The Martin 000Jr deserves a mention. For some reason, it never gets as much love as the GS Mini, but the slightly wider nut makes it better for fingerstyle in my humble opinion.
All I needed was one strum on the Gibson to know. The Taylor is Aiight. The Donner sounds incredible for the money. The lows and sustain on the Gibson got me
Something about the sound of a Taylor really stands out for me. The Dobson was a little brighter than the Donner & they both sounded good. But a Taylor will carry that sound to the back of a room so much better than the other two. I'd still say the Taylor wins it for me.
I closed my eyes during transitions from one guitar to the next to get the true essence of the sound. I like the deep sound of the Taylor and the sound melds well. The Gibson sounded twangy to me. The Donner is not bad, not as clear as the Taylor or Gibson, but close enough. The Donner has a deeper sound than the Gibson. It's a matter of preference. I like deeper bass in guitars.
Did the same test. Taylor stands out to my ears. It has a full sound where the Donner lacks sustain. Didn’t care for the Donner at all. Gibson sounds good but not $1800.00 good
The warmth of the gibson is the rosewood back and sides, personally I like maple acoustics, they are very bright where the gibson can sound a bit muddy, also I am impressed by the donner, you could put a good set of tuners on it and pow. The taylor is a taylor, probably the best all around I'd priced guitar. You can buy 3 for the price of the gibson
Ive had earache all over xmas etc so by the look alone I'd go for xpensive one .. because I love expensive guitars ( no I don't own a expensive guitar ) .. but their is a argument for that simple fact 1 it makes you want to play 2 it makes you think about playing and the theory And also you have something that is quality 3 if you have a guitar by a market leader above a grand , chances are it's bloody good . Could go on ... anyway I hope the ringinging ring goes soon .. happy new year !🥃
Reminds me if standing in wal mart and hearing a guy playing a plastic guitar in the kids section. Sad, he sounded better then me on a good guitar.....
My GS Mini Koa has a sound that has to be heard to be believed. A friend of mine who has never had a single interest in a mini guitar of any sort was in awe at how awesome the sound was coming from that little Koa. Sean, your link for the strings take you to the 10's light. is that what was on these guitars? If not, could you clarify what version is? Thanks man!
Sean a question on Elixir strings. How much difference in tone is there between 11,s and 12’s? I play 12’s now, but my fingers get sore if I’m playing a long time
One thing he should have done was keep the 13s on the GS Mini rather than replace them with 12s. The GS Mini mahogany sounds absolutely superb straight from the factory.
The Donner held up well against the other two... Another small body acoustic to take a look at if you're on a budget is the Kala Parlor Guitar...350.00 and I believe holds up very well against any of these...
I have an Orangewood Florence parlor size guitar I've had for several years. Think I paid $150 for it on sale. Sounds good for a Parlor size guitar. Only problem new was, even though they claim they set them up in California, this guitar needed a lot of setup to make it playable. Seems well made, though.
My Dad had a Conqueror acoustic which was made in Japan in the 50s/60s I think. He loved that guitar up to the day it wasn’t playable due to neck hump. Cost has an effect on quality as better quality tuners, wood and construction are all driven by cost! But the sound is that guitar! 2 guitars built on the same day by the same company will sound different. My experience is the less expensive guitars setups leave larger string to fret heights which makes the guitar play harder and affects intonation. I find it hard to believe the Donner plays better or equal to the Taylor or Gibson! IMO.
They all sounded good and agreed with most of the comments. There’s one factor not mentioned. In the hands of someone who knows how to play ( you ) an inexpensive instrument will sound way better then in the hands of someone who is less experienced at playing.
Cost wise only, the Donner is really impressive for the price, but definitely 3 choice in sound of those 3. If money wasn't an consideration, the Gibson has that more traditional full balanced acoustic sound I love much more than the Taylor. I don't necessarily dislike the Taylor sound it's just different. It makes sense that Gibson is my sound choice between those 3 since my overall acoustic sound love is the Martin acoustic sound which I would probably choose over the Gibson or Taylor.
The Gibson is my favorite, honestly because I have a friend who plays that exact same guitar. I will go with Taylor because one, I have the 114e and I love that thing to death. But this was a great comparison video. They sounded great. Elixir strings are great, I mainly use the Polywebs because I like the warmer tone.
