Taylor Baby Series Guitars Updated – NAMM 2015

Taylor Guitars update the Baby Taylor Series, equipping them with the new Expression System Baby pickup.

Baby Taylor Series

Also called “ES-B”, the Expression System Baby is based on the company’s behind-the-saddle pickup Expression System 2, carrying over the same uniquely positioned and individually calibrated piezo sensors, tweaked to work with the smaller body size of the Baby Taylor series.

Instead of having a third party company build their pickups, Taylor decided to create their own, and it looks like this decision is something that they won’t regret.
The Expression System 2, which is currently used on many of their guitars, is well received by players and critics alike. It is known to produce impressive crisp and clear acoustic tones that have been synonymous to the Taylor brand.

What’s unique about Expression System 2 is that the piezo crystals are placed “behind” the saddle instead of the usual “under” the saddle position. The reasoning behind this change is that the piezos that are under the saddle have restricted movement, which results in what all acoustic-electric guitarists are familiar with – it is hard to retain sonic clarity and tonal balance when your plucking the strings aggressively. This led Taylor’s electronics to reposition the crystals to where they believe would be the best position to capture the natural sonic energy of the guitar, and that is behind the saddle

Now this same updated technology is applied to their smaller guitars, resulting in four new models that will be getting the new ES-B treatment. This includes the three-quarter-size Dreadnought Baby Taylor, the Baby Taylor Mahogany, and the Taylor Swift Baby Taylor. The fourth model to get this electronics update is the 15/16-scale Big Baby Taylor.

These small guitars all feature a solid wood top crafted from either mahogany or Sitka spruce, and are supported by layered sapele back and sides. Instead of utilizing artificial wood, Taylor utilized genuine ebony for the fretboard and bridge. These ES-B equipped models will include an “e” to its name, i.e. Baby Taylor-e, Baby Mahogany-e, Taylor Swift Baby Taylor-e, and Big Baby Taylor-e.

Baby Taylor Series

Taylor concludes, “ES-B is powered by an onboard preamp that incorporates volume and tone controls, plus another handy feature: a built-in digital chromatic tuner. The integrated electronics blend exceptional amplified tone and tuning capabilities into an all-in-one system for a seamless plug-and-play experience… The ultra-portable Baby Taylor models are perfect for beginners, as a travel guitar, or for alternate tunings. Now paired with the ES-B pickup, players can record, plug-in or perform just about anywhere.

The new Baby Taylor Series with Expression System Baby is set for release in February. Find out more about these instruments by visiting Taylor Guitars. These guitars were recently put on display at the Taylor booth during the 2015 NAMM Show.

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