I'm new, What's wrong with Takamine?

[eenqbus]

I've been thinkin' about getting an acoustic or an acoustic/electric, and I've been looking into Takamine guitars.

I've also been doin' research on these forums, and everyone seems to hate Takamine's. Why's that? Just wanted to know before I actually buy something.

 

What guitar would you guys recommend for me ( I play modern day rock, Weezer, Green Day, Incubus, and some old stuff too, Eagles, Metallica.). It's gotta be under $300 cause I'm broke, no job and I'm in college!

 

Thanks.

[johnkline]

I'm in a similar situation as you and was looking at an epiphone aj-200sce. I haven't pulled the trigger to I hear more opinions.It's got a solid top/ acoustic-electric with cutaway for 199 at musicians friend. Ony the sunburst model is that price, otherwise it's 329. They must be phasing out the sunburst color.

Which takamine were you looking at?

 

John

[guit30]

- Best guitar for money Alvarez RD20S, $239

 

http://www.alvarezgtr.com/productpage.htm?CatID=43&ItemID=91

 

 

Jim

[woody b]

There's nothing wrong with Takamine's. It's just fun to pick on them sometimes. IMO a Takamine G series is a pretty good choice in your price range.

[JasmineTea]

edit

[gnurph]

I'm a big fan of my acoustic guitar, it's a

 

http://www.fender.com/products/sear...rtno=0950801100

 

I've tried out several high-end acoustics, but I still love my cheapo Fender DG8 I got for b-day 2 yrs back. Maybe it's a fluke, but it has the most comfortable neck I've ever played, on any fretted instrument. I've even compared it to other DG8's and I'm convinced that, on a particular day, SOMEONE at the factory did something righter than right.

 

that bit's copy-pasted from a previous post of mine... but I still mean it! I love that guitar. My wife paid about $150 (local music store had a yearly event sale), and it came with some nifty accessories. Not only is it comfy to play, it resonates well, and with some good strings (i.e. Dean Markley Blue Steel) it really sings.

[darkest_fugue]

i have a a 10 year takamine EN10c that i bought a few weeks ago for 500 euros...notes leap off the fret board where ever you play them and plugged into a mixer youd be hard pressed to find a better acoustic sound...id actually say if i wanted a better sounding and playing acoustic i dont think id be able to get one for under 2 grand...i just feel something great went into this guitar when it was built...i also agree with the other guy the g series takamines are quite nice plus you should buy second hand it gives you much more choice

[kwakatak]

For $300 there's not much you can find for that is much better than just a starter guitar. From what I hear there are a few exceptions such as Seagull, Norman, Simon & Patrick, etc. If you're looking for something that will keep you satisified for a few years I say go for the used market:

 

Takamine EG-523SC

This is jumbo-sized acoustic/electric with a cutaway with solid spruce top and laminated flamed maple sides. The fretboard has MOP inlays.

 

Alvarez AJ60SC

This is another jumbo with a solid spruce top and plain maple back/sides. It comes with a barn-door type electronics package

 

Larriv

[Terry Allan Hall]

If you can buy a used one for $150 or less, they're an "OK" deal, but you can definiely get more bang for your buck w/ a new or used Alvarez, Yamaha or (if you're VERY lucky) a used Guild D-4...

[rockfan]

Takamine's are excellent guitars. They have a good plugged-in sound, especially when used with an EQ.

I own a Takamine EG-334RC, but it costs $500.

I recommend you try to find an EG model on eBay. I'm sure there are a dime a dozen there.

 

Good luck.

[cfgsteak]

 

Originally posted by gnurph I'm a big fan of my acoustic guitar, it's a http://www.fender.com/products/sear...rtno=0950801100 I've tried out several high-end acoustics, but I still love my cheapo Fender DG8 I got for b-day 2 yrs back. Maybe it's a fluke, but it has the most comfortable neck I've ever played, on any fretted instrument. I've even compared it to other DG8's and I'm convinced that, on a particular day, SOMEONE at the factory did something righter than right.

 

 

I have a Fender DG-8S and I wish I had not purchased it. I have since played several Alvarez guitars and I wish I would have bought a RD20S for basically the same cash. My Fender buzzes like crazy. I want to smash it, but I can't afford another guitar right now.

 

I have to advise against the cheap Fender acoustics, based on my own experience. Glad you got the good one, gnurph!

[rockfan]

 

Originally posted by cfgsteak I have a Fender DG-8S and I wish I had not purchased it. . . I want to smash it, but I can't afford another guitar right now. . . I have to advise against the cheap Fender acoustics, based on my own experience.

 

 

I used to own a Fender. Glad to have rid of it. It was a POS. I got me a Takamine. Fender should stick with electric models.

[gnurph]

 

Originally posted by rockfan I used to own a Fender. Glad to have rid of it. It was a POS. I got me a Takamine. Fender should stick with electric models.

