For Sale: Takamine 12-string FP-400S "top of the line"...

[Fstpicker]

Financial circumstances unfortunately force me to sell my favorite and very loved and treasured 12-string guitar. I am the original owner of this guitar and bought it new in 1990. This Takamine was made in Japan and was their top of the line model when I bought it. It is model no. FP-400S and has the factory installed Parametric EQ pickup as well. The finish is all-gloss and it has a solid sitka spruce top that has aged rather nicely to a golden color. The back and sides are made of beautifully-grained dark rosewood which are laminated rather than solid. Otherwise, it is a "dead-ringer" copy of a Martin D12-28 (I know because I have compared them side by side). It has the exact same multi-striped inlayed soundhole rosette, multi-striped white body binding, the "checkered" middle stripe down the back, with the addition of white fretboard binding, pearl dots on the bridge, and the newer style Takamine "non-lawsuit" headstock shape with factory gold open-back tuners. The name Takamine is beautifully etched in gold on the face of the headstock.

I have had this guitar in the shop fairly recently for a re-fret job. The first five frets have been replaced and the rest of the frets have been polished instead of replaced as they didn't need replacing. The action has been gone over and set-up as needed and I've had the saddle replaced with bone. The nut is the original plastic but has been lowered for better action. The action is low, the neck is straight with absolutely no problems, and the bridge is solid. I am not selling this guitar because of any hidden problems that I know of. It needs nothing IMO and is absolutely ready to play and use. I have a fairly new set of Elixir Nanowebs installed on it that I have played only 20-30 times since they were new. They will last a long time, which is the exact reason I installed them!

 

This guitar does have a few minor surface nics including one scratch on the front surface below the bridge on the lower bout that a friend kindly put on it when he borrowed it. It does have the usual pickguard scratches. The back of the neck is gloss finished and is not worn off. There are NO finish marks at all where the finish has rubbed or worn off whatsoever. The finish is in excellent condition and is shiny just like it was when I bought it, minus a few very minor surface scratches and a few nics as mentioned above.

 

As far as sound, this guitar has a brighter and clearer tone than a D12-28 does. There is no muddiness in the lower registers, and the bass is not boomy or loud like a typical Martin is. It has a very balanced deep and rich tone without the treble "tinniness" that is associated with some guitars. I've always kept this guitar tuned down 1/2 step pretty much ever since I've got it. I capo on the first fret to bring it back up to 440 pitch...it just keeps the bridge from pulling up too much.

 

I am including a nice (non-original) black hardshell case in good condition that has a beautiful red plush inside lining. This guitar has been used and enjoyed a good bit by me over the years, but it has been taken good care of and treasured. I am asking $625 OBO which is much less than what I paid for it new even back in 1990. I currently don't have a digital camera to show any pictures of it , but here http://www.takamine.com/?fa=detail&mid=1095&sid=352 is a link from Takamine's website that shows pictures of the exact same guitar for you to see what it looks like. I can only offer this guitar to continental U.S. customers at this time and prefer either a Post Office Money order or a cashier's check which I'll need to make sure they clear before I can ship. I can take PAYPAL if desired also. I will charge $25 for shipping.

 

Feel free to email me: jeffmayer@cfl.rr.com for any questions or call me 407-523-7944 if you'd rather talk to me over the phone.

 

Thank you for looking at my listing.

Jeff Mayer