I have a Donner, not that model, but it's excellent. Cost me £85 as was offer on. Fitted Elixir's, sounds amazing, Tuners my only complaint, to be replaced
Nice comparison video. I just got the Taylor today and waiting for it to acclimate before unpacking because of the cold. Is there any chance you could share the chord progression you’re playing? I really dug it. I also fell in love with Elixir’s recently. They are going on every guitar I have.
Listening on my phone it’s hard to tell. Much difference like you said the strings make them all seem good, but for the price difference, I find it hard to believe that you have to pay that much more money for the same sound, but the quality may not be there I don’t know.
If I was buying a steel string I’d buy the Taylor. It sounded best to my preference. I liked the deep warm sound. For a $100 the Donner ain’t bad at all.
The problem with the gibson is that I think it is set up low action to help the playability but also afected the resonance. For the value, feel, and the sound. The Gibson wins by a hairline BUT i gotta get the action right.
I bought a mini yesterday (ibanez), and its goes up to the 12th fret Only... and is as big as my acoustic, was 200 bucks ! all you've shown us has more frets and that first one's cheaper!!!! dangit Guitar Center !
I think the Taylor sounded the best, the Gibson looked the best, and the Donner (at $99) is the best budget option (of course). I have a Taylor GS mini ‘hog and it’s one of my fav acoustics I’ve ever played, or owned. Ever.
The Taylor won of course but the Donner wasn't that far behind,I think the best one sounded the worst,least amount of volume,not as balanced as the Donner,I did hear the most bass response from the Taylor,sale that parlor guitar,it's ok but just doesn't project or stand out like it should,both the Taylor and the Donner put it to shame.
The Taylor really holds its own against lots of competitors-we have two versions of g-mini. I’m simply not a Gibson fan for my playing, either acoustic or electric🤷🏼♀️ I think the geometry’s just off for my body. Luckily, there are TONS of excellent guitars to choose from & none of us will EVER get bored!🤣😎
gibson was the worst sound. donner sounded best imo especially for the money. ok i bit had to have the Donner lol I had been eyeing these anyways as i have been wanting to try a smaller guitar than my dreadnoughts. the side by side pushed me to it XD This vid was helpful TY
@@seandaniel23 thanks for this review. I was just thinking about getting myself an acoustic guitar. FYI; the link to the elixir strings under your description, takes you to electric guitar strings, and not acoustic guitar strings.
Sean is right about Elixir strings. I tried them under his recommendation and I'm sold. They made my Seagull sound so much brighter.
So cool to hear!
Yes sir! I’m about to get my first elixirs.
The Martin 000Jr deserves a mention. For some reason, it never gets as much love as the GS Mini, but the slightly wider nut makes it better for fingerstyle in my humble opinion.
Sounds like I need to get one!
You really give a shot to the Yamaha csf1m
Can definitely hear the price difference, but hey for $100 the Donner ain't bad.
Could you possibly make a list of top 5 guitars under $500,
Top 5 under $1000
And top 5 over $1000 ?
All I needed was one strum on the Gibson to know. The Taylor is Aiight. The Donner sounds incredible for the money. The lows and sustain on the Gibson got me
Good call on the sustain
Something about the sound of a Taylor really stands out for me. The Dobson was a little brighter than the Donner & they both sounded good. But a Taylor will carry that sound to the back of a room so much better than the other two. I'd still say the Taylor wins it for me.
Well, since most beginning guitarists end up using their guitars as decorations hung on a wall, I'd go with the Donner.
Excellent point
You should put a mini OrangeWood Guitar against them as well. Their low end guitars are extremely good quality for the price.
it's crazy what they're doing now!
The Donner sounds great in your hands.
thanks so much!
Thanks for your honesty on reviews.Elixer strings the only way to go, have used them for years now
Classy man!
Would love to see a shootout of plugged in travel guitars! Maybe GS mini, Dread. Jr and Maton?
I closed my eyes during transitions from one guitar to the next to get the true essence of the sound. I like the deep sound of the Taylor and the sound melds well. The Gibson sounded twangy to me. The Donner is not bad, not as clear as the Taylor or Gibson, but close enough. The Donner has a deeper sound than the Gibson. It's a matter of preference. I like deeper bass in guitars.
