Taylor GS Mini-e Rosewood Plus Acoustic-electric Guitar - Gloss Natural with Black Pickguard Reviews
The Taylor GS Mini-e Rosewood Plus takes the company's popular small-sized guitar to new heights with upgraded electronics and a head-turning gloss finish. This acoustic-electric guitar boasts Taylor's Grand Symphony body shape, imbuing it with a punch and resonance that belies its travel-friendly size. The GS Mini-e Rosewood Plus features a Sitka spruce top, layered rosewood back and sides, and an ebony fingerboard, resulting in an exceptionally full sound. Plus, with its sophisticated ES2 electronics, the GS Mini-e Rosewood Plus can be plugged in anytime, anywhere. Grab one today and find out why the GS Mini has become a Sweetwater favorite for work and play!
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As low as $25/month
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Highest Rated Reviews
Completely Satisfied
I have played this non-stop for a few weeks..
Suprisingly loud contrary to what some reviewers have said in the past..
This isn't a high end starter or back up acoustic
This is a tool every skill level can get the job done with, and well.
Nice bassy low end and crisp highs with a silky neck.
This is a keeper…
Thanks to my sales rep Matt South and the Sweetwater Luthier team for following through on exactly what I wanted.
My favorite GS-Mini
By way of background, I have over 50 years of playing and tinkering with acoustic and electric guitars. I have a 2006 GS-Mini RW with ES-2 pickup and previously owned both a mahogany and a koa version. My favorite full-size guitar is a 2010 Taylor 12-fret and I'm a big fan of spruce/rosewood for most styles of music. The GS-Mini RWs can't capture the range and depth of tone of my 12-fret, but they are certainly in the same tonal class. Sweet overtones, more than sufficient lower end (especially considering the size), clear and rounded treble sounds and well-balanced across the tonal spectrum. I'm having to let go of some guitars as I'm downsizing, and have been trying to decide on a forever-keeper to see me through my dotage. Due to a bad shoulder and worsening arthritis, I have to stick with smaller-size instruments now.
Now for the GS-Min RW Plus. First, it's beautiful. It certainly looks more "grown up" than the regular GS-Mini RW, with the gloss giving it a more finished, professional look. They were hard to come by when i purchased mine so I bought it sight-unseen. Mine came with a nice streaked ebony fretboard. Lots of opinions about the streaking, but I really like it. And it reminds me that the instrument was built with wood that previously would have been scrapped as "imperfect." The gloss on the back and sides really brings out the gorgeous dark rosewood grain. The only visual aspect I didn't like was the plain black pickguard. It looks out of place on such a beautiful instrument. Solved that by removing the pickguard, and the guitar looks much better for it. Like virtually all Taylors, fit and finish is perfect in every respect.
My 2006 GS-Mini RW has always been a bit mellow, and has grown more so over the years, and I was hoping the gloss-finished version would provide a little more note definition and clarity. Wish granted. Like any new guitar, it takes a while for it to break in, so I waited a while before writing this review. Spruce doesn't take as long as koa to open up, and the initial "tightness" in the tone started to bloom within just a week or so - and will continue to mature throughout the life of the instrument. To accommodate my arthritis, I strung mine with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze 11s with no significant impact on tone or volume. I play about 75% fingerstyle on acoustics, and this guitar responds beautifully to nuanced changes in my right hand approach. It can certainly handle strumming and flatpicking, but for more old-school tones I sometimes reach for one of my spruce/mahogany guitars. The GS-Mini RW Plus has a surprising amount of headroom and plenty enough volume to hang with most other guitars while unplugged, other than maybe dreadnoughts or really heavy-handed players.
I'm a big fan of the ES-2 pickup system, finding it provides a very accurate tonal reproduction with simple and effective controls. As expected, this guitar sounds great through every amp I've run it through, most often a Fishman Mini. Makes for a very manageable "grab and go" set up for gigs, teaching or jam sessions. The Aero case is a great addition.
As you can tell, I'm extremely pleased with this guitar and (other than the dime-store black pickguard) have nothing but positive impressions. This one has definitely made the cut to stay in my soon-to-be smaller guitar collection.
As always, fast shipping and great customer service from Sweetwater.
