Taylor Guitars - Customer Service

Service & Support At Taylor, we apply the same passion we have for crafting guitars to servicing them. Our knowledgeable Customer Service team is committed to helping Taylor owners keep their guitars in great shape as long as they own them. You’ll find a wealth of helpful information at your fingertips here, including videos on everything from restringing your guitar to proper humidification to resolving grounding issues when plugging in. We also offer several factory service packages designed to restore Taylors to optimal condition, and our skilled repair technicians know how to return a distressed Taylor to health.

For contact information on our listing of Taylor distributors worldwide see our international dealers. Factory Service Center Customers in the U.S. and Canada are encouraged to contact our Factory Service Center staff toll free at 1-800-943-6782 with any service, maintenance or repair questions concerning Taylor guitars. For questions about TaylorWare clothing and accessories, please call 1-800-494-9600. Our hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. We’ve found that a personal conversation is the most effective way of answering questions and quickly troubleshooting problems. That’s why you won’t find a service e-mail link here. So, please call, and we’ll be happy to help you. Sales Help Need help figuring out what models are best for you? Having trouble locating a particular model? Have a general question about a model you saw in a store? We can help with these questions and more. Please call 1-888-2TAYLOR and ask to speak with our Inside Sales and Customer Relations department. Our hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. TaylorWare Our TaylorWare team is happy to help you with questions about Taylor clothing, accessories, gifts, guitar parts, and more. For questions about products, ordering, or any other TaylorWare related help, please call 1-800-494-9600. Our hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.

Outside the U.S. and Canada, sales and service questions are best answered by our international distribution partners. For contact information on our listing of Taylor distributors worldwide go to: http://www.taylorguitars.com/dealers/international/

Service & Repair
- There are usually several factors that contribute to any given problem, so it is important that we learn more about your particular situation before making a diagnosis or recommendation.
  
  Please contact Taylor Customer Service or any Taylor Factory-Trained Repair Centers throughout the U.S. and Canada and our guitar specialists will be happy to answer your questions in more detail. For your convenience, warranty claims may be made at any Taylor Factory-Trained Repair Centers or through Taylor Customer Service.
  
  If your guitar is in need of repair, Taylor Customer Service or a Taylor Factory-Trained Repair Centers must be contacted prior to shipping your guitar. Drop-off service is also available at the factory in El Cajon, CA. If you would like to drop-off your guitar at the factory for a warranty repair, please call Customer Service prior to bringing in your guitar. Drop-offs are accepted at 1700 Gillespie Way (1/4-mile south of the Taylor Guitars main entrance), Monday through Friday, 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Customer Service will process drop-offs within 24 hours and call to confirm pricing/warranty coverage or to obtain more information.
  
  Taylor Customer Service can be reached at (800) 943-6782 between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday. Or see our Taylor Factory-Trained Repair Centers.
Repair question about your guitar
- There are usually several factors that contribute to any given problem, so it is important that we learn more about your particular situation before making a diagnosis or recommendation.
  
  Please contact Taylor Customer Service and our guitar specialists will be happy to answer your questions in more detail. For your convenience, warranty claims may be made at any Taylor Factory-Trained Repair Center or through the Taylor Factory Service Center.
  
  If your guitar is in need of repair, Taylor Customer Service or a Taylor Factory-Trained Repair Center must be contacted prior to shipping your guitar. Drop-off service is also available at the factory in El Cajon, CA. If you would like to drop-off your guitar at the factory for a warranty repair, please call Customer Service prior to bringing in your guitar. Drop-offs are accepted at 1700 Gillespie Way (1/4-mile south of the Taylor Guitars main entrance), Monday through Friday, 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Customer Service will process drop-offs within 24 hours and call to confirm pricing/warranty coverage or to obtain more information.
  
  Taylor's Factory Service Centercan be reached at (800) 943-6782 between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
Maintenance/Technical Question
- Taylor Guitars publishes a wealth of maintenance and technical information right on our website. A complete library of free Tech-Sheets covering topics like humidity, adjusting the truss rod, and changing strings, are available to download. Answers to frequently asked questions regarding alternate tunings, traveling with your guitar, cleaning/polishing a Taylor guitar, the date of your guitar, etc. are easy to find online as well.
  
