T5Z issues

[Cocovian]

Hi

My wife gave me a t5z as a christmas present , we were both very excited about it but sadly i have encountered a couple of issues, so i need to ask if anybody else has experienced these issues

First of all the nut was very poorly made , some slots were too deep and misaligned so it had some fret buzzing and was very hard to keep in tune , I replaced the nut and now it plays great, the neck is super comfortable, it stays in tune and it is a joy to play unplugged

But the main issue is the sound plugged in, I hate the sound ! both the acoustic and the electric sounds are not what I was expecting, I particularly hate the sound of the third string, I tried with electric and acoustic strings and with all the different pickup combinations the third string still sounds weird ! I was considering installing either a fishman undersaddle pickup or a k&k pure mini , but of course this means drilling at least one 1/2" hole for the jack , so I'm still not sure if I want to do this major modification...

So I opened the guitar to check if I could just plug any of these pickups into the existing preamp and then I noticed a big hole on the bridge sound plate between the 3rd and 4th strings , at first I thought it was a shallow hole but after measuring its about 1/4" deep and 5/16th wide !

So now I'm thinking this is the reason why the third string sounds so bad !

So has anybody seen this before ? could this be affecting the sound ? will the sound improve if I just plug the hole ?

and also, is there a way to install another pickup using the existing preamp so I don't need to drill a new hole for the jack ?

Thanks !

[Shadowfox]

The easiest thing would be to reach out to Taylor. They are pretty good with their service, or if you have a trusted Taylor repair shop around you!

[pjroberts]

I agree with Shadowfox, get Taylor / Taylor dealer to look at it. Sounds like something has gone haywire with the PUP, maybe related to than hole. They are on it with customer issues.

BUT might be your expectations too. Have you compared the plugged in tone to samples online (Taylor or Youtube?). Is there a difference?

I’ve wanted to try a Taylor electric for a long time, so I’ll be interested to hear how this turns out. Let us know.

[jseth]

I had a T5 for many years; I got one of the first ones they made through a friend who was a Taylor "Artist", so the price was very good... the only guitar I've bought that was a "saw a picture of it, read about it, HAD to have one!" purchases...

I had to have the neck replaced on mine because the embedded pickup did not pick up the higher strings as strongly as the E,A,D or G strings... a "mortal sin" for playing single note stuff! Taylor did it at no charge, of course...

From then on, I loved that little guitar. I came to realize that it was it's own thing; not an electric, not an acoustic. I actually bought mine for the electric tones and was very pleased with all the different combinations available through the Taylor/Neve designed pickups and tone controls... I could get Fender, Gibson, and Gretsch sounds from it with very little fussing and tweaking.

I had to get used to the active tone controls, as they are VERY different from tone controls on my Gibsons or a Fender... for instance, if I wanted a more midrange-predominant tone, I'd lower both the treble and bass slightly, where with my Gibson semi-hollow, I'd just roll of the tone control nearly to 0 to get the same effect.

Never used my T5 for an "acoustic", but I figured if I did, I'd string it with acoustic strings rather than an electric set (w/ plain 3rd), and I'd bump up the gauge to 12's or 13's even, as the T5 has a shorter scale length than even my Gibson electrics.

I did have a friend who installed a Fishman UST in his; he used one of the two strap buttons on the butt of the guitar for his plug-in jack and had the tone/volume control just inside the lower F hole. It sounded far more "acoustic" than with just the standard pickups.

It does sound as though there may be an "build"issue with yours, though... definitely talk with Taylor about the G string. I'm sure they'll take good care of you!

I may be wrong, but I believe the T5z was meant more for electric players who wanted "a little" bit of acoustic tone... you might be happier with the T5.

[jonfields45]

If you check out some of Taylor's prototype T5 pictures, that hole you are referring too, was always there. I am assuming it is a guide pin hole for the bridge. I've pasted in pictures of the prototype T5 and my T5z from several years ago. Since there is no UST or SBT at the bridge, I'm not sure how that hole could impact the acoustic tone which is primarily the magnetic pickup under the fingerboard extension and the soundboard transducer. I would agree that a T5z is not a great acoustic tone and not your standard Strat or Les Paul sound either.

[gmel555]

Originally Posted by Cocovian

...........But the main issue is the sound plugged in, I hate the sound ! both the acoustic and the electric sounds are not what I was expecting......,

Sorry to say I had a T5Z for about a year and sold it. The idea is cool and it was very comfortable to play, but I could not get an "acoustic" or "electric" tone I liked out of it. They're beautiful guitars but I think it's a case of "jack of all trades, master of none". I've heard Taylor sponsored demos done with them where they sound great; but I think that tone is due to being HEAVILY processed, i.e., it's the processing (pedals, effects, EQ, compression, etc.), not the guitar that's responsible for those great demo tones. Unless you own and master that stuff it's tough. I've got some of that gear and am quite satisfied with tones I get out of other wired acoustics and my Fenders. Also, after selling the T5Z I was still in search of a semi-/hollowbody sound. I picked up a Taylor T3b and have been quite happy with it.
(I did not have the other issues you mentioned.)

[BT55]

I have a T5z and think that it is an amazing guitar! Great electric range from Les Paul to Jazz tones and everything in between. Due to all of the controls (5 way switch plus active tone and volume) there is a learning curve, but once you dial in the tones you want the sound is great. The acoustic sound is good, not great but very usable. As the T5z is a hybrid it is by its nature a compromise but one that I regularly use.

[guitararmy]

I have been tempted to turn my Taylor T5 into an Anderson Crowder wannabe by putting a piezo bridge in it and a pair of humbuckers...
However, I don't use it enough to justify that.