Taylor Guitars - Innovations

Innovations

Starting in January 1999, Taylor guitars are made with a patented bolt-on neck; the NT neck (new technology). It differs from other necks by using a continuous piece of wood all the way to the 19th fret to support the fretboard. The standard practice is to support the fretboard up to the fourteenth fret with the unsupported portion being glued to the constantly moving soundboard. The NT neck fits into a pocket on the top of the guitar body with the desired angle being achieved by small, accurately milled neck spacers (shims). Over time, some guitars require the neck angle to be realigned (referred to as a neck reset). This process is greatly simplified by allowing the replacement of different sized neck spacers to return the neck to the required angle. Prior to 1999, Taylor Guitars had a simpler bolt-on neck. These guitar necks allow for simple adjustment later if needed. Traditional (Non-Taylor) guitars with a glued neck with a dovetail would need to be disassembled to be adjusted.

Taylor's proprietary pickup system, the Expression System, consists of a humbucking induction pickup mounted in the neck and a pair of dynamic soundboard transducers wired to an on board preamplifier designed by Rupert Neve. The entry-level 100 and 200 series use an externally similar system known as ES-T, which utilizes a single under-saddle pickup and no soundboard transducers. The first generation system was powered by a pair of AA batteries. Starting in 2007 the electronics use a 9-volt battery similarly to common piezoelectric and microphonic pickup systems in other guitars.