Takamine EAN-10C

2002 EAN-10C, made in Japan acoustic-electric dreadnought cutaway. Nice solid cedar top, solid mahogany back and laminated sides, with a satin finish. Scalloped braces and dove-tail neck-body joint. The fingervoard is rosewood, the bridge is also rosewood. The tuners are amber-colored Takamine tuners, the neck scale 25 1/2 inches. Mine came without case AND without electronics (new Soundchoice thingy by Takamine - I had to purchase my Graph-Ex onboard pre-amp separately).

I play mostly fingerstyle, which is what I think this guitar is great for. The guitar is quite responsive when plucked or strummed lightly and suits fingerstyle riffing really well. Strummed hard, it doesn't have the complexity or richness of a higher-end Taylor, Martin or Larivee - however, my guitar is new and this might change as the wood matures. Plugged in or acoustically, it sounds great in my opinion, and is a very good value in it's price range (hey - this isn't a $2000 Taylor!).

Fit and finish were very good. There were no finish flaws that I coulds detect, and a quick look inside the guitar (through the soundhole and the soundchoice port) didn't show any sloppiness: no glue drops or tool marks, etc). The satin finish gives a nice organic feel to the guitar. Action was OK, the frets well dressed with little to no file marks, and the nut was fine. Overall, fine craftmanship as expected from a made-in-Japan Takamine.

I don't play live that much, and I never abuse my guitars, so I don't know how durable the guitar is. The guitar is well-built and should be as durable as any guitar out there.

Never had to deal with Customer Support.

A fine guitar, I am very pleased with it. I have been playing guitar now for 15 years, and currently own a Ramirez classical, this Tak, a Gibson Les Paul, a Takamine GZ-300 solidbody electric, a Warwick Fortress 1 bass, and a whole slew of keyboards.
I have the fortune to have many friends who play music and this has given me the chance to play some outstanding instuments (Larivee, Martin, Taylor, Lowden...) and obviously the Tak doesn't meet the high standards of some of these other instruments. However, the EAN-10C costs only a fraction of some of the guitars that I just mentionned, and it is by all means a very solid value and fine instrument in it's own right.

Dreadnought body shape with tinted wood rings.
Solid cedar on top mohagony on the side and back with rosewood fingerboard. Finished in satin.

Excellent sound across the board. Good for country, jazz and light rock. You can play the lot with this guitar.

A great action for playing fast licks. Easier to play than a lot of electric guitars I have played in the past.

This guitar can stand up to a lot of abuse. Have played in tight venues where it has been banged up a lot. Also played outside on the decks of ships where the elements can be extreme including all that salt air. Handled it well. Looks fragile but from from it.

No problems at this stage

This is the best acoustic guitar I have owned. I have played Matons, Martins and all the usual suspects. This guitar has no peer for its price.

Same specs as other reviews included here. The tuner on the pickup is a great added feature. Great construction. Nice rounded edges. Nice finish. Very simple dull finish--but nice. It would be great if frets were bigger(jumbo). Good intonation. It would be nice to see them add a buzz fieten for this price. Nice tuners. Came with case.

True-- the range of sound is higer and very much less richer than a taylor. Still good wood acoustic sound just not vey rich or much depth. Surprised when comparing the look of the instrument. Works better with eq and amp than straight into sound system. The EQ sliders were a bit lose..feels cheap. However a decent sound,but piezo-treblely sounding. (compared to Taylor or Martin.) But strummed by itself it offers a very nice rounded wood tone. Not bad for price. A guitar sounds different when played w/band or alone. This sounds better alone, however, with a bass player and proper eq it sounds pretty good... for price.

Great job all the way round here no complaints. The Manufacture doesn't sell quality in the workmanship like here in America. American made guitars you pay an exhorbant amount for quality and build.

we'll see, but so far so good. With the dull finish we'll see how it stands up to concert sweat and work. Nice big strap buttons. Good weight. Very comfortable to play.

Never dealt with company. Don't know yet.

