would anyone buy a baby taylor if they made them from koa?

[doctorinthehouse]

hi just curious would anyone buy a baby taylor if they made them from koa?

also do any of you have baby taylors, and do you like them?

[Maximus]

IMHO, probably not.  I am not a fan of the baby taylor.

On the other hand, the Big Baby and GS Mini are great guitars. I just find the baby taylor to be too thin and frankly, cheap.  Getting one made out of Koa would make it little more than a semi-playable wall ornament.

[Jersey tuning]

If I had a guitar -trained Koala bear

[TaylorGirl]

When they first came out, they did offer spruce/koa (and spruce/maple and spruce/rosewood)

To answer your question.....no.....the GSM's have ruined me. The babies just don't have the sound and they are pretty small for this adult. They still are great for kids though.

I had one for quite a while, but after I got my GSM's it sat in its case most of the time. I ended up selling it this year to a gal who was small and was just learning. She loves it.

[jalbert]

No. In my experience the GS mini totally outshines both the Baby and the Big Baby.

[doctorinthehouse]

it should do it costs more 

[Earl]

No.  In fact I'm a little surprised that they are still in production.  With the superior BBT and the far superior GS Mini, the Baby seems like a redundant product.  Besides Martin already makes a little travel guitar in koa patterned Formica - it's called the LXK2.  The wife has a Little Martin, and it is better tonally than the BT.

[michaelw]

hi just curious would anyone buy a baby taylor if they made them from koa?

they have & i did - this one is no longer here, though


there was a TSBT BT1 (technically it should have been a BT4) with solid koa top
for a little more $ than a BBT, but the link is dead & i didn't save a pic of the guitar -
http://www.rainbowguitars.com/guitar/taylor/bt1-koa-taylor-swift-limited-edition-baby-taylor/bt1koa/to

do any of you have baby taylors, and do you like them?

yep
quilted sapele veneer mahogany top

quilted maple veneer

radial or slab cut rosewood veneer with flamed maple neck


i would try to play to the baby's strengths, so to speak, & utilize nashville tuning
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EJ38H?adpos=1o1&creative=55397720281&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CNqAvdSCgMMCFRSIfgodBCgAYw

fun little boxes, imho

[ronmcc4]

I'll join the group by saying "no". I had a Baby for years - my first Taylor. I found it tinny and unpleasant. The GS Mini is really the one to have for a small body Taylor. I just didn't ever grow fond of the Baby. I don't think dressing it up would help much.

[michaelw]

found a small, low-res pic of the TSBT koa -
there were also bubinga models made, along with koa, maple &
rosewood, from 00 thru 03 (the mahogany top baby was added in 98)

there was a maple baby 're-issue' BT3 that had a maple neck also
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAHBlNWmlCw

imho, tone is only partially produced by the guitar -
the rest of it is from the person that's behind it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBRluhR6v8U#t=64

[doctorinthehouse]

cheers guys interesting ideas

[Stringband Eric]

Another that is no longer a fan of the Baby.  The best use was stringing one up Nashville style.  Even then, it wasn't great.  Did own one for a little while as a travel guitar.  Decided would rather travel with something else.

Even though I have a decent travel guitar (Voyage-Air) am still thinking about a GS-M. 

[Sprintbob]

cheers guys interesting ideas

BT is not too bad fingerstyle, weak strumming. The BBT is pretty good as my office guitar.

[HAPPYDAN]

No. That said, I bought a Baby Taylor for my 11 year-old niece, and it fit her perfectly. It's hard to beat for a starter kid guitar, and is very well made and will stand up to several hand-me-downs. But the scale is, in my opinion, too small for most adults. Koa might be a nice choice for an adolescent prodigy, but likely expensive overkill for a beginner learning the basics, and not necessarily seeking that "special voice".

[ebick]

nope....

For travel guitars, without doing a whole lot of research, I had a Martin Backpacker.   The say if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.   

Before the GS Mini came out, I upgraded to a Baby.  And I was happier, but still felt the tone was not great and had intonation issues.  I saw the GS Mini at a Taylor Road Show and that was that.  Baby - Sold, Mini purchased.