So whats all the hub bub over the GS mini

[mgap]

I liked the post doughboy. 

I recently purchased one and reviewed it on YouTube, you can see it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klMWHCxYHt8

It gave me a good insight to the GS Mini. I will have to try out a hog GS Mini.  After watching and hearing your review I went to the Taylor site and heard the sitka top.  Mind you it is impossible to compare the two in this fashion, but you could tell the hog has a different tone.

You are going to get lots of opinions on the GSm.  And most will be typical glowingly positive, if not gushy.  Fine.  But since you asked: I think they are good guitars and fulfill a nice little niche in the market.  But frankly I do not understand what reads like uber love for these.  Look at post after post, folks love them.  Again, fine with me; but I just personally don't "get it."  FWIW, I've seen more and more pop up in various classifeds so my guess is some folks were swept in with the novelty and/or glowing reviews ...then bought one and said "ok, it's a guitar."  Just my guess, mind you.  and while not slamming a good guit, I would not go out of the way to own one, personally.  Now used at a good price...

Thanks for the straight forward thinking on the GS Mini, it puts perspective on all the comments.  I will say for the most part I like what I am hearing about the guitar although.

This will in fact require many visits to the dealer to test and to re-test these geetars.  I know it will take a lot of tedious work, but I will persevere.

[SMan]

I like my GS Mini most for the ease of play due to a host of physical issues I have.  The fact that it sounds good and works great as a travel guitar at a decent price point accounts for the fact that it gets much of my playing time.   

[dougboy1970]

Glad you liked the vid...hoped it helped...I write my own songs and I have to say that the mini has inspired some different approaches...shorter scale causes me to venture out more...one thing, though, I might reconsider is getting the ES Go...I'm thinking a k&k or lr baggs installed under bridge might be better...the ESGo is a little tinny sounding...

[mgap]

I went to the Taylor store and tested the GS Mini.  I liked the guitar, the only style they had was the spruce top.  The mahogany model had gone out the door 1/2 a hour earlier,  So I will have to go back another time, and test some more.  I feel at this time I'll probably go without a pickup because I just don't amp up very often anyway, and in the rv I will not need it anyway.

[Steely Glen]

I had a GS Mini for a year or so.  I liked it, but didn't love it.  I never could bond with the narrow nut width (deal-breaker) and I'm not a huge fan of satin finishes.  I sold it and purchased a Voyage Air VAOM-04 and haven't looked back.  Personally, I don't think the Mini can compete with a Voyage Air.  If the Mini came with a full sized nut, I might get another one to add to the herd, but I wouldn't consider owning another one until that happens. 

[cjd-player]

...  purchased a Voyage Air VAOM-04 and haven't looked back.  Personally, I don't think the Mini can compete with a Voyage Air.  ...

Same for me, although I never purchased a Mini because of the narow nut.  Now, having the VAOM 04, I never will.

[mgap]

purchased a Voyage Air VAOM-04 and haven't looked back

I have checked around and can not find a dealer anywhere near me.  I still want to try a Mini in mahogany anyway.

[Gutch]

purchased a Voyage Air VAOM-04 and haven't looked back

I have checked around and can not find a dealer anywhere near me.  I still want to try a Mini in mahogany anyway.

Try Elderly Instruments, Lansing MI.  Great dealer, solid web presence and broad selection.

[mgap]

Thanks for the heads up.  Elderly is a good dealer from what I have hear, but I want to try the Voyage Air first before I buy anything. 

[Captain Jim]

You people are a bad influence.  We'll be spending the summer on our boat in the Pacific Northwest... I was thinking of something really small, like a Traveler Escape Mk-ll (looks like a miniature Les Paul, with the tuning keys in the body and no head stock).  I couldn't find one of those in the Phoenix area (where we are right now), but played a couple Travelers with humbucker pickups... a bit too metal-sounding for my tastes, and the neck felt odd with no headstock.  I couldn't get comfortable sitting with that thing - like trying to play a breadboard.  Still, it felt pretty indestructible.  I already have a really small Roland Cube Street amp that is small enough to tuck in any compartment in the boat, but I couldn't make myself like that Traveler.

Yeah, I tried a couple GSminis... just because.  At the last place we checked, I was about to give up.  Then I picked up a GSmini that felt and sounded better than the others I had tried.  Or maybe it was a "closing time" scenerio, since we are heading out of "the big city" in the morning?    My wife said, "Um, weren't you looking for a travel guitar when you bought that Tayor last month?"

"Yeah.  But, with the hard case and the size and the weight..."

"If you get this one, we're done looking - agreed?"  She loves it when I play, not so much when we guitar shop.  So, a GSmini came home with us today.

I like the idea of the ES-GO pickup, but it has gotten a buttload of less than favorable reviews when I did a search.  Has Taylor (or whoever the 3rd party is who makes them for Taylor) worked out the grounding buzz?  Can you EQ the pickup for decent tone?

This thing weighs almost nothing in the gig bag (never had one of those before, always had hard cases).

