Taylor GS Mini Comparison: Koa vs Rosewood vs Mahogany vs Spruce
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- Опубліковано 11 жов 2024
- All of the Taylor GS Minis (to date) compared! The GS Mini Koa vs the GS Mini Mahogany vs the GS Mini Rosewood vs the GS Mini Original! Which one sounds the best?
To order:
Koa: store.alamomusi...
Mahogany: store.alamomusi...
More info available here:
Rosewood: store.alamomusi...
Original: store.alamomusi...
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So great listening to someone who clearly knows what he`s talking about.
definitely prefer the warm tone of the Mahogany. All of them sound beautiful and it's great that there is such a difference between each one. something for everyone then!
HI Chris, there are a ton of GS Mini reviews out on youtube, but this one is far and away the very best. Excellent review sir, very well thought out, planned, and delivered!!!
I'm going for the Mahogany. Sounds nice and dark to me !
For tone, I'd choose the Sitka Spruce/Layered Rosewood. For aesthetics, definitely the Koa/Layered Koa.
Stuck between koa vs mahogany!!!
I tried the Koa at GC today, I fell in love with it.
Rosewood is the best wood for back and sides of the acoustic guitar, more definition, more deep, more clean and more warm. Its easy hear that and assimilate that. Very good compared,thank you very much.
I sat in guitar center tonight and played the shit out of the sitka top/sapele sides, the mahogany and the koa. More often than not the tone of a guitar comes down to personal choice but to me, the koa sounded much better than the mahogany and sitka/sapele. The differences were subtle, I'm not saying that it sounded a lot different, I just enjoyed the tone of the koa a lot more than the others.
I liked it so much that since guitar center had one in the back that hadn't been on display, I took it home. I've since spent a couple more hours playing it and it's quickly becoming my favorite acoustic. I have a 1965 Hummingbird that I inherited from my grandad and this is just so much easier to play and sounds nearly every bit as good (in a different kind of way). I've never had a travel sized guitar but it's gonna be hard to go back to a full size. From a totally unbiased point of view and from someone who doesn't get wrapped up in the drama of guitars and guitar choices, this little guitar is worth every penny, and more.
Oh and one last thing... I suggest everyone try to go out and play the guitars and see what sounds the best to you, in real life. I had decided I thought the mahogany sounded the best on video but when I heard the koa in real life, I was blow away by it.
The Koa is quite a bit more expensive, so most people won't choose the Koa because they don't like it, but because it's $300 more. Koa is more for playing in bands to cut through other instruments, while Mahogany is for solo playing or playing in the background. Koa is a significantly harder wood than Mahogany, but that can also be a disadvantage, since it'd likely be more prone to cracks from environmental changes.
They all sound so good but the koa just has that little extra.
Just scored a 3 month old GS Mini Spruce/Rosewood on ebay for $500!!!! So psyched!
I will take the Rosewood over Koa....just has a deep bassey warm sound and powerful in the mids and highs. A very well balanced over the higher pitch sounding Koa
I gotta Rosewood one and it's so nice
BEFORE WATCHING THIS, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.
Mahogany is in my ears the undisputed winner here. Beautiful warm tones
I had the same reaction every time the same piece was played; The spruce - ok, nice...mahogany - yes, yes yes!!!...rosewood -ok, nice...koa, maybe as good as the mahogany, but I needed to hear just the mahogany and the koa back-to-back. But I know I love, love, love the mahogany. I don't know why. I haven't dissected exactly what it is, but I love it every time.
Great job for Alamo Music Center. Congratulations
Today I visited local seller looking for a cedar top guitar. I play around with few of Taylor GS minis and the Koa model got most of fun to me and it is much louder than the others. seriously think about buying one.
Tomas Lynx they can be hard to locate sometimes. We have 13 in stock right now with varying grain patterns. I can send you photos.
-Chris McKee
Mahogany is the sweetest, rosewood the best projection. I like your fingerstyle too.
Koa has the looks (lovely grain on the one in the video) but Spruce is a clear winner for my ears :) I played them all in shops too and purchased a spruce-electric. Nicely played, good video!
