Older Takamine? (Martin Style)

[slapthefunkyfour]

I found an older Takamine at a pawn shop for $170. F340SD. Serial #77051769. From the serial number I found that it was the 69th guitar built on May 17 of 1977. It has the martin style headstock and logo and a dark sunburst finish and black binding. It has a solid spruce top and laminated mahogany b/s. It seems like an alright guitar, nothing too fancy, but I can't seem to find it in any of the musical instrument value books. I emailed takamine and they said that this model number does exist but that is all they would tell me. I called and talked to some people at the Guitar Center Hollywood Vintage Room and they had never heard of that model number. I even called Gruhn Guitars in Nashville. (they are the guys who write the value books.) They had never heard of it either. Funny thing is, they referred me back to this forum.

 

If anyone knows anything about this guitar, I would love to hear about it.

 

Yes, I am buying it on thursday when I get paid.

[Stackabones]

I've got a Tak EF-340, which is (I think) the F-340 series with electronics in it. The "E" stands for electric. I wonder what the "SD" stands for in your (soon-to-be-yours) Tak.

 

Great guitar. Nice and loud. Great neck. Only thing I don't like about it is I have to take the strings off and reach into the soundhole to change batteries.

[slapthefunkyfour]

I'm pretty sure that the S stands for solid top.

 

Maybe the D stands for Dark sunburst?

[Stackabones]

 

Originally posted by slapthefunkyfour I'm pretty sure that the S stands for solid top. Maybe the D stands for Dark sunburst?

 

 

Your guess is as good as mine. I was thinking D for dreadnought?

 

Eventually I'm going to get the Blue Book for Acoustic Guitars so I can have some of these answers on my bookshelf.

[Freeman Keller]

The HC database is a great resouce (I have it bookmarked). It shows an F-340 and 340S, but no SD. Here is what it says about the 340S

 

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Takamine/F-340S/10/1

 

Like any other older guitar the one thing I would be cautious of is the neck angle - if it needs a reset you are looking at 300 bucks minimum. My "Sick" sticky tells how to measure. Otherwise, this should be a winner.

[Michael Martin]

Freeman's right--check for structural soundness on any older guitar--but I can say i have played several Taks from back in the copycat era, and I really like all of them. My 12 is a Tak F395, late 70s I believe, and it's a carbon-copy of a Guild jumbo 12. Every bit as tuneful and gorgeous as the guitar it was copied from.

 

Too bad I never play it. Gotta sell it and buy something more useful--I know I keep saying that, and somehow haven't found time to do it.

[d28andm1911a1]

F-340 copies of D-18

F-340 laminate top

F-340S solid top

F-340SD I think that is a burst but I've never seen one.

 

 

F-360 copies of D-28

Same as the 340 series

[Andrewrg]

I owned an F340S back in 1979/80. Nice guitars if you can find them in reasonable condition.

Hi Doug:wave:

[totally.retro]

Doug,

 

Imagine my shock as I was doing a Google search for the same model guitar, when I find a link to this post, describing MY guitar. I first saw the guitar about the same time you were first inquiring about it, and told my brother-in-law that he should check it out. He did not do anything about it, and then began asking a couple of months later. I went back, and found the guitar. Obviously by October of 2006, you had decided not to buy the guitar. I put her on law-a-way, and purchased it in November. I found it bizarre, how little information there is about this model guitar. Even Takamine's website does not recognize the model number. In months of searches, I finally found one that was sold on eBay.co.uk in January. It sold for 285 British Pounds, which would be just above $500.00. It at least made me feel good about the $169.00 price that I paid for the guitar, although it still does not answer the value questions. IF you find out anything more, please let me know. Lastly, I must thank you for not picking the guitar up. I had a Seagull cedar top guitar, which I loved (and sold back to my brother-in-law), and have really grown to love the warmth of this guitar. If you ever find another for that low price, don't hesitate to buy it! Thanks... Sean

[d28andm1911a1]

I find all of the FG Martin clones to be good guitars, the sold tops (those that end in S) are better. They tend to be over priced in the used market. A good condition FG-340s (D-18 clone) or a FG-360s (D-28 clone) should go for around $200-300 but you see them at $500 up, way too much.

[DeepEnd]

. . . They tend to be over priced in the used market. A good condition FG-340s (D-18 clone) or a FG-360s (D-28 clone) should go for around $200-300 but you see them at $500 up, way too much.

I'm amazed at what those sell for. I saw a couple of F-series Takamines (new enough to have the current headstock but still older models) in a local mom & pop not long ago. They had an F349 (all laminated mahogany dread) that needed a neck reset going for over $350.

[kwakatak]

I agree: $150 for a solid-top model is a great deal so long as the guitar didn't need a neck reset. OTOH, $350 for a laminated-top model one that does need a neck reset is ridiculous, especially since a neck reset averages about $250.

 

I still think they're great guitars for leaving around the house for easy access or taking outside without worry though.

[totally.retro]

Now, I have only been playing for a few years, and still consider myself rather "wet behind the ears" when it comes to guitars. So tell me... what are the signs that I would need to have the neck reset?

