Joost

This is an official release: "The Taylor Guitars K4 Equalizer is a new outboard electronic equalizer, optimized for extending the tonal capabilities of Taylor's Expression System (ES) pickups. Legendary audio designer, Mr. Rupert Neve, who created the preamplifier used in all ES-equipped guitars, also designed and developed the Taylor Guitars K4 Equalizer. The K4 Equalizer has low impedance, transformer-coupled balanced inputs and outputs, which connect directly to the balanced output of an ES-equipped guitar. Features include: bass and treble controls, sweepable two-band Parametric midrange control with adjustable "Q", an effects loop with choice of "Pre" or "Post" EQ, phase invert, headphone jack with independent level control, mute feature and a dedicated tuner output. Each Taylor Guitars K4 Equalizer is housed in a compact case, with a wood-trimmed top"

There is going to be a dedicated outboard amp/Eq from Taylor for the ES. It will allow you to set your EQ using multiband or using a sweepable EQ with variable Q. Also, there's a neat trick in it to choose body form, which means you can make a Grand Auditorium model sound like a dreadnaught! An outboard EQ designed especially for Taylor acoustic guitars! Very cool!

Well, I couldnt tell the difference between the acoustic sound of a non CE guitar and the guitars with cutaway and Electronics, but maybe if it's real quiet and you would sit down for it, you might be able to hear it. I've heard a little about the Lace story on the Taylor Guitar forum, a few months ago, but I haven't heard anything since, so I figured it was done with. I don't know.... As you might have guessed I think it measures up! really! and I find that many people do with me, whether I read the forums or the user reviews on Harmony Central. What guitar do you own? What is your opinion on Taylor and the ES?

Why the curiosity about the ES?

I just wish I had the new Bose system. I don

Hi Tony, That's right. Those knobs are part of the expression system. From the outside, that's the ony visible part of it: 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 ps: check out these links for more info: Taylor Site ES info and Bob Taylor's ES announcement!

The TRC was custom made by Capt. Bill according to my design. It is Eric Clapton's signature, to honor the man that started me on guitars! Check it out: For more pics, just check out the site in my signature!