Did the same test. Taylor stands out to my ears. It has a full sound where the Donner lacks sustain. Didn’t care for the Donner at all. Gibson sounds good but not $1800.00 good
Name of the song u were playing while trying out all the guitars? :)
The warmth of the gibson is the rosewood back and sides, personally I like maple acoustics, they are very bright where the gibson can sound a bit muddy, also I am impressed by the donner, you could put a good set of tuners on it and pow. The taylor is a taylor, probably the best all around I'd priced guitar. You can buy 3 for the price of the gibson
right on all accounts
Hmmm buy one Gibson or 18 Donners ? I like the Taylor's tone myself .
Thanks for the guitar shootout! They all sounded fabulous. Surprised since the price ranges were very different.
Thanks as always Joe!
Ive had earache all over xmas etc so by the look alone I'd go for xpensive one .. because I love expensive guitars ( no I don't own a expensive guitar ) .. but their is a argument for that simple fact 1 it makes you want to play 2 it makes you think about playing and the theory And also you have something that is quality 3 if you have a guitar by a market leader above a grand , chances are it's bloody good . Could go on ... anyway I hope the ringinging ring goes soon .. happy new year !🥃
Reminds me if standing in wal mart and hearing a guy playing a plastic guitar in the kids section. Sad, he sounded better then me on a good guitar.....
always striving for my audience to feel like a bystander in a wal mart!
Well done
Have you tried the sigma mini guitars?
Sean, what's the neck profile on the Donner? Like narrower necks. Thank you.
My GS Mini Koa has a sound that has to be heard to be believed. A friend of mine who has never had a single interest in a mini guitar of any sort was in awe at how awesome the sound was coming from that little Koa. Sean, your link for the strings take you to the 10's light. is that what was on these guitars? If not, could you clarify what version is? Thanks man!
12’s
Yes! sorry i changed the link! thanks for the heads up
You may have a donner, but do you have a blitzen?
Sean a question on Elixir strings. How much difference in tone is there between 11,s and 12’s? I play 12’s now, but my fingers get sore if I’m playing a long time
I'll talk about this on a QA soon!
One thing he should have done was keep the 13s on the GS Mini rather than replace them with 12s. The GS Mini mahogany sounds absolutely superb straight from the factory.
The Donner held up well against the other two...
Another small body acoustic to take a look at if you're on a budget is the Kala Parlor Guitar...350.00 and I believe holds up very well against any of these...
I have an Orangewood Florence parlor size guitar I've had for several years. Think I paid $150 for it on sale. Sounds good for a Parlor size guitar. Only problem new was, even though they claim they set them up in California, this guitar needed a lot of setup to make it playable. Seems well made, though.
My Dad had a Conqueror acoustic which was made in Japan in the 50s/60s I think. He loved that guitar up to the day it wasn’t playable due to neck hump. Cost has an effect on quality as better quality tuners, wood and construction are all driven by cost! But the sound is that guitar! 2 guitars built on the same day by the same company will sound different. My experience is the less expensive guitars setups leave larger string to fret heights which makes the guitar play harder and affects intonation. I find it hard to believe the Donner plays better or equal to the Taylor or Gibson! IMO.
I had no idea you could get a Taylor for $600.
Wow
Yeah gs mini is great
Interesting how they all sounded better on the room mic
Originally GS Mini comes with 13 gauge strings and you put 12 it’s going to affect the volume alot
I love these comparisons, very helpful
The Taylor guitar has the vibe I'm looking for. Anyone know if they ship to zambia?
Honestly though, which one will get me more tinder dates? That's the most important thing.
They all sounded good and agreed with most of the comments. There’s one factor not mentioned. In the hands of someone who knows how to play ( you ) an inexpensive instrument will sound way better then in the hands of someone who is less experienced at playing.
Cost wise only, the Donner is really impressive for the price, but definitely 3 choice in sound of those 3. If money wasn't an consideration, the Gibson has that more traditional full balanced acoustic sound I love much more than the Taylor. I don't necessarily dislike the Taylor sound it's just different. It makes sense that Gibson is my sound choice between those 3 since my overall acoustic sound love is the Martin acoustic sound which I would probably choose over the Gibson or Taylor.
The Gibson is my favorite, honestly because I have a friend who plays that exact same guitar. I will go with Taylor because one, I have the 114e and I love that thing to death. But this was a great comparison video. They sounded great. Elixir strings are great, I mainly use the Polywebs because I like the warmer tone.
I have a Donner, not that model, but it's excellent. Cost me £85 as was offer on. Fitted Elixir's, sounds
amazing, Tuners my only complaint, to be replaced
Nice comparison video. I just got the Taylor today and waiting for it to acclimate before unpacking because of the cold. Is there any chance you could share the chord progression you’re playing? I really dug it. I also fell in love with Elixir’s recently. They are going on every guitar I have.
