Taylor GS Mini - Spruce top vs Mahogany

[Arthur Sweeney]

Hello my friends. I have a question about the solid GS Mini tops. I am possibly in the market for one of these guitars, and am torn between the 2 versions out there - spruce or mahogany. I am leaning towards mahogany, but would like to ask your thoughts? I find the spruce a little bit too punchy, sharp, and bright, and the mahogany mellower, which is nice. Which brings me to another question - I know that solid top spruce mellows as it ages, so will the GS Mini mellow-out with age? Also, would the same happen with the mahogany top? I guess what I am getting to is, over the years, will the spruce 'improve' (to my ears) by mellowing-out, and will the 'hog also mellow more, and thus maybe become 'too mellow'. I know these questions sound odd, I don't know how else to ask them. Thanks again for your time and expertise!!

[Hesh Breakstone]

Hi Arthur:  My impression has been that Hog-topped guitars remain as they are when new for the most part with very minor changes over time.  Spruce-topped guitars will generally develop more bass in time and do change over time in a much more noticable manner.

Actually a great question, nothing odd at all about it in my view.

[Kerry Krishna]

Hesh said everything there is about this. I hope you get a terrific guitar!

[Brian Hart]

I agree with the hog top.  Taylor did an incredible job of getting a full sound out of a smaller package by using the symphony body, medium gauge strings, and the neck joint found in their full size counterparts.  The slightly brighter sound associated with it's size is slightly counteracted by choosing mahogany.  

[Arthur Sweeney]

Thanks for the input. What about the limited edition spruce top and rosewood back and sides model?

[Ned Knepp]

Hey Arthur,

 What do you think?  If it sounds good to you that really all that counts. There rest of us are only giving subjective reviews.