Have been trying them all! The rosewood with the spruce top has more volume and seems more responsive but I ended up getting the koa plus! Koa is beautiful and people say it sounds great plugged in with a warmer tone! I guess I will find out when it comes! Really nice guitars and I have become a fan of the smaller size as I get older!
Follow-up! Discovered significant fret wear on the b and e strings when I did a string change and the action at the higher end is almost three times what it should be! Although it sounds great I will be returning it! Wondering why a guitar that is less than 2 years old would have these issues! Apparently neck resets are common on these! Hmmm??
Thanks for the brevity with accuracy! I'm a lefty and I have a few fancy Taylors and didn't want to spend a lot on a travel guitar. I was fortunate to find a GS Mini Mahogany used and it's wonderful. Really nice mid sounding guitar. Just what I need!
Thanks, nice focused video. I tried them yesterday in my local store. From the point of view of the sound and aesthetics my clear favourite was the Koa-version.
I couldn't tell the difference when I was trying them all out in the store. I really like the KOA plus because of its look but I ending up buying the Mahogany because of its price. I am so happy with my decision when I played it the first time in my home. It was like 100X better than my 1995 412e.
I owned a gs mini-e koa and it sounds great. My only comment is that it should have a wider neck for easier playability and titanium or stainless steel fretwires because nickel alloy easily wears out. I hope Andy Powers could consider that. Thanks for the review...
agreed! I have normal finger size and they barely fits the frets. They hype on this guitar is too much. I think its playability is horrendous. This is one of the most difficult guitars i have ever played. Now i am thinking of selling it. Any replacement suggestion?
If I never played a Santa Cruz I'd think they were good guitars. Still, I like my GS Mini-e Plus :O) Problem with it is it was made to emphasis volume, not tone, which makes zero sense...it has a pickup! Plastic nut is total garbage. Made in Mexico 🤦♂Otherwise, nice for a cheapo guitar.
AS the back and sides are just layered and not real wood, the difference in sound between each is minimal and mostly cosmetic- even Bob Taylor acknowledged that fact.
@@kevincrouch3956 I agree there isn’t going to be much variation because of the back and sides, but the different tops absolutely DO make a difference. For your information, the back and sides ARE still “real” wood it’s just layered. Three layers to be specific with the thickest being the center layer which as far as I know is always poplar, the layer on the inside of the body is usually sapele, and of course the outer layer will vary depending on the model. The point is it IS ALL REAL wood. The veneer on the back and sides is just as real as the maple top on a Les Paul it just isn’t as thick.
![Shootout + Opinion: HARLEY BENTON GS-TRAVEL-E vs. TAYLOR GS MINI-E [MAHOGANY]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WUoZ4-DTMhs/mqdefault.jpg)
Have been trying them all! The rosewood with the spruce top has more volume and seems more responsive but I ended up getting the koa plus! Koa is beautiful and people say it sounds great plugged in with a warmer tone! I guess I will find out when it comes! Really nice guitars and I have become a fan of the smaller size as I get older!
Follow-up! Discovered significant fret wear on the b and e strings when I did a string change and the action at the higher end is almost three times what it should be! Although it sounds great I will be returning it! Wondering why a guitar that is less than 2 years old would have these issues! Apparently neck resets are common on these! Hmmm??
Thanks for the brevity with accuracy! I'm a lefty and I have a few fancy Taylors and didn't want to spend a lot on a travel guitar. I was fortunate to find a GS Mini Mahogany used and it's wonderful. Really nice mid sounding guitar. Just what I need!
Thanks, nice focused video. I tried them yesterday in my local store. From the point of view of the sound and aesthetics my clear favourite was the Koa-version.
Thank you. was very helpful. I like the brighter sound. S Rosewood is it for me.
I couldn't tell the difference when I was trying them all out in the store. I really like the KOA plus because of its look but I ending up buying the Mahogany because of its price. I am so happy with my decision when I played it the first time in my home. It was like 100X better than my 1995 412e.
Lol are you for real?
What kind of strings did you have on the rosewood GS Mini?
Rosewood for me
Hey, cool video, thanks for the very clear and concise presentation. Would it at all be possible to get the all-koa without the pickup?
Taylor sounds always smooth ❤
nice video! I have a Koa so I'm a bit biased :)
Me too!
What about the mini koa plus ? Thanks for demo
I owned a gs mini-e koa and it sounds great. My only comment is that it should have a wider neck for easier playability and titanium or stainless steel fretwires because nickel alloy easily wears out. I hope Andy Powers could consider that. Thanks for the review...
Totally agree about neck width a 1 3/4 special Koa plus would fly of the shelf’s.
Thanks for the hint concerning the frets. I think too that the neck should be a little wider.
agreed! I have normal finger size and they barely fits the frets.
They hype on this guitar is too much. I think its playability is horrendous. This is one of the most difficult guitars i have ever played.
Now i am thinking of selling it.
Any replacement suggestion?
Narrower neck improves playability for people with smaller hands like me. We love it.
just got a used rosewood Taylor. I think it was a steal for a great price.
How much did you pay?
$700
My choice is the spruce top with Koa back and sides.🎉
Koa ❤
well done review
Very useful - thanks. It's a Koa for me!
Sapele???
These sound good.
Playing like that you could make a dog turd sound good lol 😂
nice video! thanks!
If I never played a Santa Cruz I'd think they were good guitars. Still, I like my GS Mini-e Plus :O) Problem with it is it was made to emphasis volume, not tone, which makes zero sense...it has a pickup! Plastic nut is total garbage. Made in Mexico 🤦♂Otherwise, nice for a cheapo guitar.
mahogany the best..
AS the back and sides are just layered and not real wood, the difference in sound between each is minimal and mostly cosmetic- even Bob Taylor acknowledged that fact.
I can really tell the diff with the mahogany in every video. Thus I am trading my spruce for mahogany.
@@HammyGirl999 That's because the top wood is solid mahogany, not really impacted by the layered back and sides.
so you dont have ears then?
@@md6397 You could ask that very question of Bob Taylor, as that is his opinion
@@kevincrouch3956
I agree there isn’t going to be much variation because of the back and sides, but the different tops absolutely DO make a difference.
For your information, the back and sides ARE still “real” wood it’s just layered. Three layers to be specific with the thickest being the center layer which as far as I know is always poplar, the layer on the inside of the body is usually sapele, and of course the outer layer will vary depending on the model. The point is it IS ALL REAL wood. The veneer on the back and sides is just as real as the maple top on a Les Paul it just isn’t as thick.