Anyone remove the new ES2 system from a Taylor?

[williejohnson]

I've posted about my woes with the Taylor ES2 system in my new 522ce before and really cannot tolerate this thing anymore.

Has anyone removed this system from their guitar? When you remove the battery from the back, it looks like there are just two screws holding the input assembly in and then one wire running up to the circuit board in the upper bout.

I would like to install a K&K but I'm unclear or whether or not I can use the Taylor input jack?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks....Willie

[6L6]

You're making the right decision to switch to a K&K Pure Mini pup!

Seems to me the switch shouldn't be all that big a deal and that the current jack could still be used. Find a decent techie and let him/her have at it.

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

[kcnbys]

This may be just what you're looking for:

http://www.truplugusa.com

[williejohnson]

Originally Posted by kcnbys

This may be just what you're looking for:

http://www.truplugusa.com

I also spotted this after I posted.......thank you

[jseth]

willie;

It looks like that True Plug thingy is for the OLD ES system... aren't you talking about removing the new one that is focused on the bridge/saddle with adjustable set screws?

If you want to keep your guitar "warranty" qualified, I would call Taylor and ASK THEM what you can do without voiding the warranty. Of course, if you bought the guitar used this wouldn't matter.

You REALLY love that guitar this much? Seems to me that, unless you are certain that you will keep the guitar for a "lifetime", the most cost effective way of dealing with this is to find a guitar you would rather have and amplify it in the way you choose, while selling your current Taylor to someone who actually WANTS the ES system (or is ambivalent); this would keep the value of your Taylor as intact as possible (given that one nearly always takes a loss on a sale of a guitar that's younger than a half-century!), while affording you the opportunity to have a guitar with the pickup system of your choosing.

I can tell you with certainty that, away from this site? Most people are thrilled with the ES system... it's only on these pages and only from a few that I get this sense of "hating" on the Taylor electronics. I only say this to bolster the opinion that there is very likely someone who actually WANTS that system in their guitar, and yours having it would be a "plus" on a sale transaction.

Good luck with whichever road you go down...

[Vancebo]

I agree with JSeth on this. Unless you're going to keep that guitar for a lifetime it would be a harder sell. There are a lot of people who would buy that guitar from you in order to get a used price on a newer Taylor with that system. After trying several ES2 equipped guitars and tweaking the adjust screws I became a believer. It's a very good representation of the guitar.

[williejohnson]

Jseth and Vance,
You completely misunderstand where I'm coming from on this. There is most likely something wrong with my system. It is so micro phonic that it is useless for performing live. It picks up the most minuet things and amplifies them regardless of how you "fine tune" the sensors. When I'm finger picking, it amplifies the sound of my fingers plucking the strings so loud that it is as loud as the note itself. If I am finger picking a song, it sounds like I have a conga player accompanying me. If you adjust the fine tuning screws so that it gets a little more tolerable, you lose so much signal it's unusable.

There isn't an authorized Taylor tech convenient to me and I do not want to ship the guitar anywhere. This is an outstanding guitar and I don't care about the cost of replacing the system.

I'm not bashing Taylor electronics, I think I just got a great guitar with bad electronics and I am not inclined to mess around with warranty fixes. My tech (IMO) will do a much better job than anyone around here and so I'm just trying to save a little money and time by removing the old system myself so that he can install a new one.

[jonfields45]

Replacing the piezo assembly is probably pretty easy and has to be the source of your problem.

Go to the nearest Taylor dealer and try out several ES2 guitars to make sure your problem is unique to your guitar. Then call Taylor about buying a replacement piezo assembly. I think it is likely a do-it yourself proposition to replace, but no disgrace to pay a local tech to do it. Generally the ES2 gets good to great reviews and is worth fixing.

Jon

[williejohnson]

Originally Posted by jonfields45

Replacing the piezo assembly is probably pretty easy and has to be the source of your problem.

Go to the nearest Taylor dealer and try out several ES2 guitars to make sure your problem is unique to your guitar. Then call Taylor about buying a replacement piezo assembly. I think it is likely a do-it yourself proposition to replace, but no disgrace to pay a local tech to do it. Generally the ES2 gets good to great reviews and is worth fixing.

Jon

Jon,
Thanks. When I talked with Taylor about it, they seemed to think that the problem would most likely be in the pre amp section. If that's the case, I would have to take it to an authorized Taylor repair person and have them determine exactly what the problem is. There is no such place that is convenient to me and as I have already mentioned, I'm not willing to ship the guitar anywhere.

Based on the responses so far, it doesn't seem that anyone here has actually removed one of these....so I'll have to be a pioneer

[Vancebo]

I guess I missed something.

It is very microphonic-like. (Is that a word?) That's why I like it. It does give me the body taps and string squeaks that I want that is associated with a mic'ed guitar. I get that not everybody likes that. The problem with a K & K that somebody recommended above, it also does the body taps. String noise may be a little less obvious with that system. I tried an onboard Fishman Aura system that had a really nice plugged in sound without string squeaks and body taps. I can see why people like that one.

I am sure you won't be the last one to pull out a system. Be sure to log your findings here. Good luck.

[Petty1818]

The Tru-Plug should work with the ES2 as well. The Tru-plug is only meant to plug the eq knob holes and the output jack/battery compartment. Both of these are identical on the original ES and ES2. As for the actual pickup, I think that all you need to do is loosen the screws and remove it. The downside is that you will have some holes in your bridge from the screws and the transducers.

The ES2 is a great system and a massive improvement over the original ES. However, this is why I will never again buy a guitar with built in electronics, especially ones that are fairly invasive. If I were you, I would have made sure that I loved the ES2 before making the investment.

With that said, can you not return the guitar? If the pickup is in fact defective then why go through all the work of ripping out the ES2? Taylor has so many amazing sounding guitars that I would be more interested in either returning it or selling it and buying something new then worrying about screwing around with the electronics.

[williejohnson]

Originally Posted by Vancebo

I guess I missed something.

It is very microphonic-like. (Is that a word?)

This is what I'm talking about

microphonic (ˌmaɪkrəˈfɒnɪk)
adj
(Electronics) (of valves or other electronic components) unusually sensitive to incident sound or mechanical shock

[williejohnson]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

If I were you, I would have made sure that I loved the ES2 before making the investment.

I absolutely love the guitar....I need a cutaway.......the cutaway only comes with the ES2.


My OP asked a pretty direct question and that's really all I was looking to get answered. It appears that no one here has done it yet and it's not that big a deal, I'm sure it will work out fine.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by williejohnson

I absolutely love the guitar....I need a cutaway.......the cutaway only comes with the ES2.


My OP asked a pretty direct question and that's really all I was looking to get answered. It appears that no one here has done it yet and it's not that big a deal, I'm sure it will work out fine.

Yes, it definitely looks as though you will be one of the first to try this. As mentioned though, get the Tru-plug to plug up the eq knobs and battery compartment. The rest is simply loosening the screws and pulling out the transducers. I will be interested to hear if you have any issues with the transducers removed. I don't think the holes will be that much of an issue but it will definitely be interesting to see.

For what it's worth, all Taylor guitars can be ordered without the ES2. The downside is that you don't get to try the guitar first. This is my dilemma at the moment as I want either the 816 or 810 but it would be a custom order.

[jonfields45]

If you are up for removing the system, will Taylor let you remove it and return just that part for repair? Removing the main circuit card is not very difficult either. Jon