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  #76  
Old 01-16-2012, 03:38 PM
Rick Shepherd Rick Shepherd is offline
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Originally Posted by kscobie8 View Post
Threads are about sharing opinions and experiences. I've rarely found a straight line between how a thread starts and how it ends. But let's not hijack this one further.
-kyle
After almost five pages of hi-jacking, It appears that there are very few ES replacment options.
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  #77  
Old 01-16-2012, 09:48 PM
MineField316 MineField316 is offline
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Originally Posted by swhoelefp69 View Post
still lookin' for replies to the OP's question about drop in replacement's for the ES... think we could start a bullet list of what's available ? the only one I've determind is a 'near' drop in replacement is the Mi-Si Align, allowing use of the existing pre-drilled holes for volume bass and tone... what about the end pin casing for 2xaa and 9v ES systems ? wouldn't the casing have to be removed, and something else retrofitted in, to allow a standard 1/4" endpin jack to be installed ? think I remember reading about someone who made custom end pin casings for this situation - in different wood types/stains... thoughts?

Drop In Replacements (or, near drop in)
- MiSi Align
- ?
- ?
I couldn't really find a direct drop in replacement other than the Mi-Si, so I went with and LR Baggs Anthem system. I still have the three ES knobs on my guitar which now do nothing, but the Anthem installs pretty comfortably inside the guitar without drilling any new holes (other than for the UST). My guitar guy removed the ES endpin jack and just replaced it with the Baggs unit. Pretty clean externally and sounds great. And if I ever want to go back to the ES, it's just a couple step process of putting back the endpin jack removing the Anthem preamp (which is just held in with Velcro anyway.

It's at the shop now but I'll post pics when it comes back if anyone is interested.
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  #78  
Old 01-17-2012, 07:40 AM
swhoelefp69 swhoelefp69 is offline
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MineField316... tkx... love to see pics once you have it back...
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  #79  
Old 01-17-2012, 12:12 PM
royd royd is offline
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this thread http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=231309 and this one http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=238403

show some hardware that seems to work nicely to fill in the Taylor holes
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  #80  
Old 01-17-2012, 12:55 PM
alohachris alohachris is offline
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Default If I Were Replacing the ES.....?

Aloha,

If I were replacing the ES? I would completely take all elements of that system out of the guitar. Then, I would either make or have someone make attractive, complementary hardwood plugs for the holes & endpin plate.

Then I would start over & install a high-quality, after-market, dual-source system of my choice (probably an SBT/internal mic combo) or whatever you need for gigging.

Finally. I wouldn't even consider returning the ES for resale of the guitar because it wouldn't be worth it.

Two cents.

alohachris
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  #81  
Old 01-18-2012, 03:53 PM
dangrunloh dangrunloh is offline
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Originally Posted by dangrunloh View Post
Where do you guys run the volume knob? I'm new to Taylor and the ES but dislike the sound of my 414ce amplified through the ES if the volume knob is anywhere near unity. It sounds like a "hot pickup" and metallic on my PA (using standard 1/4 guitar cable). However with it way back at about 25% and the amp volume turned up to compensate it sounds much more natural and life-like to me. I keep guitar volume down, use the other knobs strictly for EQ and then control the volume and tone at the amp.
Hello Taylorites I'm coming back to this thread because I discovered I plugged into the wrong input. It's not a real PA but a small 2 channel guitar amp with a 1/4 jack labelled microphone. Some how I thought that was the right one because I didn't want all that guitar modelling stuff. Now I've plugged into the guitar side and set but it for "clean" and now all my ES knobs are in the middle and really work and it sounds much better. I can't wait to plug it into a real PA or into a real acoustic amp.

a little bit of chorus is nice.
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  #82  
Old 01-22-2012, 07:10 PM
AlRob AlRob is offline
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Originally Posted by royd View Post
I have no doubt that the newest ES is an improvement over the earlier versions but it is still the same basic design - a magnetic neck pup and a magnetic coil SBT (there are 2 bugs & the neck pup in the earlier systems). If you really hate the earlier versions, I wouldn't expect you'd love the newest one and I would recommend going in a different direction. If you sort of like the earlier versions and are looking for an improvement rather than a replacement, then the Taylor ES upgrade is a good direction to go. The upgrade is a chunk of change even if you do the replacement yourself. From what I read this is fairly easy to do if you have the 9 volt version but requires significant cutting in the tailblock if you have the original 3 volt system.

