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  #1  
Old 05-10-2015, 02:53 PM
mikehill mikehill is offline
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Default Which GS Mini to go with my EL-00 ?

Hi guys,
new to the forum and been learning guitar for around a year now, mainly strumming. I have just started fingerpicking and really enjoying that. I have an Epi EL-00VS that I have had setup and Tusq nut and saddle fitted. Lovely action and it seems to suit me.
However I'd like something a bit brighter sounding and the Taylor looks the part. Which model would be a nice contrast in sound to the EL ? I don't necessarily need the electronics but don't mind either. One of our UK dealers has the spruce, rosewood and koa version in stock so which should I get ?
Thanks, Mike.
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Old 05-10-2015, 03:03 PM
re17 re17 is offline
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The GS Mini is laminate-backed so all versions are going to sound basically the same; therefore which you pick is down to your visual preferences:

http://acousticletter.com/taylor-gs-...ewood-gs-mini/
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Old 05-10-2015, 03:11 PM
LisaT LisaT is offline
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I would suggest giving them each a test drive, and see which one appeals to you more. Since you know better than anyone what sound it is you're looking for, it's tough for anyone to give a suggestion...as the tones from those models can vary greatly. I have heard that the Koa can be hit or miss, but I must've gotten lucky, as mine sounds lovely indeed. Then again, I got mine from a shop that tests all the guitars they have come in...and if there is a build issue, or if they just sound 'dead'...they will send them back, rather than sell them to someone who might be disappointed.

I cannot attest to the Sitka/Sapele or the Sitka/Rosewood, as I have not played one. The closest I could come would be the Holden Village, which is Engelmann/Fiddleback Maple and widely considered to be the best sounding of all the GS Minis. It is, sadly, a sold out Limited Edition...although they have been popping up on eBay lately...at a premium.
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Old 05-10-2015, 03:18 PM
LisaT LisaT is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by re17 View Post
The GS Mini is laminate-backed so all versions are going to sound basically the same; therefore which you pick is down to your visual preferences:

http://acousticletter.com/taylor-gs-...ewood-gs-mini/
I disagree...they do not all sound the same. My HV does not sound like my FLTD Koa. As long as the woods used in the laminate are not 'junk' woods, each lamination still has it's own tonal intricacies...however limited by the narrowness of the lam, it's still there. But yes, the top is the primary source for the overall tonal qualities a guitar will exhibit.

I recently watched a demo from the UK where one was playing the Sitka/Sapele and the other was playing the Sitka/Rosewood...and there was a slight tonal difference between the two...with the Sitka/Rosewood being slightly brighter. Both guitars were bone stock, out of the box.
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Old 05-10-2015, 03:30 PM
re17 re17 is offline
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Originally Posted by LisaT View Post
I disagree...they do not all sound the same.
Then you're disagreeing with Bob Taylor, who was asked about tonal differences between the GS Minis and replied:

"The answer is they don’t really sound different. If they do, there’s little difference, and it might not even be because of the sapele versus rosewood, etc. That’s the thing about laminates. One truth: We make very, very good-sounding laminate guitars; just play them and tell me they’re not. Another truth: No matter what type of outside veneer we put on them, the sound changes very little if at all. This is what you get with solid wood that you cannot get with laminates. They’re both good guitars, but with solid wood you hear the personality of the different woods. With laminates there is only a visual difference."

Wood and Steel, Winter 2013, page 7

I think the video I linked to bears that out pretty well.
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Old 05-10-2015, 03:42 PM
mikehill mikehill is offline
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I guess you can't argue with Bob, but I must admit that after watching the video the standard Sapele sounded very slightly better to me, especially on picked strings and basic chord strums. Maybe I should save some money ... the Rosewood looked WAY better though
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Old 05-10-2015, 03:47 PM
AZLiberty AZLiberty is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LisaT View Post
I disagree...they do not all sound the same. My HV does not sound like my FLTD Koa. As long as the woods used in the laminate are not 'junk' woods, each lamination still has it's own tonal intricacies...however limited by the narrowness of the lam, it's still there. But yes, the top is the primary source for the overall tonal qualities a guitar will exhibit.
Even Bob Taylor says they all sound the same. The center wood is poplar on all of them, with a thin pretty veneer of whatever looks nice on the outside.