[kwakatak]

There'll be a crack in the finish or worst case a space between the heel of the neck and the body of the guitar. The symptoms are that the intonation would be way off and the action would be pretty bad with the strings getting higher and higher as you go up the fretboard.

[WolfBoy]

I am sopping wet behind the ears so is this something that every guitar will need to get done eventually? And why does it happen? Just stress over the years? Thanks!

[kwakatak]

I am sopping wet behind the ears so is this something that every guitar will need to get done eventually? And why does it happen? Just stress over the years? Thanks!

 

Probably not definitely. It largely depends on the design of the neck joint and how well the guitar was cared for. If you're worried about this happening to your guitar, bear in mind that this problem usually doesn't happen until the guitar is around 30 years old. At that time you can decide to have the work done (which usually costs $250) or if you have a cheap guitar that you're not all that attached to, you just chuck it and upgrade.

 

That's the position I was in a couple of years back. I have a Takamine F-360 (which is the all-laminate version of the D-28 clone mentioned above) that was about 30 years old when one day the heel cap came off. That's when I noticed that there was a crack in the finish and the body binding was peeling away. Looking closer, I could see that the neck was actually coming out of the joint. That is the textbook example of a guitar in bad need of a neck reset. Because the guitar was so old and hard to play and didn't cost me a dime I really couldn't see paying the fee for a full-blown neck reset. So I ended up having a local reputable tech glue an extra block underneath the top to shore up the neck block (along with having the bridge reglued, which is a different story) for about $100. The neck joint has been solid ever since.

 

Here's a pretty good site which details the process:

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/NeckReset/00028Reset/00028reset01.html

 

BTW - there's TONS of great info all through this site. Check it out!

[Freeman Keller]

 

Now, I have only been playing for a few years, and still consider myself rather "wet behind the ears" when it comes to guitars. So tell me... what are the signs that I would need to have the neck reset?

 

 

Actually, many if not most guitars after 25 or 30 or so years may need it done. The cause is simple - 160 or so pounds of force pulls the neck back, rotates the whole neck block assembly down into the upper bout (and may pull the lower bout up). There are two tests - if you have acceptable action at the 12th fret (say 3/32 or whatever you like) you should have about 1/8 inch of saddle sticking out of the bridge to apply sufficient leverage to make the whole thing work. The other check is to lay a straightedge on the fretboard between the 3rd and 4th strings - the end should just "kiss" the top of the bridge. (I show pictures of this in the Sick Guitar sticky).

 

My 1974 and 80 Martins both needed it (and had it done), my 1969 Yamie slightly needs it (and will be very difficult to do because of the type of neck joint). Usual cost for a dovetail joint is somewhere around 300 bucks, a little less for a bolt on (and a whole lot less for a Taylor NT), and it extends the life of your fine old guitar another 30 or more years. btw - on many brands it is covered by warranty to the original owner.

 

Neck angle is one of the important things that I would alway check when buying an older guitar, and is something that I would want to show (or hide) if I was selliing one.

 

Oh, and before I forget my manners, welcome to the group to both you and WolfBoy!

[totally.retro]

Thank you ALL for your input. My '77 Takamine F340-SD will be turning 30 next month, so I can only assume that she will need the treatment soon. I have not noticed any kind of stress or cracks around the neck, so I may be spared the procedure for a while. Even though it only cost me $169.00 at the pawn shop, I think it would be worth fixing. The sound is one I truly love, and as we all can probably agree on, THAT is what makes a great guitar. I bought my daughter a small Yamaha solid top beginner guitar, for $120.00, and the sound nearly makes me cringe (when compared to my Takamine for only $50.00 more). Maybe I will eventually fall in love with another guitar, but for now, this one has the sound and character that I am content with. Just to be safe, I will make an appointment with a local guy who repairs guitars, and have him give it a look. Again, THANKS one and all.

[kwakatak]

Yeah - I love my old '73 too. I haven't mind leaving it out though and have had no worries about when it falls over or my kids get at it.

 

BTW - I just noticed that my F-360 sounds like either a maraca or one of those salt-shaker egg thingies. I took a look inside and may rethink leaving it out of its case unattended while my boy is about. What's the best way to get sand out of a guitar?

[totally.retro]

Wow.... sand. That sounds like a tough one. When I purchased my F340-SD, it had a spider web inside, with a dandelion (DANDELION??). That may have been the reason why the guitar sat in the pawn shop for several months, but I decided to give it a try, as it only had a couple of cosmetic dings on the actual body. I don't know if it is the best thing to do, but I loosened the strings, and used the slender vacuum attachment to CAREFULLY suck out as much of the spider web (and other assorted goodies) out of my guitar. I know there is still a couple of small items loose in the guitar, but it is only noticeable if I am shaking the guitar in an aggressive manner. Anyhow, if you can get most of the sand into one area of the guitar, close to the hole, you may be able to suck it out with such an attachment. Otherwise, you may be well on your way to starting a "one-man band", complete with rhythm section!

[kwakatak]

Hehe - it sounds like a way to convert a guitar into a set of backpipes...