NT Neck Shims

[tenoratlarge]

Does anybody on here know how Taylor numbers their shim sets? I'm getting my neck adjusted by a trusted luthier and he can access the shims, but he needs to know how they number them to get the right ones to adjust it to the right angle.

[Maximus]

Frankly, I would only trust an NT neck adjustment with anyone except an authorized Taylor repair shop.  They can do it quickly and easily.

In fact, I just sent a guitar in for a small cosmetic fix and they reset the neck for me for FREE.  It is a trivial issue for them as they can do it and do it CORRECTLY in just minutes.

[tenoratlarge]

I understand the concern, but in this case it's not a case of aptitude but rather local guitar shop politics. We have one local authorized Taylor guitar repair center, but I don't prefer to work with their luthier... I've had stuff done by him on non-Taylors, and it was never good, clean work. My luthier works out of his home shop and his attention to detail is amazing. He's got contacts at Taylor and can get the actual parts needed; I'd just prefer to work with him as the Taylors I own are all second hand and don't qualify for the lifetime warranty stuff.

[Earl]

Tenor, if your guy has contacts with Taylor then they should be able to answer his questions and get him the right shims.  My understanding is that a certified tech can get a kit stocked with a variety of fingerboard and body shims of varying sizes.  From what I've seen the shims are labeled in terms of 0.002" increments.  For example, if you need some extra back tilt of the neck and remove a shim stamped "06" from the neck-to-body joint, then you would replace it with a shim stamped "04", slightly thinner than the original factory installed shim.  That changes the neck angle in small repeatable increments.

I understand your reluctance to let just anyone work on your baby.  That is how I came to do my own set-ups, not always trusting the the local options.  And not to start a war, but if your local shop has a Taylor-certified local tech that is doing substandard work, then Taylor might want to know about that.  Taylor's reputation is partly dependent on the customer support that your local Taylor-approved techs provide.  Just my opinion.....

[jpmist]

"For example, if you need some extra back tilt of the neck and remove a shim stamped "06" from the neck-to-body joint, then you would replace it with a shim stamped "04", slightly thinner than the original factory installed shim.  That changes the neck angle in small repeatable increments."

Just to expand- from what I've read, the shims are replaced in pairs, so that if in the above, the 06 would be paired with, say a 42, going down to 04 would mean going up to 44 for the paired shim. So in other words  one shim is replaced with a narrower one, the other shim with a thicker one.

And for what it's worth, on my GC8 I did a minor amount of shaving on one shim and, if memory serves, placed a few layers of aluminum foil to thicken the paired shim to change my neck angle ever so slightly. It did work to get my action down where I needed it.

I imagine your luthier could come up with his own mahogany shims if he needed to, using your existing ones as a model.

[michaelw]

the shim differential is minus 6 -
if that information is not enough for your luthier to understand, imho,
he needs to contact a Taylor service/repair manager, rather than a CSR

this person didn't even ask Taylor for shims
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Q6lJCh-1U

[Earl]

Good additional info everyone.  It is a simple process in concept, but there are some critical details.

(Disclosure:  I am not a Taylor certified repair tech, nor do I play one on television.  I've just seen neck resets done a couple of times, once at a Road Show years ago back when they used to do that, and once watching the guy adjust the neck on one my guitars).