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"As any serious player will tell you, his or her acoustic guitar sounds
different when it's amplified. And most would like for it to sound
the same. I considered this a fundamental problem of the amplified
acoustic guitar, and decided to focus on solving it."
-Bob Taylor
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Tackling a project of this magnitude requires nothing short of total dedication: a major financial
investment, countless hours of research and development, plus technical prowess on par with that of
the world's elite audio equipment manufacturers.
An enterprising Taylor technician named David Hosler spearheaded our initiative.
Early on, David met Mr. Rupert Neve, inventor of the mixing console and
legendary creator of the finest mixing boards and pro audio gear ever made.
Working together with Rupert, we came to an important conclusion: existing
technology has built-in limitations. And so we took a fresh look at a branch of
magnetics that had never been applied to the acoustic guitar. From sensor to
pre-amp to power supply, we rethought every aspect of amplified sound. And
we meticulously studied the way a Taylor behaves when it resonates.
Hosler began his quest by researching patents on acoustic guitar pickups. He endeavored to get inside
the inventors' heads to understand why they'd made their particular design choices, and he realized
that what was lacking in many cases was a full appreciation for how a guitar vibrates and produces
sound in the first place.
Having no background in measuring sound vibrations, Hosler investigated the techniques used by
the aerospace industry to measure the rate of vibration in objects that move. While visiting a
Los Angeles-area company that specializes in commercial grade accelerometers, David made
contacts that led to his working with Mark French, senior engineer in the auto industry and
an adjunct professor of structural dynamics at the University of Michigan, Dearborn. Hosler
struggled to keep up with French as the pair experimented with laser-scanning, measuring,
and charting the vibrations in the bodies of acoustic guitars.
Bob Taylor, David Hosler, Rupert Neve, and the rest of the ES team applied the results of that
experimentation and new audio design concepts to create Taylor's patented new pickup system
and pre-amp, which will bring out unprecedented, subtle nuances in a player's style. |
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RUPERT NEVE
Recognized as the inventor of the mixing console, Rupert's handiwork is found in thousands of
studios around the world. In 1997, Rupert became one of only eight personal recipients of a
Technical Grammy® award (other recipients include Ray Dolby, George Massenburg, and Les Paul). In
awarding his Grammy, the Recording Academy cites Rupert's profound impact on the industry: "For
setting the standard for quality sound reproduction through his engineering and his
innovative designs, which have made possible unparalleled advances in the quality of
recorded sound; in recognition of his influence on a generation of audio designers;
and for his dedication to purity of audio reproduction." In 1999 he was honored as
"Man of the Century" by Studio Sound magazine. Rupert's impact on the Taylor ES
project cannot be understated. His vision, vigor, and unequaled genius paved the
way for technological breakthroughs responsible for an entirely new concept in
acoustic guitar amplification. |
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DAVID HOSLER
Manager of Taylor Guitars' Final Assembly and Repair departments, Hosler had been dissatisfied
for some time with the sound quality of the piezo-electric systems commonly used to amplify
acoustic guitars. One evening in 1999, after a particularly trying day of struggling with the
flaws of guitar electronics, he vented his frustration in an e-mail to company co-owners Bob
Taylor and Kurt Listug; Bob and Kurt responded by encouraging him to write a full report on
the subject. His report on the state of acoustic guitar amplification led to a "green light"
to begin what turned out to be a three-year R&D journey. Hosler's innate curiosity,
self-motivation, and refusal to accept the foregone conclusions that produce the status
quo have proven to us, once again, what a valuable asset David Hosler is to Taylor
Guitars, and, now, to the music industry in general. |
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Expression System User Guide |
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