Elaborating ... I'd say the Baby Taylor shares the same advantages and disadvantages as the other minis and 3/4 guitars.
I'm not sure about "attitude". They tend to be punchy and mid-rangey, which makes them good for countermelodies, but not so good for full-spectrum accompaniment. And they just don't have quite the volume of a full sized instrument.
Most traditional trad
doesn't have a bass instrumental voice to interfere with. The guitar often covers that role, so the lack of a strong bottom end is not necessarily a plus. John Doyle even uses an extra heavy bass guitar string for his 6th, to strengthen that role. In trad bands that do feature a string bass or bass guitar (e.g. Lúnasa, Solas), the bass and guitar cooperate to create the texture. It's the guitar player's choice how to exploit the bottom end or not, and your choice is limited if it's not really there.
Of course, in a small group setting, or if you're miked or plugged in and you can EQ to taste, there no reason a mini can't be full-service. And then I find the smaller size (and, in my case, the very light string setup) quite fun to play, and sometimes worth the trade-offs.
I must admit I'm not a huge fan of Taylors. Which is a shame, because the workshop is a hop and a jump from my house, and Bob Taylor (whom I've met) is a very nice guy. But with their epoxy/acrylic armored finish of doom, Taylors always sound to me like they're struggling to sing, encased in their rigid chemical straitjackets. It's also a difficult finish to repair. But if I were a working musician needing a reliable, ding-resistant acoustic-electric to play mostly plugged in, I'd definitely consider a Taylor.
_________________
Vivat diabolus in musica! MTGuru's (old)
GG Clips /
Blackbird ClipsJoel Barish: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Dr. Mierzwiak: Well, technically speaking, the procedure
is brain damage.
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