Tacoma C3C

Features:
Offset Paisley Soundhole
Satin finish top
Gloss finish back and sides
Solid Rosewood back and sides
Engelmann Spruce top
Rosewood fingerboard and bridge
Bound Rosewood peghead
Ivoroid bound body, neck, and peghead
D'Addario strings (gauges .012 - .052)

Tacoma E4 Preamp: This Prefix Plus EQ with Matrix pickup by Fishman offers an exceptional range of control and allows the player to find his sound in any live situation while still delivering one of the best studio signals ever for an onboard EQ. The Prefix Plus EQ system features boost/cut style Bass, Treble, Contour, Brilliance, and Frequency controls, and a sweepable Notch filter, Volume and Phase controls. $250.00

Comparing the Tacoma C3C primarily against a Taylor 410ce - I chose the Tacoma because of the sound first and then the price was icing on the cake.

The Taylor provided excellent plugged in sound; however the bass was distinctly Taylor and Unplugged that is fine - plugged in - No good for my application anyway. I loved both guitars though.

The Tacoma provided a solid bass line without overkill and BOOM - The highs as other posters were addressing as limited actually work better in a plugged in state - not giving you that high end Shrill (Too Bright) overkill sound that so many guitars have while plugged in - the Tacoma?s high end is perfect plugged in.

The Mids are excellent plugged in or not and that is the best attribute of the C3C - Which also makes it an excellent plugged in instrument.

The guitar responds excellent plugged in or not to a variety of annotation across the fret board.

This Guitar is Cool - Well put together - Nice Low Bolt on Action - I tend to garvitate toward Bolt on Guitars - They tend to have great action at a modest price.

The finish is great and Love the Satin Top - Not the most durable - But I really dislike shine on my top including my head.

The soundhole is placed in a low vibration area. This way the hole does not hinder sound and the area that would normally be just a vent in the top is now contributing to the tone and volume of the guitar. Plus it looks damn cool - which is important.

We Will See - Things are great now.

??? - Unknown - No Call to Call.

I have been playing for only about 5-Years, But - I play Daily. I also own an American Fender Tele and an 80's HM (Heavy Metal) Strat.

I love the playability - the look and feel - the great plugged in sound of this guitar. I chose this guiotar for the Plugged In Ability Period. I would buy another.

I just bought a used '02 C3C E4 Tacoma Cheif about a month ago and since I bought it I've neglected to play my other guitars, it's a pleasure to play. It has a mahogany neck, satin finish Englman Spruce top, and rosewood back and sides. The Fishman electricals are terrific although to be honest I don't use them much.

The neck is very fast for an acoustic guitar. I had the dealer shim the neck when I bought it and the response is comparable to an electric, no buzz and extreamly light action.

The case that came with it is a cut above what I've seen other guitars come with,

The volume from the Cheif is very easy to control from a soft strum to a loud boom. I play a variety of music that ranges from Cat Stevens to Rory Gallagher's "Pistol Slapper Blues" (Blind Boy Fuller). I both flatpick and finger pick, I use .12 Elixer strings and I have no complaints

Although the sound is loud from the Cheif, I find it just a hair on the bright side which suits me fine, that's a personal preference.

The guitar is set-up beautifully and I wouldn't change a thing. Really I can't stress this enough, it's a 10. I have played some expensive guitars and none come close to the action on this guitar. Others have played it and they agree.

The finish and fit are fine.

I have only owned the guitar for a month and I don't play in a band or anything so this is hard to answer. Presently the guitar is in excellent condition. The Fishman electricals are well suited to play live, "Pistol Slapper Blues" through my Fender amp are a blast.

I don't have a warrenty through Tacoma although the dealer that I bought it from has an excellent reputation for support so I'm not overly concerned.

I've been playing off and on for over 20 years, never seriously but I've enjoyed it. I also own a Honeyburst G&L S-500 which is a dream come true, and a Yammy electric. I have an Ibanez acoustic that I've been using for slide, different setup.

I compared several guitars and was close to buying a Larivee for alot more money. I found this guitar and couldn't put it down, it was half the price of the Larivee! Ya gotta love it.

Year 2000 Tacoma C3C with Tone Bar electronics, which is a piezo under the saddle with fixed curve eq. End pin input, simple and works great. From the website:
Solid Rosewood back
Solid Engelmann Spruce top
One piece Mahogany neck
Rosewood fingerboard
Rosewood bridge
Ivoroid bound peghead
Ivoroid bound body
Ivoroid bound neck
Inlaid Ivoroid logo
Offset soundhole
Pearl dot inlay
Clear pickguard
Chrome hardware
Gloss sides and back
Stain finish top

There are 15 frets clear to the body and the cutaway gets you the rest of the way up. Nice fitted case goes with it. Body style and size is reminiscent of a classical guitar. Off-set soundhole and light bracing are key features of this design. Neck is very electric, more "D" shaped than"C." I give it high marks for a unique design in an affordable package that really produces a great sound.

