Lights on a Mini.

[rllink]

IT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT BEFORE!!!! I know, and everyone has a different opinion, even people who don't have a Mini, and I've read as many as I could find. It still gets confusing. But I just want to say that I did it and I like it. No down sides, it sounds good and intonation is on the button. A little easier to play, but mostly the volume went down a couple notches and the tone is still about the same, to my ears anyway, and that is what I was hoping for most. Maybe It is just a little more mellow and folksy. That might not be what some people want, but it works for what I'm playing. I did have to tweak the truss rod a half turn to bring the strings back to specs, but I can do that. Anyway, a real life testimonial. Sometimes I hesitate to change things and let well enough alone but this was pretty painless.

[DianeA]

Hi, I agree, as I just put Martin Marquis extra lights on my GS Mini and the Epi. Love the feel, sound, and comfort.

[phavriluk]

First thing I did with my new GSMini was swap the OEM strings for coated Custom Light strings. Sounded just fine to me and oh so nice to play.


Guitar's in the past tense two years, now.

[Cool555]

I have lights (12-53) D’Addario EXP 16 on my Mini. I’ve also tried custom lights (11-52) on the Mini but now prefer the lights. I may try mediums one day and see if I actually prefer the tone and feel. What strings (brand) do you use?

[microsnout]

I must try this - when I get my Mini that is. I ordered a ´GS Mini Koa Plus’ yesterday, currently anxiously tracking its progress on FedEx site. I assume that because of the short scale length and resulting lower tension that it will come with mediums?

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by microsnout

I must try this - when I get my Mini that is. I ordered a ´GS Mini Koa Plus’ yesterday, currently anxiously tracking its progress on FedEx site. I assume that because of the short scale length and resulting lower tension that it will come with mediums?

Congrats! The Koa Mini’s are great (IMHO). I have a 3-year old Mini Koa that has opened up quite a bit with more bass now. Yes, the GS Mini comes with medium guage Elixirs Nanoweb BP strings if I’m not mistaken. Enjoy playing it when it arrives!

[rllink]

Originally Posted by microsnout

I must try this - when I get my Mini that is. I ordered a ´GS Mini Koa Plus’ yesterday, currently anxiously tracking its progress on FedEx site. I assume that because of the short scale length and resulting lower tension that it will come with mediums?

I got so much conflicted opinions from the internet I finally just emailed Taylor and asked them. What you said about the short scale length is what they said in their response. They said to try it, it wouldn't hurt anything.They also told me that I would probably have to adjust the truss rod a bit and they sent me a link to a video how to do that and said it wasn't difficult to do. I knew that because I tweaked it once before. I used the same strings as came on it except lights. I played it an hour yesterday, sang a bunch of songs, and I really like the sound and the feel of the lights better. I mean, I didn't give up anything as far as I'm concerned.

[Bob Womack]

Oh, you mean...

Bob

[Moonlightmile]

Originally Posted by DianeA

Hi, I agree, as I just put Martin Marquis extra lights on my GS Mini and the Epi. Love the feel, sound, and comfort.

Dianne, would those be the MA530S strings? Just curious...

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Oh, you mean...

Bob

Those aren't lights Bob ... these are lights on a Mini!

[DownUpDave]

I am curious as to your objective for going from mediums to lights. Was it to decrease tension, have a different feel under your fingers or to change the tone.

I have a GS Mini that I have probably had 7-8 different sets of strings on in the pursuit of a certain tone. Going from mediums to lights always changed the tone to brighter on my spruce/walnut mini. I don’t like bright I like warm and mellow.

How do you play, fingers or pick. I play with a pick, mostly strumming and singing, but some flat picking and bare flesh fingerstyle. I have been happiest with Martin Retro mediums (nice warm fundamental tone) and Ultex picks in .088mm and 1.0mm, also celluloid in same sizes

A bit off topic, sorry for the highjack. One of the best pieces of info I read here was how drastically you can change the tone of your guitar by using different pick thickness and material. If you want a different sounding guitar change picks and save yourself the price of a new guitar. Unless you want a new guitar.........who doesn’t

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Those aren't lights Bob ... these are lights on a Mini!

Well, you know... Actually, my family's first two Minis were a '59 and a late '60s model. My brother became an importer in the '90s, converting used overseas Minis to U.S. standards. He still owns a handful of them to run the roads of the Smoky Mountains. At a family reunion we put ours side-by-side and compared notes:


The white one is a right-hand drive version.

Bob

[mc1]

Anybody got a Taylor Mini and some Christmas lights?

Sadly Google did not, so you could be the first!

[jpmist]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Those aren't lights Bob ... these are lights on a Mini!

Adding "lights to a mini" to the same list as "dating a guitar" . . .

[rllink]

I wouldn't mind having a Mini Cooper to haul my Taylor Mini around in. My wife has an older Pontiac Solstice and whenever I see a Mini Cooper I suggest that she trades for a new Mini Cooper. So far she has shown no interest in doing that though.

Originally Posted by DownUpDave

I am curious as to your objective for going from mediums to lights. Was it to decrease tension, have a different feel under your fingers or to change the tone.

I have a GS Mini that I have probably had 7-8 different sets of strings on in the pursuit of a certain tone. Going from mediums to lights always changed the tone to brighter on my spruce/walnut mini. I don’t like bright I like warm and mellow.

How do you play, fingers or pick. I play with a pick, mostly strumming and singing, but some flat picking and bare flesh fingerstyle. I have been happiest with Martin Retro mediums (nice warm fundamental tone) and Ultex picks in .088mm and 1.0mm, also celluloid in same sizes

A bit off topic, sorry for the highjack. One of the best pieces of info I read here was how drastically you can change the tone of your guitar by using different pick thickness and material. If you want a different sounding guitar change picks and save yourself the price of a new guitar. Unless you want a new guitar.........who doesn’t

Mostly it was time to change strings and I wanted to see what they were like. I do a lot of strumming chords and singing. I do use a pick. A lot of what I have read said that one of the down sides was lower volume. I must be heavy handed, but I really had to concentrate to strum lightly or the guitar just overpowered my singing and I'm a singer first and the guitar is accompaniment. So I hoped that the lights would tone it down a bit, and they did. I have a mahogany Mini and I think that the lights did just the opposite for me, they are much more mellow. Which is good, because I sing folk songs and a little more mellow is fine.

I am also taking lessons and I am doing a lot of pentatonic scale exercises, and while I'm getting along fine with the fretting, a little lighter touch never hurts. That seemed to be a result as well. Finally, I'm playing up and down the neck using a barred A chord formation and a barred E formation. The E formation is going well enough, but the barred A formation was muddy. I was hoping that the lights would facilitate a cleaner bar chord, and it did that too.

So all in all I was curious about those three factors and they all seemed to work with the lights. I'm sure there are other angles to approach those, but if it works it works and I'm happy with it. I'm going to add, yesterday my wife asked me what I did to my guitar and when I asked her why, she said it sounded different. I asked her different better or different worse, and she said most definitely better. So that is good too.