Choosing the best GS mini

[adamhill14]

Hey everyone. New to the forum but have been playing a cheap Cort acoustic electric for about 12 years. Started leading worship at my church so I’m looking at purchasing a better guitar. Really like the feel and sound of the GS Mini, but have only gotten to play the spruce top. Is the price jump for the Koa + worth it for the better electronics, tuners, and case? I have considered upgrading to the aero case regardless of which model I buy. Thoughts? Experiences? Much appreciated!

[Tannin]

So far as the woods go, you don't want Koa unless you actually want Koa. Spruce is the most popular top timber in the world because it is a really good all-rounder, better than just about anything at most of what it does. Cedar is the second-most popular timber and it too is a great all-rounder. No accident.

Hardwoods in general are perfect for back, sides, and neck, but something of an aquired taste for tops. Guitars with hardwood tops are quite different animals. Whether it is Koa or mahogany or Blackwood, you probably don't want a top made out of it unless you specifically want that unique hardwood-top sound. People who love it love it to bits, but most people don't.

(Disclaimer: I played a GS mini the other week and was impressed with how well the little thing performed considering how small it is and how many compromises they make to produce such a small instrument. It was the Koa top one as it happens. You could do a lot worse than oine of those, though probably not the Koa one.)

[difalkner]

Our Worship Pastor just bought a Koa GS Mini about two weeks ago and loves it, says it's the best guitar he's owned. He wanted a Koa Takamine like mine but the GS Mini was more in his budget range and he's really happy with it. And it's a pretty guitar with the bookmatched Koa with sapwood on the top.

You can see and hear it here although my guitar was a little hotter than normal so you'll have to watch Philip to pick out his playing.

[Cool555]

Hi Adam, Welcome to AGF! I did a poll here sometime ago on "Which is your favourite GS Mini top?" The link is below. The favorite here is Mahogany, then Koa and then Spruce. I own a GS Mini Koa and I like it.

It's best if you can actually play all 3 tops to compare them. If not, then maybe YouTube video reviews might be helpful.

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...ts&pollid=3598

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=532626

[rllink]

I'm not a Koa fan so I went with mahogany. I like the sound and the look. The price is the same as the spruce. I have a larger guitar with a 25" scale that I bought later because I got convinced that the mini was too small, but the mini still gets played ten to one against the larger guitar.

[ctvolfan]

This is a great question that I’m looking forward to thoughts on this. May have to look for that thread on the pole that was mentioned above. I have wanted a GS Mini for years and love the look of the Koa but sound needs to be the important factor here. I have a feeling that mahogany sounds best. Played one once and remembered I was surprised at how good it sounded. I did own a Spruce top I bought used for a while and did not like it at all so I sold it. I plan on trying out another hog sometime. But man are the Koa ones beautiful.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by adamhill14

Hey everyone. New to the forum but have been playing a cheap Cort acoustic electric for about 12 years. Started leading worship at my church so I’m looking at purchasing a better guitar. Really like the feel and sound of the GS Mini, but have only gotten to play the spruce top. Is the price jump for the Koa + worth it for the better electronics, tuners, and case? I have considered upgrading to the aero case regardless of which model I buy. Thoughts? Experiences? Much appreciated!

I had a GS Mini mahogany and loved it.

Bob Taylor has stated that there's no appreciable difference in sound between the various GS Minis, but there are WAY too many players that don't find that to be true.

You owe it to yourself to try a Taylor Academy 12 before you decide to purchase. The Academy is an excellent guitar and has a longer scale length which you may ultimately be more comfortable with.

Both the GS Mini and the Academy come with or without pickup, depending on if you intend to plug in.

The GS Mini and the Acedemy come with a very nice soft case that's totally acceptable. No need to upgrade.

[JBMINN]

I went to church last Sunday and noticed the music lead pastor was sporting a mahogany gs mini which sounded great. I'll say at first I didn't recognize what it was because he's a big guy and it looked a bit like a ukulele in his hands. I've had my own mahogany topped gs mini for about 9 years. Others come and go, but I find this little guitar works so well for so many things that I can't part with it.
Also, a few years ago I went to see Pat Benatar doing an acoustic set outdoors at the Minnesota Zoo. Her husband, Neil Geraldo played a variety of GS Minis for the entire show.

