GS mini or new Grand Theater?

[boneuphtoner]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

Having owned a GT for nearly a couple weeks now, I would tell anyone trying to decide between the two to go with the GS Mini; it has 90% of the tone for nearly one third of the price (for the base model). The GT is over hyped, with Taylor marketing it as the second coming of small guitars, and it's anything but.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this line go away before too long. It doesn't have the charm and staying power of the GS Mini, and US assembly and solid back and sides aren't enough to differentiate it from the significantly less expensive and similar sounding GS Mini.

There has been a lot of discussion about this on the unofficial Taylor forum, and I wonder if Taylor’s decision to keep all solid wood construction out of Mexico was a wise move. Martin’s dread junior all-solid series is closer in price to the GS mini because it is MIM. If it had been made in Nazareth, the price would be much closer to the GT.

Taylors were my first love of the really decent guitars but I have been bitten by the Martin bug of late. I do hope these sell well for Taylors sake, but for something that is just a little better than a GS mini, the price might be a turnoff for some people.

[Taylor Ham]

Originally Posted by PeteyPower16

It is an interesting suggestion to mix and match string gauges to change tone on a mini guitar: GS, GT, or otherwise. I see that Elixir effectively offers hybrid combinations between “lights” (12-53) and “mediums” (13-56):
https://www.elixirstrings.com/guitar...anoweb-coating

-The “light-medium” (12-56) option is “light” treble strings and “medium” bass strings.

-The “HD light” (13-53) option is “medium” treble strings, a transition G string, and “light” bass strings. I believe Taylor used to put these on their GA’s but then moved to true lights.

Is the light-medium combination what you are referring to as a modification from the default setup of mediums on the mini?

-Do you think that would balance both driven top richness (not diluted) and also some zingy, more resonant high end like light strings?

-Do you expect that light treble strings on a lower-tension mini will cause a lot of feet buzz? Affect intonation (do lighter strings bend out of intonation easier, or would less tension be required to fret them, for an effect of better intonation)?

-Does a hybrid sting set feel weird to play (different tension across the different strings), or is it not perceivable?

If you have experience with this, I’d be curious to hear!

Long story short, stick with a full medium set on the mini unless your fingers are really sore. It gets the short scale back to a sort of goldilocks zone where steel string guits tend to work. I only made the original recommendation since alot of people try lights and are disappointed.

I have played with various combos of many string gauges. I have pretty good grip strength so I have no issues with using a full medium set on a full scale. However, I wouldn't put mediums on every guitar, because some of them will actually compress the tone and choke up with too much tension. Not so with the GSm.

If you look at the string tension in your preferred units of weight, you'll see that the ADG strings usually have the most tension in standard sets, with the E, b and e strings lagging behind. I like having a more robust low E and thicker trebles, so I look for sets known as "true medium" or "new medium" or "balanced tension" when I'm feeling rich. Something like d'addario's EJ24. It allows more aggressive picking. SRV is famous for having the same idea with his custom (crazy heavy for electric) gauges.

[gmel555]

Originally Posted by Taylor Ham

Long story short, stick with a full medium set on the mini unless your fingers are really sore. It gets the short scale back to a sort of goldilocks zone where steel string guits tend to work.

Fully agree with this. There's a reason Taylor ships them with mediums. The short scale should take care of most tension reduction needs (with maybe a few exceptions).

Regarding comparing the mini (which I bought for travel) and the GT, IMO they're just two different guitars made for two different markets. I consider my mini a remarkable sounding guitar for its price and size. I haven't played a GT yet but given my mini's remarkably satisfying tone I can't image the GT justifying 3x the price for me AND it's larger, a negative for travel...again just based on what I needed/wanted for this "slot" in my stable.

[Willie_D]

I don't like the number of eggs Taylor's put into the GT basket. I think it followed the American Dream guitars too closely in the timeline, and the AD is a far more solid concept. A premium guitar brand offering a more affordable, streamlined version of one of their popular designs, constructed of solid woods in the USA? Yes, please!

If Taylor really wanted to make some GS Mini players happier, they could have simply offered glossy finishes, burst finishes, and wider nut width. Solid wood back and sides and USA construction wouldn't improve the quality of the Mini IMO. And like some others, I just don't feel like the GT brings enough more to the table.

And I say this as a guy who checked out a GT, a Koa Mini, and a Hog Mini - and came home with the hog.

[Iain1231]

I think GT will still stay as a niche offering. I wouldnt want to bring it out camping or sorts at that price point with all solid woods either. A GS Mini will do just the job. However, maybe they might be bringing the GT to an affordable price when it is moved to MIM (just like the Academy). After All, GT seems to be a body shape as well.

Whos to say that they might take the GT shape and make a range out of it in mexico?

