TaylorSense

A clever guitar-mounted device that monitors humidity, temperature, and more with the help of an app.

December 6, 2021

Next to catastrophic impact, low humidity is one of the primary causes of damage to wood instruments. Taylor Guitars has long been at the forefront of educating its dealers and customers about the dangers of humidity extremes. The company has included pamphlets with information on the topic with every guitar for many years, produced videos that demonstrate low and high humidity and what to do about it, offered Taylor-branded humidifiers, etc. Now Taylor has released its most sophisticated tool for monitoring not only humidity, but also temperature, battery levels, and even impact. Designed to simply replace the stock battery compartment of Taylor’s Expression System (ES) electronics, TaylorSense does all the above in conjunction with a smartphone app (available for both Android and Apple iOS). Taylor sent me the TaylorSense system installed in an AD22e (check out my recent demo of the guitar), so I installed the app on my iPhone 12 and began monitoring.

TaylorSense works with Taylor guitars that have ES1 or ES2 electronics (including the ES-T and ES-N) powered by a nine-volt battery. Guitars that include the first-generation ES powered by a pair of AA batteries need to have their preamp upgraded for TaylorSense to work. Replacing the standard battery compartment with the TaylorSense “Smart Battery Box” is easy: A Phillips screwdriver is the only tool needed, and Taylor has even created a video that demonstrates the process. The TaylorSense App is a free download from the Apple App Store or Google Play, and the two parts of the system communicate via Bluetooth.

Not only does the TaylorSense app show current humidity and temperature conditions, it also keeps track of this info over a period of time, making it a valuable tool for learning what the guitar’s condition is and what it has been exposed to. Showing the battery level is also very handy, as it avoids changing batteries before it’s necessary, or worse, running out of power in the middle of a gig. TaylorSense’s ability to keep track of impacts would be useful when flying with or shipping a guitar. But there’s even more to the app: Taylor also provides integrated text and video with solutions, such as showing how to humidify, how to change batteries, etc.

I found that TaylorSense worked flawlessly. Getting automatic push-notifications on my phone allowed me to continuously monitor the guitar’s condition, and I found it interesting to track the information over time. For owners of compatible Taylor guitars, installing TaylorSense should be a no-brainer; I can’t think of a better way to be warned of potentially damaging conditions, and the system’s price is well worth the piece of mind it provides.

SPECS: Guitar-mounted sensor for humidity, temperature, battery levels, and impact. Compatible with nine-volt battery-powered Taylor Expression System electronics. Designed to work with Android or iOS TaylorSense app. Made in USA. $79.95 (street). Taylorguitars.com