Updated by Bobby
Updated on April 14th, 2023
Changed our recommendation to a toss up, since the GS Mini is just a better overall instrument, despite the additional cost. They're both very high-value options from a reputable brand. Also added the live price guide and removed static pricing references that were outdated.
TAYLOR GS MINI VS BABY TAYLOR BT2 (comparison)
Our Pick: Toss up, based on budget
The Baby Taylor has some value, with a significantly lower price tag. However, the nicer guitar is clearly the GS Mini based on construction and overall tone quality. Both have a lot of value, depending on your budget.
Both the Taylor GS Mini and the Baby Taylor are small-form acoustic guitars with a similar spec sheet. In this article we'll do a simple side-by-side comparison to highlight where these two acoustic guitars differ.
While they look fairly different, they don't have a lot of technical distinctions.
Some of the noticeable differences are related to body type, construction, size, and aesthetics.
For example, both guitars use solid Mahogany for the top piece, but the Baby Taylor top piece appears a bit lighter in color. You have to get down to more nuanced aspects of construction, which shows that the GS Mini is sturdier and a higher quality build. You pay for it, but it's the nicer guitar.
Read more: The best acoustic guitars
Quick Look at Significant Differences
We'll list the most prominent differences between the two guitars here, for those wanting a quick answer.
- Price
- Tone
- Body shape and size
- Bracing
We've found that the price difference - the increase for the GS Mini - is a significant ask, given the similarities between the two models. Again, this is seen in construction differences. The body shape, build, and bracing are significant distinctions that are easy to see.
Concerning shape, the GS Mini employs what Taylor calls a "Grand Symphony" design (basically a concert acoustic) while the BT2 is a traditional dreadnought shape in a 3/4 body size.
Other Acoustic Guitars (comparison chart)
Acoustic | DETAILS | RATING | TRY |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Taylor GS Mini (the Mahogany version) | 86.7 | |
 | Taylor Baby Taylor BT2 | 80.3 | |
 | Martin LXK2 Little Martin | 80.1 | |
 | Seagull S6 | 88.7 |
Price Guide
How do they both sound?
Though both guitars use Mahogany and Sapele for tonewood, the sound profiles of both are quite different. The GS Mini is crisp and bright with a lot of melodic nuance and emphasis on the picking hand.
This is something we expect from smaller guitars, especially with the concert (grand symphony) body shape.
The BT2 is significantly softer and warmer. It has what I'd describe as a "full" sound that's better for strumming and conventional acoustic rhythm.
Taylor GS Mini | Taylor Baby Taylor (BT2) |
|---|---|
Bright/Crisp/Melodic | Soft/Warm/Full |
Strumming/Lead | Rhythm |
Heavy picking emphasis | Moderate picking emphasis |
Keep in mind, these are generalizations and not exclusive rules. The GS Mini can definitely be a good strumming acoustic (most acoustics are) but it lends itself more to lead acoustic guitar than the Baby Taylor.
Read the full review: Taylor BT2
What are the bodies like?
As we've already mentioned, both of the acoustics use Mahogany for the top piece and layered Sapele for the back and sides.
Both guitars - if you look on Taylor's manufacturing pages - are listed as having a solid top, which definitely helps with the tone quality you're getting from such a small acoustic instrument.
It's where Taylor starts to add a lot of value.
Similar 3/4 size acoustic guitars - like the Martin LXK2 for example - give you a laminate (layered) top instead. Props to Taylor for getting solid tonewood into the top pieces of these acoustics.
Other Tonewood Combinations
There are actually multiple versions of the Baby Taylor and GS Mini that incorporate different kinds of tonewood. Several versions use a solid Sitka Spruce top (like the nicer Taylor models) while others use Walnut for the back and sides. You can even get a version of the GS Mini made with solid Koa.
You can also find versions of the BT2 and BT1 with built-in electronics.
Here are all the tonewood arrangements we know of:
Taylor GS Mini
- Solid Mahogany Top
- Solid Sitka Spruce Top
- Solid KOA Top
Taylor BT2 (Baby Taylors)
- Solid Mahogany Top
- Solid Sitka Spruce Top
- Solid Sitka Spruce top with walnut back and sides
In the following table we're comparing only body characteristics, where we've highlighted the differences. Yellow indicates a difference that doesn't impact value (style or preference issue) while red indicates places where a difference does have an impact on quality.
