Members VIP Posted December 4, 2003 Members Share Posted December 4, 2003 A lot of failures in the early models. Not hearing much about failures lately, but a few people that complain about getting a good non tinny sound, or hot B string issues. What are you experiencing, or hearing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flyfis4fun Posted December 5, 2003 Members Share Posted December 5, 2003 I have been playing a number of them latetly to try and determine if I "have" to have one or not. No doubt about it, out of the box and plugged right in they sound better then anything I can do with my Fishman after tinkering with it for 30 minutes. I have yet to get one dialed in to where it sounds like the guitar is not even plugged in but louder but I think that has more to do with the amps I have been using. I would like to be able to plug one into a PA directly through the board and see what it sounds like before I decide to get one. As far as the QA issues with them I think Taylor is getting them taken care of. I have yet to pick one up at a dealer that is DOA which is encouraging. Check out the www.taylorforum.com for a more up to speed accounting of the QA issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members woody b Posted December 5, 2003 Members Share Posted December 5, 2003 I like mine. I get a good acoustic sound with little or no eq'ing witha a variety of sound systems. With good amps, PA's and effects I think you can get about any sound you want with any(decent) pick up. I also have a guitar with a Braggs dual sorce and it sounds great also but the best thing I like about my ES.....no feedback. It does seem to use up batteries though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Joost Posted December 5, 2003 Members Share Posted December 5, 2003 Cut & Paste: First of all, I like the fact that from the outside, the ony visible part of it are the 3 knobs. I think it's more elegant and much less invasive as a regular preamp (the well-know 'barndoor' in the side of a guitar).However, it's the sound, ease and playability of the system which I like. It really is the best sounding acoustic pickup I've heard. It has none of that Piezo Quack. Also, it's a linear system, which means that if you double the force of your playing, the output is doubled. If I did that on an old piezo system, the output would be quadrupled, because it's a square law device. That means that the expression system gives you much greater dynamics, thus ways to express yourself. The preamp (designed by Rupert Neve!) is really quiet, with an impedance of a few hundred ohms as opposed to the thousands of ohms on most piezo preamps (hence the hiss on those systems). Also, it's really easy. You don't need a lot of experience to work the system, because there is no notch, multiband EQ, Phase or other stuff. It's very feedback resistant, so no more problems. Combined with the Bose Personal Audio System it sounds absolutely wonderful and is almost impossible to get feedback problems! If you want more EQ, just buy the outboard K4 equalizer, which has multiband and sweepable EQ and a few other cool features. There is one thing to get used to: the body sensors pick up almost any vibration in the guitar body, which means that you need to learn how to prevent that (much the same as a built in condensor mic). And the thing runs on AA batteries, which are cheaper to replace, but run empty sooner. All in all, I think the ES lived up to the hype. I've had two ES guitars and both worked great! I'm very happy and satisfied with it. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to mail or reply. -Joost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted December 5, 2003 Members Share Posted December 5, 2003 I played one and it sounded far better than the Fishman Blender that I have in my 710CE Taylor. I really think the folks at Taylor are truly evil in that they can't retro-fit the system to older guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members acoustiholic Posted December 6, 2003 Members Share Posted December 6, 2003 I've got the Blender on my NS72ce but have played many ES guitars from standards to limited NAMM Show models. I like the idea and I totally respect Rupert Neve- he truly is the Einstein of the music world. It ain't there quite yet.....I played a few of the first ones out and I thought they sucked, but have played many of the newly redesigned 2003 models that were impressive. I think alot of it has to do with the amp too. In another year they will have it nailed IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted December 6, 2003 Members Share Posted December 6, 2003 Much as I love Taylor guitars, there's a lot of hype to the "superiority" of the ES system. They're OK, but not appreciably better than any other correctly-installed piezo system...if you like the guitar, the ES is fine...if you like another guitar (with a decent piezo P/U), that's also good, but the P/U alone is no reason to buy a guitar. Just my $.