I flatpick and fingerpick and the guitar handles both very well, although the headroom for strong strumming isn't that of a deeper bodied guitar. I think its sound is a little on the bright side but it still projects a fair amount of bass response although it lacks what I would call true bottom end depth. It's only 3 3/16 inches deep and for that size it has amazing depth and volume. It's very responsive due to the Englemann Spruce top and the light bracing and it frets effortlessly.

The guitar was very well set up, other than needing new strings. The endpin jack has developed a little problem that makes a connection a little shaky at times when its plugged in, but I'll get it over to the local repair guy who does their warranty work and get that resolved. Tacomas are computer aided design but so it's really an assembly approach and they do it very well, no glue overuns, everthing flush and tight. The wood is always the main thing with Tacomas (they own the lumber yard as the saying goes) and it's georgeous and tonefull. The Englemann is creamy ivory and beautifully silked, and the rosewood is deep-streaked and colorful, both are so bookmatched they look like whole pieces. Even the rosewood laminate sides are impressive in appearance.

The model is used live by various artists but I don't play live. It seems very durable to me and the hardware is all top notch. The satin finish on the top is obviously more prone to damage than gloss but the sound is worth it. The sides are laminate which I think is great as not side braces are necessary and the back is solid gloss and sems very durable. There's a large clear pickguard under the whole string area (remember no center soundhole), so there's a lot of protection. I'm not really sure about the one reviewer who had the setup problems. This is a really stable guitar, it stay in tune forever and plays with no need for continous adjustment at all. The neck's a bolt on so it's really geared to long-term easy maintenance. The no-pin bridge design bears mentioning too as it really makes string changes a breeze.

Tacoma's been very good to me. I have 3 Tacoma guitars and they fix it if it goes wrong, even if it's bought used as one of my guitars was. Transferrable warranty with $50 payment. I've had prompt e-mail response, talked to very nice real people on the phone and generally like their approach. I actually needed a neck reset on one of my guitars and they did it no problems, took about 7 weeks but they warned me up front. Local dealer takes care of most issues.

Played for 15 years, took 15 off, now back. I have quickly acquired a bunch of guitars to make up for lost time, including 2 other Tacomas, a Santa Cruz, a Goodall, a Larrivee and some others. I like smaller bodied guitars and the Chief is really comfortable to play. I like other of my guitars better and would be more upset if I lost them, however, I probably play the Chief more because it isn't as expensive, it sounds great for a variety of styles and it's really fun to play. I like the sound and the feel a lot. Tacomas are probably a bit underrated in comparison to more well known "large batch" guitar makers. Their standards are quite high however and unique design elements of the Chief are what continues to draw me back. Although it's more noticeable in my other Tacomas, the wood they use is so far superior to other makers charging far more, you can't help but love their guitars. I have a hard time giving 10's, so please give the guitar due consideration based on my ratings. They are intended as very hight praise.

This Tacoma is a 2001, made right here in the great U.S. of A. Solid Engelmann Spruce top with solid rosewood back and sides. The guitar is unique in that it has a satin finish top w/glossy finished back and sides. In my opinion this gives the guitar a great look while still allowing the top to really resonate freely. The neck is a one piece mahogany neck, and it is smooth and fast. The neck is alot like a thin, wide electric guitar neck,. This makes it very easy to play any style I want. The bridge is also very unique, with innovative string holes rather than the peg system. Much faster to re-string this guitar as a result. The Tacoma tuners are wonderful. This guitar holds tune for days and gigs at a time. I know my strings need changing when I start sliding out of tune because I hardly ever have to fuss with it otherwise. The L.R. Baggs electronics on this instrument are clear and crisp. They are made specifically for Tacoma, the E3. The ribbon transducer is mounted under the bridge, and does a great job consistently bringing out the range on the guitar. I've got to mention the hard case this guitar came with...it is made for the Chief, so thin I can fit it in very small places. I have taken this thing on as carry on luggage many times w/o a single complaint. I owned a full body Seagull before this, and the stewardess gave me many more dirty looks with the gull. But the kicker on this case is the soft leather bound handle. I can carry this thing for miles w/o a complaint.