 

 

Actually, in my experience, it's electrics that Fender has problems with. Bolt on necks feel loose to me, no matter how tightened down they are. Floating bridge = tune and retune then tune again so you can tune it to play it. No thanks. But I digress...

[BydoEmpire2]

I love my wife's John Jorgensen model Takamine. Plays and sounds great. She also has a pretty cheap Takamine acoustic (I don't know the model #) that I've found to be really good for the $200-$300 she paid. Are there better values? Probably, but all the Takamine's I've played have been excellent.

[Misha]

Nothing is wrong with Takamine... except the fact that when you go in store to try some you too often find something that sounds better for the same price!

[UGB]

Take's are fine guitars but the neck profile is a tad too thick for my tastes.

 

You won't find a new Seagull for under $300. Excellent guitars but usually out of the reach of the first time buyer price-wise. Look at their sibling line, Art & Lutherie. They are under $300.

 

I say this a lot and one day, ONE DAY, someone will believe me and get one and then come back and say 'Holy Cow! You were right!';) In the 'under $300' bracket, you can't beat the Walden G570. Grand Auditorium body shape for more playing comfort over the dreadnoughts, solid cedar top, great neck, lacquer finish, excellent gig bag included. I love mine and so does every other player that plays it.

[colliewobble]

I'm new here, too, and have noticed a general dislike for Takamines. Some of it I'm sure is tongue-in-cheek, but some seems to be genuine dislike. Oh, well.

 

I used to have a Tak 12-string, big dreadnaught. Sweet sounding and really nice to play, even for a 12-string. Pawned it in Casper, Wyo for gas money, a motel room and a couple meals at Burger King.

 

Right now I play my wife's old Takamine F-310. It's a small concert style body with the old Martin-style logo. When I take it to open mics, someone invariably asks what model Martin it is. It's difficult to play, but sounds good with new strings.

 

I noticed what Kwakatak said about the Tak EG523SC. I bought one on E-bay for my birthday and am hoping it's here sometime this week. I haven't actually played one, but played a couple other Takamine G series and was very impressed.

[GAS Man]

I bought the EF341SC Takamine for my kid. It's a decent guitar.

 

Acoustics are generally designed to do one of two things (not counting classicals).

 

Cut through the mix

 

or

 

Entertain the crowd

 

A lot of the Tak steel strings are good at hitting the frequency that cuts through the mix.

 

In general American name (not necessarily made) guitars are designed to be more resonant and deeper sounding. This to my ear is better, but if you're Bruce Springsteen playing in front of the E Street band, your looking for an acoustic that is not highly susceptible to feedback and will cut through the mix.

 

If you're Leo Kottke, you're playing a Taylor.

 

This is a general rule of thumb that per a learned dealer acquaintance of mine holds true for most Asian versus most American models of acoustics.

 

P.S. Seagulls as mentioned above are an excellent value.

 

But decide whether your thing is Springsteen/Dave Matthews or if its a solo acoustic tone you are looking for. No need in getting a resonant acoustic that will be lost in the mix if you need a bright cutting acoustic tone.

 

Get the right tool for the job you want done.

[sonrise]

 

Originally posted by GAS Man I bought the EF341SC Takamine for my kid. It's a decent guitar. Acoustics are generally designed to do one of two things (not counting classicals). Cut through the mix or Entertain the crowd A lot of the Tak steel strings are good at hitting the frequency that cuts through the mix. In general American name (not necessarily made) guitars are designed to be more resonant and deeper sounding. This to my ear is better, but if you're Bruce Springsteen playing in front of the E Street band, your looking for an acoustic that is not highly susceptible to feedback and will cut through the mix. If you're Leo Kottke, you're playing a Taylor. This is a general rule of thumb that per a learned dealer acquaintance of mine holds true for most Asian versus most American models of acoustics. P.S. Seagulls as mentioned above are an excellent value. But decide whether your thing is Springsteen/Dave Matthews or if its a solo acoustic tone you are looking for. No need in getting a resonant acoustic that will be lost in the mix if you need a bright cutting acoustic tone. Get the right tool for the job you want done.

 

 

Excellent advice....I have a Guild jf30 that I picked up for cheap cause it had a seam crack, and crazing from the original owner not using a humidifier...my only advice is whatever you choose get yourself a humidifier with your guitar...

[zookie]

Takamines are great guitars. I own a 6 and a 12-string. I find them both to be bright and responsive (unlike myself). The electronics have been great.

 

Look at a lot of folk and country performers on stage and you'll see Takamines are a workhorse of the gigging world.

 

I like the above observations about cutting through the mix, by the way. That's a decent way of looking at it. Obviously, though, the reason for cutting through the mix is to entertain.

