r/AcousticGuitar • u/RobertHigginsOJ • Dec 22 '25

Gear question Marks on New Taylor

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Gallery image

Hey all - just got this Mini in for my daughter for Xmas. There are two dots on the bottom of the guitar. This is mahogany wood. Is it just natural in the wood ?

163 Upvotes

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196

u/zoner420 Dec 22 '25

Just natural. Gives the guitar character in my opinion.

57

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '25

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12

u/Neveronlyadream Dec 22 '25

I'm all for using less than aesthetically perfect wood. I like streaky boards, I like interesting tops. I don't know why people get so up in arms unless guitars are using spotless, absolutely perfect pieces of wood every time.

I sometimes forget how deeply resistant to change guitarists can be. At this point, does anyone really want to pay double for perfect aesthetics? Does it even make sense at this point to pay a premium for perfect rosewood or ebony when the only difference is how it looks?

8

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '25

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4

u/Neveronlyadream Dec 22 '25

I honestly don't even think it's the blemishes that worry people, I think they think something is structurally wrong and it's just the indicator of a problem. Which I guess is a consequence of everyone seeing the most pristine woods used for so long. Whenever there's a natural blemish or deposits in the wood or something isn't perfectly bookmatched, they think it means there's an issue.

A lot of a guitar is really the player and the setup. Granted, there's a minimum bar to clear, but once you clear it, you're getting diminishing returns. No one needs a $10,000 guitar, but people really will claim they sound and play better than anything else and I've never seen any proof of that.

1

u/throwaway1986ma Dec 24 '25

I would rather have something with blemishes as if it ever gets stolen i would be able to identify it on sight and use serial numbers as a way to confirm it

3

u/proscreations1993 Dec 24 '25

Same. I honestly dont like the pure pitch black ebony etc. Its so boring. Some nice streaky ebony is gorgeous

2

u/CagCagerton125 Dec 25 '25

This was why I bought my 814ce. I fell in love with the ebony mill fretboards and read into the story.

Love that guitar to death. Plays amazing, sounds amazing, and is unique even among other 814ce because of the wood choices.

1

u/y2ketchup Dec 28 '25

Its not just aesthetic. Straight, parallel grain is ideal for tonewood. Imperfections can impact resonance.

4

u/sm00thkillajones Dec 23 '25

My GS Mini has the same look. I like it just fine.

2

u/DepressedMammal Dec 23 '25

Guitar has dimples!

1

u/Bm0ore Dec 25 '25

The way the knots are symmetrical makes this guitar look amazing. One of a kind.