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Taylor GS Mini Mahogany
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
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Playability
82
Sound
81
Build
69
Value
87
Score
77
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Playability
77
Sound
76
Build
60
Value
86
Score
71
FIND IT ON:
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Taylor GS Mini Mahogany vs Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel Specs Comparison
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
General
Brand: Taylor Fender
Year: 2012 2020
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Mexico China
Series: GS Mini Fender Alternative
Colors: Natural Black
Left-Handed Version: Yes No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Tropical Mahogany Laminated Agathis
Sides Material: Sapele Sapele
Back Material: Sapele Sapele
Bridge: West African Crelicam Ebony Walnut
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Die-Cast Chrome Die-Cast
Fretboard: West African Crelicam Ebony Walnut
Neck Material: Sapele Nato
Decoration: 4mm Dot Italian Acrylic White Dot
Scale Size: 23.5" 23.3"
Shape: Acoustic Taylor Standard Acoustic C Shape
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 18 Vintage Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15" 11.81"
Nut: NuBone Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'') 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Pickups:
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Chrome

Reasons to Get
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany over Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel

Country of Manufacturing
Mexico vs China
Built with higher quality standards
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Top Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Number of Frets
20 vs 18
Allows to reach higher notes
Body Shape
Grand Symphony Mini vs Concert
Compact Grand Symphony for comfortability
Scale Length
23.5'' (596.9mm) vs 23.3'' (591.8mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
15'' (381mm) vs 11.81'' (300mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
87 vs 86
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel over Taylor GS Mini Mahogany

Release Year
2020 vs 2012
From a more recent year
Body Shape
Concert vs Grand Symphony Mini
Compact body with balanced tones
Scale Length
23.3'' (591.8mm) vs 23.5'' (596.9mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
11.81'' (300mm) vs 15'' (381mm)
Easier to play chords without muting strings

Other Key Differences
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany vs Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel

Bridge Material
West African Crelicam Ebony vs Walnut
Different Bridge Material
Body Wood
Mahogany vs Agathis
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Sapele vs Nato
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Ebony vs Walnut
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
NuBone vs Synthetic Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany vs Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel

Back Material
Sapele
Same Back Material
Sides Material
Sapele
Same Sides Material
Saddle Material
Synthetic Bone
Same Saddle Material
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Type of Frets
Medium vs Vintage
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut

Common Weaknesses

  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT
SET PRICE ALERT

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Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both favor small hands .

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Taylor GS Mini Mahogany meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

Sound Quality Comparison

The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

Woods Used in Both

Sapele wood pattern used for guitar building
Sapele

It's similar to Mahogany in both color and tone. It can produce warm tones, and it's known for its beautiful figured grain patterns. Find out more about Sapele.

Woods Used in the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany

Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony
Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany

Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Woods Used in the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel

Nato wood pattern used for guitar building
Nato
Walnut wood pattern used for guitar building
Walnut
Agathis wood pattern used for guitar building
Agathis

Nato a hard and dense wood similar to Mahogany, but cheaper and not quite as hard. Tone-wise, it's also similar, but it doesn't have quite the same attack as Mahogany.

It's a hard wood with a chocolate color that is often used to give an elegant finish. Since it's quite expensive and rare, it's mostly used for guitar tops. Find out more about Walnut.

Agathis is a softwood similar to Mahogany. It's more affordable, which makes it popular as a way to reduce production costs. People believe it to produce a warm tone with good punch and sustain.

Winner: Taylor GS Mini Mahogany.

Electronics

Neither of them come with electronics that allow you to connect them to an amp. This makes them completely acoustic, so you'll need to use an external mic to record with them or play live.

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany
Sustain 75
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 81
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
Sustain 65
Versatility 70
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 76

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany compares to the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Taylor GS Mini Mahogany is built in Mexico while the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel is made in China.

Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.

China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.

Winner: Taylor GS Mini Mahogany

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Taylor GS Mini Mahogany has a NuBone nut. It's made by the same company that makes TUSQ nuts. It's slightly softer but hard enough to give you a brighter sound when playing open strings. It's also self-lubricating, so it's good for tuning stability.

On the other hand, the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel comes with a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.

Winner: Tie.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Taylor GS Mini Mahogany's are Die-Cast Chrome while the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's are Die-Cast

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany
  • Expensive Wood
  • NuBone Nut
  • Synthetic Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Synthetic Bone Saddle
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • Laminated Top Wood
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany
Quality of materials 76
Features 65
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 69
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
Quality of materials 61
Features 65
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 60

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany Nut Width
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688'').

This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Scale Length

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany's Scale Length
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany's Scale Length
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's Scale Length
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Taylor GS Mini Mahogany has the longest scale: 23.5". The Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel is only 23.3" long. This is a 0.2'' (5.1mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany Neck Profile
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany's neck profile
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel Neck Profile
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany and the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany Fingerboard Radius
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany's Fingerboard radius
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel Fingerboard Radius
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's Fingerboard radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

In this case, the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany.

Fret Size

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany Frets Size
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany's Frets Size
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel Frets Size
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's Frets Size

The Taylor GS Mini Mahogany has Medium frets, which should be taller than the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's Vintage frets.

Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

Taylor GS Mini Mahogany
Bending & Vibrato Ease 90
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 80
Playability 82
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 65
Playability 77