[boneuphtoner]

Originally Posted by Iain1231

Whos to say that they might take the GT shape and make a range out of it in mexico?

Taylor said on their Primetime podcast that they have no plans to make any solid wood guitars out in Mexico for the foreseeable - not that they couldn't build a GT with layered woods, etc. there.

[PeteyPower16]

Originally Posted by Taylor Ham

Long story short, stick with a full medium set on the mini unless your fingers are really sore. It gets the short scale back to a sort of goldilocks zone where steel string guits tend to work. I only made the original recommendation since alot of people try lights and are disappointed.

I have played with various combos of many string gauges. I have pretty good grip strength so I have no issues with using a full medium set on a full scale. However, I wouldn't put mediums on every guitar, because some of them will actually compress the tone and choke up with too much tension. Not so with the GSm.

If you look at the string tension in your preferred units of weight, you'll see that the ADG strings usually have the most tension in standard sets, with the E, b and e strings lagging behind. I like having a more robust low E and thicker trebles, so I look for sets known as "true medium" or "new medium" or "balanced tension" when I'm feeling rich. Something like d'addario's EJ24. It allows more aggressive picking. SRV is famous for having the same idea with his custom (crazy heavy for electric) gauges.

Thank you for the follow up and the very experience-based knowledgeable answer! I will stick with the mediums, and appreciate the level of depth and thought put into string gauges for this mini guitar.

[PeteyPower16]

Originally Posted by Willie_D

I don't like the number of eggs Taylor's put into the GT basket. I think it followed the American Dream guitars too closely in the timeline, and the AD is a far more solid concept. A premium guitar brand offering a more affordable, streamlined version of one of their popular designs, constructed of solid woods in the USA? Yes, please!



If Taylor really wanted to make some GS Mini players happier, they could have simply offered glossy finishes, burst finishes, and wider nut width. Solid wood back and sides and USA construction wouldn't improve the quality of the Mini IMO. And like some others, I just don't feel like the GT brings enough more to the table.



And I say this as a guy who checked out a GT, a Koa Mini, and a Hog Mini - and came home with the hog.

I really like the idea of some creative design upgrades for the mini. A sunburst or other cosmetic upgrades could be a big seller, even for those who have minis already. I have the 2019 ovangkol b/s mini, and one reason I bought it was that it was a bit different and unique looking among minis.

For the size category, the mahogany mini seems to have the most useful tone. The spruce ones can be extremely bright since they are already small in size. This goes back to my comment earlier that physical size seems to dictate tone as much as the top wood, making back and sides (layered vs. solid) and bracing far less important overall compared to size and top wood. Solid back and sides may lead to more sustain and resonance when picking, but in terms of EQ and overall sound when strumming, I wonder if the b/s matter much at all compared to these two factors.

[PeteyPower16]

Originally Posted by boneuphtoner

Taylor said on their Primetime podcast that they have no plans to make any solid wood guitars out in Mexico for the foreseeable - not that they couldn't build a GT with layered woods, etc. there.

I was unaware of the podcast! Are you able to share what it is called? Available in the usual podcast places?

[Earl49]

If you get on the email list, you will get weekly reminders of the video podcast, which they call Prime Time. This seems to be what they are doing now that Road Shows are off line. This week's topic will be Bob Taylor talking about torrefaction according to the email that showed up overnight. Here is a recent example of Taylor Prime Time: https://www.youtube.com/user/TaylorQ...QWReurUQ%3D%3D

[PeteyPower16]

Thank you for sharing! Prime time = the podcast. I will check it out!

[Willie_D]

Andy Lund seems like a guy I'd like to hang with.

[L20A]

[QUOTE=boneuphtoner;6528113]There has been a lot of discussion about this on the unofficial Taylor forum, and I wonder if Taylor’s decision to keep all solid wood construction out of Mexico was a wise move. Martin’s dread junior all-solid series is closer in price to the GS mini because it is MIM. If it had been made in Nazareth, the price would be much closer to the GT.

Who knows, the guitar could be moved to Mexico in the future.

[archerscreek]

I have zero interest in the GT after listening to the videos. However, I am interested in the GS Mini and could easily see myself picking one of those up. Interestingly, Taylor’s website says the Mini is not currently being produced, though some are still available at dealers. Not sure anyone else saw this.

https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/gs-mini

[Jeremy]

Originally Posted by archerscreek

I have zero interest in the GT after listening to the videos. However, I am interested in the GS Mini and could easily see myself picking one of those up. Interestingly, Taylor’s website says the Mini is not currently being produced, though some are still available at dealers. Not sure anyone else saw this.

https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/gs-mini

That is the original base model which for some reason Taylor isn’t making much of any more. However there are other versions of the GS Mini available: https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitar...se?series=1022