Taylor 500 Series 520ce Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar
(Medium Brown Stain)
6 String Acoustic Guitars
- Write a Review
- Seen a Lower Price? Click Here.
45 day price guarantee, 45 day return policy, 100% secure shopping
A full-size cutaway guitar with mahogany body and top and updated electrics.
Mahogany's focused midrange is elevated to new heights with a mahogany top, especially in the form of Taylor's Dreadnought body style, known for its strong upper mids. The tone of this cutaway 500 Series 520ce Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar is meaty yet clear, and translates into a great amplified sound with Taylor's Expression System 2 electronics. Appointments include a black pickguard, ivoroid binding and rosette, and a Century fretboard inlay.
Body Width: 16" / Body Depth: 4 5/8" / Body Length: 20"
The potent tone flatpickers and strummers love.
The most traditional of guitar shapes, Bob Taylor has evolved the Taylor Dreadnought over time to honor its enduring sonic heritage yet also refine the look and sound into a more modern package. The Taylor Dreadnought still boasts that powerful dreadnought tone that old school pickers expect, with deep lows and crisp highs, but with a voice that, like every Taylor, is more evenly balanced across the entire tonal spectrum. Perhaps more than any other shape, the Dreadnought remains linked with roots music like bluegrass and folk, in part because of its traditional role in defining those sounds. Pickers and strummers with an aggressive attack will love the Taylor Dreadnought's blend of power and articulation, which allows for clear lead lines and crisp, driving rhythms.
Expression System 2
The Taylor Expression System 2 (ES2) is a revolutionary pickup design that delivers the latest in Taylor's ongoing innovation in acoustic guitar amplification. 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 "professional audio"-grade preamp, this system produces exceptional amplified tone and responsiveness. On stage through a PA, plugged into your favorite acoustic amplifier, or direct into recording software, the Expression System 2 faithfully conveys the voice of your Taylor guitar.
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. But Taylor's electronics 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 string tension's downward pressure. That's why a traditional under-saddle pickup with piezo-electric crystals often responds with a sound often characterized as thin, brittle, brash or synthetic, especially with more aggressive playing.
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.
- Big sounding dreadnought body
- Tropical mahogany body and top
- Ivoroid binding adn rosette
- Updated Expression Sytstem 2 electronics
- Includes case
Enjoy improved Taylor tone with ES2 electronics. Order today.