone. I read somewhere that fluctuating RH hurts the newly built guitar....

[cotten]

This has not been the case in the past. Mind looking up where you read that and letting us know? My guess is that it didn't come from Taylor. Maybe from a competitor, though, or a salesman intent on pushing something other than Taylor.

cotten

[lutehole]

No, it came from the forum but i do not remember where. Hoping someone who's done a lot of BTO's would be able to say

[jjrpilot-admin]

No, it came from the forum but i do not remember where. Hoping someone who's done a lot of BTO's would be able to say

A BTO would be the same as any other "stock" model built and shipped to you. Taylors are structurally sound just like any other guitar. 

[Strumming Fool]

False - a BTO behaves just like any other guitar. Just take good care of it and it'll take care of you...mine is just about a year-old now, and it is in the regular rotation with my other guitars...and I'm loving its sound (which was great on day one BTW) more and more each time I pick it up to play! Here's a pic-

Sure...here's a  pic of back and sides...

[egkor]

The first thing the factory does is stabilize the wood(s) so that once they start to use it, it will not change shape/dimension.

-Gary K
 

[michaelw]

I've heard that a newly built Taylor, say a BTO for instance, has to be kept at the same RH for the first 12 months in order for the wood to stabilize or something. True/false?

yep ...
if you don't keep it at exactly 49.5% RH (not 49.501 or 49.499%)
for the first year, it's quite possible that destabilization could occur -
like this

any questions
i didn't think so

[Edward]

Now there is one guitar that has really opened up.  Nice one, Michael! 

Edward

[lutehole]

I've heard that a newly built Taylor, say a BTO for instance, has to be kept at the same RH for the first 12 months in order for the wood to stabilize or something. True/false?

yep ...
if you don't keep it at exactly 49.5% RH (not 49.501 or 49.499%)
for the first year, it's quite possible that destabilization could occur -
like this

any questions
i didn't think so

Didn't you humidify your guitar Michael?

[lutehole]

False - a BTO behaves just like any other guitar. Just take good care of it and it'll take care of you...mine is just about a year-old now, and it is in the regular rotation with my other guitars...and I'm loving its sound (which was great on day one BTW) more and more each time I pick it up to play! Here's a pic-

Sure...here's a  pic of back and sides...

That ovangkol is amazing. It goes really well with the flamed maple binding. Which wood binding options were you considering before deciding on maple?

[pottski]

Sure...here's a  pic of back and sides...

That ovangkol is amazing. It goes really well with the flamed maple binding. Which wood binding options were you considering before deciding on maple?

just to add some contrast, here's a pic of the back and sides of my BTO, which has ovangkol with ebony biding. I love the look of the flamed maple too, but I had a light top and wanted to set that off with the binding.

[Strumming Fool]

False - a BTO behaves just like any other guitar. Just take good care of it and it'll take care of you...mine is just about a year-old now, and it is in the regular rotation with my other guitars...and I'm loving its sound (which was great on day one BTW) more and more each time I pick it up to play! Here's a pic-

Sure...here's a  pic of back and sides...

That ovangkol is amazing. It goes really well with the flamed maple binding. Which wood binding options were you considering before deciding on maple?

I was considering koa, rosewood and maple. The Taylor guys (Breedlove and the gang) dissuaded me from the koa, because they felt there would be too may contrasting elements (too busy). They liked either rosewood or maple. My wife recommended maple, so that's what I did....

[KevinIndiana]

  LOL!! 

> "My wife recommended maple, so that's what I did...."

SMART MAN!!!!!  (has nothing to do with the relative merits of your wood choices)