  If you are unable to find the answer to your question, please contact Customer Service. Customer Service can be reached at (800) 943-6782 between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
Warranty information/guitar registration
- All new Taylor guitars and basses purchased in the U.S. or Canada from an Authorized Taylor Guitars Dealer are eligible for lifetime limited liability warranty coverage. For complete details about warranty coverage, please visit the warranty information section of the website.
  
  If you are a Taylor owner and have not registered your guitar, please return the registration card included with your guitar or register online. Though used Taylors are not eligible for warranty coverage, we do recommend that you register online.
  
  Registering your guitar will automatically activate your free subscription to our quarterly newspaper, Wood&Steel.
  
  If you are unable to find the answer to your question, please contact Customer Service. Customer Service can be reached at (800) 943-6782 between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
Question about an older Taylor not listed on website
- For questions about older-model Taylors not featured on www.taylorguitars.com, please contact our Inside Sales and Customer Relations department. While information is available for most guitars, some that were produced during the early years of Taylor Guitars have not been catalogued.
  
  Inside Sales and Customer Relations can be reached at 1-888-2Taylor between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
Choosing a Taylor guitar
- With a variety of different woods, shapes, colors, electronics and other options, choosing the "right" guitar can be a challenge. We'd first recommend visiting the Features section of our website to learn more about what to look for in a Taylor.
  
  We have developed a network of Authorized Taylor Dealers throughout the country who are a great resource when it comes to choosing your new guitar. Your local Taylor dealer will be happy to arrange a Taylor "test-drive" and show you an assortment of models. Finding the right guitar is based on sound, feel, look, and even emotion. The right guitar will speak to you on all of these levels; playing a variety of guitars is the best way to make a connection.
  
  To find a Taylor dealer near you, please visit the Dealer Locator.
  
  You can speak with our Inside Sales and Customer Relations department about which new Taylor would be best for you. Inside Sales and Customer Relations can be reached at 1-888-2Taylor between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
Custom options/custom guitars
- Many custom options, such as deletion/addition of electronics or cutaways, left-handed configurations, and selected finishes are available on a special-order basis. Please contact your local Taylor dealer for information about pricing and delivery.
  
  Other custom guitars, such as those with personalized inlays, hand-selected woods, and other custom configurations are available through our newly re-opened Custom Shop (certain limitations apply). Please contact your local Taylor dealer for additional information.
  
  To find a Taylor dealer near you, please visit the Dealer Locator.
Other guitar comments/questions
- Please contact Customer Service and our guitar specialists will be happy to assist you.
  
  Customer Service can be reached between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
  Factory Service Center: 1-800-943-6782
  Inside Sales and Customer Relations: 1-888-2Taylor
International
- A network of Taylor distributors has been arranged throughout the world to better serve our customers outside of the U.S. and Canada. Each distributor is available to answer questions about servicing and purchasing a Taylor guitar. To find the distributor near you, please see the International Distributors list.