Bottom line, if you hate the ES period, I wouldn't do the Taylor upgrade. A different system based around a UTS or a different SBT would be a much better direction for you and won't cost much or any more than the upgrade. If you like the ES and don't care for the other systems out there but still wish it was better, then the upgrade may be worth it to you.
I figured I try the upgrade. I did the install myself. Not that difficult. Needed a dental mirror and snake light. The parts were $150 from Taylor. I had to talk them into selling it to me - understandably
You're right I'm not happy with this newer version either. I don't think the difference is dramatic from the old verson. I'm still hearing much of the same.

Last edited by AlRob; 01-22-2012 at 07:37 PM.
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  #83  
Old 01-27-2012, 11:53 PM
Carbonius Carbonius is offline
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I came to this thread after doing a search on MiSi. Seems like a good option to me too. Recharging in 60 seconds is pretty awesome. I’m a little skittish on under saddle pu’s, but the Mi-Si design and explanation of it is quite compelling.

As for the ES... here's my experience. I have a supper hot B string on the Taylor in my sig. I called Taylor who eventually told me that sometimes they put the magnet for the B string in backwards and sometimes they forgot it all together (WOW!!!). taylorcc here on AGF gave me the idea of taping little pieces of metal to the fretboard under the B string. It was in doing this that I found out the magnet was certainly in backwards as the metal piece kept shooting off the guitar only at the B string. Under any other string it stayed without tape. Even with strong two sided tape, the pieces come free every few months. The tone is now satisfactory balanced (not great though)... but I have a supposedly top quality guitar with chunks of metal stuck on it to sound good???

Since mine is second hand there is no warranty. Since I am in a small city in Canada, shipping is over $100 to get their error in manufacturing fixed by the closest authorized repair center. This authorized center actually keeps neck pu’s in stock due to how often the pu’s are the problem.

When I had a problem with a B-band pu equipped guitar, B-band rushed me a new pickup with a new saddle that I didn't even ask for, FOR FREE, Retail value of $100! …and B-band shipped it from Finland, shipping and duty free!!! Now THAT'S customer service.

I love the Taylor tone, I love their re-settable neck design, I love how well the acoustic part of the guitar is put together. There is a problem though. Don't these guitars get checked before they get sold?? How can you repeatedly miss a really hot B string with a backwards magnet??? I would hate to think it's some manager saying; "too much time involved in taking that guitar apart to replace the pickup now, ship it as is."

Perhaps instead of releasing more and more new types of guitars, Taylor could use some of those earnings to fix the flawed guitars like many other companies do! Such a move could go very far in securing many more life long customers.
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  #84  
Old 01-28-2012, 12:01 PM
briggleman briggleman is offline
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If you are putting a small piece of metal over the "reversed or backward" pole position of the pickup, why does it fly off????

Now a magnet would do this, but not a neutral piece of metal. That piece of metal has little if any magnetic properties so it should not oppose but instead be attracted to the magnetic pole.

What am I missing.... adjacent magnetic fields???????
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  #85  
Old 01-28-2012, 12:51 PM
Carbonius Carbonius is offline
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Originally Posted by briggleman View Post
If you are putting a small piece of metal over the "reversed or backward" pole position of the pickup, why does it fly off????

Now a magnet would do this, but not a neutral piece of metal. That piece of metal has little if any magnetic properties so it should not oppose but instead be attracted to the magnetic pole.

What am I missing.... adjacent magnetic fields???????
The piece of metal is from a black stationary clip like the one pictured below. It is very magnetic.

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  #86  
Old 01-28-2012, 04:27 PM
jonfields45 jonfields45 is online now
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Default Mi-Si

I've put Mi-Si's in two different guitars and thought they were pretty good and very usable for gigging, but definitely "piezo" sounding in my living room. Experimenting with an Aura16 pedal I was unable to find an image that cleaned that up. I've also put the latest Fishman Matrix in two guitars and was able to easily find Aura images that made them sound perfect. One of the two sounded really good with only a little tweaking with a Baggs Venue DI and no Aura (even in my living room!). So my opinion is if your going to install a UST, you might as well go Fishman for compatibility with available Aura images and the chance that it might sound good enough without an Aura pedal. As for the clean Mi-Si install, here is how I matched it: I did not install the Fishman Matrix Infinity volume/tone control and I used a lithium 9v battery (that should last nearly forever) putting the Velcro right on the battery (no pouch). It is as minimal as you can get short of the Mi-Si. I've contacted Mi-Si about using their preamp with the Fishman UST and they said the Mi-Si preamp has a flat frequency response and that the Fishman is equalized. I also did a little experimentation with a raw Fishman UST and thought, to my ear, that it's response to tapping was intentionally not uniform along its length, though my experiment was hardly scientific. Jon
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