Takamine EAN-40C

I love the finish on the guitar as well as the Built in tuner ( a big plus)

Plays like a dream and the resonating quality is pretty good, not as full and mellow as a dreadnought( but that probably has more to do with the lighter gauge strings i have on it)

Action is amazing, the neck is very smooth and playing up and down on the strings feels like you barely have to push down. One thing i would comment on though would be the lack of a pickguard. I forgot about it and almost made a mark on my guitar's finish. However the pickguard problem can be remedied if you strum correctly.

a pretty solid guitar. As with all acoustics you want to be careful, not as strong as electric guitars) (obviously) So you still have to be careful, a pretty durable guitar nevertheless

not a problem with it

One of the reasons i bought this guitar was, i was first comparing it to a taylor of similar price. The taylor had a slightly better tone ( i think it had to do with the difference of strings installed on this guitar and the other one)
But the real deal breaker for me was, of the electronics and the action.
I got this t Guitar Center, and using their matching price deal that they have. I ended up getting over $500 off of the original price. So i'm very happy with this guitar and i'm sure it will last a while because i have friends who have almost the similar guitar and have had it for over 10 years

This guitar is great with solid cedar top and solid mahg back. The neck is rosewood and the finish is amazing- very natural and great feel. The NEX cutaway makes it great for great sound and easier play. The tuners are great and keeps the guitar in tune. The ct4-preamp is and creates a very natural tone. Imagine your guitar through a PA system.

The sound is great. Full,rich, bright, but the higher notes are a little less bright but stilll great

the action was pretty goood. Low but i experienced a little fret buzz, but nothing too major. The Fit was great. Very comfortable to play. And the finish was pure amazing. I love the natural series from takamine.

Had it for a month so dont know yet

Never dealt with yet

Great guitar for a great price

2001 Takamine EAN-40C Satin finished cutaway auditorium styled electric acoustic etc..

Sounds like the company promotes - Natural. Yes it does have a lovely and rich tonal range for a mid priced acoustic. I play blues, jazz & folk fingerpicked and plectrum styles and this Taka sounds great, in fact I think it sounds as good unplugged as many guitars twice the price. The pickup is adequate, nothing really special but better than a lot of others I have played with.

Factory setup - pretty ok, don't expect instant shredding, make an appointment with your luthier first.
Nice solid timber top, sides, bottom.
Quality hardware.
Very well put together and finished, got to hand it to them Japs they sure are good at assembly.

Now the bad news - The neck on my guitar has settled in badly it should have been a warranty job but I let it go past the 5 year warranty period before I decided to do something about it. My luthier has done a good job of compensating for the alignment by tortioning the neck up, filing the frets more between 5th and 12th and dropping the saddle, he thinks the settling period is over and it should be ok but if it goes any further it will nedd a neck reset- more costly than the guitar is worth.
The finsh around the sound hole has taken a beating but looks nice and lived in.The rest of the finish still looks great and hides any small marks or scratches.The headstock finish has gone a bit opaque in patches, I have been told it may be moisture under the finish? The neck gets a nice shine and the wide frets get better as they wear down. There are no other issues with this guitar

No idea, probably crap like everything else.

playing for 23years
Is the neck build any good?
I would buy one again if i had the same budget.
I love the sound of this guitar it is really very good and for those that love the feel of a nice L series strat neck then this is about as close as you get with an acoustic in fact it's the real reason I bought it in the first place.
This is one very playable acoustic, I have never been disappointed with the sound or playability.

Takemine calls the body the NEX style, which is mainly just a dreadnought with a cutout. It has a good looking (at least on mine) Solid Cedar Top, Mahogany back and sides. The tuners are brass with tortoise shell knobs. The electronics have a built-in tuner, 3 band EQ, and a volume control. One downside is the exclusion of a pickgaurd for those hard on their guitars. It comes with the nice (but heavy) wood case that seems to offer adequate protection

I play praise and worship mainly and I love the way this guitar sounds. I think it favors the midrange tones, but I'm no expert. When plugged in it sounds great, and the equalizer allows a fair range of tone options. Feedback doesn't seem to be a problem with the under-bridge metal plate system they have in place.

Mine has no problems whatsoever ,the action came perfect from the factory. It might be a little low for those who really strum hard, but I haven't encountered any problems.

I have only had it for about 3 months and have had no problems in that time.

