This is a 1996 Taylor 750 that I've actually had longer than any other guitar. I bought it in 1997, not long after my original 514c that I exchanged for the one I have now.
It is the same dreadnoght body style as the D35, and it has the traditional solid sitka spruce top and rosewood back and sides.
The 750 has got a beautiful acoustic sound that will fill up a room. I also like the fact that as the guitar ages, the finish is starting to become a little darker.
Again, the same pickup system is used in the 750 as in the other guitars, so rather than repeat myself for a third time, lets just get to that system:
The LR Baggs Dual Source pickup system uses an under-the-bridge ribbon transducer along with a microphone mounted inside the body of the guitar. It allows the performer to control the volume and--perhaps more importantly--the mix of the sound.
One of my favorite features of the setup of all three of my guitars is that the pickup system is completely contained INSIDE the guitars. There are two small dials discretely mounted just inside the soundhole that control the volume and the mix. There are no controls, preamps, or other gadgetry visible from outside the guitar.
The only hint of electronics is the unit shown above, visible inside the soundhole, which is probably about as good as it gets if you're a purist.
I try to run at 100% microphone sound whenever possible, though depending on the room, I can use as much as a 50/50 mix to avoid feedback.
Generally, a mic'ed sound is vastly superior to anything else, in my opinion, when trying to capture the true sound of an acoustic guitar, and the Dual Source does a teriffic job of this.
The other part of this equation is the direct box:
There are lots of capable (and less expensive) direct boxes available, but the LR Baggs Para Acoustic D.I. is a great companion to the Dual Source system.
(For those who don't know what a direct box does, it basically amplifies the sound of a guitar, mic, or other instrument a little bit before that sound goes into the PA System, and at the same time turns the electronic signal into something the PA can better interpret).
I like the Para Acoustic D.I. because it has a few more bells and whistles than most direct boxes, and it is designed to work with LR Baggs products.
Of course, it's also important to have the right strings:
It may seem simple, but any acoustic guitarist will tell you that the right (or wrong) strings can make ALL the difference in how a guitar sounds.
I absolutely LOVE Elixir Phosphor Bronze strings. Obviously, I am not alone. Phosphor bronze strings are renowned for their crispness, and Elixir pioneered the process of coating their strings, essentially allowing these strings to last about twice as long as normal strings do.
I used to use D'Addario Phosphor Bronze strings. However, I found that Elixirs sound at least as good as the D'Addarios, but last about a month rather than a week or two.
Naturally, Elixirs are just about the most expensive strings available. (Lord loves a workin' man.)
One downside that I have experienced with the Elixirs is that the "g" string tends to break a lot. Under certain circumstances, that might be considered a good thing (especially during a live performance), but in terms of guitar strings, not so much...
Next is guitar effects:
Like most acoustic guitarists, I actually use very few effects...a little reverb from the PA system along with the Boss AD-3 for some chorus and occasionally a little anti-feedback--if you can even consider the absence of feedback an effect.
The anti-feedback feature on the Boss AD-3 is very nice. As soon as I start to hear the guitar feed back, I step on the left pedal and the AD-3 finds the frequency and filters it out.
After years of creating new dance moves trying to get my guitar pointed away from the source of feedback, I can say that this is money well spent.
The chorus effect is essentially used to make the guitar sound bigger. It's a little tough to explain, but a couple of examples of songs I do with the chorus effect are "Up on the Roof" and "Solsbury Hill".
Finally, about a year ago I decided that I didn't have enough equipment to set up and tear down, so I decided to add a piano to my act:
The Yamaha CP33, while not spectacular, is a very nice stage piano. It has the full 88 graded-hammer action weighted keys (meaning that it feels like I'm playing a real piano, not a circa-1987 Casio keyboard), and several different sampled piano, electric piano, and organ sounds.
There are plenty of keyboards out there with more features, but the CP33 covers all the basics and sounds a lot like a real acoustic instrument, which, as it is with my guitars, is priority #1.
-MSP
