Taming The Taylor ES-2 Pickup System | How to EQ Your Guitar Properly

many feel the ES-1 was a better pickup.

On my Taylor 110e (which looks just like the guitar you are holding here), when i plug into my electronic tuner everything works as it should until i try to tune the g string and then the tuner goes crazy and will not stop until i go to a different string. What could be causing that? I can use a regular unplugged acoustic tuner and it works fine. I tune all 25 of my other guitars with the electronic tuner and they all work fine. Weird.

Chris I plat a Ibanez acoustic with Fishman equipment what cable and Amp?

Thanks for the insight!! Lots of good info here. Appreciate it!!

I bought my first Taylor 2 weeks ago and turned to this video because I was very unimpressed with the ES-2 system (though the guitar is great). I thought there would be some discussion about adjusting the 3 Allen screws behind the saddle and I was really surprised that it wasn't mentioned. The Alamo channel is my trusted 'go to' for all musical matters so I thought this was strange. Perhaps a revisit to the subject is needed!!

Nicely done. Nice to get a comprehensive view, well articulated. TX!

Thanks so much for this. You really helped me understand the ES 2 on my K24 CE. I will remember.....subtract first!

Bottom line: The ES2 is a piece of crap! I swapped out my ES1 for an ES2 in my 914ce. Taylor did the work. In so doing, I ruined a perfectly fine guitar. ES2 is very nasty sounding and problematic.

Great video! Very useful!

Piezo quack is the bane of my existence lol

Very informative thanks

Chris, Thank you so much for the excellent explanation of the ES system. I bought a used 2014 114e I bought last year and this really helped. Much appreciated!

Can I add a Transacoustic Double OS1 to my Taylor and play with both?

Man, ain't nobody doing a video on the bridge pickup hex adjustments

Thanks for the great video. The part when you were talking about DI and effects is still unclear to me. I own a Taylor 214 ce-K DLX and BOSS GT1000Core effect processor and wonder if I can run it without any DI directly to a LINE input on a PA mixer.

A lot for a drummer to understand,lol. Great presentation!

Best discussion of the Taylor system I’ve ever heard. Very useful, thanks!

Like the channel but not sure what they are not mentioning the fact that Taylor has reduced the ES2 output level for guitars built beyond 2019 to the point that you need to add an external pre-amp before plugging into a Mix Table. Have had a very bad live session experience due to that with a very weak and poor guitar sound on a 914CE V-Bracing 2019!
Moving forward, I'll be using my TC VoiceLive2 as the guitar pre-amp.

I’ve owned several tailors and each one I battled it being trebly in the mix and it’s really hard to get it out

I worked for over 11 years now and selling a lot of Taylors, but the ES2 sound very very bad. It sound hollw and crappy. They have to instal Fisman or LR Bags.

Thanks for the info. I still don’t like the es2 system I’ll stick with my takamine pro series guitars best preamps for me so far.

Achem, 1² = 1. 😤🤧

Man ive tried them all! Fishman Prefix and LR Baggs Element are way better than the es. Want a good affordable preamp? BBE Acoustimax. The ES system sounds like a coffee can full of pennies and angry bees rolling around in the back seat of a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass in a state fair demolition derby.

Amazing. Thank you so much!

great basic info about how to get you signal set-up from the guitar through to the p.a./mixer...

Just bought a builder's edition 324ce and my first gig is tonight. This was very helpful!

Question for anyone: should my guitar be going into a DI before or after my pedalboard? I use loops, reverb, delay, wah, and overdrive when I'm playing acoustic.

Hi Chris, I have a beautiful 2012 GS custom built for the 2012 Taylor Road Show that I ended up purchasing in 2014 at a discounted price. It is a beautiful looking and sounding guitar....until I plug it in. It has the ES1 system. When I plug it into our church sound board with the cable that has the 1/4 inch on one end and xlr on the other, it sounds thin and bad. The only time it sounds good plugged in with that cable is when I plug it into my nice little Fishman Loudbox mini amp. I bought an LR Baggs Session DI that I plug it into when I lead at our church which really helps. Yesterday, I played with a group at a Christian school and though my guitar was plugged into my Fishman, they wanted me to plug into a monitor so we plugged into the back of my Fishman output to their amp and the sound coming out was thin and bad...again! Should I just get an ES2 system installed in it? I really like my Taylor but now I`m wondering if I should have bought a Martin D18 for that lush, warm sound that I`m looking for. Thanks so much for posting.

Ron

Good job! 👍👍

Clear and engaging. Thanks.
I bought my K-62ce mostly for its plugged-in sound. The ES-2 sounds just fine.
It's interesting that you don't get into adjusting those 3 screws. No doubt we could get into a world of trouble messing with those.

