GS-Mini - an unnecessary upgrade for a beginner?

[Acousticado]

I agree with those who are recommending the Taylor Academy 10 or 12. Recently, I helped a friend step up from a cheap Epiphone to get a used Academy 10 and it plays and sounds quite good. I find that the Mini sounds boxy by comparison. If you can afford it, a Taylor 100, 200 or 300 series would be even better. Enjoy the hunt!

[Morrill]

Take this advice for what it's worth. Buy the mini from a reputable online retailer that has it in stock (if you have a local retailer with a LH mini feel free to shop there). You have the option to return it if there is something about it you don't like.

l think the mini is a great choice. The short scale will be a bit easier to play chords and because you are just starting out it's unlikely you are spending much time past the 5th fret.

The mini will hold it's value (within reason) and you can always sell it down the road if you decide it's time to acquire something else. While it may not have the rich full sound of a dred, you are playing at home for yourself so you might as well be comfortable at this phase in your endeavor.

Others have mentioned full size models. Nothing wrong going that direction either but the smaller size of the mini will make it much easier to play when you are on the couch or somewhere other than your dedicated playing area. Having a guitar you can just grab on a whim and play anywhere in the house will increase your playing time. Practice is important but when you are starting out and playing time is critical as well. You need to develop hand and finger strength, dexterity and muscle memory. Being comfortable will give you the incentive to play more.

Worst case is that you play it for 6 months and decide you want to move onto something else. You will now have experience with a small size short scale guitar and understand what you did/did not like about it. Let's say you sell it and lose $150 after 6 months of enjoyment. You leased a wonderful guitar for $25 a month.

Buy what makes you happy. If it doesn't sell it and move on.

Good luck!

[JERZEY]

Originally Posted by Dotneck

If you are serious about learning...skip the mini and get a full size guitar. IMO...

This! Its best to learn on a full sized instrument.

[Lillis]

I recommend getting one. I love mine and still play it quite a bit even though I have larger fuller sounding guitars. IMO it’s a guitar you’ll always be glad to have no matter what may come along later.

[rllink]

I like my Mahogany GS Mini and it is my only acoustic guitar. If there are limitations I haven't run into one yet. But two things, nothing is everything and there are a lot of people buying guitars because they are looking for something better and someone online gave them a tip what they need to get. That's kind of the name of the game.

[RRick]

I started with a GS Mini less than a year ago and have since moved to a full-size Taylor. The GS Mini is great but I am finding the full-size easier to play/learn on. In retrospect, I would have been better off starting with a full-size, less expensive guitar, such as the Taylor Academy, 100 or 200 series. Or something similar from another manufacturer. Like someone said, the GS Mini is kind of a niche guitar, you might find a full-size guitar more versatile and easier to learn on.

[stephenT]

Unlike others here, I believe the OP is on the money w/ the choice of a GS mini. It's a quality instrument and a nice upgrade.

Lot's of us "grown ups" have come to prefer smaller guitars w/ shorter scale. Sorry, there's nothing magical about a "full sized" guitar when compared to smaller bodied acoustics.

And for a beginner anything that makes chording easier is a bonus. My suggestion to the OP would be this, buy the Mini and take it to your repair guy to be set up w/ 12s instead of the 13s.

[emtsteve]

Just for clarification, the Taylor Academy 12 is a Grand Concert size with a short scale. It feels and plays like a small guitar, because it is a small guitar. It sits between full size long scale guitars and the mini in size. The mini is exactly that - miniature. Very small body and very short scale.

I love my GS Mini mahogany and enjoy playing it very much and it's not for sale. But I wouldn't want it to be my only guitar. Some others have only the Mini and are fine, but not me.

[Mostsmarterest]

I have one and it's a great guitar. Bought it as a campfire player and my daughter plays it as well.

That said, I prefer my 00 and OM Eastmans over it every time. The nut width on the MINI is annoying, but the sound and playability are good.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by emtsteve

Just for clarification, the Taylor Academy 12 is a Grand Concert size with a short scale. It feels and plays like a small guitar, because it is a small guitar. It sits between full size long scale guitars and the mini in size. The mini is exactly that - miniature. Very small body and very short scale.

I love my GS Mini mahogany and enjoy playing it very much and it's not for sale. But I wouldn't want it to be my only guitar. Some others have only the Mini and are fine, but not me.

That’s an important consideration about the Academy models...the 12 is Grand Concert shape, the 10 is a dreadnaught. They also have a bevel on the upper bout adding to its comfort. It’s very design was intended for beginner guitar players to provide comfort and ease of playability so they would be more inclined to get through the difficult early period where so many quit playing. But...it is much more than a beginner guitar. Imo, Taylor hit a home run with the Academy that no other builder matches.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by TygerBright

Wow! Thanks for all the amazing responses so far!

I'm definitely glad I asked and good to be in the midst of some great experience and advice.

I think I'll do some digging into the Taylor 12 series as that has come up a few times in the responses so far and it comes in my budget also - £500 is the max I really want to push to. One question on that particular guitar - does it sound warm or bright? I imagine being a sitka top this one will sit more on the bright side.

Yes, it is very bright and, to my (somewhat screwy) ears it sounded thin and tinny. I had one for about two weeks and returned it. It was a very comfortable guitar to play but I just couldn’t get used to the sound.

In your price range you might want to look at different brands as well. Taylors are great guitars (I have 3) but there are lots of other good brands out there as well.

[musicman1951]

What, pray tell, might a "unnecessary upgrade" be???? If you have the desire and the cash it's definitely a necessary upgrade.

I don't know which model is right for you, but buy the best guitar you can afford.

[Tracerbullet]

I started playing just over a two years ago. I am still a hack at things.
I do play all my guitars and you can see my list below.
Moral of my insight.....each guitar has a different feel and sound and I love them all. You can never have enough if you can afford them. I am done for a while though.

[fpuhan]

There's nothing worse for learning how to play than a poor guitar. My first guitar I named a Kay Warpedneck, as the strings were so far off the neck at the body they were impossible to fret. It probably didn't help that I had heavier gauge strings than I needed, but what did I know?

My playing and love for guitar really took off when I bought my first new guitar. I still own that guitar, nearly 50 years later. I rarely play it because it now pales by comparison to some of my newer guitars -- the latest is my GS Mini-e Koa. And I love it!

[gmruegg]

No one has mentioned it yet but the Martin D Jr. is between a GS Mini and a small 00 size guitar. It is solid wood and to my ear sounds much better than the GS Mini. I think the Taylor Academy model or an OM sized Eastman would also be a good choice. Various Yamaha models in the $200 - $400 range are also something to check out.

Given you are looking for a left handed guitar, you will have a much better selection of LH guitars at large online retailer like Sweetwater or Elderly Instruments, than you will at a local guitar store. i am a huge supporter of local guitar stores, but most don't have the wide inventory of LH guitars that a Sweetwater has. They also have a good return policy.

I started at age 55 and am still at it 11 years later. Enjoy the learning process.