I would rate this product a 6 or 7. Good value for the money if not over 800.00. Needs a deeper/richer sound. The guitar sound is weak when compared to Higher models (Tylor,Martin). This is a good guitar for working musicians that need a bargin and decent wood tones. Good for working with a band or solo it's got just enough of the pluses to make it a solid buy.

2002 Dreadnot style body w/cutaway, solid cedar top, laminated mahogany back & sides, 20 fret mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, new simple rosette design, Takamine Graph-Ex preamp (3-band + volume) with built in tuner, rosewood pinless bridge, compensated saddle, gold tuning machines w/amber buttons, 1 5/8" nut width, 25 1/2" scale, natural satin finish. The neck is fat with standard frets. A hard shell case and humidifier were included in my price.

The guitar has a very consistent clear tone which sounds even better when plugged into an amp. However, it tends toward the treble side of the sound frequencies which I beleieve is due to the fact that the side and back are laminated rather than solid. Definitely lacking in bass tone. I played many all solid wood Taylor guitars which sounded richer, deeper tone, but found them less comfortable, and pricier. Amped and recorded tone sounds very good with the bass eq turned up all the way.

The action on my guitar is amazing for an acoustic guitar. The finish of everything is nearly flawless. I can make fast scale runs that are smooth and perfect. Bar chords are easy to make. However, I would suggest that you go to a store where you can play it first before you buy it. Don't be a fool and buy one you haven't played. Why? Because no two of these guitars feels exactly the same. They're made of wood. As it dries it changes. No two pieces of wood are exactlty the same. Even if the workmanship is perfect, each one is slightly different. I played a lot of guitars the day I bought this one...even a duplicate model and this particlular one was perfect everywhere on the neck. It even had a nick in the neck from some careless player, but I chose it over the duplicate which was flawless because this one played better.

Perfect for live playing. Built in pre-amp tuner with 3 band eq. The built in tuner even has a mute feature so the audience won't hear you tunning. The hardware is top quality. It sounds better plugged in than acoustic. The satin finish may wear off from the top after years of anchoring, but basically very durable.

N/A
I haven't contacted customer service, and doubt I will ever have to.

I have been playing for 15 years. I own many other guitars and amps including a decent Ovation acoustic. I have been playing this Takamine EAN10C guitar for two weeks..constantly. This guitar has a very fat neck which is an old style design. Thin neck acoustics are all the rage these days. The body is also an old style design. This design is often considered less comfortable by modern standards. However, the playability is amazing and therefore, I find this guitar very comfortable for me. If it were stolen, or lost, I would certainly buy it again if I could find one that felt this good. I compared this guitar to many Martin, Taylor, and other Takamine. Although I found other guitars which sounded richer, none were as easy to play as this particular one. Play it and compare it before you buy it. It might not be the right fit for you. That's why so many different designs exist.

This is a Japanese made Takamine with 20 frets. It is solid mahogany back and sides, and a cedar top. It has a rosewood fingerboard. I'm not sure what type of wood the neck is made of. It has a good preamp with a built in tuner. The finish is satin.

The sound of this guitar is great. It was just what I was looking for, even though I didn't know at the time what I was looking for.

I don't know if it was setup at the store or not, but the action is the best of any of the guitars I tried while looking. I have been told by other players with many years of experience that this guitar has the best action of any acoustic they had ever played. The finish is what I would expect of more expensive guitars.

I believe I will have very little trouble with anything about this guitar. I think I will own it for the rest of my life. I never play much of anywhere except home, but I wouldn't take a backup with me if I was playing most anywhere outside the house.

Never dealt with them.

I have only been playing about 6 months. If this guitar was lost or stolen I would probably buy the same model, but I definitely would buy another (Japanese) Takamine. I love the action, the built in tuner and the looks of it. I compared it to Guilds, Ovations, and various other guitars in the same price range and this guitar stood out above the rest. The only thing I wish it had is money pouring out of the sound hole. (Maybe later when I learn to play better.)