I'm not a fan of the pickup. I've got a takamine with their basic pickup (no knobs or anything on the outside) and it actually sounds natural. The es2 just has a high end weird un-natural sound to me.

Hey Chris what is your favourite acoustic pickup system?

That was so helpful! I was doing everything wrong and hated my live sound. Now I have some experiments to perform.

Thank you so much brother for uploading such an informative video. Really it was very helpful. I am a worship leader and I was worried before but after watching this video, i am confident with the sound system.

Here's how to tame the ES system; tear it out. This is a misleading video. While I use Taylor 6/12 string guitars faithfully; no amount of 'selling' will convince me that the ES system is worthy of anything, except tearing out of the guitar-and putting in a Fishman Prefix or Blender. Oh, you get the 'quacking sound' with the cheap ES system on their 12 strings. Taylor pickups suck on their 12 strings. Drop a Fishman Prefix Pro or Blender into it. Taylor stopped selling their guitars with 'Fishman systems', to cut costs and sell more guitars. The six's are barely tolerable with their ES pickups-but their 12 strings sound like garbage. Don't let ANYONE, including Taylor tell you otherwise. Doubt me? Go find an early 2000's Taylor 12(And six,)-and plug it into a p.a. system. (Not a guitar amp.) My 2004 855 sounds amazing, so why have a cheap, 'it'll do' pickup in it...Taylor sold out with the public; by dumping the Fishman systems, and pushing these horrible-sounding ES toys. (I don't mean to sound so negative; but I'm tired of listening to amateurs-push these horrible sounding ES pickups.)

So friggin’ helpful. Been looking for advice on mixing my ES2. Been playing live and having some trouble. The “subtractive mixing” part was gold. Thanks from rural PA

Thanks for this video. My "G" string had horrible feedback on my 324BE. Flicked the white switch.. and it's much better 👍

It's pronounced: pee · ay · zow, not piezow. Sorry to be precise here. The word comes from the Greek, meaning pressure or push. The "i" is pronounced as an "e." In German too, the ie would be pronounced as a "pee" sound, not "pie" sound. Anyone who knows Latin or Latin-based languages, also knows this. Most people mispronounce Semper Fi, whereas the "i" is actually a long e, like Semper Fee (as in Fidelity). Don't expect a Marine to pronounce this correctly.

Thank you! I love my Taylor guitar. But even as a full time musician I am an idiot for fine tuning my sound. Sometimes I have a guitar tech but usually acoustic gigs I'm the guitar tech too and I'm awful at it. Thank you Alamo Music for these videos!

I have a 310ce and I love the ES2. Guess I’m in the minority but maybe the dreadnought shape works better with the ES2 🤷‍♂️
Also I’m putting it through an LR Bags pre amp and it sounds very natural

My big baby walnut is too lively how can I tame that down body noise rings on fingers etc its new and the preamp sounds cheapish thanks for any help

I have a 224cd Koa deluxe. Is it a TRS out or mono? It has a ES2 in it. I've heard both ways. I typically run my acoustic straight into a Boss GT1000 or into an Everse 8 for small gigs. My problem is a large LACK of volume from my Taylor. Comparisons with the same cable, strum and pick through my EV Everse 8 I get 102db on a orchestral Guild, I get 107db on my Guild D55. On the Taylor I get only 84db. How do I best resolve this and hopefully without added gear.

Thanks that was very helpful ❤

Why is it not properly set from the factory? You spend so much for one. It should come with a manual showing the best places to put the nobs

I purchased a 414ce a few months ago and can't get a decent sound out of fit. I had a 214ce a few years ago that sounded so much better eq wise. Seriously thinking about unloading it and going back to my Epiphone DR500mce fitted with a K and K pure mini wihich sounds a hundred times better. Really wanted to like Taylor but they sound awful plugged in.

I have an Academy 10e that is using the old system. THANK YOU for the balanced cable tip, it does appear to make a difference! I have now tried it with a balanced cable into my little mixer and it works well. But does this mean I'm relegated to going straight into the board at Church? I normally play electric, but might want to add some acoustic to my options. So I tried it with a Pyle PHE400 (Passive Hum Eliminator) in through the XLR then HighZ out my pedal board. I works but very little signal. Perhaps add a small mixer or powered reverse-DI? Is that a thing? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, I assume I could just use a TRS - TRS if the mixer or DI has a TRS balanced input option, right?

Extremely well delivered explanation I have been setting my guitar up wrongly for years so much happier now I have watched this video thank you for you attention to detail this is so important to take on board I now have the sound I have been looking for 😊

Just found this video and I have to say this is the best EQ ideas I've seen. Thank you so much for sharing this!!

Well I've had my 524 for five years and just found out about the built in phase button, thanks brother 👍🏻🌟

Just got my builders edition 314 ce LTD and this was a huge help also your review of said guitar thanks buddy