Taylor GS Mini-e - Koa

bogeywon · #1 01-16-2018, 11:36 AM

not sure if a thread on these exist but im new to the board. was thinking of picking one of these up for a camp fire guitar to mess around with. I love the Koa wood it just looks so nice. any thoughts on these or has anyone played or owned one?

troystory92 · #2 01-16-2018, 11:42 AM

Absolutely love mine.

I got it as a backup guitar for gigs and just to have out at home. Find myself picking it up and playing ALOT.

Couldn't ask for a better, little guitar.

bogeywon · #3 01-16-2018, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troystory92

Absolutely love mine.

I got it as a backup guitar for gigs and just to have out at home. Find myself picking it up and playing ALOT.

Couldn't ask for a better, little guitar.

How does it compare to the smaller martins?

HodgdonExtreme · #4 01-16-2018, 11:44 AM

There's a huge GS-mini following here on AGF.

If you like the shorter scale and 1 11/16" nut, and it jives with your intended philosophy of use - it'll be a fine guitar for you!

Different price range - but my campfire guitar is a carbon fibre Rainsong. For me, it's perfect for that application as well as being my "daily driver" that is in/out of the house and car a lot.

HodgdonExtreme · #5 01-16-2018, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bogeywon

How does it compare to the smaller martins?

You really owe it to yourself to play the Martin Dread junior. It is essentially the same size as the GS mini, but a very different tone. Personally, I greatly prefer the tone of the Dread junior. The included GS mini hardbag is much nicer than the Martin's though.

I'll bet taylor could sell a BUNCH of hardbags designed to fit dread juniors...

Oh, and take a look at the Eastman ACTG models as well. Extremely similar to the GS mini, but available as ALL SOLID for less $$ than the laminated GS mini... Ready to plug in, too...

https://reverb.com/item/7589617-2017...-and-pro-setup

Social Exodus · #6 01-16-2018, 12:05 PM

I absolutely love my GS Mini-e Koa and play it often. I got it as a travel guitar, but the darn thing just plays and sounds great for being so diminutive.

I don't think you'd be disappointed for what you want it for at all.

Jasper64 · #7 01-16-2018, 12:37 PM

I got my son one this past summer to use at summer camp. He led music and the climate did not affect it that much due to being laminate (layered). I was torn between the Martin Jr and the GS mini. Both are great....I went with the GS Mini because the Koa was so beautiful and it had the ES2. A lot better case comes with the GS.....

Swamp Yankee · #8 01-16-2018, 12:43 PM

I've owned 3 GS Minis - including the koa and the hog top. I sold them both off to raise funds for another guitar, keeping the first one I owned, a 2014 rosewood, not because it was the best but because it would have fetched the least money due to wear and tear.

Tonally - my favorite was the mahogany top, which also happened to be the least expensive because it had no electrics on it. But my rosewood mini has been to many campfires in its lifetime, and it will no doubt be to many more in the years to come. They're great guitars!

gjtalis · #9 01-17-2018, 12:33 AM

I used to just kinda like my mini Koa when I first got it, it wasn’t love at first strum, was more like an amazing deal on a beautiful guitar that I couldn’t pass up. But after a year of light usage I began to bond with it, I got comfortable with the short scale length, I even got used to playing on the recommended medium strings and now I can honestly tell you that I love my mini Koa and I’m so happy I have it, it gets played all the time now😀

windfall · #10 01-17-2018, 06:36 AM

I have the mahogany version. I wouldn’t play it live without a body Rez pedal or some other kind of sound shaping but I play it all the time around the house and it goes to work with me every day and fills idle moments! A real pleasure to play.

ifret · #11 01-17-2018, 06:41 AM

Love my koa mini, it goes with me all the time when we travel. It's also gets a lot of play time at home, when I want to pick up a guitar quick and noodle around.

Gary1953 · #12 01-17-2018, 06:53 AM

I have a GS Mini Koa. I'm not sure it would be great as an outdoor, campfire guitar as it does not have a lot of volume for singing with a large group. For yourself or a just couple of people it would be fine. I have Elixr 13's on mine and the top really sings with those medium strings. It sounds great in DADGAD tuning, too. I had a Taylor 114CE as well but sold it and kept the Koa mini.

troystory92 · #13 01-17-2018, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bogeywon

How does it compare to the smaller martins?

So the gs mini sucked me in when I first played a Mahogany version at the Taylor factory in California. I started saving some money and really wanted the Mahogany version with the ES-2 pickup system.

I preordered one at Guitar center but, lo and behold, they stopped making the Mahogany top with electronics. Furthermore, they changed the pickup from an ES-2 to the ES-B in all 2017 gs minis. I wanted this guitar to be a backup for gigs and, after talking to a Taylor rep, I decided to look for a used Mahogany gs mini with the older pickup system (E-S2) in it.

During this time, I tried some Dread Jrs. They are great guitars. They're a little bigger than the gs mini and all solid wood. Here is why I opted against it.

- The all solid wood seems like a great thing. But this is a travel guitar. That's how I'm gonna use it. I don't want to worry about the solid wood. It's gonna be in many different situations. It sounded great but not drastically better than a gs mini, to me.
- The electronics on the Dread Jr were pretty bad. Even compared to Taylor's ES-B system.
- The case was very sub par to the gs mini bag.

So I ended up finding a used 2016 gs mini-koa. Ordered it online and picked it up at my local gc.

It's been love ever since.

troystory92 · #14 01-17-2018, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary1953

I have a GS Mini Koa. I'm not sure it would be great as an outdoor, campfire guitar as it does not have a lot of volume for singing with a large group. For yourself or a just couple of people it would be fine. I have Elixr 13's on mine and the top really sings with those medium strings. It sounds great in DADGAD tuning, too. I had a Taylor 114CE as well but sold it and kept the Koa mini.

Looks like a Hog top to me. The koas do not come with pick guards.

Gary1953 · #15 01-17-2018, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troystory92

Looks like a Hog top to me. The koas do not come with pick guards.

I though it was mahogany when I got it but my luthier recently told me that it was koa. It's an older GS Mini and the top reverses the light and dark areas depending on the angle of light. I've never seen mahogany do that.