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#1
06-05-2013, 08:21 PM
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Taylor low calorie...
My beloved 2008 Taylor 416ce Fall LTD Tasmanian Blackwood (minus the e
 ) went on a diet today... K&K goes in tomorrow. I decided to rip off the knob assembly from the preamp, with great joy might I add  , so I could put the knobs back in to fill the holes.
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#2
06-05-2013, 08:24 PM
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why
That's unfortunate.
If you had removed it all carefully you could have sold it for $100-200
__________________
Fazool "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter" Taylor GC7, GA3-12, SB2-C, SB2-Cp...... Ibanez AVC-11MHx , AC-240
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#3
06-05-2013, 10:48 PM
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Quote:
My ES system didn't work right... worthless. Bought mine used and later found that ES was a dud. Supper hot B string. Taylor basically said that some neck pu's were bad. Could pay to replace neck pu which "might work"... could be the preamp so then that has to get replaced... or upgrade whole system. I've heard the new ES a few times; some still have volume imbalance with plain strings. Tone changes too much from plain to wound for me. Love the guitar, not the electronics.
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#4
06-07-2013, 01:07 PM
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How did you plug the void from the ES power supply at the end jack? Did you use the TruPlug system? I think they come with plugs for the three pre-amp holes too... although the knob assembly may look better for that. It would be even cooler if you could use the knobs to control a pre-amp with your K+K!!
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Gloria & Bob Music ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Yamaha, Guild...
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#5
06-11-2013, 07:52 PM
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I was pleasantly surprised when I took apart the end-pin assembly. As long as you don't want to ever put the ES back in, it is VERY easy to use the existing Taylor end-pin for any other system. Look at this pic I took  The strap pin screws into the circuit board with the oval end-pin plug like thing in the middle. You clip the wires going to the battery box and the circuit board is completely free. Then you are left with a 7/16 hole. I needed a 1/2 for the K&K jack so that was only 1/16 of reaming to do. The installer (also a luthier) said it would work fine. He stuffed some foam in the battery box so it wouldn't make noise and bingo... ready to go. I thought about placing a basic passive volume control (cut type) into one of the pot spots. I'd have to get some actual functional pots for that though, these will never do anything but fill the void now. Still, looks a lot better than holes or black plugs IMHO... The shame of it is that people will think that natural plugged in sound is actually the ES. This is the first time that I played my guitar plugged in, and it sounded like MY guitar... No regrets what-so-ever. Don't get me wrong, ES is ok. I just had a horrible experience with it and prefer the K&K reproduction of my tone more.   "Oval" looking end-pin assembly showing 7/16 hole
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#6
11-04-2013, 06:34 PM
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Nice work on getting your instrument to a point where you're happy with the sound, in the end that's all that really matters right? Great job.
Just for future reference or for others: If you're eliminating the preamp altogether (and have some basic soldering skills), you can just use the Taylor 1/4" jack by soldering the K&K pure mini piezos right to the tip and sleeve terminals. Be careful here as I believe the Taylor 1/4" jack is a TRS jack so one of the 3 terminals is the ring. If you reuse the Taylor jack, then you don't have to ream the hole out and can keep the assembly as is. If anyone ever figures out a mod to use the Taylor preamp knobs to control a K&K UltraPure onboard preamp, please send me a PM! Cheers! ... Joe
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#7
11-14-2013, 11:54 AM
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I probably would have removed the unit as carefully as possible. But who cares as long as the goal you had was met.
__________________
Taylor 214 (2013) Taylor GS mini (2012) Guild F20 (1964) Epiphone Chet Atkins CEC (1997)
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#8
11-14-2013, 04:16 PM
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Quote:
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#9
11-21-2013, 07:58 PM
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If you had removed it all carefully you could have sold it for $100-200
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#10
11-21-2013, 08:42 PM
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Check out the "Truplug" system. I am taking my ES system out as well and installing the Truplug. It's a way to fill in the three tone knobs and add a jack to the endpin without anyone really noticing that the ES was ever in. I agree though, there's no sense in trying to sell that system. I have a ES system from 2006 and it's useless. It died on me two years after I bought the guitar. Still really surprised that Taylor not only released these but that they still use them.
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#11
11-21-2013, 09:20 PM
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I have to admit, and I see many threads regarding the general bashing / tearing out of their ES systems on here for several months, I see these as some pretty extreme scenarios or maybe I'm just not seeing the Es as being as bad as some say. Granted I have the 3rd generation in my 2011 914CE and personally I'm actually kind of liking it. No...it's not as good as it could be or maybe as Taylor hoped for, hence the reason they keep updating / tweaking it etc. But personally I wouldn't dream of doing these kind of minor guitar surgeries to re-do. Even if I did, i would personally be taking them to a good Taylor service / Luthier person. Just my .02. Frankly i even like my barn-door Fishman pre-fix system on my 2002 614CE.
And please...before someone insults my "ear" or guitar / pick-up / PA / AMP / electronics knowledge, I assure you, although my guitar skills are limited to a couple hundred covers and 0 originals and completely OK with that, I've got 25+yrs playing and working with live sound / PA (small to 200K house systems). Give me something about the systems specifics where everyone has had such problems / specific complaints.
__________________
The current New Lefty's: https://images2.imgbox.com/96/10/6F6KBwdB_o.jpg 2019 Taylor 614CE NAMM Special Edition https://images2.imgbox.com/fa/77/cBleTW2l_o.jpeg https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/e3/50/Mmhxidw9_t.jpg
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#12
11-22-2013, 06:04 PM
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There are no service centers within 400 miles of me. I would have to pay around $150 shipping (Canada) there and back plus whatever parts cost are. What really steamed me is when Taylor told me that some of the neck pickups were put in wrong... yet mine wasn't covered because it was used. I was surprised that quality control didn't catch it on the way out and fix it. Would have been a cheap fix while still at the factory. Pop the neck off de-solder old pickup then re-solder a new pickup in place! For me it was the best fix that looked like I did nothing. It should be stated that I have a VERY picky ear. I hear the slightest of tuning variances and also volume imbalances. I always have been picky, then 15 years of sound man work made my ear even more picky. They're my ears, I have live with what they hear. Although sometimes it drives me (and those around me) absolutely crazy!  !
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