Taylor GS Mini | Taylor Baby Taylor BT2 | |
|---|---|---|
Body Type/Shape | Concert Mini (Grand Symphony) | Dreadnought (3/4) |
Body Dimensions | Length: 17 5/8" Width: 14 3/8" Depth: 4 7/16" | Length: 15 3/4" Width: 12 1/2" Depth: 3 3/8" |
Sides and Back | Layered Sapele | Layered Sapele |
Top | Solid Mahogany/Spruce | Solid Mahogany/Spruce |
Finish | Varnish | Varnish |
Bracing | X-bracing with relief route | X-brace only |
Binding | White | None |
The Mahogany in the GS Mini sounds great and you can definitely hear where the solid top helps project a full tone that doesn't sound small. Without that solid top, you lose some of the boldness of your sound, which is not a problem for either of these guitars.
Otherwise, the only significant spec difference is the bracing in the GS Mini, which provides a little more relief to the pressure of the body.
As we mentioned before, the difference in body shape - and the corresponding difference in tone - could be a preferential issue for some protentional buyers.
Preference Considerations
- Grand Symphony Body Type: Typically better for lead guitar or more melodic styles
- Dreadnought: More common for rhythm guitar playing or those who are focused exclusively on chords
Taylor uses a solid Mahogany tonewood for the top piece on the GS Mini.
Multiple versions of the BT2 and BT1 are available, including those with both Mahogany and Sitka Spruce tops. The Taylor website lists both the Spruce and Mahogany versions as solid tops.
Neck & Fretboard
The GS Mini sticks with Sapele for the neck and heel, basically extending the tonewood already used for the back and sides of the guitar. For the Baby Taylor's neck we get another round of Mahogany, which we'd prefer over the Sapele since it seems to help with warming up the tone and matches the top wood.
Taylor GS Mini | Taylor Baby Taylor BT2 | |
|---|---|---|
Neck Wood | Sapele | Tropical Mahogany |
Neck Shape | Not specified | Not specified |
Radius | Not specified | Not specified |
Fingerboard Material | Ebony | Ebony |
Fingerboard Inlays | Pearloid Dots | Pearloid Dots |
Number of Frets | 20 | 19 |
Scale Length | 23.5" | 22.75" |
Note that the GS Mini has one more fret than the BT2 and that the BT2 uses a screw-in neck type that intrudes on the higher register frets anyway. This makes the GS Mini a little bit larger than the Baby Taylor and certainly reinforces my earlier characterization of the GS as the more melodic (better for lead guitar) of the two acoustics.
This also gives the GS Mini a clear advantage in construction quality.
Preferences Considerations
- Sapele VS Tropical Mahogany: Difference is primarily aesthetic
- Number of Frets: GS Mini gives you a little more room
Here's a close look at the top of each guitar's fretboard, right around the 12th fret.
On the GS Mini, Taylor uses the same Sapele tonewood used in the guitar's back and sides for the neck.
The Baby Taylor typically uses Mahogany for the neck and Ebony for the fingerboard. Note the two screws used to fix the neck to the guitar's body.
Parts and Accessories
There are no significant differences in this category, outside of the type of gig bag advertised for each guitar. The one that comes with the GS Mini is a little heavier and stronger, though just a small notable difference. We've also noticed that included gig bags can change depending on where you're buying from.
Otherwise, the comparison is straightforward right down to the Elixir strings which ship with all Taylor acoustics.
Taylor GS Mini | Taylor Baby Taylor BT2 | |
|---|---|---|
Bridge Material | Ebony | Ebony |
Nut & Saddle Material | Tusq Nut/Micarta Saddle | Tusq Nut/Micarta Saddle |
Tuning Machines | Die-Cast Chrome | Die-Cast Chrome |
Nut Width | 1.6875" | Not specified |
Case Included | Mini hard bag | Mini gig bag |
Strings | Elixir | Elixir |
Which one?
Both of these guitars have value within their respective budgets.
The BT2 is similar to the GS Mini's raw spec sheet, yet significantly cheaper. In the GS Mini, I believe you're paying extra for the better bracing system and better construction, which is understandable. It's the nicer guitar in a price vacuum.