For me it's a close call between spruce/sapele and spruce/rosewood, but I think the sapele gets the nod. The individual notes within chords sounded just a little better defined to me.
Without a doubt, my favorite was Spruce (Layered Sapele!!). I really loved that one. But I must add that the mahogany one also has a beautiful sound! Just not the sound Im looking for when my my type of music
I loveTaylor Guitar, and this GS Mini edition is 100% a must. Or it would be if I could afford it..
Taylor GS Mini Rosewood has more warm and deep sound in my opinion. Perfect demo, thanks for your help
I feel like the koa has no bass but really sweet highs. Rosewood sounds the most balanced to me.
absolutely right
Mahogani sounds like a gibson Sj 200 also sustains alot
The koa is scooped, bass and top, the rosewood lacks bass and the mahogany is bass tilted.
Ive actually played all 3 and I honestly I think I like the mahogany the best.
I recommend the rosewood. Why? It sounds like what an acoustic should sound like. It's hard to explain but it's like a raw file from your camera. It has a natural tone, which is you can add effects by your choice if you want to record or do more stuff that us guitarist wants. Rosewood is my winner.
I played the rosewood/spruce one at the store, then the Koa version, I liked the second better, I even felt more inspired to play, but because I was not interested in expending extra money on the exotic wood, and I knew mahogany would had the closest tone, I ordered that one at the same store, they brought it next week and I took the guitar home, I love it.
I did not have the chance to play it / compare it against the koa one in person, but on every comparison I've seen online I favor the mahogany so I'm glad I choose it.
Hey Chris, The Koa ES2 pickup sits behind and against the saddle. Great guitars, I have the Koa and I love it. Looking forward to your review of the GS mini bass. Keep on strumming.
The 2 that sound closest to one another are Mahogany and Koa.
Sounded to me like the Koa has just a little more snap... not quite as mellow in the extremes.
I'd take either! ...Taylors have a tendency to push the highs a bit too much in certain situations and the Mahogany works well for combating that which the Koa also does but to a lesser degree.
Bottom line is...Every single guitar in the GS range sounded fantastic.
Given a choice for day to day playing? Koa for general all around tone on a Taylor (not to mention the looks)
But, if I was a blues style acoustic player where getting that focused mid really counted, I'm choosing the mahogany all day long.
To my ears the Rosewood sounds a little fuller - but they are all very close in tone. I put new strings, bone nut, saddle, and pins on a 100 dollar Ibanez acoustic - and it produced a warm and balanced instrument with punch and clarity in full throated playing. A little knowledge on improving a used or cheap guitar can save you hundreds of dollars on an expensive guitar The quality has gone up on most cheap guitars. The 20 bucks in upgrades and tweaking the neck turned a beginner guitar into a remarkable sounding instrument that rivals some of the highest priced guitars that I have played. While there are some very cool - very expensive guitars - unless your just into collecting - fixing up a cheap guitar - can lead to a surprisingly satisfying player.
Mahogny, great balanced sound :-)
The sitka is to bright for me so it was standing between the Koa and mahogany and I must say that visually the koa takes 1st price but the mahogany sounds more balanced in sound. Koa has like a punch in it that kind of ruins it for me but Sitka has a much brighter punch so the mahogany is chilling in between so I went for the mahogany.
Två som spelar 02 exactly how I would’ve said it. I love my mahogany mini
The Mahogany really stands out with it's sustain. It sounds warmer but also slightly more complex than the others.
mahogany all day
Given a couple years to really open up i bet that koa mini will sound definitely better than the rest
+rubb3rduck The laminate does NOTHING to the sound. Even Bob Taylor has said so. Solid koa does magic, but you'll need to buy a 324ce-k FLTD or better to get that.
+John Taylor (SpectreWriter) This is a solid koa top, laminate koa back & sides
+rubb3rduck It didn't take years, took just weeks, for my 324ce-K FLTD to start opening up. Playing it several hours a week and having polished top instead of lacquer seems to make all the difference. But I'm not sure how much diff the top alone will make. The top is a diaphragm. We'll see.
+John Taylor (SpectreWriter) the top is the most important part for the sound. I have my gs-mini (mahogany top) for two years nowand it opened up beautiful...
