GEAR
[ MEGA SOUND WITH TAYLOR’S NEW MINI BASS | Eric Dahl ]
Acoustic
bass
guitars
are
frequently size bass, owing to its shorter scale length.
cumbersome to carry, neck heavy, and boomy It is an ideal instrument if you are looking to
sounding while you fight the feedback in a expand the tonal textures of the band in a
live Worship setting. Most of us are aware of church or worship setting and want more of an
Taylor’s popular GS Mini-series of guitars, which unplugged sound. If the congregation doesn’t
have been embraced by singer/songwriters see you playing it they might think you’re hiding
and those needing a guitar that is easy to pitch an upright bass behind the pulpit!
in the backseat for jam and practice sessions.
This year Taylor has expanded the GS Mini The street price is just $699, which is a great
family with the new GS Mini e-Bass. Like the value considering the features.
other models, it is founded on the smaller grand
symphony body shape with 23 ½ inch scale,
spruce top, and a sapele body. Built in ES-B
electronics with tuner, tone and volume control,
and top mount easy access battery.
Master luthier, Andy Powers, told me what
really separates the GS Mini-e bass from other
acoustic bass offerings are the custom nylon-
core D’Addardio strings that they collaborated
on to optimize the instrument’s performance.
Unplugged, the bass is fun and easy to
navigate, but the smaller body doesn’t give
it much thump acoustically. But when
you plug it into an amp or PA system
the sound is amazing, and probably
closer to a standup bass tonality
than an electric bass. The nylon-core
strings make it effortless to play all the
way up the fretboard with no resistance
or fretting out. The matte finish and
ebony fingerboard are comfortable
to the touch, and it comes with an
embroidered Taylor hard bag.
I wasn’t expecting to be
impressed by the GS
Mini e-bass when I first
played it, but once I
plugged it in I really
didn’t want to put it
down. As a guitarist that
plays at bass I found it to be
much less intimidating than a full-
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July 2017
WorshipMusician.com
www.TaylorGuitars.com