Takamine - Martin Lawsuit Guitars

[jermyboy]

I recently purchased a Takamine E349 guitar made in '81. It is a direct copy of the Martin D17 and is in remarkable condition for it's age. The guitar seems to be all original. I am considering some improvements and want to have some input on sadddle and bridgepin changes. I am also considering adding a pick up since it has no electronisc. Any suggetions/experiances?

[Queequeg]

hey Kwak!!!!!!!!!!!

[kwakatak]

Congratulations! I have a 1973 F360 in not-so-good condition but I still love it nonetheless. IMO these are pretty good beginner/intermediate-level guitars that are made mostly of laminated wood with the option of a solid top, which is denoted by an "S" at the end of the model number. If you have the F349 then it's got a laminated top, just as my F360 does. Still, a good setup can make them quite comfortable to play, though the lam topped ones can be a bit on the quiet side so a pickup is probably a good idea if you want to play out with it.

 

As for upgrades, IMO they'd mostly benefit the guitar for cosmetic, structural reinforcement or functional reasons. A pickup and a decent preamp would probably help you shape the tone. Here are some ideas:

 

- ebony/MOP bridge pins

- upgraded tuning machines

- compensated TUSQ or bone saddle

- a comprehensive setup by a professional luthier or at least a reputable tech.

 

As for pickups, I'd consider something like the Baggs M1 active soundhole-mounted type. Anything else and you'd have to get the endpin hole reamed out to accommodate the input jack.

[jermyboy]

Thanks for the sugestions. I have been looking at bridge pins online and see that there are alot of different types of bridge pins and saddles available. But I don't have a clue as to the difference between the Bone, Buffalo Horn, TUSQ, Ebony and Brass and their individual effects on tone and sustain for the guitar so I would appreciate someone educating me. My F349 has what appear to be palstic pins in an ebony bridge. Jerry

[guitarist21]

 

Thanks for the sugestions. I have been looking at bridge pins online and see that there are alot of different types of bridge pins and saddles available. But I don't have a clue as to the difference between the Bone, Buffalo Horn, TUSQ, Ebony and Brass and their individual effects on tone and sustain for the guitar so I would appreciate someone educating me. My F349 has what appear to be palstic pins in an ebony bridge. Jerry

 

 

Check out the Epic Pin Test (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1534428&highlight=pin+test) done by our very own Freeman Keller. He took a bunch of bridge pins (of various types) and tested them out to see what the tonal differences might be. Find a good pair of closed-style headphones (it makes the differences a little easier to pick up) and listen to the sound clips, then pick the pins you like the best.

 

Good luck!!

 

Ellen

[Freeman Keller]

 

Thanks for the sugestions. I have been looking at bridge pins online and see that there are alot of different types of bridge pins and saddles available. But I don't have a clue as to the difference between the Bone, Buffalo Horn, TUSQ, Ebony and Brass and their individual effects on tone and sustain for the guitar so I would appreciate someone educating me. My F349 has what appear to be palstic pins in an ebony bridge. Jerry

 

 

 

Jerry, maybe I can help a little here. First, a big welcome to HCAG and congrats on your new/old Tak. The so called lawsuit years did produce some pretty good guitars and I'll bet you are going to enjoy yours.

 

As I do with any older guitar I'm going to suggest running thru the checks outlined in the Sick Guitar sticky at the top of the page - particularly check the neck angle and general health of your Tak before changing anything. Write down all the measurements before you do anything, and have a reason for what changes you make.

 

As far as saddles you will find plastic on inexpensive guitars, but most people are pretty happy with plain old cow bone. Exotic materials like FWI, Tusq (a synthetic) and all the others are fine, but frankly I couldn't tell the difference when I replaced Tusq with bone in my Taylor and my 35 year old Yamie still has its original plastic (everything else in my quiver has bone). If you decide to replace your saddle (which might be part of doing a good setup) you should be able to buy a nice bone one from Bob Colosi at

 

http://www.guitarsaddles.com/

 

Pins can make a difference in sound and I did a little test in my old D-18 to compare.

 

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1534428

 

Ironically, as a result of the test I went back to plain old plastic in the D-18. In my stable of guitars three have plastic, two have bone (for looks, mostly) and one has brass (the old Yamie)

 

But of all the things that can fine tune the sound of a git, nothing is more affective than strings. I did another comparison of strings in several guitars, which might help you with some starting points

 

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1556148

 

Last little suggestion is to only change one thing at a time - that way you can tell if you like it and you can reverse the process if you don't. I find my little recorder very helpful. But whatever you do, enjoy!

[jermyboy]

Freeman, thanks for the reference to your bridge pin study. It was just what I was looking for and it satisfied my thoughts on bridge pins. I think I'll stick with my palstic for a while. I could not pull up your sound bites on the string study you did, it said they were removed. I have used Elixar strings for the last few years abd put a new set of poly webs on my new/old Tak or my "TakaMartin". Thanks again for the help. Jerry