Koa is so nice and warm and clear
the koa looks gorgeous *-*
Great review!! Just purchased the Koa GS mini.
i cant find the price..plz what was the price???
Ajay Poudel $800
by look wise.....The KOA.....but to my ear it's the MAHOGANY....
Koa looks get us to!
I think the koa stands out for me. You need to play them, a youtube video wont do these justice. Mohogany has a nice woody even dry tone, but koa has a very nice articulation, and it looks tops. I already have a spruce/ mohogany guitar, but its more for playing at home and I need something small and flashy to take around
I'm trying to decide which mini to purchase, do you personally have a favorite? I will probably be doing more strumming than picking for now. AND this song is SO incredibly beautiful, I just keep listening to it on repeat!!! It's distracting me from the guitar differences, all they sound great :)
mahogany def sounds best even better than the $200 more koa, it's just so pure and sweet like honey
In my opinion Rosewood is more warm,deep, sweet and clean, is easy understand if you feel the sound
Koa, with Mahogany following very close.
Seems like the koi has a nice blend of the mahogany deep tones and the rosewood/spruce bright tones. Hmmm... Definitely choosing Mahogany or Koa ... would love your opinion on the mike options.
Any chance you make a video of how to play Christian's Prayer?
My eyes say Koa my ears say Mahogany.
Koa is interesting to look at but is too bright for me. That's why I have a Taylor 816ce.
I know right! Which one did you choose?
@@Doc_Mitch I tried both of them at my local guitar shop and without hesitation I went with the Mahogany, that sound sent shivers down my spine
I think thats my koa 😌
Rosewood and Koa are so close that it's hard to say, what's the price difference between two usually does anynone know? I think the price would be the determining factor between these two for me.
Price difference is about $100.
Rosewood
I love the look of the Koa. All of the GS Mini's sound amazing. I personally really like the mellower deeper tone of the Mahogany > And.......the look of some of the Mahogany GS Mini's with the different striping patterns are pretty amazing as well........
I have heard the walnut mini which i thinks sounds the best but mahogany would be my second choice
Mohagany is best well rounded sound, Spruce is too bright and Koa is missing parts of the midrange to my ear, they are all nice though and I doubt I’d be able to pick out which one was which if I wasn’t looking at it, just picked up a Mahogany today can’t stop playing it, amazingly loud and full for a small guitar, blows away most full size concert acoustics IMHO... I like it better than my Koa 224 k DLX at the moment... UA-cam video just can’t do this little guitar justice, you have to play one to be shocked by it...
Mahogany sounds best to me.
The koa is so beautiful... i hink the mahagony sounds a teeny bit better but Im still gonna get the koa just cuz its so damn attractive!
The back/sides aren't going to make a difference--laminated sapele, rosewood or koa are all the same. The differences are in the solid tops, spruce vs mahogany vs koa. Spruce is a little bright to my ear, koa lacks bass, and the mahogany seems to be the best fit for the guitar.
Agreed !
Jesse Watson this is true it’s really sapele back and sides on all of them with different veneers applied
Yep, even Bob Taylor has said the sides and back are for aesthetics only. The top wood is all that matters in terms of sound
BS!!!!!! If he really said that, he's actually admitting to ripping off everyone.
@Josh O'Brien my source is MY OWN GS MINIS. Now kiss my ass
I had a guitar store guy tell me the woods are all the same on the Gs mini's and that the only difference is the cosmetic veneer of different woods on top for decoration, hence the "layers". Is that true about the woods on these guitars? Thanks!
May I ask what was the song you played? It was so nice!
It's called Christian's Prayer. I wrote it for my eldest son.
@@AlamoMusic very late but may I have the tableture? I understand if it's not available but it is beautiful. God Bless my friend.
Sir if you had to pick one out of all these which one would you pick
It`s a little bigger than a 3/4 size. It`s actually 20% smaller than a standard size.
Those who have played these vs an Academy 12(yes I realize the Academy12 is a bit larger). But, what is your input? These things really sound great over UA-cam but so did the Academy 12..... the mahogany mini sounds warm and fuller and deeper than the A12 despite being smaller.
