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Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Bass - Natural

4-string Acoustic-electric Bass Guitar with Solid Hawaiian Koa Top, Layered Koa Back and Sides, Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and ES-B Electronics - Natural
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Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Bass - Natural
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It’s The GS Mini-e Bass — in Koa!

The Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Bass is a fun-to-play acoustic-electric bass. Its compact, small-scale design is lightweight, comfortable, and easy on your hands. Enjoy a direct, punchy tone with plenty of vibrancy, courtesy of the GS Mini-e Koa Bass’s solid Hawaiian koa top and layered koa back and sides. Custom nylon-core D’Addario strings optimize this bass’s sound. And its level of projection is astonishing when you consider its size. Taylor’s ES-B pickup ensures top-notch sound when you plug the GS Mini-e into a PA or your favorite amplifier. The Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Bass is a great acoustic-electric bass for writing, recording, and performing.

Ultra-portable acoustic bass guitar that’s easy to play

Taylor’s award-winning GS Mini series is a scaled-down version of their ever-popular Grand Symphony guitar shape. The GS Mini-e Koa Bass features a 23-1/2-inch scale length, which makes it comfortable and playable. Kids, beginners, and guitarists who don’t normally play bass find it easy to play. Effortlessly pack this tiny instrument into your car, haul it on the subway, or stash it in a plane’s overhead bin. Perfect for camping, festivals, or even transporting over long distances, the GS Mini-e Koa Bass is a compact acoustic-electric bass that is ready to go where you go.

Custom D’Addario strings optimize this bass’s sound

The Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Bass features custom strings designed by D’Addario. Designed exclusively for the GS Mini-e Koa Bass, these strings sport nylon cores that are overwound with coated phosphor bronze wire. And they sound great. At Sweetwater, we love the warm, clear bass that these strings exhibit. And just an FYI — because of the Mini-e Koa Bass’s short scale, these are the only strings that will work with it.

ES-B pickup delivers top-notch plugged-in tone

When you plug the GS Mini-e Koa Bass into a PA or your favorite amplifier, expect killer tone. Its ES-B pickup incorporates design elements from Taylor’s acclaimed Expression System 2. A preamp with built-in digital chromatic tuner is onboard. Take control of your sound with Tone and Volume controls. There’s also an LED low battery indicator. Two button cell 3V lithium batteries provide about 300 hours of use.

Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Bass Acoustic-electric Bass Guitar Features:

  • Scaled-down Grand Symphony acoustic-electric bass guitar with big sound
  • 23-1/2-inch scale length is comfortable and playable
  • All-koa body delivers a clear, punchy tone with plenty of resonance
  • Mahogany neck, West African ebony fingerboard and bridge
  • Custom nylon-core D’Addario strings optimize this bass’s sound
  • Dual-prong bridge pins provide secure string anchoring and optimized performance
  • ES-B pickup ensures top-notch plugged-in tone
  • 3-ring rosette, matte finish

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • Number of Strings: 4
  • String Type: Steel
  • Body Type: Acoustic Bass
  • Body Shape: GS Mini
  • Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
  • Finish: Varnish
  • Top Wood: Hawaiian Koa
  • Back & Sides Wood: Layered Koa
  • Neck Material: Tropical Mahogany
  • Fingerboard Material: Ebony
  • Number of Frets: 20
  • Scale Length: 23.5"
  • Nut Width: 1.6875"
  • Nut/Saddle Material: NuBone/Micarta
  • Bridge Material: Ebony
  • Tuning Machines: Die-cast Chrome
  • Electronics: ES-B
  • Strings: D'Addario Bass
  • Case/Gig Bag: Gig Bag
  • Manufacturer Part Number: FG02416017101751000

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Get it.

