Taylor GS Mini or ?

Stavros · August 2018

I’ve only been playing electric for around 18 months and am thinking it’s time for me to try my hand on acoustic.

There seems to be a lot of good feedback on the Taylor GS Mini, and I’m planning on trying one out at the weekend, but are there any others such as Yamaha or Tanglewood in the same price bracket that you would recommend?

Jez6345789 · August 2018

I love my GS Mini Koa the factory setup on Taylors is pretty brutal for Electric players starting acoustic its something like 13's as standard and a higher action sounds wonderful but I had to lower the bridge and drop down a gauge for my old hands. The mini is a shorter scale but they sound and play great when you have them how you want them. I like the pickup system which is handy built in.

Stavros · August 2018

Thanks for the advice on set up. The koa is the electro-acoustic version? What was the reasoning behind that rather than a plain acoustic?

DrCornelius · August 2018

I've got a Cort Earth mini, I tried it against the Baby Martin and the Mini Taylor. I may be cloth eared but I couldn't tell much between them other than the price so it could be one to try if you can.

Grunfeld · August 2018

GS Mini is lovely -- but I totally agree with @Jez6345789 's comment about set up. I happened to be having some work done on a couple of electrics and almost as an afterthought asked @FelineGuitars to do the GS Mini and gawd it came back so much better. The mini is my most played guitar.

Because:

(a) it's mini! Like, it's over there right now... [hang on] now it's here... [plays] and now it's back over there.

(b) it sounds and plays lovely.

I didn't look at other mini guitars; a mate has a mini Martin. That was nice too.

Jontommy · August 2018

I very nearly went for a mahogany gs mini but settled on a guild m120. Very similar size & very comfortable to play. Had it about 4 years now it’s its a guitar I doubt I’ll ever sell.

stimpsonslostson · August 2018

I have a Faith Naked Mercury which is a phenomenal guitar.
As an aside, I walked through Edinburgh city centre yesterday, GS Minis FAR out numbered any other guitar being played by musicians/buskers/art students- that popularity speaks volumes to me... Can Toby, Rupert, Hugo, Bertie & their mates all be wrong?

johnnythefox · August 2018

I bought a gs mini mahogony about a month ago and love it but have to agree with jez6345789 totally, am now toying with the idea of a good pro set up but wondering are there many out there that have changed to thinner strings ? and what was the outcome ?

joeyowen · August 2018

I had a GS Mini Koa for a few years. Loved it. Only sold because the garden renovation cost lots. lots and lots

mli3 · August 2018

I think theres a GS Mini for sale on here ?

Kilgore · August 2018

Martin Dreadnought junior. All solid wood as well.

TADodger · August 2018

Another Koa GS Mini-e here and another agreement with set up point. I picked mine up used, although only 6 months old and virtually unplayed, and it feels a lot better to play than the mahogany demo in my local guitar store.

Re the strings, I also have a Gretch Jim Dandy parlour style and I found that really hard to play (it is fitted with 13’s) coming from electric, so I fitted Martin’s Silk and Steel 11.5 To 47’s which transformed it. It is a12th fret join but with a scale length of .5” longer than the GS they may work on that too.

m_c · August 2018

I'm another one with a Koa GS-Mini. Lovely guitar, but I do agree with the comments about the setup. I've still got mine how it came, and it certainly punishes the fingers more than my electrics, but it's still very playable.

Stavros · August 2018

mli3 said:

I think theres a GS Mini for sale on here ?

Yes but it’s unfortunately too far away from me.

Stavros · August 2018

Thanks for all the comments chaps, looks like the GS Mini is taking over the world!

Pablocrackers · August 2018

Hey man i have a gs mini im going to be selling if of any interest great guitar big sound but i brought a martin and cant justify keeping two acoustics. Based in Ware Herts. Ta. Peter

Wazmeister · August 2018

Ive owned many Taylors, including some high end stuff, and my mate recently had a Taylor 12E from Coda (for his 50th).

It is a lower end spec (naturally at £600) but struck me as a wonderfully balanced sounding guitar for that kind of money. Very playable and likeable.

It sounded mint through our PA...

https://www.coda-music.com/acoustic-guitars/taylor/taylor-academy-12e.html

thomasross20 · August 2018

Try all the different wood varieties... I liked the Koa one best.

Sparky · August 2018

I was in exactly your position after about 18 months of playing electric and I bought a GS mini mahogany. I had played dreadnoughts and they felt way too big for me so I thought a parlour size guitar would make sense. Whilst it sounded very good indeed, the size was a little small for my liking. I ended up with a mahogany Sigma OOO and I absolutely cannot put it down. Sigma was a similar price new to what my GS mini cost me used.

Stavros · August 2018

Pablocrackers said:

Hey man i have a gs mini im going to be selling if of any interest great guitar big sound but i brought a martin and cant justify keeping two acoustics. Based in Ware Herts. Ta. Peter

Bit too far away I’m afraid, but thanks anyway

Stavros · August 2018

Sparky said:

I was in exactly your position after about 18 months of playing electric and I bought a GS mini mahogany. I had played dreadnoughts and they felt way too big for me so I thought a parlour size guitar would make sense. Whilst it sounded very good indeed, the size was a little small for my liking. I ended up with a mahogany Sigma OOO and I absolutely cannot put it down. Sigma was a similar price new to what my GS mini cost me used.

Thanks for this, very helpful, I will take a look.

Stavros · October 2018

Thought I would post an update to this....after trying several different acoustics I did go for the GS Mini in mahogany. It just felt really comfortable in the shop, though the action was higher than I am used to higher up the neck.

It it felt really odd at first after only playing electric previously, and I wasn’t convinced I would stick with it, but after having it properly set up by Fraser Callum in Leeds, it felt like a completely different guitar, and I love it.

Just so easy to pick up and play for a few minutes, without faffing about with an amp and tone settings, and for me it opens up a whole new style of playing, ie finger picking just sounds so much better.

Thanks again for all the advice!

underdog · October 2018

stimpsonslostson said:

I have a Faith Naked Mercury which is a phenomenal guitar.
As an aside, I walked through Edinburgh city centre yesterday, GS Minis FAR out numbered any other guitar being played by musicians/buskers/art students- that popularity speaks volumes to me... Can Toby, Rupert, Hugo, Bertie & their mates all be wrong?

I also have one of those faiths and bloody love it. Have owned it for quite a few years now, it's a bit worn but still plays and sounds lovely

BarrySW19 · October 2018

I was planning on a GS mini, but after playing a few in the shop, including the GS, I ended up going for the Fender Paramount TE in mahogany. I found the action was a bit nicer on the Fender, and the bass seemed a little richer. Plus you get a solid mahogany with electrics for the same price as a GS mini.

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Taylor GS Mini or ?

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