Taylor GS Mini

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BigD

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Who has some experience with these? Im just feeling the steel strings here lately and its just become to hard to play my full size seagull. I love it to pieces and would never get rid of it but its just to big in all honesty. So ive been searching parlor size guitars but parlor is not quite what i want either ( im difficult i know ) Ive heard great things about these little guitars so im curious what everyones experience here is with them. How much did ya pay, hows it feel/ sound, any info is super helpful! Im debating trading my pro classic for one (blasphemy i know) but id really like one with the pickup installed. thanks!!
 
Have only seen one up-close-and-personal and didn't really pay much attention to it. I'm going to a Taylor Road Show demo at the local GC store at the end of the month and will look more closely.

I also have a Pono Pro Classic I got in a trade and an considering installing a pickup-preamp on/in it. The Pro Classic is really sweet, and the electronics cost may be a better deal than another instrument.
 
I have had a GS Mini for a couple years now. The thing is loads of fun, and it is the only flattop that I play now.

The action, out of the box, was much too high for my taste – but playable. I am still tweaking it.
 
Considered one when I was trying to learn guitar. Rated by many as best bang for the buck in it's category. I tried one and liked everything about it.
 
I have one. It is pretty rare to find one under the regular internet price. It sounds amazing, lots of tone from a small box. I bought one that had been in a Taylor Road Show and the pickup was included free.

Love the tone, the size, the look, the bag (!)

Pickup is good but it is a magnetic pickup so not the most natural sound. Had a slight hiss but I sent for (free) easy to install fix for that.

Workmanship is fine. I really appreciate the fact that they use the regular "NT" neck attachment and ebony fingerboard.

I tried it with light strings - not good. It definitely needs mediums as Taylor specifies. Because of the mediums, I don't play this one for long sessions. Whimpy hands as I get older!

Mine is this GS Mini (played about 5 1/2 minutes into this video at the Taylor Road Show)



A size comparison next to my Larrivée dreadnaught

LarriveD-03RandTaylorGSMini001.jpg
 
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I've had mine near on 4 years, it's my only "player." have another, old (1960's red label Yamaha), but the GS mini is The One. I've gigged with it, played it in my stepdaughter's wedding (in Hawaii!!) and it holds up great. Only thing I did was add a hard case due to airline travel. As a friend said, "No plywood guitar should sound THAT good!"

bobinde
 
These are great guitars! I have a mahogany GS mini limited edition with the built-in ESP electronics and it plays like butter and rings like a bell. I recommend staying with the Elixer mediums it came with.
I've played a spruce top mini w/o the electronics and it was sweet too!
Comes with a real nice semi hard gig bag to boot!
 
I have one (no electronics), and I like it very much. I'm not much of a player, but I think it's just right. I ordered the first one from Amazon, and it arrived with three cracks in the top, so back it went. I bought one that same afternoon from a local guitar shop and paid about $ 50 more, but will get free checkups and tweaking for the life of the guitar. It's vastly preferable to the Baby Taylor.
 
Im really considering trading in my seagull for a gs mini. I know i said i never would but im really interested in a smaller body. And Harpdog thank u so much for the pics and the video, i can use all the help i can get. Im really not using the pickup on my seagull so its just sitting in it now, i dont use the built in tuner much either, not as accurate as id like. Im just curious as to the sound difference between it and a full body but i dont think ill be satisfied with anything till i hear it myself! I would more than likely get the hog version, im a big fan of cedar and mahogany as top woods
 
I have one and it's great. I sold a 414CE many years ago and regretted I ever sold it. I was lucky and got this one for my birthday and the sounds for it's size is huge, and sounds just as good as I remember by 414CE. Mine is the mohogany. I try to play fingerstyle and strum with my fingers since I am used to that on my ukuleles, thus I don't play with a flat pick and not sure I could do it (feels strange for me to use a pick...I feel uncoordinated with it). Anyhow, I think the GS Mini is a great deal. The semi hard gig bag really is amazing considering it comes with it. You don't need to replace the case which is rare on many instruments that come with soft cases. This one is made extremely well and seems very durable. Cudos to Taylor.
 
bobinde said:
I've had mine near on 4 years, it's my only "player." have another, old (1960's red label Yamaha), but the GS mini is The One. I've gigged with it, played it in my stepdaughter's wedding (in Hawaii!!) and it holds up great. Only thing I did was add a hard case due to airline travel. As a friend said, "No plywood guitar should sound THAT good!"

bobinde
Click to expand...

I did some checking on Amazon, seems that the mahogany top is "plywood" but the spruce top is solid sitka.back and sides are lam on both. is this right?
 
They all have solid tops and lami back and sides regardless of the model...at least they did a year ago when I got mine.
 
The mahog version is solid "tropical" mahogany top with laminated sapele back & sides
 
Now i just have to find time to get to a taylor carrying shop! Anyone in the Dekalb/Aurora area of Illinois that know of any good smaller shops? I wanna avoid guitar center if at all possible, pretty sure theres a sam ash somewhere round here and hix bros.... thanks everyone! Ive had so many people in my everyday life tell me its a bad idea, but if i find it more comfortable to play how could it be a bad idea?!
 
BigD said:
Now i just have to find time to get to a taylor carrying shop! Anyone in the Dekalb/Aurora area of Illinois that know of any good smaller shops? I wanna avoid guitar center if at all possible, pretty sure theres a sam ash somewhere round here and hix bros.... thanks everyone! Ive had so many people in my everyday life tell me its a bad idea, but if i find it more comfortable to play how could it be a bad idea?!
Click to expand...

I don't know if Hix has them, but consider going a little farther to Downers Grove and Tobias Music. Great guitar shop with lots of Taylor (and Martin)
 
A lot of my musician friends r under the belief ( i think) that a smaller size guitar would be mistake when i already have a more than suitable full size dread. And the move seems odd because i am a bigger guy,not that that really means anything about what guitar you play.
 
BigD said:
A lot of my musician friends r under the belief ( i think) that a smaller size guitar would be mistake when i already have a more than suitable full size dread. And the move seems odd because i am a bigger guy,not that that really means anything about what guitar you play.
Click to expand...

That's just guitarist snobbery. The GS Mini is not a toy, by any means. You won't get the volume you would from a dreadnought, but it really does sound like a full size guitar.

I have given away my other flat tops. I'm looking for the right archtop acoustic as my "go to" instrument, but I will definitely keep the GS Mini.
 
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That is entirely to pretty for me to handle right now, or my wallet lol im hoping trading in my Seagull Entourage Cutaway a/e will cover almost all of my expenses on a hog version. Ive come to realize that im ok with multiple ukes (who wouldnt be) but having more than one acoustic guitar for me is to much. More than anything it just takes up too much of the space i have in my tiny room with my girlfriend.
 
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