A question for the Taylor GS Mini crowd...

Kuroblack

I'm thinking of trying one of these at the weekend, and I'm hoping for good things but...

My only acoustic experience is my trusty Washburn D12 - I bought it for around £300 as a student. It's a great guitar but takes such a lot of effort (physically) to play, and to get something 'neat and tidy' from it, if that makes sense. (maybe it needs a setup, it's never been touched since it left Electro Music in Doncaster, summer of 1998 I believe)

So I'm hoping that the Taylor will be a different, easier experience if that makes sense. Any owners care to comment?

thermionic

I had a Washburn D10 which I bought for £110 as a student in 1988. I eventually replaced it with a Taylor (a 310, which I still have). Not only does the Taylor play a *lot* easier, it made the Washburn sound like an elastic band stretched over a shoebox.

I don't think you'll be disappointed...

Cirrus

The thing I like about the GS mini is that the neck is pretty easy to play. It's an easy guitar all round thanks to the smaller size. Playing riffs on it is a breeze, which is why I bought it - I'm usually writing for electric when I play acoustic at home, so it's nice to have a guitar that can be riffed on without destroying your hands or sounding like shit.

failed_astronaut

Our bassist has one that I noodle on when I'm at his house. It's very nice to play and sounds great and that's compared to my own Martin 000x1ae which is probably of a similar-ish value.

joeyowen

I got the koa version about 6 months ago

Love it, plays great! Have never had it set up, it just works

richardhomer

They play really well straight out of the box. Even on their cheaper models, the factory set-ups are pretty much spot on.

I've had mine for 3 years and haven't had to touch the truss rod. They seem exceptionally stable.

enjo

Just note that while it is easier to play than many standard acoustics it does come as standard with 13's so if you are expecting it to play like a strat on 9's you may be disappointed. The action is normally slightly higher as standard on acoustics compared electrics also.

I love my GS mini (hog), it is actually louder than the (cheap) tanglewood dreadnought it replaced and sounds beautiful.
I did lower the action slightly on mine, this combined with the smaller body makes it a joy to play.

Winny_Pooh

I would recommend nanoweb 12's if you buy it. Just that little bit lighter and a great match for these guitars (I dont play them on any others) 

xSkarloey

They are absolutely their own thing. Portable and slimmed down but nowhere near boxy as some of the travel or mini guitars are. 

I think they have a lovely, sweet and even tone across the frequency range, only lacking the 'thump' you get from a bigger body on a good Dreadnought. 

Kuroblack

Thanks all I'll have a play at Dawsons Manchester as soon as I can - Christmas present maybe!

handsomerik

Something else to consider. I just bought Martin dreadnought junior having not owned an acoustic for about 8 years. They're the same price as the Taylor gs mini.

I did a lot of research and I tried 8 different models of the gs mini and while they are excellent guitars and very well built none of them had the sound or feel I was hoping for. The Martin dreadnought junior just did.

Plus it's a normal sized nut and string spacing so it feels natural to play and in my opinions sounds much fuller. Also it's all solid wood with no high pressure laminate side and back like the lower Taylor's and cheaper martins so it should sweeten with age a little better. 

Grunfeld

Kuroblack said:

So I'm hoping that the Taylor will be a different, easier experience if that makes sense. Any owners care to comment?

I got a Taylor GS Mini at the beginning of the year -- wonderful! 
They are so easy to grab and play and that's the main thing -- and the lovely sound.

But... it's not an electric so it is physically harder to play.  I think that just goes with the territory.  (I have really light strings on my RGs; and the stock 13s on the Mini.)
The thing is:  you get stronger.
Quick example:  I started learning a song about a month or two ago and my forearm was singing with fatigue after about a minute -- literally I could not physically go on more than that.  Obviously didn't overload things but I practised that piece nearly every day and now I can get through a couple of minutes. 

Basically, expect to feel some fatigue but just keep at it. 

joeyowen

handsomerik said:

Something else to consider. I just bought Martin dreadnought junior having not owned an acoustic for about 8 years. They're the same price as the Taylor gs mini.

I did a lot of research and I tried 8 different models of the gs mini and while they are excellent guitars and very well built none of them had the sound or feel I was hoping for. The Martin dreadnought junior just did.

Plus it's a normal sized nut and string spacing so it feels natural to play and in my opinions sounds much fuller. Also it's all solid wood with no high pressure laminate side and back like the lower Taylor's and cheaper martins so it should sweeten with age a little better. 

Interesting, I played the Martin Jr in a store, and didn't get on with it at all.

Perhaps the shop had it sat with no attention for a while