I just bought a 10 year old mahogany gs mini. It’s fabulous! As soon as I picked it up in the shop I knew I had to buy it. After 10 years the wood has matured and now it has a beautiful blend of Taylor brightness with a mature woody warmth. I’ll never sell it!
Love the tone of the GS Mini. Just picked one up and it almost sounds like a full size guitar. Great bass response, projection and the action is amazing.
I love the sound of the Martin for chords and strumming. It has such a great balance. The resonance of the Taylor sounds best when picking individual notes IMHO. Cool video!
actually bought the martin because of this comparison. Waiting for it to be delivered today! Your honesty concerning living the right way was beautiful. Thank you for sharing your expertise and your love for life
Both guitars are beautiful, my ears like the GS mini a little more...I have the Taylor. Beautiful playing and beautiful morning routine, God Bless you for sharing your Faith! Subscribed!
I just got one too.. the sapele quilted ga mini. It's beautiful plays great sounds great and up and down the neck is perfect.the way it fits is breath taking
Great review of the guitars, I actually bought two of the GS mini koa’s one is the plus with the upgraded tuners and electronics, I love them both and prefer the sound of the mini’s though. Can’t go wrong with either though, such an amazing sound for such a small package. By the way, Taylor runs the special where you buy a full size US made Taylor and get the mini for a reasonable price, my mini koa was original $999 but because I bought the 514CE urban red ironbark, it only cost me $299.
Thanks for the video 👍🏽 I bought myself a gs mini-e mahogany. Arrived just couple of days ago) Great guitar! And now I'm going to order a martin djr-10e streetmaster) Also I have a Sheeran by lowden subtract edition s) And PRS se p20e) All of them are beautiful and I love them all. Really. I'm just enjoying every day. Playing, recording and etc. Each one of them has its own place in my heart) There could never be enough of guitars 😁
I agree with your assessment. That's why I purchased the Martin. I have the D Jr 10E in Sunburst, so with a Solid Spruce Top and Solid Sapele Back & Sides. I always find Taylor's to be bright, and the GS-Mini is no exception. I do own a Taylor Guitar as well, a 410ce, so no dings on Taylor, they make fine instruments.
Agree and that by design the sound everyone thinks of acoustic guitar is a Martin it’s been around forever and used by almost everyone Taylor came along and make some tweaks to stand out slimmer necks brighter sound.. that way there is a real choice instead of just trying to sound like a “better martin” only except is gibson they have a slight unique sound as well
Both guitars are good. When I A/B´d both at the store I was amazed how much I liked the DJR2 better. I wasn´t actually planning on buying another guitar as I bought a GS mini Ovangkol and a Martin 000-RS2 recently but after 45 minutes I left with the shop with the DJR2. Tried the Martin 000Jr and the DJR-10 too, both of which I didn´t enjoy that much. So if you still can get the DJR2 (which went for a very nice price, too), go and get it!
The old DJR and DJR2 are WAY better than the newer models (DJr-10 and DJr-10 Sapele respectively). The base is more clearly heard and they handle full on strumming better. If you prefer the softer touch, then the Taylor GS-Mini is more in line with that.
Great comparison vid, thanks! For me I think they both sound great, better than expected. The Martin has a bit more depth, as expected with the larger body volume, but both project the notes, clearly, with nice sustain. I'm gonna order the koa GS plus, as for me, I prefer the look, and think the smaller body is better suited for a 'sofa guitar' without losing too much sonically, annnnnd its available now, at a reasonable price in a shop here in Bangkok. thanks for your help 😃🎸
I am a Martin guy. I own 6 Martins (000-28 Modern Deluxe, HD28, D28 Modern Deluxe, D18, 000-18 Custom Shop, and a D41). I am amazed by my choice, though, because I pick the taylor GS mini. I went to my local Guitar Center and played several of each guitar and easily concluded that the Mahogany is a little canon. I think it all has to do with the wood choice. Sapele, to my ears, is a pretty poor tonewood. Lastly, though, in my houseshold Martin wins easily 6 to 1, LoL. The 000 taylors and full size models don't measure up to my ears by a long shot. In the end, though, you win in either case because playing guitar enriches your life.
I guess it really depends on the song you want to use it for. From a sound engineer perspective I find the Taylor less complicated. I'd not need to EQ it very much if at all, the Martin has some "honkyness2 to it I'd like to take away, which is alway a bit tricky.
I see what you mean. On the high register the Martin was real nice. But the fingerstyle the Taylor was obviously #1. Even the subtle things like the slides were just exquisite. Both are good, just depends what you want. Didn’t know the JR was bigger than the Mini tho!
i've been wanting to have a martin djr or a taylor gs-mini mahogany. but after you told me to be grateful for what i have, it made me realize my D&D Django JR sounds great. super! stay blessed.
