What Strings Actually Come on Taylor Guitars? (And Why You Shouldn't Guess)

It’s a tale as old as time here at Tone Tailors. A player drives in from York or Harrisburg, falls in love with the buttery playability of a brand new Taylor, and takes it home. Six months later, the strings are dead, or one snaps during a heavy strumming session.

They walk into a guitar shop, stare at a massive wall of acoustic strings, and suddenly panic: "What strings came on my Taylor? If I buy the wrong ones, will it ruin the setup?"

It’s a valid fear! Taylor Guitars are precision-engineered instruments. Their famous NT necks and incredibly low factory action are set up for a specific string gauge and tension. Throw the wrong strings on, and you might end up with buzzing frets or an uncomfortably stiff neck.

Here is exactly what is strung on your Taylor right out of the factory, and why they sound so good.

The Official Factory String: D’Addario XS Phosphor Bronze

If you bought a new steel-string Taylor acoustic recently, it left the factory in El Cajon or Tecate wearing coated D’Addario XS Phosphor Bronze strings.

(Note for the Taylor veterans: Yes, for many years Taylor exclusively used Elixir strings. However, they recently made the massive switch to partner with D’Addario, outfitting their entire steel-string lineup with the XS series!)

Taylor didn’t make this switch lightly. They tested countless strings to find the perfect pairing for their V-Class bracing and signature tone. Here is why the D'Addario XS Phosphor Bronze won out:

• The Tone of Phosphor Bronze: Taylor guitars are famous for their modern, crystalline, and bright high-end. Phosphor Bronze strings (which are typically 92% copper and 8% tin/phosphorus) have a naturally warmer, richer, and deeper tone than standard 80/20 bronze. This perfectly balances the guitar, taming the highs while enriching the low-mid frequencies.
• The "Invisible" XS Coating: Coated strings used to have a bad reputation for feeling slippery or sounding "dead" out of the box. D’Addario’s XS coating is microscopically thin—literally a fraction of the thickness of a human hair. It completely protects the string from sweat, dirt, and humidity, giving you months of life, but it still feels and rings out like an uncoated string.
• NY Steel Cores: Underneath the bronze wrap wire, these strings use D’Addario’s proprietary high-carbon NY Steel cores. This means they are incredibly resistant to breaking and hold their tuning stability beautifully, even if you are an aggressive strummer or use alternate tunings.

The Most Important Part: Which Gauge Do You Need?

Knowing the brand is only half the battle. If you want to maintain your Taylor's factory setup, you must buy the correct gauge (thickness) of strings.

Because different body shapes require different amounts of tension to drive the soundboard, Taylor assigns specific gauges to specific models:

Light Gauge (.012 – .053) This is the standard for most of Taylor's lineup. If you have a Grand Auditorium (models ending in "14", like a 314ce or 814ce) or a Grand Concert (models ending in "12"), your guitar was set up for Lights.

Medium Gauge (.013 – .056) Larger bodies need thicker strings to move more air and generate that booming volume. If you play a Grand Pacific (models ending in "17"), a Grand Symphony (models ending in "16"), or a traditional Dreadnought (models ending in "10"), you need Mediums.

The GS Mini Exception (Crucial!) If you own a GS Mini, you must use Medium Gauge (.013 – .056) strings. Because the GS Mini has a shorter 23.5-inch scale length, the strings have naturally less tension. If you put Light gauge strings on a GS Mini, they will feel like rubber bands and rattle aggressively against the frets.

Keep Your Taylor Playing Perfectly

If you aren't sure what strings belong on your specific acoustic, don't guess! An acoustic guitar's neck relief and intonation rely heavily on consistent string tension.

Stop by Tone Tailors at 617 N Prince St. in Lancaster. We carry the exact D'Addario XS Phosphor Bronze strings your Taylor was built for. And if you accidentally put the wrong gauge on and your neck is bowing, don't worry—drop it off at our repair desk, and we'll get it playing like it just left the factory in California.