They are more amazing that you realize if you haven’t see one in person, I’d say they are pricy for a little guitar, but well worth it, It leaves nothing behind for sound and absolutely destroys the baby Martins... it has more low end punch that 95% of full size concert guitars, Im almost beginning to think guitars should be this size. I got the Mahogany because $300 more for the Koa was too steep for me and I didn’t need the electronics... i played all three and honestly couldn’t really tell all that much difference they are pretty close so to me it came down to cost/looks...
Am I right? Isn't Koa...Brazilian rosewood? Gorgeous! Really balanced for a mid eq ... then you just express yourself a little harder to get brightness. Now the cedar is there for a good reason, but despite its great bright eq projection, I feel that I have to hold back to avoid plosive imbalance and noise, but it's not that hard to do. So, if I gotta choose just one, it's the Koa...
NextSongs4God Koa and Brazilian Rosewood are very different species of wood. Rosewood has strong bass and strong highs with a scooped midrange. Koa on the other hand has more midrange and treble with bass opening up over time.
NextSongs4God
I went to Physical Therapy school at Fort Sam in San Antonio, as a Navy Corpsman in 1986. One of the best times of my life.
I think i like the rosewood one the most. Definitely mahogany is on the bottom of this list. But. The way KOA looks like is just astonishing, so I think I’d prefer koa just in case it looks like masterpiece. Totally nailed it
Dude what sing was that called it sounds amazing
With the pickup Es2 in the older model, do you think it is better than the current pickup on the models out today with the 3v battery ? what would you go for if you had the choice ?
If you know what is the best betwen ES2 and ES-B, i'm interested !
Do you thing the Pickguard on some affect the sound?
Recently picked up a GS Mini hog.
Anyone tried switching the stock medium gauge strings to lights?
Even with the short scale length, I am just not enjoying the guitar with the medium strings.
25 years of playing lights is a tough habit to break.
After three days I switched to 10's on my Hog, so easy to play now. Thought I might need to adjust the Truss rod as a result but no. Still plays and tunes superbly.
I love my rosewood
Are all the guitars around same age ?
should i get walnut or mahogany?
GS Mini vs Yamaha AC1m? Which sounds better, which comes set up better? Tough choice so thanks.
Markus Arike which did you get? I’m dealing with the same choice problem.
where can i get taylor gs mini left handed?
Either Sweetwater or Wildwood Guitars online. Probably at Alamo also.
the above 3 model....i cant hear the G bass when key of G was plucked....
What kind of strings should i buy for the GS mini to make it more stable? Thanks!
You want to use a medium gauge acoustic guitar string. They come from the factory with Elixir Phosphor Bronze Medium Gauge String. www.alamomusic.com/elixir-nanoweb-phosphor-bronze-medium-acoustic-guitar-strings-13-56/
Everyone - I have a Martin LX1 and seriously considering buying a Taylor.
Firstly, I would think that getting the BT will not make sense right? If so, if I'm to get the GS Mini, which top will give me a different sound from the Martin LX1 (so that I can have a more wide spectrum of playing sounds)? The spruce? Rosewood? Mahogany? Koa?
Thanx in advance!
Nicholas Lim
Rosewood is more balanced I bought mine yesterday
mahogany is the one for me
Someone knows what is the rosewood model price?
What use string size 0.10 47....elixir.....Mr...???
Spruce/Rosewood
Koa
Koa is purdier.
hesitate between koa and rosewood
definitely spruce
someone knows what is the koa guitar price ?
victor cm about 700
Thank you. It is beautiful
Love my hog
this might make u laugh but I'm serious. is it bigger than the guitar Ed Sheeran uses?
AnthonyVegan Life it is a bit larger than the Ed Sheeran Little Martin but lately he's playing a custom shop Martin that is about the same size. -Chris
Anthony DeRosa I tried a signature model, and it's about 1/2 in size. It's almost exactly like a baby Taylor
WALNUT?
Koa....Mahog....Spruce.
can't hear much difference
pls help in the comments
should i get walnut or mahogany?
Koa.
should i get walnut or mahogany?
should i get walnut or mahogany?