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LittleBrother Posted December 6, 2003 Members Share Posted December 6, 2003 I am on the wagon that the ES is overhyped and way too proprietary and unremovable and alot of hardware and single points of failure. But it's not a bad system either. It is NOT the end all of pickup systems. Nor is it a NEW AGE in pickup systems. It's pretty cool though. But you have to play a Taylor to get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unk Posted December 6, 2003 Members Share Posted December 6, 2003 I played a 714CE with the ES through a PA system and I thought it sounded good. But I haven't played enough of the barn door types to compare really. Having read so many threads on the Taylor Guitar Forum about failures in the first and second generation ES guitars I would have second thoughts. Not so much about buying a brand new one, but buying one used knowing that you have no warranty would make me steer away. I've read a lot of posts from people who have had no problem with the early models but I'd sure hate to get a good deal on a used one and then POP! It's also discouraging to read that if you want to get the optimal acoustic tone (the main selling feature of the ES) plugged in with an ES you need a higher dollar output system. :-/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TaylorFishin' Posted December 6, 2003 Members Share Posted December 6, 2003 I was one of the Thousands who bought the first ES guitars and had major problems. My 814 CE was shipped back across country three times before it was right. Even though Taylor paid shipping each way and made it a priority to get my guitar workng properly, it still left a dissapointed feeling and tremendous aggravation. I feel Taylor did everything they could to repair the guitar quickly, but just did not have enough Experienced or qualified people to handle the massive numbers of repairs. Having paid $2400.00 for a guitar that didn't work properly for the first three months I owned it did not sit well with me and it still doesn't. I don't have the faith or trust in Taylor guitars that I once did. Even with all the aggravation I went through, I must say the ES is the most natural sounding pickup I have used. (Of course I haven't used them all, so there might be something just as good). IT'S STILL A MILLION MILES FROM A GOOD CONDENSOR MIC, but it is at the top of the list for what is available right now. The B and high E strings are my biggest complaints. The B string in particular gives a kind of a "honking" sound that is prevalent in all ES guitars I have ever heard. If not for the B string the system would be much closer to a mic. All pick ups I have heard do not let you hear the wood of the guitar. A certain pickup will sound about the same no matter of the guitar it's in. The ES is no different. A 914 ES sounds Identical to a 314 ES. Only a good Mic lets you hear your guitar. The best pickup is still to come and will probably be some new mic technology that we are unaware of at this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LittleBrother Posted December 6, 2003 Members Share Posted December 6, 2003 Very good points indeed. Well taken too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members acousticvoodoo Posted December 7, 2003 Members Share Posted December 7, 2003 I have a Taylor 714ce-LTD... from the last "generation" before the ES system. I think the electronics in this model are as good as they can be for this style of pickup and mic combination... it's never going to sound like a nice condenser, but neither does the ES system. The ES system in the more recent 714's I've tried does sound nice, but I can't get past the increased noise I get from my hand and arm movements when strumming... To me, this is the big weakness of this system, and if I'm forced to modify my technique to accomodate an amplification system... well I'm not sure its worth it... I'm sure some people would have no problem at all. I'm happy with the version of a Taylor I have, and my only concern is that I won't be able to get a similar one if I ever needed to... I love Taylor's playability and would hate to not have that available to me... Oh well. ~acousticvoodoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CDT-shag Posted December 7, 2003 Members Share Posted December 7, 2003 I have not liked any of the 10 or so ES taylors I have played..sounds thin and crackles too much.. I'm trying to understand why Taylor released this system too early (with all the failures) but I'm really surprised they had the balls to tell the public "to get the most benefit out of our system, please do not use any of the gear you presently own. only use a balanced cable...and make sure all of the wiring in each establishment you play in is up-to-date and properly installed and grounded". that's a load of HS! I really like the way taylor guitars play and sound. I really like the PUTW pickup in my taylor..and I'm getting ready to install the new NT system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TaylorFishin' Posted December 7, 2003 Members Share Posted December 7, 2003 Originally posted by CDT-shag I really like the PUTW pickup in my taylor..and I'm getting ready to install the new NT system [/QUTE CDT Let me know how the new Lace/PUTW combo goes. I'm interested in both the install and of course, how it sounds. I'm looking for a pickup to install in my Breedlove and the NT is my biggest hope. I'm going to play it safe this time and not purchase until I get some feedback from a few people. The ES debacle has made me hesitant to jump on board of any new pickups. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted December 7, 2003 Members Share Posted December 7, 2003 Originally posted by CDT-shag ...but I'm really surprised they had the balls to tell the public "to get the most benefit out of our system, please do not use any of the gear you presently own. only use a balanced cable... and make sure all of the wiring in each establishment you play in is up-to-date and properly installed and grounded". that's a load of HS!... So...Taylor recommends that if I were to get a ES-equipted guitar, it would be advisable to have the venue's wiring checked and possibly up-graded, so as to get the best sound possible? Do they suggest we put that in our performance contract's rider? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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