The Taylor GS mini is described by Taylor as a small sized guitar with a full size sound, that is probably the best description I have read for this acoustic guitar. The GS stands for Grand Symphony and it is basically a scaled down version of this popular Taylor guitar shape with a 23.5″ Scale length which means if you are like me and mainly an electric player the strings will not feel super tight, obviously you could go up string gauge if you prefer but I like the way I can bend with ease with the factory setup. The guitar is made in Taylor’s Mexican factory which I believe is just across the border and very close to the main US Taylor factory so that Bob can ensure maximum quality control. In order to reduce the production cost of this guitar further it doesn’t have any fancy inlays or Abalone binding etc. it is a very simple and classic design with a Solid Sitka Spruce top, an Ebony FIngerboard on a Sapele Neck and Sapele laminate back and sides. It also comes with a sturdy Taylor Gig bag rather than a hardcase which I have no issue with, this guitar is meant to be taken with you on every road trip, camping holiday or round to your friend’s houses and it is padded and supported enough in the gig bag to throw on your back.
The smaller size, for me, seems to have a more immediate response in comparison to my old acoustic which was a mini-jumbo shape which was in no way mini! This fast attack may also be in part to the lack of any lacquer I’m not sure, but to me the sound is like someone is sitting in front of you playing the guitar rather than having the guitar on your lap if that makes sense. Obviously with the smaller size you would think it wouldn’t project as well as a full sized body but it still has plenty of volume and chords compress really nicely when you strum hard, the compression is probably more than you could get on a regular GS model I think of it as clean headroom on an amp but as someone who just plays around the house this is a most welcome attribute. The Guitar features Taylor’s patented NT™ Neck design which is a bolt-on neck used on all of the high end Taylor guitars which is a nice bonus feature for one of the lower end guitars to ensure you can always have neck adjustments made if necessary.
The GS Mini also has a specifically designed pickup called the Taylor ES-Go as you will see in my demo and you can use this in conjunction with the very clever Taylor V-Cable which has a volume control built into the 1/4″ jack. The ES-Go apparently clips in very easily and takes about 10 minutes to install.
As you will hear in my demo the GS mini sounds particularly good with a dynamic mic in front of the soundhole, in this case an Audix i5 and even better when blended with the ES-Go pickup. I recorded the initial demo using 3 guitar parts all with just the i5 Mic, the rhythm guitars had a low shelf EQ applied to remove a little bottom end and some reverb, the lead parts had a little compression and reverb added.
Within a week of reviewing this guitar I had fallen in love with it and my wife commented that she had never heard me say that I loved an acoustic guitar before, it is so much fun to play and is a guitar that I just kept picking up and playing. Now this doesn’t happen very often fortunately but I was so enamoured with the GS mini that I didn’t want to give it back so I ordered one for myself which arrived this week. I didn’t think I would ever be able to afford a Taylor guitar but thanks to their Mexican made guitars I can now own a quality acoustic guitar with having to sell one of my beloved electric guitars!
Taylor GS mini microsite
Thank you to Audio Products Group for organising the guitar for me to review, if you are interested in buying a Taylor and you are in Australia give these guys a shout and they will sort you out.
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