Query failed: connection to localhost:9312 failed (errno=111, msg=Connection refused). Taylor ES2 live - wow! - Acoustics Discussions on The Fretboard
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UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45

Taylor ES2 live - wow!

LittlejonnyLittlejonny Frets: 84
in Acoustics
I'm playing in a show at the moment (The Sound of Music) and I have some very exposed acoustic guitar passages. I took along my Sigma with Fishman Sonitone, and also borrowed a student's Taylor Academy series with ES-B (as far as I know, it's an ES2 with more basic controls).

The Taylor sounds so natural, it's the closest thing to a mic I've heard/felt in a pickup. I'm so pleased with the tone, that I think I'll have to sell a couple of my acoustics and buy a Taylor! I don't think I could tolerate the maple neck on an Academy Series, so I'd have to go for a 110 or something. I've read people slating the ES2 online, and I really don't understand it. It just sounds so good!

Check them out if you can...
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Comments

  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 10961
    A TC Bodyrez will make your Sigma sound a lot better, and a lot more natural.  You should be able pick one up second hand for around £50.  It does make a significant difference.  I had a Martin with one of those Sonitone pickups so I know from experience.

    There are other pedals that do a similar job.  Or you could get a pedal that does IRs like the Mooer Radar.  Load a good acoustic IR on there, and that will fix your issues.

    One of the problems with the ES2 is that it is complex, and unfixable if anything breaks.  A simple undersaddle with an outboard pedal/preamp can always be fixed.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 69426

    I don't think I could tolerate the maple neck on an Academy Series, so I'd have to go for a 110 or something.
    What’s the problem with a maple neck? They’re stronger and more stable than a mahogany one.

    crunchman said:

    One of the problems with the ES2 is that it is complex, and unfixable if anything breaks.  A simple undersaddle with an outboard pedal/preamp can always be fixed.
    I’m also a great believer in just putting the pickup in the guitar and everything else offboard, but I have to say I haven’t seen or heard of any reliability problems with the ES2 yet... unlike the original ES.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 10961
    edited January 2020
    ICBM said:

    I’m also a great believer in just putting the pickup in the guitar and everything else offboard, but I have to say I haven’t seen or heard of any reliability problems with the ES2 yet... unlike the original ES.

    That's an improvement then.  I saw a brand new Taylor about £300 off once because the ES system was broken.

    I'd still spend £50 or £60 on a second hand TC BodyRez, or Boss AD2, before I did anything else.  The "Acoustic Resonance" feature of the Boss sounds similar to what the BodyRez does - only it's a Boss so it won't break.  Based on my experience of other TC gear, it's probably only a matter of time before mine breaks.  The Boss pedal came out 2 or 3 months after I bought the TC, otherwise I would have bought the Boss.

    Edit:  the Boss also has a balanced TRS output so you don't need a separate DI box.
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  • LittlejonnyLittlejonny Frets: 84
    crunchman said:
    ICBM said:

    I’m also a great believer in just putting the pickup in the guitar and everything else offboard, but I have to say I haven’t seen or heard of any reliability problems with the ES2 yet... unlike the original ES.

    That's an improvement then.  I saw a brand new Taylor about £300 off once because the ES system was broken.

    I'd still spend £50 or £60 on a second hand TC BodyRez, or Boss AD2, before I did anything else.  The "Acoustic Resonance" feature of the Boss sounds similar to what the BodyRez does - only it's a Boss so it won't break.  Based on my experience of other TC gear, it's probably only a matter of time before mine breaks.  The Boss pedal came out 2 or 3 months after I bought the TC, otherwise I would have bought the Boss.

    Edit:  the Boss also has a balanced TRS output so you don't need a separate DI box.
    Thanks for the responses...and these are good points. I was just so impressed by this Taylor Academy 12 with ESB. SO easy to play, sounds gorgeous acoustically, great intonation and to have something that sounded so good plugged directly into a PA - wow. Very seductive - I wish I had a spare 599 to buy one and live with it for a while.

    A Taylor 114e might be a more sensible option (something weird about having a 'beginner's' guitar as your main guitar) but it's also a lot of money to me, so I'd have to shift a couple of guitars to fund it...tough decision because I know from experience that sometimes the love between guitar and guitarist just doesn't work out!

    I forgot about Body-Rez - the youtube videos just sound like a pre-set EQ to me. But it probably comes into it's own through a PA right? IRs...I've used them on my recordings to get a 2 mic setup out of 1 mic and a pickup. They can be pretty good, but weird live at volume. Those tonedexters look clever, but I can't see it cutting through my band (Rhodes, Sax, Drums).
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