Takamine EAN-46C

This is from Takamine's Supernatural series - their second-to-highest in their line beneath the Nashville's. This is a 2004, made in Japan. Solid Spruce top, solid Rosewood back with laminated rosewood sides and mahogany neck. Comes equipped with their CT4B Palathetic preamp/pickup (six separate piezo crystals under each string). Has a gloss finish. The body style is what they call their "NEX", which Taylor calls Grand Auditorium. I just call it plain comfortable and incredibly easy to play. It has the string-thru bridge, gold Gotoh tuners with amber tuning pegs which look gorgeous. The neck is incredibly comfy, not too thin but not too thick - I think they got it just right. Binding on the body is classy, too, and looks like two different types of wood - but I'm not sure. It certainly isn't multi-ply white binding. Has a very nice abalone rosette, as well.

I play acoustic folk-rock and fingerstyle (James Taylor, John Denver, et all as well as original stuff) and this model suits my style perfectly. The sound is incredibly balanced throughout the frequency spectrum, and stays that way no matter where on the fretboard you play it. Plugged in, I play it through a Yamaha AG Stomp which only helps to accentuate the way it sounds unplugged. I currently have it strung with Dean Markley Alchemy Gold Phos. Bronz Lights and it sounds just amazing. The preamp on it is very quiet (and I love the stage-mute tuner built in). Having had dreadnaughts forever and never having a guitar of this scale, I have to say that I prefer the tonal balance this offers. Strummed or fingerpicked, I simply love this guitar. Takamine did a really superb job of bringing out the musicality of the instrument in the way this is voiced and braced. Fantastic!

The action on this is unbelievable right from the get-go. It is SOOOOOOOO easy to play. You barely have to press your fingers down and your playing - dead center on the frets, by the way. Incredible fret job from the factory. I've never been more pleased with the action on anything. I frequently go into the high end room at my local GC and play all the other high end guitars in there (never any Taks, funny enough) and this thing beats them all hands down and cost far less. The palathetic pickup isn't nearly as harsh as other piezo's I've heard - though I do take a smidge out of the mids to my ear's taste. The spruce on the top is incredibly tight in its grain, and the rest of the woods are superb. The compensated saddle for separate intonation of the B and E unwound strings is something new to me but I really dig it. This thing STAYS IN TUNE. I barely ever touch it. The construction is first rate, and although it isn't laden with tons of abalone or inlays, I think that's money better spent on quality construction and Takamine takes home the blue ribbon on this one.

I've played this live and it sounds awesome. The quality of the construction lends me to believe that this one will last me a good LONG time - and that's one of the reasons I bought it. I got sick of playing mid-range stuff and this came along at a great price that I couldn't pass up and now I have my life-long six string. It is pretty heavy given the solid back, all the buttons, tuners, seals and joints are solid and it looks and feels that way. This will last me forever so long as I take good care of it - which I plan to, of course.

I've emailed Takamine with a number of questions, and they ALWAYS get back to me within a day. I have nothing but great things to say about my experience with them thus far.

I've been playing acoustic for almost 20 years, and this is my first high-end instrument that I've owned. I've owned Washburns, Martins, Yamahas and Blueridge, and have had the chance to play high-end Gibsons, Taylors and Martins and this one easily holds its own to them and in my opinion outshines them. If it were lost or stolen I'd be heartbroken and would replace it with another one. I'd love to get all the models in this line and in the Nashville line, as well. I'm completely sold on these guitars, and there isn't a thing I don't like about it. You can't just go to any store and find these, but if you get the chance check them out and compare them to what everyone else is buying - Takamine makes a QUALITY instrument and puts their money in construction rather than tons of aesthetics (though I think they look striking in their simplicity). If you're looking, find one of these and spend some time with it. I think you'll end up owning one like I did.