[darkest_fugue]

i guess in general ive always found taks to be zingy when plugged in which i like.. my EN10c has a a deep sound though with a very full bass...plugged in it sounds huge...i always wanted one of thease guitars because of another musician i knew that had the same model....he used to play in bars on his own and had a fingerstyle technique...when i heard the way those bass notes chugged and the sparkly trebles mixed in with a really full woody acoustic tone i knew i had to have one...years later he was selling it but he wanted way too much money for it so i let it go....i managed to pick one up recently though half the price and it sounds and plays just the same as his did...ive found some taks in the past to be muddy and lacking in volume unplugged but this thing is light and airy its loud and resonant for a cutaway with a preamp..plugged straight into a mixer i think theres very little to touch it

[Tele The Truth]

I played my Tak accoustic/electric at a small accoustic(yes we did go through a PA) gig last weekend. What a great sound! I would recomend a Tak to anybody!

[John Bartus]

Takamines are like most anything else -- you get what you pay for. The low end Taks offer a great value-to-price ratio. The high dollar Taks are truly nice instruments, both acoustically and electrically. (I've owned a number of both low and high end models.)

 

I recorded a live CD with my Takamine EAN-15C, and was quite pleased with the direct sound (after tweaking and a little processing). It's a very all-around nice guitar.

 

That being said, I've purchased three Breedlove Atlas models (AD/25 SR+ dread 6-string, and matching jumbo 6 & 12 string AJ/250 SF+ guitars). For quality and price, they can't be beaten.

 

I just wish I had my Fishman Aura when I recorded the live CD.

 

[fantasticsound]

Takamine makes some decent "Ford/Chevy/Dodge" products. That is to say, they are the quintessential assembly line, cut corners guitars.

 

Case in point.

 

Most guitar manufacturers use glue to adhere one piece to another. If you break the headstock off most guitars in a heinous manner, you have a luthier steam the neck joint until the glue melts. The neck can be removed and replaced with a new neck. Not so with Takamine.

 

They use (or, at least, used) epoxy to adhere neck, bridge and other parts. Guess what? You can't steam epoxy. There are only two ways to remove that neck. You can use a saw to cut off the neck or use harsh chemicals to dissolve the epoxy. (Guess what that will do to your guitar!)

 

Then, you can discover Takamine won't sell parts to their authorized repair services!. A lot of schmoozing by the luthier gets him a damaged guitar of the same model, which he then uses to discover the epoxy issue. This is a luthier who was contracted to set up QC for a Kaman distribution warehouse! For cryin' out loud! He's their guy and a luthier who works on celebrities' and session players' guitars all the time, and somehow they made him an authorized repair service without telling him parts can't be readily removed from damaged Tak's and they won't sell him replacement parts?!? What the &*(% is that about?!?

 

As for their sound, I was never quite convinced I'd gotten my money's worth (and I paid cost for mine) insofar as the acoustic timbre. The pickup, for its' time (1991) was incredible. Everyone loved it. But I found out why the acoustic and electric timbres weren't equally good or bad.

 

At that time, Takamine drilled large holes in the bridge and top for 6, individual pickups mounted to plates, sandwiched around the bridge and top. Each hole is between 3/16ths and 1/4" in diameter, IIRC. Imagine what taking that much material out of the bridge did for the acoustic timbre of my dreadnaught. But that gave them the electric tone for a while, at least. I don't know how their new electronics are built.

 

Let's not forget that I was a salesperson at a large, chain, MI retailer and they wouldn't speak to me about this issue.

 

So what's wrong with Takamine guitars? If they still build 'em that way, a lot.

 

For clarification, the guitar in question is a 1990 or 1991 FP360SC, bought new when I sold Pro Audio at the Central Chicago GC. I broke the headstock completely off in a gear accident in the back of a truck in 1996. The repair incident occurred in 1997 or 98. It was finally repaired when I worked at MARS by the in house luthier, for a big discount, by cutting and shaping a new back piece. Nice work that would've cost more than my Blueridge with an L.R. Baggs Ribbon p'up installed with preamp and eq, the luthier's suggestion for relatively inexpensive replacement. The Blueridge, despite being a "cheap" guitar, sounds infinitely better than my Tak ever did, acoustically. The cost, including installation of the Baggs system, was over $100 less than the Tak, at cost, almost 9 years later.

[Cldplytkmn]

nothings wrong with them... service repairs blah blah blah... crappy fenders blah blah blah...

 

ok i'm just playing around... I feel like I got a guitar that sounds better than anything i've played under a grand, and i got it for just over half that amount... I think their nashvilles are a bit overpriced, but they look great and i want one... I like a few of the supernaturals... but the real bread and butter is the naturals... I'm kinda eyeballing a smaller bodied guitar (i own three dreads) and the Natural series auditorium is one i'm considering...