This guitar is a little different. It's a steel-string guitar with slotted headstock & classical-width neck. I think Takamine calls it a "fingerstyle" guitar.

I'd describe the body as a classical-grand concert hybrid of some sort... It has a slim waist, significantly larger around the lower bout. The body is fully bound with three-stripe ivory & ebony. The top is solid cedar top & back and sides are solid mahogany finished in a very simple, but also very beautiful satin. It's finished out with gold tuners & unique "amber pearl" knobs.

I have a dozen high-end acoustics. If I could only keep one, this would be the one because of it's combination of beauty, simplicity, and SOUND!

I've always been partial to cedar tops, because I think the sound is much richer, but I don't really care for nylon string classicals. This guitar delivers a sound that's as mellow as any cedar guitar I ever played, but with crystal clear highs. I can't imagine a more perfect instrument for fingerstyle guitar than this... It's the perfect combination of everything I love about the sound of steel stringed instruments and everything I love about the sound of classicals.

I also have to applaude Takamine electronics, which consistently deliver great acoustic sound. This guitar sounds exceptional amplified.

The factory action was good, but slightly higher above the twelfth fret. Still quite playable, though... no adjustment was needed. I changed the strings to Elixir lights and was ready to go. I usually play Martin Phosphor Bronze Custom Lights, but the Elixirs were THE choice for this guitar! They gave it guitar a MUCH nicer feel that puts it in a class with much pricier instruments in my opinion.

I've grown partial to Takamine guitars, but this one is really special because the electronics and its naturally rich sound make it so simple to set up. I can't WAIT to get on stage with this guitar!
It BEGS for an audience.

The satin finish is quite durable, equal to or better than any other I've every had. I handle my guitars carefully, but I don't keep them on a stand or in a case and for transport, most of the time, I just use a padded gig bag. This one has been moved around a bit, but still looks like new.

The workmanship and quality of the materials used on this guitar make it as solid as any I have ever seen. I consider it 100% dependable and would be totally comfortable with no backup.

I haven't dealt with them on this guitar, but in the past, have requested information on various guitars I bought used. Takamine has always been very responsive. I usually get the information I asked for within 24 hours. I've never needed a warranty and I don't think I've ever used one, so I have no idea how long it's for. I've never had to have a Takamine repaired, so I don't know much about that either.

I have a dozen high-end acoustics. Roughly half of them are Takamines. If I could only keep one guitar, THIS would be the one because of it's combination of style, simplicity, and SOUND!
I'll never sell mine...

This is a 2001 model made in Japan as all Tak's are. It comes with a solid cedar top and solid mahogany back and sides. It comes default with the Takamine CT-4B electronics which includes an onboard tuner (very nice, full range) and a three band EQ. The finish is a very nice satin natural, and the tuners are gold with amber pearl nobs. This price included a hardshell case.

The sound on this guitar is the best feature it has to offer. With the solid cedar top, it gives a nice full sound thats not too muddy (cedar gives a deep tone which gives off a little bit of a muddy sound). Even with the bass of the cedar though, the mids and highs stand out on their on which gives this guitar a complete sound. And, with the takamine electronics (which always rock!) it sounds just as good (if not better w/ a good amp) as unplugged.

First of all, I am very picky about action, it has to be right for me. The action on this guitar was low enough to be consider good, I have played guitars with better action, but very few and none in this price range. Its not prefect in the higher frets but still soft. It has a split saddle that looks, feels, and fits very nice. As with all guitars I buy, I got the music store to set-up the guitar with elixir lights (12s) so I don't know how the factory set-up is.

Like all Takamines, this guitar is made for the stage. The satin finish makes it more easily damaged but as long as your carefull with it during handling, its should stand up to any playing abuse. The craftsmanship that went into the axe is awesome. I believe that it will be a nice peice for years and years.

This guitar rocks!!, I did play more that one guitar of this same model and likee some and not others. Thats why I never buy online. No two guitars are made the same but the EAN10C I bought is awesome.