There's some old posts about Taylor ES systems with a slight delay and another posted when the low e string is attacked, it's very boomy. I have both these problems plus an annoying hiss.

My guitar is a 2008 9-volt version 410CE Dreadnought. I use the Tonematch for Taylor Dreadnought Strum with a balanced cable.

Without the compressor effect it has a very unstable-anything but warm tone with every possible setting I could think of to stop this. You can barely hear the the strings when picking softly and if you strum heavy, it sounds boomy and just all around ****. The compressor solves this problem but it increases the hiss and feedback possibilties. You can't use the Noise Gate with the Compressor because it's in the same patch.

So...

After process of elimination, I realized it's definitely the guitar and I learned that the magnetic pick-up underneath the fretboard near the top of the sound hole is too powerful.

There's massive string pull at high volume. It's so powerful, it drowns out the two body sensors.

I decided to be brave and remove the neck. Three bolts, no glue and it slide off nice. I thought I'd try a piece of thin plastic I cut to the same shape as the pick-up and used it as an insulator to remove some of the power creating more material between string and magnet (An adjustable pick-up height or seperate volume control would be nice.)

The tricky part is that they have a seperate magnet detached from the pick-up harness. It's glued into the neck to help with balancing the higher strings. I raised it up-away from the underside of the neck and forced some paper in between the space...Well...

It worked!

It worked so well, that I love my guitar sound...What alot of work...

It shouldn't be...

All and all, I think the ES is really not worth the money and can find a similar sound in a cheaper guitar with just a piezo. Taylor is beautiful unplugged or used with a seperate condensor mic for recording. The ES system has the potential...Bose L1 II is great! Love it! Needs to be stereo though (somehow)

Cheers!

Matt

Just read your post and ive got the same problem with low volume feedback and a really hollowy sound.The minute i put any compression on it feeds.One place I play i cannot get more than 1 metre away but still expected the pickup to be cleaner/less boomy.I am not brave enough to attempt what you did but thanks for the explanation.My old washburn sounds far nicer/warm than my new Taylor 214ce..I play it with the two tone volumes at 12 o'clock and ive tried the least teeny bit of reverb and it feeds.Any suggestions to tell my guitar tech at guitarguitar,Edinburgh.

Matt

Doesn't the new Taylor Expression system have small switches on the pre-amp inside the guitar that allows you to turn off the different sensors??

I have the AA 2008 version 810 but I thought this is a new feature on the 9 volt new ES.

May want to check.

Hi, Steve...

Does the serial number in your guitar begin with 2008? Just wondering because the Expression System changed over to the 9 volt in 2007. Is it an 810 CE or did you want the AA?

My Taylor 2008 410 CE with the switches off or on - the boomy loudness and feedback we are refering to was still nasty. The body sensors are not very powerful but what you were probably thinking is that all three together would create the feedback or bassy-boomy sound. I had tried every possible situation and still had the sound. My cure was very simple. It could be my paticular guitar but it seems to be a common issue.

Matt

Matt

You are correct..

Mine is a 2006..time flies when you are having fun!

Understand your trials...and interesting.