Taylor GS Mini Mahogany

Bought this as an upgrade from Harley Benton Custom Line CLA-16SCE. I wanted better playability. The HB sounds good, but something really is missing (think John Mayer :) - it has like a scooped midrange. Probably has to do with wood (or strings). Playability was not that great despite numerous attempts to set it up and string changes. Probably would have to be set up professionally by a luthier.

I wanted a Taylor, but was not willing to spend the 1000s required.

GS mini is so nice, directly from the box. I only had to tune it.

Pros:
Watched reviews on YT and I really liked the tone of the mahogany top GS mini, and, in contrast, the looks of spruce top GS mini. Well, the full mahogany looks much nicer in real life as opposed to what it looks like on the photos. Glad I went with this option. Satin/natural finish is my kind of finish.

The sound is really good for this size. It smells nice too.

Cons:
The tuners are only ok, we will see how they hold the tuning. Probably will be replaced in the future.

There is minor fret buzz on G string around 12th fret. A tiny bit. Maybe the bridge will have to be shimmed a little bit or this will go away once the neck settles (it came detuned for shipping).

It came with a few (2) very, very small dings and a scratch - one on the top of the headstock; one on the fretboard; and a 1cm scratch on the side, near the right strap button. Very minor, barely noticeable from 30cm away. The scratch is more visible, and I am picky. Will try to polish it out.

It is just the guitar I needed for my small hands and short fingers. Now I have got the urge to play it very frequently and I am playing it regularly.
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany is my first premium guitar and I must say Taylor makes fantastic guitars. I love the warm tone of the guitar. The playability of this guitar is wonderful. I just love it love it.
I want to thank Taylor for making such a perfect guitar for me.
I also want to thank Thomann for such a good packaging and the delivery was quite smooth.
I recommend this guitar to everyone because it is such a comfortable guitar that you would feel the urge to play it every now and then.
Take care and Stay Safe.

If you are looking for the legendary Taylor quality of sound but either you mostly need a travel/ small body guitar or your budget is limited but you do not want to compromise on quality: look no further! GS Mini will meet all your expectations! Love at first sight and sound for me :-) and I could not enjoy more my come back to playing guitar daily on my living room coach after a very long break.

PROS:
- high build quality
- crisp (but not too much), full, warm (probably thanks to mohogany solid top) and unexpectedly loud sound this small body can produce
- easy to tune
- looks more expensive than its reasonably "tailored" price
- easy to plug with a dedicated pick-up (not included)
- Elixir bronze phosphor strings
- you can take it on board of any plane

CONS:
- bit expensive against its close competitors but see all PROs above
- if you need/ want to go "plugged", it seems more reasonable to invest into GS mini-e with the built-in higher end factory pick-up system rather than to invest EUR 100 into the GS mini dedicated pick-up (no equalizer).
You cannot go wrong here!