[Shadowfox]

So a few things, just make sure you really like the shortened string scale.

If you are going up to $800 bucks for the Taylor, there are much better guitars by other makers for that price, and guitars that are all solid, rather than laminate.

For instance, if you want a good smaller size guitar: Yamaha AC3R: https://reverb.com/item/40804353-yam...u8Zgz27OZl-Mkw

Eastman will make great all solid guitars in your price point.

Also, I'd consider the PRS P20e over the GS Mini.

But YMMV.

[emtsteve]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

I had a GS Mini mahogany and loved it.

Bob Taylor has stated that there's no appreciable difference in sound between the various GS Minis, but there are WAY too many players that don't find that to be true.

You owe it to yourself to try a Taylor Academy 12 before you decide to purchase. The Academy is an excellent guitar and has a longer scale length which you may ultimately be more comfortable with.

Both the GS Mini and the Academy come with or without pickup, depending on if you intend to plug in.

The GS Mini and the Acedemy come with a very nice soft case that's totally acceptable. No need to upgrade.

I now own Rudy's GS Mini Mahogany and absolutely love this guitar. It's awesome for travel and I enjoy playing it very much. That being said, if I was buying a guitar not for travel, I would probably pick something else. The Taylor Academy series are very nice. Another brand to consider is Eastman. I picked up a PCH GACE last week for $360, its basically a Taylor GA copy and comes with a decent pickup system. It is a really good value and a fantastic guitar and would probably suit your needs well. Take your time and do some test drives.

[oldwasichu]

My personal opinion, for what it’s worth, is that the mahogany version GS Mini most closely sounds like a full size guitar. The spruce versions I’ve sampled are tinny sounding to my ear. My son-in-law, who is much more musically talented than I will ever be, reached the same conclusion. But it is your ears that must decide.

[SRL]

Originally Posted by oldwasichu

My personal opinion, for what it’s worth, is that the mahogany version GS Mini most closely sounds like a full size guitar. The spruce versions I’ve sampled are tinny sounding to my ear. My son-in-law, who is much more musically talented than I will ever be, reached the same conclusion. But it is your ears that must decide.

I agree, that's why I went with the all-mahogany, no-electronics version for the GS mini.

But go with whatever sounds and plays good to you.

Originally Posted by emtsteve

I now own Rudy's GS Mini Mahogany and absolutely love this guitar. It's awesome for travel and I enjoy playing it very much. That being said, if I was buying a guitar not for travel, I would probably pick something else. The Taylor Academy series are very nice. Another brand to consider is Eastman. I picked up a PCH GACE last week for $360, its basically a Taylor GA copy and comes with a decent pickup system. It is a really good value and a fantastic guitar and would probably suit your needs well. Take your time and do some test drives.

Agree here as well. While a GS Mini can be used as a stage guitar, I might pick something with a bit bigger body and fuller sound. Taylor Academy series is a good choice at a reasonable price.

[Steve DeRosa]

Our last band's former vocalist had a koa GS Mini (not the Plus version) that was nothing short of amazing - and not just for its size: while it was clear that you were playing a small guitar the balance, punch, and carrying power were more akin to a 000 - and many's the time we passed it around during rehearsal breaks just for grins. Although when it comes to serious performance I've always been a "big guitar" guy - dreads, jumbos, 17" archtops, and the like - I'd happily own one as an open mic/jam/couch guitar for its unique tone (BTW the hog-top comes in a close second IMO - enough so that it's well worth a look if price is a primary factor) and easy handling qualities...

[fpuhan]

Add me to the Koa camp. I have a couple of other smaller guitars, a carbon-fiber KLŌS, a Li'l Martin LX1RE and a Grestch Jim Dandy G9500, and of all my acoustics, full or downsized, my Koa GS Mini is the best.

[jontewright]

I’ve owned the spruce, mahogany and koa versions.
I let the others go but not the koa one, yes I find the nut and string spacing a little tight but it’s worth it for the sound and playability.

Koa get’s my vote.