Pedal for Taylors' ES2

Willrock · #1 01-12-2020, 08:46 AM

On a market for a good preamp/DI pedal for my 2016 514ce and heard good things about Fishman aura and fishman platinum. The goal is to make it sound as good as a mic without having one. I know theres quite a few threads about this but havent found the ones specific for ES2.. So to anyone has some knowledge or opinion out there, what's your pick?

mischultz · #2 01-12-2020, 09:06 AM

I think the consensus is that the Aura’s a tighter, more direct fit for an under saddle pickup. That’s what it’s built to maximize. The Platinum is a solid piece. Plenty of folks like the Baggs stuff, although it tends to sound a little hard to my ear. Not edgy, but not airy either. Taylor did build a preamp called the K4 for a few years that would likely be in the same price range. I thought that one sounded quite professional and finished. Last rec would be for the Tech 21 Q Strip. That’s probably where I’ll land with an ES1.3 system. As always, get your ears on everything you can, but in the Platinum/Aura range I don’t think you’ll find too many answers that are wildly wrong.

M

RockerDuck · #3 01-12-2020, 12:20 PM

The Fishman pro platinum EQ matches real good with ES2, and also the Fishman ToneDeq. It depends on whether or not you need built in effects and no tuner of the ToneDeq or the tuner included with the Platinum Pro EQ.

rschultz · #4 01-12-2020, 01:06 PM

IR is noticeably on my 714 with es-2, of course I use a helix that has an Ir loader. A lot of people swear by the tonedexter. Ymmv

Audie · #5 01-12-2020, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willrock

On a market for a good preamp/DI pedal for my 2016 514ce and heard good things about Fishman aura and fishman platinum. The goal is to make it sound as good as a mic without having one. I know theres quite a few threads about this but havent found the ones specific for ES2.. So to anyone has some knowledge or opinion out there, what's your pick?

I have this same guitar. I recently had the circuit board of the ES2 updated as the first iterations were harsh in the mid range. To answer your question, both before and after the update, the Mesa Boogie Rosette DI works the best for my Taylor's. The additional functions of high ,low adjustments for middle and low gain are invaluable. Mesa DI is the way to go.

SpruceTop · #6 01-13-2020, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willrock

On a market for a good preamp/DI pedal for my 2016 514ce and heard good things about Fishman aura and fishman platinum. The goal is to make it sound as good as a mic without having one. I know theres quite a few threads about this but havent found the ones specific for ES2.. So to anyone has some knowledge or opinion out there, what's your pick?

A Fishman Aura Spectrum Pedal or a ToneDexter will give you a more mic-like tone. Also, an LR Baggs Session Acoustic DI will smooth out the ES2 tone without using one of the above IR "mic" pedals.

ameadows · #7 01-13-2020, 08:40 AM

Right now I run a Taylor 314e into a Baggs Session and then into a Para DI. I have both the saturation and comp/eq at roughly 11:00 and then i have the 4.8 and 10k knobs backed off to about 9:30 on the para di. Sounds pretty dang good to me.

JackB1 · #8 01-13-2020, 09:21 AM

A good EQ pedal will allow you to shape the sound of your ES2 guitar or any other guitar down the road as well, so it will be a good investment. The Baggs Align EQ pedal is a great one, as is the Fishman Platinum. But a lot of which pedal to get depends on how good you are at dialing in an EQ. How much work do you want the pedal to automatically do for you versus giving you full control? Also your budget comes into play.