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Taylor GS Mini acoustic bass

#21
I own the Taylor and I’m very pleased with it. I bought the mini 6 string years ago and it’s a great guitar. When I saw the bass version I had to have it. It’s great for sitting and playing in my lap just for practice. I’ve never plugged it in though. The gig bags for both of these are quite nice. Never tried the Guild version or others that seem to have sprung up so I can’t offer a comparison.
 
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#22
D.A.R.K. said:
One thing about the Taylor I noticed, even if you slammed the bridge all the way down, there would be considerable height to the action. To get it truly correct, the bridge would have to be removed and planed down.
This is pretty bad for an instrument at that price.
Is the is the same with the Guild?
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I have several Taylor guitars. Taylor instruments all use a bolt on neck, and they sell various thickness shims. Minor adjustments can be made by sanding the saddle, but what your describing seems like a shim is in order. No big deal at all, but kind of odd for a new instrument. One of my GS mini guitars (the spruce top model) is surprisingly sensitive to humidity, which causes the top to bow up a bit. That may also be affecting the action you are seeing.
 
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#23
D.A.R.K. said:
Went to a local store, and tried out a bunch of acoustic basses today- Warwick, Epiphone, Breedlove, a couple other- picked up this Taylor thinking it was a tenor guitar,
and ***? it was louder, deeper, and better sounding acoustically than everything else, with better projection, side by side! Damn. Now I want one. It was a Koa version. Anyone else find this?
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I have the koa one. I like it.
 
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#24
I owned one for a couple of months. I really wanted to like it and hoped it would work out. The problem is me - I've never like the tone of ABGs (3 of them) and I still don't. The Taylor was fun to play but it wasn't meant to be. I liked the smaller size, the 'special' strings and individual piezo saddle pickups. Oddly, the two U-basses (acoustic-electric and solid body) I purchased since then are just wonderful for my needs in a ukulele band. The Taylor is fairly expensive too.
 
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#27
rpt50 said:
I have several Taylor guitars. Taylor instruments all use a bolt on neck, and they sell various thickness shims. Minor adjustments can be made by sanding the saddle, but what your describing seems like a shim is in order. No big deal at all, but kind of odd for a new instrument. One of my GS mini guitars (the spruce top model) is surprisingly sensitive to humidity, which causes the top to bow up a bit. That may also be affecting the action you are seeing.
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At this point I'm guessing it's just a floor model that needs a setup. Really though- such a brilliant design with the neck being adjustable. I can see how a purist might not like that type of joint on an acoustic instrument, but this type of bass is a whole other animal all together, far from natural.
 
#28
D.A.R.K. said:
At this point I'm guessing it's just a floor model that needs a setup. Really though- such a brilliant design with the neck being adjustable. I can see how a purist might not like that type of joint on an acoustic instrument, but this type of bass is a whole other animal all together, far from natural.
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Taylor sells a butt-load of guitars, most with the NT neck joint. Bob did a real service to musicians in created it. Bolt-on necks are what I have on 3/4 of my acoustic guitars.
 
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#31
Guild arrived today- sounds great, just as good as the Taylor. Can't do a side by side, but definitely no louder, although that could be different from a few feet away by a listener.
Plays great, although the nut slots are unnecessarily high, regardless of there spongey strings. Bridge height on this one is correct, although the situation with the Taylor was the neck needed adjusting/ a shim. Detuned to D is great, holds it no problem. 3.2 lbs, this one- featherweight. Will put it through some paces and see if it's a keeper. Surprisingly well built for the price point for sure.
Edit: that Martin cutaway tho.... these should have a cutaway... hmmm....
 
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#37
D.A.R.K. said:
Went to a local store, and tried out a bunch of acoustic basses today- Warwick, Epiphone, Breedlove, a couple other- picked up this Taylor thinking it was a tenor guitar,
and ***? it was louder, deeper, and better sounding acoustically than everything else, with better projection, side by side! Damn. Now I want one. It was a Koa version. Anyone else find this?
Click to expand...
Taylor GS Mini Bass is just so CUTE. Despite its size, it's voiced in such a way to project. The Acoustic Bass Guitar is too small in proportion to its tuning (very much like the Viola & Double Bass) so they're made in such a way to compensate for that.
 
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#38
Oscar Stern said:
Taylor GS Mini Bass is just so CUTE. Despite its size, it's voiced in such a way to project. The Acoustic Bass Guitar is too small in proportion to its tuning (very much like the Viola & Double Bass) so they're made in such a way to compensate for that.
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Yeah, definitely an attribute to the design of the back, and strings, mostly. In comparison with the Guild and Martin, Guild had same type of response. I think I went over that in my following posts. Quite aware of the nature and limitations of the design factors, thanks!
 
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#39
gtirard said:
I totally agree that the Taylor GS e-Mini is amazing.

Initially I played a big jumbo with a 20 singers choir band. I bought the Taylor for its mini size, because the long neck of my jumbo interfered with the movement of the band.

And I was really surprised that the Taylor was much louder than my initial jumbo.

I have for 2 or 3 years now, and I'm super happy, I would buy it again without hesitation. It's really a joy to play. This bass deserves much more fame and love.

There's just one small detail you should know if you want to buy it: sometimes, the volume of the 4 strings is not even. It's normal, it's just the way piezzo pickups work, the pressure of each string on the piezzo pickup is not equal. Fortunately you can adjust the pressure, but you just have to buy a 0,050" Allen key (same as for Fender American bridge).

My advice: buy this bass (and buy a 0,050" Allen key at the same time)


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Now I'm reading this comment almost a year later, I have to say that I didn't have to use this allen key. It's very stable. Good to keep the allen key just in case, but you should not worry too much about it.
 

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