Thinking of switching my GS Minis to Grand Concerts
 

Now that I'm playing out more the shortcomings of the GS Minis are starting to become more evident, especially the ones that occur when capo'd: tuning instability and anemic sound. It's not that big of a deal at home, but live is another story.

I'm considering swapping these out for Grand Concerts, specifically the 322ce. The cutaway will make some stuff at the higher registers easier, and the longer scale length should take care of the capo issue.

I do love the GS Mini, and this Shaded Edge I'll likely be listing first has had some pretty substantial upgrades, including real abalone inlays. Only reason I probably wouldn't keep one is because I recently purchased a Furch Little Jane which is an absolutely amazing parlor guitar for travel.

I'd probably start with the 322ce and eventually pick up a second 322e for the alternate tunings.

At last! Someone else who agrees the Mini doesnt like a Capo!

Think about the hassle and what you will get ($) for your mini, and how much fun it is to play. Why not keep the mini and just get something less expensive than another Taylor for live playing? For example, Yamaha has some nice models with electronics that play and sound great, and are far less expensive than Taylors. I'm sure there are lots of other choices as well.

Edit: Sorry--I didn't notice you had 2 of them. But still, I would keep one, and consider other less expensive choices for gigging.

I agree with Rpt50. For the price of a 322 you can get “More Guitar” with an import. That’s not to say the 322 is not a nice guitar. Gonna send you a suggestion via PM

Agree! At least keep one when you do not need to capo it! :)

I find there's a big tonal difference between a GS Mini and a GC. I'm a fan of both guitars but given the choice of the two I'd take a GC.

Have you played the 322 before? When you try it out at the store (assuming you can) make sure you try it with a capo.

Good idea, GC are the ideal guitar size. Not too big or too small

I've been playing Taylors my whole life and like the brand. I like the Little Jane but don't feel like purchasing another Furch.

I'm already maxed out on amount of guitars I want to own. I don't want to have GAS and have all these guitars I don't play. Plus, I'd like to recoup funds if possible. If I don't use a guitar just about every day and it hangs on a wall, I don't want to own it. I'd also rather have a guitar that I both play at home and play live. Purely from a gear perspective, why would I have a guitar I practice for hours and hours with at home and then live use a cheaper different instrument that I never play except for a few hours here and there? Seems backwards to me.

That's what I've been thinking. I really enjoy a shorter scale length. 23.5" is pretty short thoughh.

No one has the guitar locally, but I've played another GC and they were just fine with capos.

I purchased a hog GS Mini during an extended collarbone injury recuperation. (It was my first Taylor, and I've been playing 55 years and have had some very nice guitars.)

When I was able to play well again I sold the GS Mini and now play a 14 fret 322 outfitted with a K&K Pure mini pickup. I'm very happy with my decision.

Taylor sells a LOT of instruments so the pre-owned market is good to watch. I sold my GS Mini for $450 and bought a year-old mint condition 322 for half of street price.

How does the little Jane compare to the mini?

I wrote a pretty extensive review on it. I think it got buried quickly by other posts:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=533689

It is much louder than the GSMs. I like the slightly larger body size of the GSM, but the scale length is better on the Little Jane, and so is the portability (obviously). I don't like the neck-heaviness of the Little Jane, but that can maybe be fixed with a strap, although I haven't tried yet.

Overall, nothing really beats it for a travel instrument, if you value a travel guitar by the size it packs up to

Fantastic review of the Little Jane
If I did not already have a Voyage Air I think I would wind up with one, though the 45mm nut is a bit of an issue for me.

Thanks, and good luck on you 322 search.

I mean why not just get a Furch OM? ;)

I'm quite partial to Taylors, from my home town and grew up playing them. Brand loyalty, I guess :p

I'd forego a GS Mini for a GC any day of the week!!!

I have a 322ce-14f Hog/Tasmanian Blackwood on its way starting tomorrow.

I decided that I am going to sell one of my GS Minis and also sell the Furch Little Jane Travel guitar I recently purchased. I love the GS Minis too much to get rid of both of them, so the Shaded Edge Koa will remain as my travel guitar.

I have that wood combo on my 324 and love it. Congrats and enjoy.

Is there much size difference overall between the GS Mini and a 12 fret GC? I’ve been considering this as well

I have a spreadsheet I keep of dimensions of a number of guitars, especially smaller ones I'm interested in or own or have owned. It includes the GS Mini and the GC. Additions and corrections welcome.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing

This page is helpful about the Taylor GC 12-fret vs 14-fret differences, and includes a good photo showing the differences. The neck is shorter, but the other dimensions look the same: https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitar...cialty/12-fret

You can compare them side-by-side w/specs on the Taylor website.

https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/compare

WOW, you are the man! I keep specs as well but I could not find bout dimensions or anything like that for the Taylor GCs on the entire internet, no one seems to measure those.

Bookmarked that page, thanks again

There really isn't. Using @dhalberts' spreadsheet you can see most of the dimensions are <1 in. bigger. I think that's why I preferred the GS Mini in the first place. It has a shorter scale length but the body is bigger than any other parlor.

Not really, the only think you'll get through that comparison system is nut width and woods used. It's laughable

Maybe you should take another look. It shows body length, lower bout width, and body depth, which are the three essential body measurements.

Gives a lot of other information as well, including the type of bracing.

They don’t give you overall length. Just enough info to take a rough guess. I’ve seen a side by side pic of a GS Mini and a grand concert.

Understood, overall length depends on the scale and neck join--even the size of the headstock. Taylor doesn't give you upper bout or waist measurements either, which I consider more important than overall guitar length (most makers don't, including Martin). Gibson gives even less info.

Says on the google doc that the gs mini is among the largest string spacing-at-saddle of any of the guitars (several as large, none larger). Can that be true?

I own a GS mini and a 512e 12 fret, same size as the 322, both are GC size. Here is a picture of both mine side by side. It doesn't look like a huge difference but in your lap or standing up you notice it. That said the GC size 512 12 fret is really comfy to play.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...bbe0a55a80.jpg

That was a typo, fixed to 2 3/16", which is Taylor standard. Thanks for catching that!

GC's are closer to size 0 or 00 than a parlor. However, there isn't really a set-in-stone definition of parlor size used in the industry. Both GC and GS Mini could be called "parlors". I find the GC to be far more comfortable to play for my left hand based on the scale length (GS Mini 23.5" vs GC 24-7/8") and nut width (Mini 1-11/16" vs GC 1-3/4"). YMMV.

Yes, it is actually larger than the rest of the Taylor line, but with that said...

You were actually correct in the previous measurement, if it was 2-1/4". Taylor states that the saddle spacing on the GS Mini is 2-1/4", but I took my calipers to one of my GS Minis the other day and it was 2-3/16". It was a 2017 model, so I'm curious if Taylor switched over to 2-3/16". Most of the information on the internet that you will find will state the spacing as 2-1/4".