Other ES-inspired Pickups
The Expression System was just the beginning of our
ongoing commitment to developing guitar electronics.
We’ve since introduced other ES-inspired pickups for the
Taylor line.
ES-T® Under-Saddle Transducer / 100 & 200 Series
ES-N® / Nylon Series
ES-Go™ / GS Mini
The ES-Go is an after-market, passive magnetic soundhole pickup that was developed specifically for the GS
Mini. Anyone can install it in minutes with just a screwdriver
thanks to the pre-fitted connecting bracket inside the guitar.
Pair it with the V-Cable™, which features a built-in volume
control on the cord.
ES Installation and Retrofits
For Taylor owners who have an older Taylor with pre-ES
electronics or a model without electronics, our Factory Service Center can install or retrofit the Expression System. A
retrofit for “classic” Taylor necks (featuring a one-piece, pre-NT neck design) incorporates the same type of a neck/string
sensor used on the standard ES, only the pickup housing is
mounted in the soundhole. The Baby and Big Baby can be
equipped with an active under-saddle transducer.
A secret weapon for any tone-conscious musician, the
K4 is a preamp and equalizer that picks up where the ES
leaves off, allowing you to precisely shape your guitar’s
tone by honing in on the notes or frequencies of your
choice and then cutting or boosting them to taste. It’s
super versatile — perfect for studio or home recording and
live performance. Features include a tuner output, phase
reverse switch, headphone jack, and an effects loop, which
allows you to use reverb, a stomp box, a volume pedal
or other effects and maintain a balanced signal chain.
Multiple, transformer-coupled balanced outputs give you
routing flexibility, enabling you to drive an amp, PA or both.
The K4 is also handy for enhancing the amplified sound of
other types of acoustic/electric guitars. If you like to detail
your tone, the K4 will always fit in your musical toolbox.
Tone Control
The ES has a volume, treble and bass
control (in order from front to back). Each
has a center detent position, which can be
felt as a “bump” as you rotate the knob.
This position represents “unity gain” on the
volume control (an optimal setting in which
input and output are the same level) and
flat frequency response for the bass and
treble controls. The detent positions are
the ideal place to start when sound-check-ing your guitar. Setting the ES volume at
unity gain and letting the sound person
adjust accordingly will ensure that you
have the maximum amount of tone control
during a performance.
Tracking Battery Life
Since 2007, the ES has been powered by a 9-volt alkaline battery (we
previously used two AA batteries). A
fresh 9-volt will yield about 40 hours of
plugged-in time. Remember that plugging a cable into your guitar turns the ES
on and that the battery is active. When
the battery gets weak, the signal will start
to distort and quickly die out. Try to track
your plugged-in time to avoid having a
battery die during a performance. When
installing a new battery, write the date on
it with a permanent marker. The battery
indicator light on the edge of the preamp
lights up when a cable is plugged in. If
the light is on, the battery is good. If you
have an important gig and you’re not sure
how much life is left in the battery, play it
safe and install a new one.
Balanced Versus Unbalanced
Signals and Cable Use
Before the ES was introduced, most
acoustic guitar pickups produced an
unbalanced signal. As a result, in a pro
sound situation an amplified guitar would
be run through a direct box (also known
as a DI box) to convert the signal to balanced, which minimizes noise, distortion
and ground loops. Once the signal is balanced, you can run extremely long cables
without any loss of power or tone. A
balanced signal is preferable because it’s
cleaner and louder than an unbalanced
signal. Think of the ES as already having
a built-in direct box.
The type of cable you use will determine whether the ES produces a balanced or unbalanced signal. If you plug
your Taylor straight into a PA or a snake
box (a multicore cable that houses multiple
microphone cables), use a TRS to XLR
cable (available through Taylor Ware in
lengths of either 15 or 21 feet). You’ll have
a balanced signal with no direct box needed. If you plug into the ¼-inch input of an
acoustic amplifier, or use effects pedals,
use standard ¼-inch mono guitar cables.
Turning Off the Top Sensor Switch
A small switch located on the edge of
the preamp, next to the battery indicator
light inside the guitar, allows the body
sensor to be turned off. (A refinement in
the body sensor design in 2010 allowed
us to shift from two sensors to one). It’s
positioned so you can reach it with your
finger without removing the strings. The
sensor is on when the switch is pushed
towards the guitar’s back. Sliding it toward
the guitar’s top turns it off. With the sensor
turned off, the guitar will be less sensitive
and have less presence. This can be useful
for artists who play large venues and don’t
need all the fidelity the ES offers in that
performance setting. Others have turned
it off because they do percussive tapping
on the top of the guitar directly over the
sensor. The bottom line is that it gives
you a slightly different amplified sound
and greater performance flexibility.
Fused String Ground
Dirty power and faulty grounding can
create any number of problems when you
plug in. Those of us who play electric guitars are familiar with unwanted hum and
noise that goes away when you touch the
strings. This is no magic trick. The noise
goes away because your body is now
acting as the ground connection for your
guitar’s electrical connection. This puts
you at risk of being shocked if significant
voltage travels up the ground connection
to your guitar.
On our acoustic/electrics (300 Series and higher), the 9-volt Expression
System incorporates our patented Fused
String Ground. This gives you the benefit
of noise reduction when you touch the
strings, and you’re protected from electrical shock by the fuse. If a harmful level of
voltage travels up to your guitar, the fuse
for the string ground will blow, keeping
you safe from being shocked. Your guitar’s electronics will still function; the fuse
simply disconnects your strings from the
ground connection.
Our universal Fused String Ground
can be retrofitted into any guitar.
Balanced Breakout Box
Let’s say you plug your ES-equipped
Taylor into a PA system without any effects boxes. Let’s also say you want to
run your guitar balanced because the
sound is cleaner and louder that way, but
you like to have a tuner in line at all times.
We’re not aware of any pedal-style tuners that use a balanced input and output,
which is why we designed the Taylor
Balanced Breakout Box. This little gadget
allows you to run a balanced signal from
your guitar into the box with a TRS to
XLR cable and out of the box to your PA
with a standard XLR mic cable (male to
female). There’s a ¼-inch output to run to
your tuner, and a mute button to silence
the signal going to the PA so you can
tune quietly. By the way, a great side application of the Balanced Breakout Box is
to mute vocal mics on a live stage when
they’re not in use.
Here’s how to get the most out of the
Expression System
