Taylor GS Mini-E Mahogany

107
summer 2016 Guitarist
reviewTRAVEL GUITAR ROUND-UP
credible modern voice here with a nicely
balanced, not over-cooked bass end and
plenty of high-end zing without it sounding
overly ‘piezo-y’. Only minimal outboard EQ
is necessary to pass the open-mic test.
The Viator probably proves the ‘small is
big’ concept best plugged in, producing a
big ol’ beefy sound. It’s slightly unbalanced
in output as the low E is a little light, but that
doesn’t ruin the fun. With no EQ (the tone
control is just a treble roll-off, or at least
sounds like it), a little outboard tweaking
to thin the mids certainly helps and it sort
of sits between the Martin and Taylor,
sound-wise – not as crisp as the former nor
as dark as the latter. The bonus is the USB
output, which is a quick way (without an
interface) to knock out some on-the-road
recording direct into your laptop. That
low E is also very close to the fingerboard
edge and, as we said, there’s a little fretbuzz
that suggests a slight truss rod relaxation
and/or a slightly more ‘manly’ action. For
the money, though, it’s hard to fault.
Verdict
Whether or not you need a ‘mini’ guitar
to accompany you on your travels or
actually just fancy a smaller house-guitar
to noodle away on, any of our contenders
in this round-up are fit for either use. Not
only that, as many players have already
discovered (not least the million-selling
Ed Sheeran), small can be big enough for
those everyday gigs at Wembley Stadium
or – more likely! – your local boozer, while
Size Matters
Our mini guitars all have different scale lengths and string spacing. Here’s the lowdown…
All dimensions in millimetres unless stated
Scale
Nut width
String spacing (nut)
String spacing (bridge)
12th fret width
Taylor
597 (23.5”)
43.17
35.5
55
55.17
Martin
584 (23”)
42.7
37
54
53.35
Faith
590 (23.2”)
42.8
34.5
54
54.12
Vintage
546 (21.49”)
42.8
36.5
55
52.29
3
2. The Faith has a
proprietary CnR-3
electric system. Fully
featured and with
a built-in tuner, it
provides an impressive
plugged-in sound
3. The Vintage’s dark
brown Natural Antique
fi nish and striking
herringbone purfl ing
around the edges and
soundhole give it a
very old-school vibe
GIT410.rev_travel.indd 107 7/6/16 7:28 PM