Finally got the sibling bass for my Taylor Koa GS mini guitar:
And here they are together:
And here they are together:
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NBD! Taylor GS Mini Koa
- Thread starter lermgalieu
- Start date
Maybe after I get some more time with it. So far: construction is great. Frets are nice and smooth, action is perfect and intonation seems good. It's very light (3lb 13oz), which I am used to from having the GS Mini acoustic six string for 4 years now. It projects way more than you would think - some of this is the bright strings, but I think the body too. I find myself playing quite lightly, and the scale is shorter so I have adjust my big ole fingering a bit. It's very nice. It is fun to play. I have to try it with an acoustic guitar to see how it matches up volume-wise. I haven't plugged it in yet, but will tomorrow, probably. Sound is very well defined and full, no muddiness to it.
I have the original version of this - mahogany / spruce - Taylor does an unbelievable job with construction. Setup was perfect right out of the box - nut, neck relief, action, and most amazingly for an ABG the intonation is perfect. Unfortunately I never warned up to the short scale but it’s a very nice instrument. Oh yeah - the string to string balance when plugged in is also spot on. That has been a problem on every ABG I’ve played even multi thousand dollar instruments.
Now I’m tempted to go bust it out and play it! Wish there was a flatwound string set available; I use Labella nylon core which I much prefer to the factory stings but flats would be so much better…
Now I’m tempted to go bust it out and play it! Wish there was a flatwound string set available; I use Labella nylon core which I much prefer to the factory stings but flats would be so much better…
that's some real risky behavior right there.....
I spent some more time with it last night. Nothing big to report, except it's super fun. If I play normal pizz like I would play with an electric bass, I can get some really farty, almost compressed tune. If I dig in too much, the G string bottoms out on the frets a bit, but that's to be expected given the instrument's size. If I play fingerstyle the way I would do it on an acoustic guitar (using thumb and fingers with my forearm more parallel to the neck), I can get fantastic bright chordal tones. It's addictive. I need to remember to plug it in tonight.
I think the scale is shorter, but I can check when I get home (as luck would have it, my son actually has a (lefty) Mikro!). Standard tuning, yes.
My friend has the Ibanez Mikro. The Taylor is definitely shorter. I own the GS Mini-e bass. When I played with 2 other acoustic-electrics (no drums) and harp, the other 2 guitars buried me volume wise. I turned up the amp but that didn't suit me so I purchased an Electro-Harmonix Linear Power Boost pedal for $50 CDN (new). It's a simple clean boost pedal which has used the same circuit for decades. The boost pedal does the trick for me.
I like the bass. The light weight, small scale and special strings are all selling pints for me.
I like the bass. The light weight, small scale and special strings are all selling pints for me.
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Yeah - I forgot to come back on here and reply, but yes, the Taylor is much shorter.
I’m not sure how well they would do with the nut that’s on the Taylor, but I’d be interested in hearing how it sounds with ubass strings….Particularly maybe a set of Aquila Thunderbrown ubass strings. I know you can also get flatwounds made for the ubass most of which are also 23”.