Captain Jim

[dougboy1970]

You people are a bad influence.  We'll be spending the summer on our boat in the Pacific Northwest... I was thinking of something really small, like a Traveler Escape Mk-ll (looks like a miniature Les Paul, with the tuning keys in the body and no head stock).  I couldn't find one of those in the Phoenix area (where we are right now), but played a couple Travelers with humbucker pickups... a bit too metal-sounding for my tastes, and the neck felt odd with no headstock.  I couldn't get comfortable sitting with that thing - like trying to play a breadboard.  Still, it felt pretty indestructible.  I already have a really small Roland Cube Street amp that is small enough to tuck in any compartment in the boat, but I couldn't make myself like that Traveler.

Yeah, I tried a couple GSminis... just because.  At the last place we checked, I was about to give up.  Then I picked up a GSmini that felt and sounded better than the others I had tried.  Or maybe it was a "closing time" scenerio, since we are heading out of "the big city" in the morning?    My wife said, "Um, weren't you looking for a travel guitar when you bought that Tayor last month?"

"Yeah.  But, with the hard case and the size and the weight..."

"If you get this one, we're done looking - agreed?"  She loves it when I play, not so much when we guitar shop.  So, a GSmini came home with us today.

I like the idea of the ES-GO pickup, but it has gotten a buttload of less than favorable reviews when I did a search.  Has Taylor (or whoever the 3rd party is who makes them for Taylor) worked out the grounding buzz?  Can you EQ the pickup for decent tone?

This thing weighs almost nothing in the gig bag (never had one of those before, always had hard cases).

Captain Jim

I've used my lr baggs para di to spread out the signal and have some extra eq control...added some bass and got a pretty good sound through the ESGo, but still think I could have done better not getting the ESGo, buying a pickup (like lrbaggs or k&k) and spending a few extra dollars on the install.  I love Taylor, don't get me wrong, but this pickup isn't as good...

[Jack Gretz]

The GS Mini is simply fun guitar that is not expensive, plays easy, sounds rich and full for the size of the guitar and does not take up a lot of room. It is not very common to find a guitar with a solid top, tuners that hold tune, a perfect straight neck, a real gig bag, awesome fretwork, a wonderful playability in that price range. For some folks, $XXX can be a lot of money which is very understandable, however if you can see your way, it is money very well spent. 




edited for price

[mgap]

It is not very common to find a guitar with a solid top, tuners that hold tune, a perfect straight neck, a real gig bag, awesome fretwork, a wonderful playability in that price range.

All good reasons why I pulled the trigger on a 2012 LTD.

[dougboy1970]

You people are a bad influence.  We'll be spending the summer on our boat in the Pacific Northwest... I was thinking of something really small, like a Traveler Escape Mk-ll (looks like a miniature Les Paul, with the tuning keys in the body and no head stock).  I couldn't find one of those in the Phoenix area (where we are right now), but played a couple Travelers with humbucker pickups... a bit too metal-sounding for my tastes, and the neck felt odd with no headstock.  I couldn't get comfortable sitting with that thing - like trying to play a breadboard.  Still, it felt pretty indestructible.  I already have a really small Roland Cube Street amp that is small enough to tuck in any compartment in the boat, but I couldn't make myself like that Traveler.

Yeah, I tried a couple GSminis... just because.  At the last place we checked, I was about to give up.  Then I picked up a GSmini that felt and sounded better than the others I had tried.  Or maybe it was a "closing time" scenerio, since we are heading out of "the big city" in the morning?    My wife said, "Um, weren't you looking for a travel guitar when you bought that Tayor last month?"

"Yeah.  But, with the hard case and the size and the weight..."

"If you get this one, we're done looking - agreed?"  She loves it when I play, not so much when we guitar shop.  So, a GSmini came home with us today.

I like the idea of the ES-GO pickup, but it has gotten a buttload of less than favorable reviews when I did a search.  Has Taylor (or whoever the 3rd party is who makes them for Taylor) worked out the grounding buzz?  Can you EQ the pickup for decent tone?

This thing weighs almost nothing in the gig bag (never had one of those before, always had hard cases).

Captain Jim

I've used my lr baggs para di to spread out the signal and have some extra eq control...added some bass and got a pretty good sound through the ESGo, but still think I could have done better not getting the ESGo, buying a pickup (like lrbaggs or k&k) and spending a few extra dollars on the install.  I love Taylor, don't get me wrong, but this pickup isn't as good...

I repent for this comment, since I've learned of TRS (Balanced) cables, which you can use on the mini ES Go, the ES sounds a lot better than I thought.  On any Taylor, make sure you have a TRS cable, not just standard guitar cable, if you want to get the best out of the pickup.

[andyi5]

It is not very common to find a guitar with a solid top, tuners that hold tune, a perfect straight neck, a real gig bag, awesome fretwork, a wonderful playability in that price range.

All good reasons why I pulled the trigger on a 2012 LTD.

Congratulations - which one did you get, & when's delivery?