Undeniable beauty, incredible playability, scintillating tone and Taylor’s latest electronics make the K66ce a 12-string set apart! The Taylor Expression System 2 (ES2) is a revolutionary new pickup design that delivers an incredibly dynamic sound thanks to a behind-the-saddle pickup. Taylor expertly crafts the Grand Symphony body shape with stunning Hawaiian Koa which yields a bright and focused sound, with warm overtones that slowly emerge.
Taylor K66ce Koa 12 String ES2 Acoustic Electric Features
- Grand Symphony body shape which yields a rich, warm voice
- Taylor 12 Strings bracing pattern for clean tone ever when played aggressive
- ES2 electronics with patent-pending behind-the-saddle pickup
- Hawaiian Koa offers a big bold voice that starts bright and tight and opens with great midrange
- Premium appointments include an Island Vine fingerboard inlay
Expression System 2
The Taylor Expression System 2 (ES2) delivers the latest in Taylor’s ongoing innovation. The heart of the Expression System 2 is Taylor’s proprietary behind-the-saddle pickup (patent pending), which features three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated pickup sensors. The location of the sensors enables a more dynamic range of acoustic sound to be captured than ever before. Together with Taylor’s custom-designed pro audio-grade preamp, this system produces exceptional tone and response.
Behind the ES2 Design: Rethinking the Piezo Pickup
For decades, piezo-electric transducers have been positioned under the saddle of a guitar based on the long-held belief that the string and top vibration cause the saddle to ‘bounce’ up and down. Taylor’s team, led by developer David Hosler, discovered that the vertical movement is actually heavily restricted, and that the saddle gets ‘locked down’ due to the downward pressure. This makes traditional under-saddle pickup with piezo-electric crystals sound thin, brittle, brash or synthetic.
The saddle’s natural range of movement as the guitar is being played is actually back and forth like a pendulum. That revelation led Taylor’s design team to relocate the crystals from under the saddle to behind it. The new positioning enables the crystals to respond more naturally to the guitar’s energy as it is transferred through the saddle. Three pickup sensors are installed behind the saddle, through the bridge, with three tiny Allen screws that calibrate the position of the sensors in relation to the saddle.
Like the original Expression System, the ES2 features the same volume and tone control knobs. The preamp is similar but with a slightly different gain structure. As a result it will be about 25 percent hotter, which is more in line with other pickups. This makes it plug-and-play friendly both for artists and live sound mixers.