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Taylor GTe Urban Ash
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus
VS
Playability
82
Sound
86
Build
84
Value
79
Score
84
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Playability
82
Sound
84
Build
74
Value
80
Score
80
FIND IT ON:
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Taylor GTe Urban Ash vs GS Mini-e Koa Plus

Reasons to Get
Taylor GTe Urban Ash over GS Mini-e Koa Plus

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Mexico
Built with higher quality standards
Sides Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Back Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Nut Width
1.71'' (43.4mm) vs 1.688'' (42.9mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Grand Theater vs Grand Symphony Mini
Slightly smaller than a Grand Concert with a shorter scale
Scale Length
24.125'' (612.8mm) vs 23.5'' (596.9mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone

Reasons to Get
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus over GTe Urban Ash

Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm) vs 1.71'' (43.4mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Grand Symphony Mini vs Grand Theater
Compact Grand Symphony for comfortability
Scale Length
23.5'' (596.9mm) vs 24.125'' (612.8mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Value Score
80 vs 79
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Taylor GTe Urban Ash vs GS Mini-e Koa Plus

Back Material
Ash vs Koa
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Ash vs Koa
Different Sides Material
Bridge Material
Eucalyptus vs Ebony
Different Bridge Material
Body Wood
Spruce vs Koa
Different Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Eucalyptus vs Ebony
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Black Tusq XL vs NuBone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Taylor GTe Urban Ash vs GS Mini-e Koa Plus

Saddle Material
Synthetic Bone
Same Saddle Material
Neck Wood
Mahogany
Same Neck Wood
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
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Fretboard Radius
15'' (381mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Solid Top Wood
  • High-Quality Nut
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • 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

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

Taylor GTe Urban Ash Prices

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Taylor GTe Urban Ash is probably the better product overall with its final score of 84 compared to the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus's 80 score, although not by a lot.

The Taylor GTe Urban Ash wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

Both meet 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. 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. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Taylor GTe Urban Ash
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

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

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Taylor GTe Urban Ash Overview

  • From Taylor's 2020 GT series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 24.125"'' scale
  • 15" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Sitka Spruce top
  • Solid Urban Ash back
  • Solid Urban Ash sides
  • Tropical Mahogany neck
  • Eucalyptus fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Expression System 2 Electronics (Preamp/Active)
  • Eucalyptus bridge
  • Acoustic Taylor Standard Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Taylor Nickel Mini tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus Overview

  • From Taylor's 2020 GS Mini series
  • Made in Mexico
  • 6 strings
  • 23.5"'' scale
  • 15" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Hawaiian Koa top
  • Layered Koa back
  • Layered Koa sides
  • Tropical Mahogany neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Expression System 2 Electronics (Preamp/Active)
  • Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic Taylor Standard Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Taylor Nickel tuners
  • Compare Specs >

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

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany

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 Taylor GTe Urban Ash

Eucalyptus wood pattern used for guitar building
Eucalyptus
Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce
Ash wood pattern used for guitar building
Ash

Eucalyptus is not a common tonewood, but it's becoming more popular recently. There are many species around the world, each with its own characteristic, so it's hard to describe the tone it produces without knowing the exact species.

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.

Woods Used in the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus

Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony
Koa wood pattern used for guitar building
Koa

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.

It's a type of wood native to the Hawaiian Islands, where it's pretty common. Its musical properties make it a great wood for making guitars, but it's especially popular for building Ukuleles. Find out more about Koa.

Winner: Tie.

Electronics

Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Taylor GTe Urban Ash
Sustain 90
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 86
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus
Sustain 80
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84

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 GTe Urban Ash compares to the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Taylor GTe Urban Ash is built in United States while the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus is made in Mexico.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

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.

Winner: Taylor GTe Urban Ash

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 GTe Urban Ash has a Black Tusq XL nut. TUSQ nuts are usually the highest quality you can get. Black TUSQs are made from a special slippery material that helps the strings get back to its original position (one of the keys to tune stability).

On the other hand, the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus comes with 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.

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 GTe Urban Ash's are Taylor Nickel Mini while the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus's are Taylor Nickel

Winner: Tie.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Taylor GTe Urban Ash
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Black Tusq XL Nut
  • Electronics
  • Synthetic Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus
  • Expensive Wood
  • NuBone Nut
  • Electronics
  • Synthetic Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Taylor GTe Urban Ash
Quality of materials 86
Features 75
Quality Control 90
Build Quality 84
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus
Quality of materials 71
Features 75
Quality Control 75
Build Quality 74

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 GTe Urban Ash Nut Width
Taylor GTe Urban Ash Nut Width
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus Nut Width
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Taylor GTe Urban Ash has the wider nut with 43.4mm (1.71'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 0.5mm (0.022'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Taylor GTe Urban Ash, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Taylor GTe Urban Ash's Scale Length
Taylor GTe Urban Ash's Scale Length
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus's Scale Length
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus'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 GTe Urban Ash has the longest scale: 24.125". The Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus is only 23.5" long. This is a 0.625'' (15.9mm) 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 GTe Urban Ash Neck Profile
Both guitars have the same 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 GTe Urban Ash and the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus 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 GTe Urban Ash Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard 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.

Both the Taylor GTe Urban Ash and the Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus have the same fretboard radius of 15". This radius y closer to the 12'' that most Les Paul guitars have, but a bit flatter. It'll make it easier to play single notes than chords, but it's still comfortable for playing chords without muting strings.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

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

Taylor GTe Urban Ash:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Taylor GTe Urban Ash and Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium fret size

Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.

Final Playability Scores

Taylor GTe Urban Ash
Bending & Vibrato Ease 90
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 80
Playability 82
Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus
Bending & Vibrato Ease 90
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 80
Playability 82

Specs Side-by-Side

Taylor GTe Urban Ash vs GS Mini-e Koa Plus
General Taylor GTe Urban Ash GS Mini-e Koa Plus
Brand: Taylor Taylor
Year: 2020 2020
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States Mexico
Series: GT GS Mini
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: Yes Yes
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Sitka Spruce Solid Hawaiian Koa
Sides Material: Ash Koa
Back Material: Ash Koa
Bridge: Eucalyptus Ebony
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Taylor Nickel Mini Taylor Nickel
Fretboard: Eucalyptus Ebony
Neck Material: Tropical Mahogany Tropical Mahogany
Decoration: Pinnacle, Italian Acrylic 4mm Dot Italian Acrylic
Scale Size: 24.125" 23.5"
Shape: Acoustic Taylor Standard Acoustic Taylor Standard
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15" 15"
Nut: Black Tusq XL NuBone
Nut Width: 43.4mm (1.71'') 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Expression System 2 Electronics (Preamp / Active) Expression System 2 Electronics (Preamp / Active)