The dynamic range on this guitar is awesome. Even while fingerpicking I can have great control over volume with ease. It's a great guitar to play with full band because of how well it cuts through. I have a Marshall 100 Watt Accoustic Solo amp w/onboard digital effects(I fully recommend this amp for gigging). I also bought a somewhat cheap DOD Accoustec pedal so I could add a nice amount of chorus and some light delay.
While the body style is very unorthodox with the offset paisley soundhole and thin-body with cutaway, it is truly amazing the sound volume and quality this guitar can produce. When I first picked up this guitar the only word I could come up with regarding the sound was "boxy." What I soon realized was that because of the location of the soundhole I was actually hearing much more of what was happening inside the guitar rather than just getting the sound of the top of the guitar. I love that quality now.
I have received comments from others that it lacks abit of high end, which I agree with. But across the fretboard I wouldn't trade it for anything besides maybe a Taylor 414 or 614. And then we're talking double the price for the guitar. The bass that this thin body can produce is something that you'll just have to hear for yourself. Right out of the shipping box I was amazed. I love the responsiveness and the overall tone. The spruce/rosewood combination gives it a much more lively, aggresive sound which I can appreciate at my age (21) and playing style. When I turn 45 I'll go buy the Cedar top Taylor...but I'm not there yet!

The action was great on the guitar right when I got it. I don't know how much was done to it before. The previous owner had ordered it direct from the factory and had only had it for 3 months. I don't know what some of the other reviews are talking about in regard to poor action. The truss rod adjustment on this guitar is easier than any other I've owned; it's right on the headstock.
I can't say enough about Tacoma's engineering. This guitar was well thought through in feel and finish. I prefer the Iveroid binding on the Chief to that of the much higher priced Taylors.

One great thing about gigging with the Chief C3C is how incredibly light the body is. The downside to this is that I could see this guitar (especially the top) being abit more fragile than a higher density instrument. The tuners, body, and electronics I feel I can completely bank on while going live, and wouldn't be afraid to go on stage with this guitar as my only guitar.

I've only been playing for 3 years, but I had quite a bit live experience right off the bat and have given lessons to several people. I started off with a Fender $100 special, then moved up to a Seagull C6. That was a great mid-level guitar, and I used it during for 8 weeks while playing twice a day plugged in with a full band. This Tacoma was the next logical progression for me. I would like to one day own a Taylor 414ce, but I think I'll end up delving into the arena of electric guitars first. I chose this guitar over several upper-end guitars because of the sound quality and playability. If you're looking into a Guild or Tak(or even a Gibson or Taylor), be SURE to check out the Chief series. The only downside to buying Tacoma at this point is the resale value to a private buyer. The company is still making a name for themselves, and so not every person knows the Tacoma name. Those who do, however, recognize that they are about guitars that sound excellent and are almost unbeatable for the money. If this guitar were lost or stolen, I would definitely buy the Chief C3C again.

Made in 2000, beautiful Engleman spruce top with a satin finish, solid rosewood back and sides. It's just plain beautiful to look at. The neck and body are bound. The peghead is bound rosewood. The fingerboard is rosewood also. The neck is narrow and can be played very quickly. This is the top of the line in the "Chief" models with the paisley soundhole, and mine does not have electronics.

I'm not a fingerstyle guitarist, and I think this would be more suited to that. It projects loudly to the guitarist because of the soundhole, but I find it a bit too bright for my tastes. The strings resonate beautifully, but just not enough warmth for my liking. For the money I think I could have done much better.

I bought it second hand, and the dealer (who I knew fairly well) told me that the guy who consigned it had bought a PRS, and he had to sell it to keep peace in his house. I think the guy sold it because of the poor set up. For an expensive guitar it was set up horribly, and I was inexperienced enough not to see the problems. I spent a bit to have the frets worked on, and truss rod adjusted. It played beautifully for a few months, but am starting to get some buzz again. The finish is superb, and the looks of this guitar are great. When the setup is good the thing plays beautifully, but it seems to need quite a bit of maintenance, and I don't play it hard.

If I keep it long enough to have a durability opinion, I will upgrade this rating. It stays in tune as good as any guitar I have ever owned, but I just don't have confidence about its durability. It is a beautiful instrument that is very light, and I wouldn't think it could take much knocking around.

When I bought it the dealer sent in the original warranty to change it over to me. He said I'd hear from Tacoma in a month or so. They never contacted me. I have not contacted them since.

Overall I give it a 7 because it is a beautiful looking guitar, with a neck that plays beautifully, but I'm skeptical of its durability, and if I was more knowledgeable when I bought it I wouldn't have because of the setup. I have trouble parting with it because of its looks and the way it plays when it is set up well. I guess it is like a beautiful woman that really bugs you sometimes, but you don't want to let go. Would I buy it again....definately not. I would get something that sounds better, and will not have me frustrated due to the setup. I own 6 other guitars...an 80Lp Standard, Mexican Telecaster, Fender Telesonic (great guitar), Esteve Classical, Ibanez accoustic, and a cheap Epiphone beginners model. Currently shopping for a bass to mess around with. Only been playing for a few years, but love it, and wish that I loved the Tacoma as much as I thought I would.