Taylor Gs Mini Series Gs Mini-e Koa Acoustic-electric Guitar Review
Our Verdict
More than just a travel guitar, the GS Mini has its own audio-visual voice that can easily be amplified with the good-sounding ES-Get pickup. Impossible non to like.
Pros
- Concept. Build quality and design. Sound and playability. Price. Accessories range.
Cons
- Naught, really, though cedar-topped and nylon-stringed versions would be prissy.
MusicRadar Verdict
More than only a travel guitar, the GS Mini has its own acoustic voice that can hands be amplified with the proficient-sounding ES-Go pickup. Incommunicable not to like.
Pros
- +
Concept. Build quality and design. Sound and playability. Price. Accessories range.
Cons
- -
Cipher, actually, though cedar-topped and nylon-stringed versions would exist nice.
GS Mini
GS Mini
GS Mini
Aptly titled, the GS Mini is exactly that: a down-sized Taylor GS-shaped acoustic guitar . Built in its Mexican manufactory (forth with the Baby, 100 and 200 series) it was launched in the USA last autumn and is at present available in the UK.
Taylor evidently sees it as a travel guitar, merely perhaps their description of a "mod twenty-four hour period parlour guitar" is simply every bit accurate. But we're getting alee of ourselves…
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Build
And then, just how mini is the Mini? Well, compared to the full-size Taylor GS (grand symphony), introduced in 2006, the Mini cuts 51mm off the scale length and just 86mm off the overall length. Width-wise we lose approximately 48mm, just only 5mm from the depth.
It'southward more than compact than the full calibration length Big Baby, although slightly bigger in depth, and the Mini'southward 597mm (23.5-inch) scale is longer than the 578mm (22.75-inch) of the Infant.
The laminate dorsum and sides and solid Sitka top are all unbound so expect some dings and clothing to the body edges over time. Ornament is minimal: black/white/black meridian border purfling and inlaid black and white soundhole rings.
Internally likewise, although information technology's typically very clean, the height's X-bracing and other struts are left quite foursquare edged; at that place's no back bracing thanks to the pressed bulbous curve of the laminate.
"The unbound ebony 'board is beautifully precise, with just simple pearlod dot markers on the confront."
The finish is a thin satin, which does a lot to enhance the resonant feel, but not a lot to protect the guitar from road vesture. A single-ply faux tortoiseshell pickguard will at least protect the top from the major pick and smash wear, but if y'all similar your guitar all gloss, shiny and pristine then the Mini probably isn't for y'all.
The sharpness of build extends to the neck, which uses Taylor's NT system to affix it to the body. The unbound ebony 'lath is beautifully precise and clean besides, with just simple 5mm pearloid dot markers on the face and smaller dots on the sides.
Taylor's standard wire is employed - a little under 2mm wide and just proud of 1mm high - and is typically cleanly installed and fettled with smooth, rounded crowns.
Contour-wise the cervix has a slight soft 'V' and, with Taylor's narrowest nut width, it all feels actually quite 'electric' despite the total 56mm cord spacing at the Taylor-style ebony bridge.
Set-upward is immaculate: the NuBone nut - a more than affordable derivative of Graph Tech's proprietary Tusq cloth - is very well cutting and the compensated NuBone saddle ensures plenty skilful plenty intonation while the 1.2mm treble/2mm bass string height at the twelfth continues its quite electric-like playability.
That said, and despite the shorter scale, the supplied Elixir medium-judge Nanowebs ensure a firm feel and plenty of power to bulldoze that top; the slightly shorter calibration length is easy to accommodate besides, although nosotros'd suspect a wider nut width option would make fingerstyle players more comfortable.
Tuners are unlogo'd enclosed types - perfectly practiced - and nosotros get only black plastic span pins but at least, as usual on a Taylor, there's a 2nd strap button on the heel.
Some players find the whole Taylor experience besides perfect, likewise bland, merely the quality and consistency is unquestionable.
Our guitar was shipped direct from Taylor HQ in San Diego to snow-laden London; it was incorrectly delivered and hung around for a good 2 weeks in sub-zippo temperatures.
It was shipped in just its included 'difficult' (as in business firm and very well padded) gigbag, supported at its top and base inside a standard cardboard box. When nosotros eventually got the instrument and unpacked information technology, it was perfectly in melody: amazing.
If the GS Mini was purely an acoustic, we'd still be rating information technology highly, just Taylor has designed a specific ES-Become magnetic soundhole pickup for the guitar, which takes simply minutes to install.
It pushes into a pre- fitted housing inside the guitar under the fingerboard end; you unscrew the base of operations strap button and replace it with the standard jack-loaded endpin, which is pre-wired to a mini jack that plugs into the pickup'southward housing - at that place'due south even a pre-installed squeeze to hold the small length of lead and stop it rattling within the body.
Sounds
Rather like a skillful parlour-size guitar, the GS Mini outputs a sound that belies its compactness. For sure, information technology's light in the bass department compared to a big and belting Martin dreadnought merely it doesn't sound lacking, in that its vocalism is both highly-seasoned and very musical.
Nosotros'd lay a considerable sum to propose it'd be a fine recording guitar, that tight low end giving space to a bass guitar (or bassier six-cord) while the mids aren't overly honky, equally some parlours can be, and the silky, sparkly highs are pure Taylor fidelity.
At that place'southward tonal depth, strength and resonance aplenty. Information technology doesn't sound like something is missing: it has it's own vocalisation and once again we'd wager it would rails on meridian of bigger sounding acoustics very nicely either live or recorded.
The pickup might seem basic with no control whatever, only many of u.s.a. are more than used to that with long-running and best-selling units such as Fishman's Rare Earth.
Running direct into our AER test amp, the ES-Go, although passive, is certainly in a similar ballpark. The pickup senses a very broad frequency response then adding sparkling highs, some depression bass and a centre cut easily produces a more than adequate mod acoustic tone.
Lower fret positions sound more than acoustically accurate; as you lot move up the neck, like the Rare World, things become a little more than electrical-sounding but, we've found over a few hundred gigs with a Rare Earth, that tin can be to your reward for bluesier, jazzier lines or bottleneck styles.
Of course, narrow the EQ on your amp or PA and the Mini takes on an older, jazzier and bluesier vibe with none of that piezo undersaddle 'quack'.
Beautifully simplistic in pattern and concept, the GS Mini is much more than just a travel guitar. Yes, it fits that bill perfectly but Taylor's mod day parlour description is more fitting.
This is a guitar with its own vibe and voice - and both are very appealing. Of class, the guitar is compact and built to a price, but Taylor's vast experience in product guitar manufacturing ensures that these 'economies' don't get in the way of the important things: playability and sound.
Add in the purpose-designed ES-Go pickup, plus a range of other accessories, and you have the sort of loftier-want product that'due south very difficult to resist.
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Now hear the GS Mini in activity...
Source: https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/taylor-gs-mini-404936
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