Tone Comparison of Taylor GS Mini Mahogany vs Harley Benton GS Travel Mahogany vs CLGS-10s 3dAudio

[@tontrenner]

wow, great job! what a precise comparison between all the specs and details. very rarely seen like this. thanks for the good work.

[@andyquinn9282]

I bought the hb mahogany and love it. You could buy 6 for the price of the Taylor and set up a family band!!

[@pacscorner]

Love my Taylor 214-CEKoa, but I have been pleasantly surprised (amazed) when I heard about this HB GS-Travel Mahogany with nothing but 5-star reviews. I have played way more hours in the last 6mos on the HB than my Taylor. It is small, yet reminds you it packs a punch just by its weight. Low end is great on a small guitar and that "tinny" treble from most small guitars doesn't exist. Very sweet sound. I also love the v-neck profile and makes it so easy to use my thumb on the bass notes while finger plucking. Most my family plays guitar and most prefer using my HB when we get to some jam sessions at home. HB has also listened to reviewers and have already upgraded the newer units with an HB pre-amp w/ led and tuner, and beefier strings. Super love this thing. My cousin has a GS mini spruce and mine is definitely better. And much cheaper! Go get one, and for $122, it's definitely a STEAL!

[@samdeb6506]

Agree, sounds great with 12 gauge. I've got EB 11's on mine, you miss a bit of warmth.

[@MrMastadox]

nice detailed comparison . Amazing

[@wilwaren8571]

thank you great test, no blabla, perfect audio ;D

[@ChristopheLeveque-td5wl]

And comparison with the HB CLMJ-15MCE?

[@SonicVirtualizer]

Good specs on that one, especially the solid Mahogany top. Although the guitar is not the same type and size it still might be worth considering in this group.

[@marccarter1350]

The Taylor is great, but worth the extra? Happy with my HB. Its my busking guitar, the sound is great at that price point!

[@scashrock]

Taylor have more harmonics and a richer sound. I have both 2. Maybe because there is mahogany and mahogany quality, and also, there is a solid top on taylor instead of HB that is fully laminated with low quality mahogany layers. Anyway HB sounds very good for the price, its good as a guitar for the beach.

[@SonicVirtualizer]

Yes, I noticed that about the Taylor as well. I believe the richer sound stems from a combination of solid top, better and higher gauge strings and the guitar not being overbuilt like the other two.

[@guycapitain451]

Félicitations pour se travail cdl guy

[@franzart6415]

Thank you, great test.

[@SonicVirtualizer]

It was fun, happy you liked it.

[@tomikcahlik]

What kind of strings did you use? I was thinking of buying HB CLGS, but the sound is bland. Maybe Elixir strings would improve the sound.

[@severinerouiller5593]

vraiment top comme comparatif !!! merci

[@haaspaas2]

Is the only difference between the 'custom' and non custom hb the spruce top?

[@SonicVirtualizer]

There is quite a few differences. Mainly the spruce top in the custom is also solid and not a plywood like it is in the mahogany. Additionally the custom is gloss, has a nicer back and side material , walnut binding and a gig bag. It is a heck of a deal, if only it sounded better ;-)

[@danedmaralmeida853]

is this HB travel low action? im planning to buy this for my kid, his hands are not strong and big enough for a full sized guitar. thank you.

[@SonicVirtualizer]

The spruce was bad and required the saddle to be shaved down. The HB Mahogany was good out of the box. It's a fun, great sounding guitar for both adults and kids alike.

[@danedmaralmeida853]

@@SonicVirtualizer thank you.

[@samrebite]

Sir, can you tell me what is the name of the song you played at the beginning? I want to play that song to check the my guitar tone.

[@malaguitarista5266]

Big Sandy River

[@ErinBlueBird]

Tony Polecastro fan I see, Me too ;) you can compare a lot of guitars if you play the same on all of em. I always fancied a hog top, after what you showed ima go for the CLGS instead. Cheers

[@SonicVirtualizer]

That CLGS is a good deal for what you get. It looked the part and even came with a gig bag. You're Polecastro observation is exactly right. He has a large catalog of guitars he's played those songs on so i figured playing the same music would allow anyone to compare these guitars to those.

[@mikeryan2454]

Spruce definitely gives more note clarity on the bass notes, I got the GS mini for a couch guitar a while back and you can close the gap surprisingly close with the Taylor by putting the same Elixir strings as the Taylor uses on this model.

[@SonicVirtualizer]

Interesting, I am definitely curious about the spruce top as well. A little more low end definition would benefit this guitar immensely. On the other hand Taylor guitars tend to be a little bright so the mahogany top is supposed to balance things out. Looks like a potential future comparison might be in order.

[@mikeryan2454]

@@SonicVirtualizer I am actually thinking of putting a bone saddle on mine too, relatively easy to do and has much more impact on tone than changing the nut(which would be more hassle)

[@DrAgan_tortojed]

Whatever happened to Taylor's fretboard (looks like the color faded/melted away, here and there)?

[@SonicVirtualizer]

Normally 1 in 10 felled ebony trees are pure black and the rest have this brown striping. Taylor uses this striped ebony to build their fretboards to minimize waste so that those other 9 trees are not left to rot. The physical properties of the striped ebony are exactly like the pure black. I actually think this is a great idea because it adds character to the guitar causing each neck to look unique.

[@rallefreifahrt]

Clearly the HB Mahagony, not just because of the price.

[@sagutxo82]

With which one did you feel better for strumming?

[@SonicVirtualizer]

Definitely Taylor, then the HB Mahogany not very far behind.

[@sagutxo82]

@@SonicVirtualizer finally I have the HB mahogany for a while. After a good setup, including fret edges sanding, polish and nut and saddle change (tusQ), I’m enjoying it as couch and travel guitar knowing that if something happens it is a 139€ loss. Is far from my Seagull dreadnought but I knew it before purchasing it. And it has been nice to learn how to setup a guitar.

[@AliaksejKa]

Taylor mini is winner for me.

[@hazbrzl]

Top, thx

[@sicilianmammalian]

I hear the Harley benton has a weird neck profile

[@SonicVirtualizer]

It is a v profile which at first may feel different. I would say you quickly get used to it and it doesn't hinder playing in any way.

[@dickgitaar2012]

It's a soft V profile, but not as on a Clapton strat, which I really did not like. If they had not mentiond it, I wouldn't have been aware of it, no problem with it at all

[@esinsonat675]

, thanks.. 👌 thanks.. 👍 thanks..🙏🙏🙏 .. .

[@CarlosDaniel-wk6ml]

Loved this. The travel mahogany really surprised me. I thought it would not come close to the gs mini. I’m sure the quality is way better on the mini but the sound from the Benton comes so close. If not, just as good but with its own voice. 👌

[@anthonylynchmusic]

I have both models, the gs travel is good for the price but it has terribile mechanics, very poor tuning. The taylor sounds very complex and full of wooden tones, the taylor wins 10-0

[@Julius-vz7pb]

Hb mahogany win

[@tomjjordan91]

That is some truly horrible pickguard placement on the spruce top HB. Would bother the shit out of me.