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Guild Mini Jumbo Bass


AndyTravis
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So, to me the Taylor GS mini bass was a disappointment even though some people have the favourable reviews...

I wanted to be excited by a Taylor bass, but I thought the demos were underwhelming and I really wanted them to do a 34" scale bass with a grand symphony or at least auditorium sized body.

Guild have stepped in and met me in the middle.

I have been looking at uke basses for a while but wanted something a little less toy like.

A good bass using the gs format but less expensive.

My mate is a guild dealer. So I'm tempted.

http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2017/07/22/guild-introduces-the-jumbo-junior-bass/

I've edited this because Shiraz was the fuel last night and I was being dim witted.

Edited by AndyTravis
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A very timely post!

I came across a Taylor GS mini for the first time yesterday at GAK in Brighton and spent a happy half-hour trying it out. I've tried a number of full scale acoustic basses over the last 10 years or so but never found one I liked, and have been singularly unimpressed by the Uke basses I've played ... but I really liked the Taylor ... acoustically, anyway - the battery was flat so I couldn't plug it in! :angry:

It's basically the bass I've been looking for for a while - something I can easily chuck over my shoulder for acoustic gigs, open mics, busking etc. Short scale, but not a Uke, and still sounds like a proper bass. The key is the new nylon core strings I think!

The Guild looks pretty much identical to the Taylor, and well worth trying out I suspect, at a couple of hundred quid cheaper, although at the moment I can only see it listed at Thomann.

Cheers!

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[quote name='NJE' timestamp='1500844634' post='3340606']
So pointless for me, completely the wrong sound scale length, just everything.....BUT I WANT ONE! they look like so much fun.
[/quote]

Yeah. That's my stance.

Also, they're doing more variants on the starfire too. A trans green one is on the cards.

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Those look interesting. What's the string tension like on such a short scale? Are they standard strings? Meaning can they be replaced by your own preference strings without losing playability?
Might have to hunt one of those down to try.

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Missed the launch of this, thanks for posting.
Having tried the Taylor in Guitar Guitar in Epsom and being quite impressed, I'm
looking forward to giving the Guild a blast. As others have posted, my concern is
replacing strings, as (like the Taylor) they are probably fundamental to the sound
and feel of the bass. Cheers.

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The Taylor, and the Guild too, use the new d'Addario nylon core, phosphor bronze wound strings, which I assume have a very different tension to regular bass guitar strings (they certainly felt like it). They are constructed, and feel and play very much like classical guitar strings. And I thought they worked well and sounded great on the Taylor.
The manufacturers state that other bass strings can't be used. I assume that the lower tension required for the much shorter scale length would render them unplayable - I'd also guess that the neck construction may not stand up to a higher tension string, even if you could find something suitable.

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Eerrmm... I'm really not being contrarian for the sake of it but this sounded pretty weak to me. Even Adele's bassist was struggling to muster too much enthusiasm about its practical application for a bass player and he's the dude endorsing it. The only selling point for me would be the smaller scale and size making it easier to get around (not that standard sized acoustic bass guitars are that difficult to get around compared to lugging a DB,) but then when you do get it to a jam with others you have even less volume, projection and clarity of tone than a standard scale acoustic bass guitar and are left with a muddy, slack stringed sound. I just don't get it, not for me.

Edited by EdLib-3
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[quote name='EdLib-3' timestamp='1501537995' post='3345429']
Eerrmm... I'm really not being contrarian for the sake of it but this sounded pretty weak to me. Even Adele's bassist was struggling to muster too much enthusiasm about its practical application for a bass player and he's the dude endorsing it. The only selling point for me would be the smaller scale and size making it easier to get around (not that standard sized acoustic bass guitars are that difficult to get around compared to lugging a DB,) but then when you do get it to a jam with others you have even less volume, projection and clarity of tone than a standard scale acoustic bass guitar and are left with a muddy, slack stringed sound. I just don't get it, not for me.
[/quote]

Agreed, but does anyone really use an unamplified acoustic bass for anything other than home noodling / very quiet rehearsal?
The Taylor seemed reasonably bright for a short scale job, but sounded great when plugged in.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The GS Mini was forever going to be a disappointment as it's essentially a bass for Taylor fanboys. It's just a "cheap" travel bass with high ticket price and if that wasn't enough, ~£40 for the branded strings was a kick in the teeth! Hahaha

A Guild Mini Jumbo would be something to try but nothing I'd set out to buy. IF I was after a shorty acoustic bass, I would sway more towards the uke basses and they're cheaper again and sound good for what they are.

I know Bass Direct have Kala uke basses available but another to check out is Bass Centres Ashbory models.
http://www.basscentre.com/all-about-that-bass.html

Worth a look :)

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I was over in the US recently and tried the Gold Tone mini bass in a shop. Has those weird rubbery strings but it sounded really nice acoustically. Not enough to actually use in earnest but nice for practicing. Was on sale at $399 which I suspect is a lot cheaper than either the Taylor or the Guild.

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[quote name='Grahambythesea' timestamp='1502452187' post='3351545']
I was over in the US recently and tried the Gold Tone mini bass in a shop. Has those weird rubbery strings but it sounded really nice acoustically. Not enough to actually use in earnest but nice for practicing. Was on sale at $399 which I suspect is a lot cheaper than either the Taylor or the Guild.
[/quote]

Those are the strings they tend to use on Uke basses and Ashbory basses. The micro basses tend to be strung with bronze strings and I think a lot of sound and resonance is missing through them because of the tension usually needed by a full scale.

Me personally, I'd swing more for a uke bass. Even if it would look out of place on all 6'6" of me, it would sound right more importantly

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  • 11 months later...

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