But since both guitars have solid tops and similar tonewood combinations, it should come down to which sound you like better, as I previously mentioned.
To review, here are the distinctions:
- The Taylor GS Mini's Tone: Bright, Crips, and Melodic
- The Baby Taylor BT2's Tone: Warm, Soft, and Rhythmic
Depending on the style of music you want to play, the difference in sound might be the most compelling feature.
Also consider the size issue.
Both guitars are small, close to the 3/4 size, but the Baby Taylor is slightly smaller even with the dreadnought body shape. If that's something that matters to you, it should be considered before you decide between them.
In the end we like both.
Questions about the GS Mini and Baby Taylor
Do you have questions about our comparison?
What about the GS Mini or the Baby Taylor specifically?
If you need some help, drop a line in the comments section below. I'll do my best to jump in an help out.
We'll see you there.
References
Related Articles
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Acoustics & Roundups
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Acoustics & Roundups
Thank you so much for this thorough comparison piece; I enjoyed it immensely! I recently shopped for my first steel string acoustic after discovering that my guitar of 30 years (Yamaha CG100A classical nylon string) has been severely hindering my progress in guitar. I camped out at a guitar store last weekend, played dozens of guitars, and figured out that I want a smaller travel size guitar for informal playing sessions at home on the couch. (I will never perform on guitar publicly, but I am a professional piano accompanist by trade). I quickly narrowed my choices down to either the Baby Taylor or the GS mini. I had predicted that I would pick the GS mini because it sounds better and looks more attractive to me, but when I picked the other guitar up…there was just something about that Baby. I have never melted into a guitar before, (or did the guitar melt into me?), and while I know that’s not even a thing, that’s how it felt. Suddenly chords I normally struggle with began to sing out of this guitar more clearly than ever for me, and the action I felt was indescribably good. This guitar made me play better, so I had to order it. In fact, it arrives tomorrow so I doubt I will sleep much tonight out of anticipation! 🎉🎉🎉
+1 on Todd Lawson’s comment, I used to have a Big Baby and though it sounded great and had amazing playability, it was very cheaply made, forget about esthetics, mine took a light hit, and the top came off even though it was on the nice padded gig bag it comes with. A luthier took care of that, but he advised me to buy a hard case because of how fragile this particular guitars are.
I own a GS mini now and the build quality is simply much better. It feels pretty solid in my hands (the BBT always felt cheap to me, though it sounded expensive), sounds great, specially for the size and it resonates a ton, it feels more resonant than the BBT to me.
Overall, the BBT would sound a little better for strumming/rhythm, and GS mini would be more suited for fingerstyle, acoustic blues, melodic playing and the like, but both can do everything well in general.
Conclusion, I like how both guitars sound and play, but I would choose the GS mini any day because of the superior build quality.
Hey Natali – this is definitely fair. I think for me it’s the “for what you pay” argument, while the GS Mini is certainly the better overall instrument.
You can see that we have the GS Mini rated higher.
I actually went ahead and reworded this article to make it more of a “toss up” and made it clearer that the GS Mini is definitely the nicer guitar. Thanks so much for sharing and chiming in. Very helpful!
Baby Taylors are a much cheaper construction with a bolt on neck, bolts through the fretboard. Its a cheap and ugly way to do that. Also, Taylor uses very little purfling on the inside of the guitar which is used to glue the top, back, and sides together. This can lead to issues of the guitar coming apart.
Thanks for sharing, Todd. You could definitely make an argument for the GS Mini. I think I was giving the BT more credit for being cheaper and providing more value, but the GS Mini is probably the better guitar overall.
Both guitars were thin and tinny sound. No bass at all. I went on to buy a (Jean)
Larive Parlor guitar. This guitar costs more but, well worth it. Jean has been a Luthier for over. 20yrs. and they just Sound Better. Bassier, Mid Range is not tinny. The sound just Blends so well.
Hey Christine – thanks for sharing your experience. I don’t have a ton of experience with Larive, but I’ve heard good things.
I ordered the gs mini. I’d like to play the baby, but to my eyes, it looks a lot smaller. The mini looks closer in size to the other guitars
Yeah, the baby Taylor is pretty small (3/4 body size I think). The mini is closer to a full size guitar. 5/6 body size I think. It has a couple inches on the BT2. Hope it goes well for you.