Home Made Expression System

D. Churchland · #1 11-09-2016, 09:29 PM

I'm one of the Taylor authorized luthiers in the states currently authorized to do the ES2 upgrade in house. I was performing the upgrade to a customers really nice taylor and I removed this neat little item from the guitar.

This isn't to mock the maker of this, I admire the ingenuity and the stubbornness it must've taken to pull this off. Quite alot of effort to put into a project. He had connected it to a K and K which was removed as well to make space for the ES2.

What I haven't figured out yet is which circuit he used for the "half" portion.

See below photos.

fazool · #2 11-09-2016, 09:50 PM

I dunno. This looks like a home made pre amp systembut not an ES-2 clone. The very few components in the circuit suggest its just a homemade preamp to fit a similar geometry.

robj144 · #3 11-09-2016, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fazool

I dunno. This looks like a home made pre amp systembut not an ES-2 clone. The very few components in the circuit suggest its just a homemade preamp to fit a similar geometry.

Yup looks like a preamp to me.

LSemmens · #4 11-10-2016, 06:27 AM

Definately a pre-amp that multilegged fuse looks like one of these which is useful in just that circumstance. It certainly is an innovative circuit that he has created. It would have been interesting to hear how well it performed.

D. Churchland · #5 11-10-2016, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LSemmens

Definately a pre-amp that multilegged fuse looks like one of these which is useful in just that circumstance. It certainly is an innovative circuit that he has created. It would have been interesting to hear how well it performed.

Not very well I'm afraid.

I was not insinuating that he copied an expression system. It's just odd that he chose to do this instead of a 4 minute phone call to Taylor to get a new system.

srick · #6 11-10-2016, 07:32 AM

I think that he did a nice job on the fabrication. Hey, no harm done, it's his guitar, why not?

Petty1818 · #7 11-10-2016, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will Kirk

Not very well I'm afraid.

I was not insinuating that he copied an expression system. It's just odd that he chose to do this instead of a 4 minute phone call to Taylor to get a new system.

Doesn't Taylor charge something like $400.00 for the upgrade? I could be wrong but I feel like I researched this once for fun and was pretty shocked at the retrofit pricing. There's definitely nothing wrong with experimenting. It might not look pretty but it's all in how it performed/sounded.

guitaniac · #8 11-10-2016, 09:01 AM

FWIW, Luthier Dave Wendler sells an ES1-like dual system which passively blends a soundhole mag with a soundboard pickup. An outboard preamp is recommended if you're running to a PA mixer channel. The system can be user installed, for the folks who are handy with pickup installations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBK_md7Z_w

gfsark · #9 11-10-2016, 09:07 AM

Reminds me of being in high school again, playing with electronics. My friend and I built a 40 watt amplifier from scratch. Sound quality was horrible, but it worked. Do you know what integrated circuit was used in this home brew?

D. Churchland · #10 11-14-2016, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petty1818

Doesn't Taylor charge something like $400.00 for the upgrade? I could be wrong but I feel like I researched this once for fun and was pretty shocked at the retrofit pricing. There's definitely nothing wrong with experimenting. It might not look pretty but it's all in how it performed/sounded.

They charge 300 if you have one that was made after 07. You do have to factor in shipping both ways if you send it to them. If yours was made before 07 they have to do extra work so it would cost more, I charge the same to do it in my shop (and I am Taylor authorized before anyone has a cow).