Both sounded great! The Taylor definitely brighter. The Martin is more woody, dry and tight but projects quite well. The Martin to me sounds more natural maybe? Note also the neck on the Martin is wider at 1-3/4" wide at the nut and I have heard it is more comfortable to play. My vote goes with the Martin. Oh, and awesome testimony at the end brother! Keep that up!
Having just purchased a GS- Mini which I love the warmth and tone and the bigness of it's sound, I really like the punchiness' of the Martin and the clarity of it's mid's , nevertheless I would of still bought the GS-mini.
Much of the difference in sound could be the strings, martin used their in house strings and taylor likes to use elixirs, I would like to hear them with the same strings
Difficult to say... Martin sound is more "deep" and "warm" while the Taylor is more sharp and dynamic. But I have no doubt about which one is prettier. The Martin sapele (both the dreadnought and the junior) the more beautiful acoustics I've ever seen.
The Martin has a bigger body on it so of course it will sound louder but personally i thought the Taylor had better overall dynamics and clarity sound wise. The Taylor GS Koa mini plus would destroy the Martin hands down... Play one and see...
I’m kinda torn because I prefer the Martin for sound and that it is all solid wood , a big plus long term as the sound will get even better. But I like easy to play guitars, I’m much more natural on thinner necks. But does the Martin drj still feel that bit smaller and comfortable and is the neck still easier to move on compared to full size guitars?
I tried both, and there was no contest. I bought the Martin with spruce top. Improved it with bone saddle and authentic 2.0 PB strings. Don't like the Monels.
Yeah the sound of the martin appeals to me a little more, but I think I will like the size and shape of the Taylor a little more. Both sound amazing though and I think they are both great choices.
I have sensitive ears and I really like warm sounding guitars. The Martin also comes with monel strings which also has a more traditional sound. Not sure if you have the stock strings but I always use the retro strings.
The Martin sounds more ¨bassier or maybe more warmer. The Taylor sound more bright. I love both but if I have to choose between these two I would chose the Taylor.
Late to the party, but I tried both of these out today. The Martin is deeper and more focused. The Taylor brighter, but more spread out if that makes sense. I will say I really liked the wider nut on the Martin. Was noticeably more comfortable to play. I have a decision to make!
6:00 good for you bud. Music nourishes our soul, but we certainly need to appreciate and take care of our bodies.....attitude of gratitude. PEACE. Oh, love the Orangewood Oliver Jr Mahogany I recently got (don't think they ship to Singapore?). Not quite as rich sounding as these but loving it's size and feel and intimate nature of it's quieter voice, set-up was great as it came and intonation is spot on :)
Fantastic playing. It was so soothing to my ears whether you were strumming or finger picking. Question: does the 1 3/4 nut width on the Marin decrease the chance that your finger touches unwanted strings by mistake? Thanks
Martin djr sapele is far more better in all the specks. Like you say the Martin sound much more pleasing. Plus you get full solid wood body & nut width more comfortable to play.
I like the GS Mini better of these 2 but like the Sitka Dreadnought Jr better than both of these. I have a Koa GS Mini which I love and a Sitka Dreadnought Jr that I like just a little more. All three are great little guitars.
I wonder which guitar has the better intonation? You can hear it when you play a standard open C and E Chord. I only tried the Taylor GS Mini and it was not satisfying for me. I wonder how would it be with a Martin Jr.
The Martin is a bit better through the entire register. The GS Mini is a great little guitar though I found playing the fretboard a tad cramped. Both great for the money. I ended up selling my GS Mini and moved to a Larrivee PO3 for travel guitar.
Does the martin jr have a smaller neck compared to full size guitars? I hear the GS mini has the thinnest neck but its better for finger picking then strumming compared to the martin jr.
not sure what you mean but the martin jr has the standard 1.75 inch nutwidth like its big dreads. the gs mini is smaller at 1 and 11/16. but the wider nut is better for fingerpicking. More room for the fingers so you don't stumble around.
Hope you bought the Martin, Anthony. I have both and to my ears, there's no comparison. The Martin is a better sounding small guitar by far. I never play my rosewood mini anymore. Not sure what to do with it. Ha ha!
@@anneberkeley7411 I haven't yet but I will soon, just wondering if the latest version is still all solid cause I can't find the specs anywhere. To be honest I like my gsmini a lot but the martin sound is a must have, and I feel that this guitar even if is cheap it has that great tone, very similar to the big models!
@@anthonylynchmusic Yes, the Martin Jr's have solid sapele back and sides with solid spruce top. They shave off the cost with Richlite fingerboard and bridge, hardwood neck, and a cheaper gig bag, which I'm about to replace with a Gator hard case. I loved my mini (rosewood) too for quite a while. Till bought the Martin and now I rarely pick up the Mini. And yes, it does have that magical Martin sound. The Martin, at an amazing $499 for now, is less expensive than any of the the GSMinis. You're in for a treat!
If you’re learning guitar which would you recommend? I’m thinking the least expensive? Is it better to learn on a regular scale guitar or it doesn’t matter?