Listening on my phone it’s hard to tell. Much difference like you said the strings make them all seem good, but for the price difference, I find it hard to believe that you have to pay that much more money for the same sound, but the quality may not be there I don’t know.
Good point about listening on the phone. The GS mini sounded a little too bright. I put on cans, and it was much better
OK, so what were you playing for these comparisons, and how can I play those things?
FWIW, I found Taylor's sound to be the best.
thx great comparison. I have that gs mini and absolutely love it.
If I was buying a steel string I’d buy the Taylor. It sounded best to my preference. I liked the deep warm sound.
For a $100 the Donner ain’t bad at all.
I love my GS Mini. I wonder if it would make any difference volume or tone wise to take the pickup out of he Donner?
The Taylor, to me, sounded best. The Gibson second, and that Donner was a total surprise….especially for the price!
taylor sounds the best
l wish you could have had a low end Martin in there
same!
The problem with the gibson is that I think it is set up low action to help the playability but also afected the resonance. For the value, feel, and the sound. The Gibson wins by a hairline BUT i gotta get the action right.
I bought a mini yesterday (ibanez), and its goes up to the 12th fret Only...
and is as big as my acoustic, was 200 bucks ! all you've shown us has more frets and that first one's cheaper!!!!
dangit Guitar Center !
I’d take the GS Mini sound wise over that Gibson anyday!
SyndieJo would be the right-sized person to try out those diminutive guitars. Plus, she has a new video from St. Armand's.
i'm sure she's killing it
Gotta be the Gibson of the 3 though but 5 other ones to choose from could be
completely different!🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🤘🏼🤘🏼✍🏼✍🏼
The Donner sounds like what it costs to this peasant's ears. I liked your video, though!
Of the three Cordoba sounds best for the money
Taylor, sounded best overall...in my opinion
I think the Taylor sounded the best, the Gibson looked the best, and the Donner (at $99) is the best budget option (of course).
I have a Taylor GS mini ‘hog and it’s one of my fav acoustics I’ve ever played, or owned. Ever.
If Pewdiepie become a guitarist...
I get that a lot
All the same. It's the player, not the instrument. People go for the expensive because that's human nature. Thank you.
:)
The Taylor won of course but the Donner wasn't that far behind,I think the best one sounded the worst,least amount of volume,not as balanced as the Donner,I did hear the most bass response from the Taylor,sale that parlor guitar,it's ok but just doesn't project or stand out like it should,both the Taylor and the Donner put it to shame.
Yeah pretty surprising
Donner
amazing for the money
Taylor
Just a precision made instrument
Gibson
A tastefully made piece best bought 2nd hand
They all sound dead in this video. But IRL, the mini is great. you could buy 20 Donners for the price of one gibson! great student/travel guitar.
I'd be too nervous about damaging the Gibson to take it out of the case.
@@Matt_Barkley I'm more careful with the guitars than the newborns. Lol.
Doner sounds like s toy and while the Gibson sounds great I'm note note for the money the mini wins out
The Taylor really holds its own against lots of competitors-we have two versions of g-mini. I’m simply not a Gibson fan for my playing, either acoustic or electric🤷🏼♀️ I think the geometry’s just off for my body. Luckily, there are TONS of excellent guitars to choose from & none of us will EVER get bored!🤣😎
GS mini wins hands down. The Gibson sounds like a toy guitar. The Donner sounds cheap and nasty.❤
The Taylor smokes
Like the Taylor the best, tone is somewhat subjective.
Taylor is more balanced
gibson was the worst sound. donner sounded best imo especially for the money.
ok i bit had to have the Donner lol
I had been eyeing these anyways as i have been wanting to try a smaller guitar than my dreadnoughts.
the side by side pushed me to it XD
This vid was helpful TY
Taylor wins hands down…
Sounds great!
@@seandaniel23 thanks for this review. I was just thinking about getting myself an acoustic guitar. FYI; the link to the elixir strings under your description, takes you to electric guitar strings, and not acoustic guitar strings.
@@billstrehl9822 thanks for the heads up, just changed the link!
@@seandaniel23 The new link takes you to the strings you mentioned. Thx.
the gibson sounded cheapest....a box with good strings
taylor much better , and donner - like a cheap guitar