Hawaiian Koa Top | Layered Koa Back and Sides | Tropical Mahogany Neck | Ebony Fretboard | Expression System® 2 Electronics | AeroCase

This gorgeous all-koa model elevates the popular scaled-back GS Mini design to new aesthetic heights. The GS Mini-e Koa Plus boasts a solid Hawaiian koa top with layered koa back and sides, serving up a vibrant, punchy tone with plenty of power despite its compact size. The Taylor neck adds another dimension of playing comfort with easy fretting for players of all skill levels, making it a great choice for virtually any musical scenario. An alluring matte finish treatment draws out koa's visual character, and ES2 electronics provide quick plug-and-play utility in amplified situations. The GS Mini-e Koa Plus ships with a durable AeroCase that's one-third the weight of a hardshell case.

• Crafted with beautifully grained Hawaiian koa
• Solid koa top delivers projection and articulation
• Scaled-back body is accommodating to hold and play
• Subtle matte finish showcases koa's natural beauty
• Includes ES2 pickup and sturdy, light AeroCase

FEATURES

GS Mini Body: The award-winning GS Mini was designed to be the ultimate musical companion, wherever you go — or stay. Inspired by the big, bold sound of Taylor's GS body shape, the Mini scales things down without skimping on sound, packing a ton of tone into a comfortable travel size and giving you a guitar that's full-voiced and incredibly fun to play. Think of the Mini as a modern-day parlor guitar, perfect for playing around the house but also built to fit an active lifestyle.

Taylor’s ¾-size mini-Dreadnought helped spawn the travel guitar market with a well-crafted design that blends musicality and playability. Its small size also makes it a great starter guitar for kids and an ultra-compact songwriting guitar, and adds a unique acoustic flavor to a music mix.

GS Mini Body Specifications: Body Width: 14 3/8" / Body Depth: 4 7/16" / Body Length: 17 5/8"

Layered Koa Body Wood: Taylor’s layered backs and sides incorporate three layers of wood, featuring a middle core of poplar with a veneer on each side. While layered woods won’t produce quite as complex a sound as solid woods, they allow Taylor to blend exotic looks with climate-resilient construction.

Sound: Like Taylor’s other layered wood options, layered koa features an all-wood laminated construction, in this case with an exterior layer of beautifully figured koa veneer and an interior layer of either koa or sapele, separated by a core layer of poplar. Though the tonal properties of layered wood aren’t as complex as solid wood, the construction method enables Taylor to conserve tonewood resources and offer attractive, durable instruments at a more inviting price. A solid spruce top and Taylor craftsmanship ensure a clear, balanced tonal response.

Hawaiian Koa Top Wood: As a tropical hardwood, a koa top will initially project a bright and focused tone, especially together with koa back and sides, but as it's played, it matures into an increasingly warm, rich, sweet sound with healthy overtone "bloom," especially in the midrange. A common mistake is when a "bright" player buys a koa-top guitar in part for its visual beauty, finds it to be too bright, and doesn't play it enough to allow the wood to develop its resonant tone.

Origin: The Big Island of Hawaii

Goes Well With: Fingerstylists who play more with the pads of their fingers and tend to have a meatier touch. Bright players need to be careful because of koa's existing brightness.

Expression System® 2: The Taylor Expression System® 2 (ES2) is a revolutionary pickup design that delivers the latest in Taylor’s ongoing innovation in acoustic guitar amplification. The heart of the Expression System 2 is Taylor’s patented behind-the-saddle pickup, which features three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated pickup sensors. The location of the sensors enables a more dynamic range of acoustic sound to be captured than ever before. Together with Taylor’s custom-designed “professional audio”-grade preamp, this system produces exceptional amplified tone and responsiveness. On stage through a PA, plugged into your favorite acoustic amplifier, or direct into recording software, the Expression System 2 faithfully conveys the voice of your Taylor guitar.

SPECIFICATIONS General

• Orientation: Right Handed
• Electronics: Expression System® 2
• Case/Bag: AeroCase

Body

• Top Wood: Hawaiian Koa
• Back Configuration: Layered, 2-Piece
• Body Binding: None
• Armrest: No
• Top Finish: Matte
• Back/Side Finish: Matte

Neck

• Neck Wood: Tropical Mahogany
• Fretboard Wood: Ebony
• Fretboard Inlay: 4mm Dot Italian Acrylic
• Fretboard Binding: None
• Neck Finish: Matte

Peghead

• Scale Length: 23-1/2"
• Peghead Inlay: None
• Peghead Type: Paddle - GS Mini
• Peghead Binding: None

Other

• Bridge: Ebony
• Nut & Saddle: Nubone Nut, Micarta Saddle
• Bridge Pins: Black
• Strings: D'Addario XS Coated Phosphor Bronze Medium (.013 - .056)
• Pickguard: None
• Tuners: Taylor Nickel