Upgrading a Taylor to an Expression System 2

A lot of Taylor owners are considering upgrading their Taylor guitars to the newest electronics, the ES-2 system. It is a big change, as the neck PU, dummy-coil, and sensor harness have gone away. Replacing these, is a sophisticated three-sensor array that mounts behind the saddle, through three holes.

The problem is, the bridges on non-ES-2 Taylors do not have these holes, and they need to be perfectly machined to function and look right. A few of us in the field perform this service for Taylor owners, with Taylor’s full support. I’ve been with Taylor over twenty five years, and they sent me the fixtures to perform this upgrade. I have done quite a few and the customers have all loved the difference.

Here you see the fixture mounted to the bridge, in order to bore the three holes through the bridge, top and bridge plate. The bushings on this jig are wonderful, and guide the razor sharp bit perfectly.

I did not take a “before” photo, as I did not think to do a blog on this until I had already done the drilling, but it is clear from the photos.  This customer drove to my shop in southern Vermont from Connecticut, went into town for a couple hours, then returned when it was complete. He was so happy to return the same day with the finished guitar, and this is something I can often do for people who are traveling.

Thanks for stopping by,

Scott