GS Mini

[dbramsey]

Hi,
Would a GS Mini be a good guitar for everyday playing? I am still in the learning stage, but I am looking for a smaller body guitar for strumming, picking and fingerpicking. The Mini is about at my money limit, and I see a lot of good things about them on the forums here.
Thanks,
David

[Angiodan]

In a word ,YES .A great guitar, I love mine
Dan

[DungBeatle]

I just bought a GS Mini-E, spruce top, walnut back and sides. I love it. A very nice couch guitar. I had it strung Nashville (high) tuning. Fun for fingerstyle, though I'm just a hack.
~Bob

[troystory92]

Our of the 6 guitars I own, I arguably play it the most.

Great guitar

[Marley]

It 100% can be used 100% of the time. It sounds amazing but there is no doubt it's amazing sound gets diminished some when played next to a full sized acoustic but not enough to cause concern. Many times it still sounds better than the full size next to it-depending on the quality of the full sized guitar.

I installed a K&K pickup on mine so when I plug it in, you'd never notice the difference over the PA.

I have the original model with spruce and would be curios to know how it's performance is when compared to the other topped GS Mini's such as the Koa or Hog ones.

[btaylor]

I have a GS Mini Koa and love it! It is great for playing all the time. Also, some like the Martin Dreadnought Jr, although I haven't played one myself. It has a 1 3/4" nut width, which is my preferred width, but my koa mini sounds great and looks even better. Either of those would be great small body guitars.

[Lillis]

I've had the mahogany version for a few weeks and it sounds great with DR rare mediums. Could totally be an only guitar and maybe the perfect one to start out on.

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by dbramsey

Hi,
The Mini is about at my money limit, and I see a lot of good things about them on the forums here.

Everybody loves them, even those of us who don't play them. There's nothing better than sitting next to A GS Mini in a jam. Not only can you hear your own guitar better in that situation, but you can actually hear guitars across the room.

(Unless of course the guitar across the room is a GS Mini.)

[619TF]

Originally Posted by btaylor

I have a GS Mini Koa and love it! It is great for playing all the time. Also, some like the Martin Dreadnought Jr, although I haven't played one myself. It has a 1 3/4" nut width, which is my preferred width, but my koa mini sounds great and looks even better. Either of those would be great small body guitars.

Haha...I was just about to say the ONLY thing I dislike about the mini is the nut width. I prefer mine just a tad wider at 1 3/4 (the mini is actually 1 11/16 as seen here https://www.guitarspecsheet.com/?s=Taylor+gs+mini). Other than that it's a great guitar for home or travel.

[ifret]

Definitely! I used mine as an everyday guitar all the time. Plus it's my travel guitar too.

[DesertTwang]

I'm going to chime in with an opinion that runs contrary to what's been said already. I've had the GS Mini ever since it first came out, and it's been my travel and camping guitar ever since. Except I've noticed I play it less and less as time goes by, and that's because it becomes more and more difficult to play the more I get used to playing my daily go-to guitars, which have a long scale, higher string tension and a wider nut. Because I flatpick on a full-size Martin dreadnaught most of the time, the Mini's shorter fret span and lower string tension totally messes me up.

If you plan on playing your Mini exclusively, yes, it's a great guitar and can hold its own, but if you plan on using it alongside "regular-sized" guitars, you may experience the same phenomenon. You'll get so used to one or the other that you may find it very difficult to switch back and forth.

In fact, I would have long sold my Mini had I not started a habit of collecting signatures on it when I first bought it. If i were to buy another compact guitar for travel, the Martin Dreadnaught Jr. would be my first choice because it, too, has the wide nut that my big guitars have.

[jaymarsch]

I have played a number of mini's and owned one for a while. I A/B'd them with some other similar size guitars and found that I preferred the tone and feel of the Alvarez parlor to the mini. More room on the fretboard and more nuanced and fuller tone to my ears. Some folks love the mini's but if I wanted a smaller Taylor, I would take a Big Baby over a mini any day of the week. You might want to A/B them and see what your ears and hands like best.

Best,
Jayne

[wizardb]

I've had mine about 2 weeks and I love it. The shoulder pain I was experiencing from a full size guitar is gone. I got the Spruce top since it seemed to fit my limited budget better. It also comes with a very nice bag so you don't need to buy a case. Eventually I plan to add a pickup.

[emtsteve]

Love mine. Travels great and I could see it being a one and only. I have the mahogany top version and prefer it's slightly warmer sound to the others.

Have fun!

[leew3]

yep. I love mine and use it to learn fingerstyle arrangements as it's easier. I'm careful to rotate full and short scale guitars into my playing though due to some of the concerns expressed above. You might find a deal on a used one as well.