Never had to deal with them

I my EAN40C and have had no problems with it.

satin finish, NEX body- not a dreadnought but soundsd really nice. Solid cedar top, the smell is nice but the sound is better. Japan made (not farmed out to Korea like the G series). What is not cedar top is mahogany. CNB4II electronics. Nice hard case included. Bought @ GC for 850 USD (INCLUCING HARDSHELL CASE)- a great deal for a great guitar. Tuner works great! EQ not real impressive- the amp does a whole lot more.

Rich, full gorgeous sound without being muddy. Action is great but the strings are maybe just a little noisy.

Truly one of the nicest built guitars I have ever seen/played. Absolutely flawless. Like holding velvet. Went over it with a microscope when I got it home and felt even better about getting it.

I would depend upon it without a doubt.

no need.

Playing for over 15 years, have one of about everything (Fender, Martin, Gibson, Larrivee, Taylor, Epiphone, Takamine, Rickinbacker, Sigma). This guitar is a home run. I'd get another of this model in a heartbeat if I had to. A great combination of workmanship, playability and tone. What a knockout!

I own 2 of them. Purchased one in 1999 and another in Feb, 2004.
Nice neck and the built in tuner is great.

I love the sound through a PA. When playing straight it isnt very loud.

The action on both are fine. In the winter I get a buzzing on the older but is easily fixed by using heavier guage strings.

The first on I purchased is holding up very well. The newer on is wearing very fast where a pick guard is usually placed. The guitar is now at Takamine and they are saying that it is normal wear. I brought guitars back to Sam Ash to show them and forwarded pictures for Takamine to review. I dont know if Takamine will replace this guitar and if they don't I will probably bring them to court.

I am definatly not happy with them.

I really love the guitar and that I brought another one is proof of that. I think that they started using a lower grade of wood or changed the finishing procedure. I would suggest buying a used one instead of a new one!

My guitar is from 2003, as all Tak's "Made in Japan"

Solid Top/Cedar, Solid Back/Mahogany, Laminate Sides/Mahogany, Fingerboard/Rosewood. "Satin Natural" finish. Scalloped Bracing.

NEX Cutaway, 20-frets all accessible, grand concert style body?, slightly wider than standard at the saddle, 25-3/8" scale length, 1-11/16" at nut, 2.125" at 12th fret

Come with installed with a bridge pickup and CT-4BII preamp, and a hardshell case


Gold with amber pearl tuners, non-thru the body style bridge

I play a variety of acoustic styles, anything from very mellow and meloditic to highly punchy and percussive, and this guitar performs well in all these styles.

I wouldn't say that the sound it puts out "shimmers" but it sounds excellent over the entire scale, and is very versatile, and has an excellent sound both plugged-in and not. Has a very full, but not "too full" sound.

Only dislike is the stock strings make this guitar sound very fragile, I have found the best sound with Elixir's and have no complaints about the sound I get with these strings.

The luthier at the shop set my guitar before I ever got it home, but from other's I have played, they tend to be set well, but have a tendancy to have too-low of an action. Tendancy to have buzzing on the lowest fret or two on the 6th string

Had no cosmetic failures in the wood.

The original guitar I had was a year older, and over time the neck warped and popped the 14th fret out (all covered under warranty), and I was told that this was a particular failure during the manufacturing period for my guitar, and that the problem has been resolved. My current guitar shows no signs of having the same problem.

This guitar's finish makes it hid scratches well, but overtime you will buff sections to a gloss, and is very noticable. Only remedy is to buff the entire face to gloss.

Sturdly constructed, and feels solid.

I would use this guitar to gig, and would not bring a backup.

Previous guitar had a serious defect, but may have been an isolated case.

As mentioned above, my first EAN-40C had a SERIOUS defect, and my experience with customer service was EXTREMELY POOR.

The guitar comes with a 3-yr limited life warranty. Within the first year, the neck was warping and created a serious issue with playability. The only authorized repair shop in Indiana is THE WORST PLACE ON EARTH. I felt bad that I had to leave my guitar with them.

They made it last priority to fix, and I had to contact Tak several times to get them to get the shop to work on it. 3 months later, guitar was planed and partially refretted, and still had the same playability problem. The luthiers craftsmanship was poor. And, the store defended it. The manager wanted to have a large argument about repairing it further. Another month later, it is decided to let Takamine handle it.

Takamine sent me an entirely new guitar, and apologized to me (via email). Moral of the story, Takamine is a nice company, but all the support it out-housed to crappy places. Takamine gets a 10 for replacing it (the damage really was never repairable to begin with), and a 2 for who they let do the work..

I think this guitar is a bargain buy and would most definitely buy again if it was lost. I would argue that you can't buy a better sounding guitar for this price.