I'm primarily a rhythm guitar player and singer, but I find myself playing bass quite often. At 68 with mild rheumatoid arthritis, I'm getting away from those long finger stretches of a 34" scale bass. The Taylor GS-Mini bass is a little powerhouse.
If you're wondering if you can gig with this bass, be assured you can. I play it with a configuration of 3 acoustic guitars, a cajon, and a guitar/keyboard player. We all run directly through the board, and my little Taylor hangs right in there.
Highly portable, this little bass works. And yes, it can gig.
Rated 5/5

So Happy With This Purchase!

I've had it for a month or two now, and this bass is now my favorite instrument.

First, it sounds great, plugged in or unplugged. It may be a little quiet when played acoustically, especially compared to a regular acoustic guitar, but compared with other acoustic bass guitars I've messed with it's way louder. And it's plenty loud enough to jam with friends who bring their guitars as long as they don't really dig in to the strings. The tone is rich and the low end cuts through just fine; if I'm being picky the E string may be slightly less loud than the other three but not enough to bother me. Then, if you plug it in, none of this matters. It sounds incredible and consistent through my bass amp. The single tone knob is more than enough to dial in a tone that I can finish shaping with the amp controls, and the acoustic nature of the sound is still apparent through the amp.

Second, it is so much fun to play. The frets are much smaller than a traditional bass, closer to the size of a guitar's, and it gives you a reach that you wouldn't normally have. Also, the D and G strings sound so clear that you can actually play chords using them with a bass note on the E or A string and it really sounds rich and full (with no tone adjustments necessary), and not at all muddy like it would on a traditional electric bass. The strings are also super slinky, which took some getting used to, to avoid making a clicking sound against the frets when I pluck, but now that I am used to it I really enjoy the ability to put some fun vibrato on notes or even purposely add some percussion to plucks by making that clicking sound when I want it. After a month of messing around with it I've had a lot of fun finding new and creative ways to play that wouldn't be possible with a traditional bass.

So in all, if you're interested in buying this but wonder if it's just a weird gimmick, it's not. It's a fully playable and respectable bass that is actually very flexible too.
Music background: Moderately experienced bassist
Rated 4/5

Guitar is great… the case was disappointing.

You're not going to find any better short scale acoustics than the GS Mini's - they sound great, are lightweight, and are fun to play. I've owned the 6-string version for about a year now and liked it so much I got the bass. I'm not sure I'll ever go back to full scale acoustics after these guys.

My only gripe with this purchase was the gig bag it came with. I also bought a GS Mini 6-string a year ago that came with the "same" gig bag, and it's clear that at some point between now and then they've changed manufacturers, or that manufacturer has cheapened their materials. The gig bag the bass came in felt cheap, flimsy and a completely different level of build quality than the one that came with my other GS Mini.
Rated 5/5

Can't put it down

I'm primarily a guitar player, but I have been looking for an acoustic bass and trying to figure out which one to buy for several years now. I felt like this was the best option because it's fret spacing is very similar to that of a guitar, though compared to a normal acoustic guitar it is quite small. The sound is way larger than the instrument looks. The back panel is arched, which was quite surprising to me so I reached out to August, the sales engineer, and he assured me that it's by design. I can see now that it helps with projection and resonance. The strings take a bit of getting used to, but they are very nice once you do. Absolutely beautiful instrument, very pleased. As per usual Sweetwater did an incredible job.
Rated 5/5

Gorgeous Bass

Great finish to look at and touch, good tone, arrived in great shape. This bass will be fun to play. Way less intimidating than electric, and easy to carry around.

As one of the nation's top Taylor Guitars dealers, Sweetwater receives regular on-site training from Bob, Andy, and the rest of the Taylor crew. We're also, many of us, Taylor players ourselves, and we're happy to steer you in the right direction once you're ready to make the leap. New to Taylor? Our Find Your Fit guide simplifies Taylor body shapes, woods, and series. Longtime player? Our Taylor Custom Shop, annual limited editions, and in-house mods offer a level of exclusivity you won't find in stores. Whatever your pleasure, Sweetwater's climate-controlled warehouse and 55-point Inspection ensure your Taylor guitar arrives ready to play just as the manufacturer intended.

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