When was my guitar made?
- From 1993 until the end of 1999, each Taylor guitar featured a nine-digit serial number that indicates when production started on the guitar. As of 2000, the serial number expanded to 11 digits to accommodate the four-digit year designation. Reading from left to right, the first two digits (or four starting in 2000) represent the year; the second pair of digits represents the month; and the third pair of digits represents the calendar day that work began. The seventh digit is a series code number — 0 for the 300 or 400 Series, 1 for 500 thru Presentation Series, 2 for 200 Series, 3 for Baby and Big Baby Series, 5 for T5, 7 for NS Series, 8 for 100 Series, and 9 for SolidBody Series. The last two digits denote the guitar’s position in that day’s production sequence. For models older than 1993, refer to http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/reference/dating.html
How should I clean/polish my guitar?
- Most store-bought guitar and automotive polishes will work fine on the glossy areas of our UV-finished guitars built after 1995. Our factory technicians recommend and use Turtle Wax Express Shine® to clean and detail the entire body and the back of the neck on all Taylor models. Express Shine works well on both glossy and satin finishes, and older finishes. You may also simply use a clean, damp cloth to wipe down the surfaces and follow quickly with a clean, dry cloth. To clean the fingerboard, we use and recommend 0000 extra-fine steel wool. Simply rub the steel wool up and down the length of the fingerboard right over the tops of the frets. This will remove any grime from the fingerboard without damaging the wood and will also remove any oxidation from the frets, giving them a nice shine. Do not use furniture polishes on any of our guitars at any time, as they will likely damage the finish. Add: For a video demonstration on how to clean, polish and restring your guitar click on the Video tab above.
What kind of strings does Taylor install on its guitars? Does the gauge matter, or should I use whatever feels best to me?
- Strings are very important — they can alter the playability and tone of your guitar. Since June 1, 1999, we’ve been installing Elixir strings on all steel-string Taylor models, and currently we use Elixir’s ultra-thin NANOWEB design. If you want your guitar to perform to Taylor factory specs, i.e., to sound, feel and play as it was designed — then we recommend using light gauge string sets on the Baby, Big Baby, Grand Concert, Grand Auditorium and 12-string models (except for the Leo Kottke Signature Model, which takes heavy gauge strings tuned down to C#). We use medium gauge string sets on the Dreadnought, Grand Symphony, and Jumbo Models. For nylon-string models, we use D’Addario Pro Arte (extra hard tension).
What should I have received with my new Taylor Guitar?
- A new Taylor Guitar purchased at an authorized dealer will ship in its hard case or gig bag with a limited lifetime warranty card, tech sheets on humidity control, and for models with electronics, a user DVD for reference. If you did not receive these items with your new Taylor guitar, please contact customer service at 1-800-943-6782, and we will be happy to send them to you.
There are light streaks on my ebony fingerboard/bridge/headstock. Is this discoloration a flaw in the wood or a badly done dye job?
- That light, caramel-colored marbling you occasionally see in the ebony is not a “flaw” but the wood’s natural pigmentation. When you see large quantities of ebony (as we do), you know that such marbling is fairly common. Some manufacturers choose to dye their ebony for cosmetic purposes, but we don’t. We believe that ebony is best left in its natural state. Marbling has nothing at all to do with the quality of the ebony. In fact, many of us actually prefer the look of marbled ebony.
I’ve seen the service packages offered, and I’m interested in shipping my guitar to Taylor’s Factory Service Center. What’s the best way to pack and ship a guitar?
- Sending your guitar in for Repair or a Service Package upgrade we know that shipping can be a cause for concern. When you call us for a return authorization number, our factory service representatives can answer any questions or concerns you have, and e-mail step-by-step instructions that explain how to pack and ship your guitar safely. Please have your serial number handy, and call 1-800-943-6782 to obtain a return authorization number BEFORE you ship your guitar.
  
  To ship your guitar, you will need to obtain a shipping box to pack and ship your guitar in its hard case or gig bag. We use and recommend UPS Ground service. The most cost-effective method of shipping is to take your packed-up guitar directly to the customer service counter at your local UPS depot and ship it fully insured. Once we receive the guitar, we’ll call you to go over all of your service options.
What are the differences between Taylor guitars and guitars that are hand-made by individual luthiers?
- Taylor guitars are "hand-made production" guitars. That sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true. We manufacture relatively large numbers of guitars with the aid of state-of-the-art tools and technology that can cut and shape wood to tolerances of two-thousandths of an inch, but much of the actual guitar building is done by hand. We use computer design programs and computer-controlled milling machines to perform the most time-consuming, laborious processing of the raw wood into various guitar components with much greater speed, efficiency, accuracy, and consistency than is possible with hand tools. However, all Taylor guitars are hand-made from these components by trained guitar craftsmen who use both traditional and Taylor-devised techniques. Qualitatively, in terms of tone, playability, construction, and aesthetic beauty, Taylor guitars are every bit as good, if not better than, guitars made one-at-a-time by luthiers - we just make more of them, and with more reliable consistency.
Is it possible to tour the Taylor factory?
- Yes, a free, guided factory tour is given Monday through Thursday, at 1 p.m (except holidays, call ahead for factory holidays). For larger groups (5 or more), please call in advance. Otherwise, there is no need to make an appointment; merely show up by 1 p.m. sharp, at our factory located at 1980 Gillespie Way, El Cajon, CA 92020 and you can take the tour. It runs about an hour and 15 minutes.