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Has Taylor Made a change to original ES2 preamp that results in a more pleasing sound, less feedback, and not quite as hot?

supposedly yes, however I have only read this from a few forum posts. do you have a different source?

Yesterday, I called Taylor after I had made the comment. They are sending me an updated preamp absolutely free. However, I will have to pay to have it installed. The technician at Taylor told me that many folks had no problem with the original but I found it to be a bit harsh. I have another Taylor guitar with the old expression system that sounds much better to my ears. It will be interesting to hear what the new preamp sounds like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kinda Old (Post 5432558)

How recent was the change? I've got a 2015 814ce, so I imagine I could call about a new preamp. How difficult is the install?

Have you tried adjusting your on-board settings? Here's a post from 2 years ago that I concur with. Some may/may not apply but good info anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpruceTop (Post 4644446)

Have you tried adjusting the three Allen screws behind the bridge-saddle? If not, get yourself a .050" Allen wrench and turn each screw 1/6 turn (one flat) clockwise and see if that helps your tone. We probably need more information on your setup and speaker positioning but here are my suggestions:

1) Lose the TC BodyREZ and all pedals in your signal chain.
2) Do not use reverb if you're using it on the guitar.
3) Start over with all EQ flat everywhere. Now, manipulate the two EQ knobs on the guitar until you get a good tone. You shouldn't have to go more than 3 o'clock (+ rotation) on the Bass knob and 9 o'clock (- rotation) on the Treble knob. If you need additional EQ, manipulate the knobs on your mixer or amp.
4) Why are you using a DI box? Are you going a long distance through a snake to a soundboard in the audience? If not, here's the signal chain I would use, Guitar to Mixer/Amp and that's it.
5) Watch your gain-staging!
6) Sell all your pedals and other gee-gaws so you won't be tempted to use them again! :)
7) In other words, try to keep your guitar's signal chain as clean and simple as possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kinda Old (Post 5432558)

Last night I took the opportunity to quiz our featured artist about his ES2-equipped Taylor 412. "Too hot!" and "brittle and harsh" were his exact words in describing the pickup. He claims to get a more pleasing sound by keeping the out-of-guitar signal relatively low and compensating at the mixer. He also uses a Boss GE-7 for a pretty substantial mid cut. The result sounded very pleasing to my ears.

Please keep us updated on how you like the new preamp.

This is what I recall discussing with my local Taylor dealer. It is also possible to back the pressure of the piezos off a bit. That subdued the initial issues I had with ES2. You see, I rebalanced every ES2 system after purchase. So, I never had the harsh tone issues.

That said, with a bone saddle the old ES2 was harsh and brittle to my ears. So, I suspect that the new preamp will cover for a lot of sins.

Honestly, I loved the ES2 system enough to stick with Taylor for a while. I would install the ES2 in a Martin of that was a possibility. The beauty is that it is simple, effective, and has NO detrimental effect on acoustic tone. There's a lot to like about ES2.

My local dealer told me that the installation of the revised preamp would be no more than $20.00, No big deal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kinda Old (Post 5434093)

My local dealer told me that the installation of the revised preamp would be no more than $20.00, No big deal.

Yeah it is a pretty easy swap and for $20 that's not a bad way to go if you don't feel comfortable messing with it yourself.

Just have to pop the 3 knobs and unscrew the 3 nuts that hold the board in. Then pull the old board, swap cables to the new board, reinstall nuts and knobs on the new one.

Let us know what you think about the change. Maybe even make a recording with all knobs at noon, and do the same with the new board?

I had an ES-2 equipped 614ce and I had a hard time bonding with it. Wondering if this helps, I might give it another shot.