That's for the back/side wood. I would expect your HV to sound a bit fuller since it has an Engelmann top instead of Sitka, and certainly the mahogany topped model sounds different.
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Old 05-10-2015, 03:53 PM
re17 re17 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikehill View Post
I guess you can't argue with Bob, but I must admit that after watching the video the standard Sapele sounded very slightly better to me
Well Bob's point is that if you find a tonal difference, it's unlikely to be down to the laminate back and sides; perhaps it lies in the natural variation in spruce tops, or the setup, or whatever. In other words, if you buy sight unseen then go on visual details because the laminate used does not have a consistent, predictable effect on tone.
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Old 05-10-2015, 03:59 PM
flaggerphil flaggerphil is offline
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Unless you pick the mahogany topped one, which sounds significantly different from the spruce topped Minis. I haven't heard the koa topped one yet, but I'd bet it sounds different, too. So, I'd advise the OP to check both the mahogany and all-koa Minis against the spruce ones...you'll be comparing at least three different sounds.
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Old 05-10-2015, 04:03 PM
mikehill mikehill is offline
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Thanks for the video links, I just listened to all three. The Koa and Hog sound pretty much like my EL to me so I reckon I'll just go with the Sitka/Sapele for a better contrast and spend the money saved on some fingerpicking DVD's
Thanks for the opinions.
Mike.
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Old 05-10-2015, 05:34 PM
LisaT LisaT is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikehill View Post
I guess you can't argue with Bob, but I must admit that after watching the video the standard Sapele sounded very slightly better to me, especially on picked strings and basic chord strums. Maybe I should save some money ... the Rosewood looked WAY better though
See...people on internet forums always assume opinion to be fact...which they are not. It is Bob's opinion that the laminate B&S have no effect. It is my opinion, that albeit it's a small part, that they do. I feel you get a 'blend' of the tonal qualities of the different woods used in the lamination.

No different than it's Bob's opinion that pick guards are a necessity and aesthetically pleasing, while it's Andy Powers' opinion that the exact opposite is true.

Why people have to work overtime to discredit another's opinion for the sake of being 'right' always escapes me.
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  #12  
Old 05-10-2015, 05:35 PM
LisaT LisaT is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikehill View Post
Thanks for the video links, I just listened to all three. The Koa and Hog sound pretty much like my EL to me so I reckon I'll just go with the Sitka/Sapele for a better contrast and spend the money saved on some fingerpicking DVD's
Thanks for the opinions.
Mike.
Good luck with your search!
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Old 05-10-2015, 05:41 PM
rtrworship rtrworship is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LisaT View Post
It is, sadly, a sold out Limited Edition...although they have been popping up on eBay lately...at a premium.
I literally just listed mine for sale on here. Then saw your post. Looked on ebay... wow... it's listed for $300 more than I'm asking. Maybe I should take mine to ebay!
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Old 05-10-2015, 06:01 PM
LisaT LisaT is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rtrworship View Post
I literally just listed mine for sale on here. Then saw your post. Looked on ebay... wow... it's listed for $300 more than I'm asking. Maybe I should take mine to ebay!
The ones on eBay are averaging between $850-$900...and it doesn't seem to matter if they are new or used, stock or modded. The funny thing is...I haven't even been tempted...I love my HV!
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Old 05-10-2015, 07:22 PM
djg djg is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by re17 View Post
Then you're disagreeing with Bob Taylor, who was asked about tonal differences between the GS Minis and replied:

"The answer is they don’t really sound different. If they do, there’s little difference, and it might not even be because of the sapele versus rosewood, etc. That’s the thing about laminates. One truth: We make very, very good-sounding laminate guitars; just play them and tell me they’re not. Another truth: No matter what type of outside veneer we put on them, the sound changes very little if at all. This is what you get with solid wood that you cannot get with laminates. They’re both good guitars, but with solid wood you hear the personality of the different woods. With laminates there is only a visual difference."

Wood and Steel, Winter 2013, page 7

I think the video I linked to bears that out pretty well.
It might very well be true that the different flavors of laminated (or "layered") back and side woods on the GS minis are there for cosmetic purposes -- certainly I'm not going to argue with Bob Taylor about the workings of his guitars.

It doesn't follow that all of the GS minis are the same. Apart from whatever variation one might expect from instrument to instrument, there's the fact that these are solid-topped guitars with different top woods. If I have the right model in mind, the "Koa" one mentioned by the OP has a solid Koa top, and not just a Koa veneer on the outside of the B & S. The rosewood might be laminated, but it has a solid spruce top (sitka, if I recall correctly). A mahogany GS mini should have a solid mahogany top and the HV GS mini has an old growth Engelmann top. I have an HV mini myself and I've played several examples of the other ones -- they sure sounded different to me and I don't think Bob Taylor or anybody else at Taylor has ever suggested the different tops are interchangeable.

Whether one of these works for somebody -- or works great, or fine, or not so well -- is another question.
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