Takamine EC-132CSX

A Takamine EC132CSX, solid cedar top guitar, w/ built-in preamp and tuner.

I own a hand-made Brune (Cedar top) from Evanston, IL and paid $4000 for it 14yrs ago. So my ear is somewhat spoiled. I worked at Guitar Center in Houston (for fun) for about 6 months. During that time I got to play everything in the store as soon as it came in. This is where I bought the guitar. It was the best sounding classical guitar for the money - hands down! I play mine strickly acoustic, but I also have a studio and foresee playing it plugged in, as well.

I had (4) to choose from and took they were all good players, right out of the box.

This is where I have some issues... mine has (2) distinct and separate buzzes that seemed to pop up at the same time. One is coming from the preamp box - I fixed it by shimming a small piece of lightduty foam between the guitar's side and the box. I didn't want to dampen the sound by shimming between the top or bottom, the side was the less of the three evils. That fixed it. The other buzz is coming from under the bridge - or inside the bridge! I've been inside with goose-neck flashlights and small mirrors, but can't see the culprit. If I place my finger on the bridge when I strum, it won't buzz, but that's not a fix.

It's been a year since I quit working at Guitar Center, I'm not worried about getting it fixed. I just wanted to post this for any considering buying this model. A great guitar, but its got some buzzes that can develop over a few months of regular use.

I've been playing 27yrs.
I wish I had a crystal ball, maybe one of the other three in the store will never have this buzzing problem. Know way of knowing.
I really like the guitar, I wouldn't sell it, if it was stolen, I might consider one that's more durable - do more online research...
I love the onboard tuner, it's very accurate and handy as hell.
There were some other nice guitars at GC, but the ones I liked were not in the price range, and were different animals completely, i.e. german spruce tops, different bodies. The Cordobas were sweet sounding, too.
There no way I could name all the gear I have - I've got a recording studio, Roland, Mackie, Bogner, Marshall, Peavey, Rode, Shure, AKG, DBX, Jackson Soloists (2), PRS Custom 24, Warmoth, Yamaha, Taylors (3), Takamine, Brune, Tama, Dell, KRK, Alesis, etc.

2003 ec132scx classical guitar, 18 usable frets, cedar top.rosewood back and sides. ct4b preamp with actually really good built-in tuner...gloss finish..standard classical tuners, gold hardware,nice neck... a little fatter than my les paul classic, but with flatter radius (duh). Very easy to play. Nice hardshell tkl case included. other features? hmmm.. It IS just an acoustic, so i believe this to be a very acceptable amount of features.

It suits my style(s) well... bright enough for chordal work, but also very round and balanced for flamenco and Al Dimeola wannabe moments. I am currently using this with(don't laugh...well, ok. go ahead and laugh..)an electric rig...a digitech gsp2101 and carvin t100 poweramp...thru vintage 30 cabs (ok. NOW laugh!) and altho' this actually sounds very good, I am sure it would sound better thru a dedicated, full range system. it is a little too bright with this current setup...but it is really not one to do it justice.
It does have a really fantastic sound unamplified...very rich and full and really just a nice balanced, round sound.I actually liked the sound of this over a $1200.00 taylor classical...and I had really intended to buy a taylor. no real dislikes except that I can't wear a strap to carry it around... I have to sit down to play it.

EXCEPTIONAL setup...I got this on an ebay auction from acoustic axis in virginia... the guitar was BRAND NEW, with the hangtags warranty card, etc..and they have EVERY guitar setup before leaving, and they did a great job...much better than the same models I played here locally at samash, for hundreds less WITH A CASE. No flaws that I have seen, and plays beautifully. I am used to a thin neck les paul classic, and a carvin with a VERY fast neck, and I have absolutely no problem playing fast or slow passages on this guitar.Plays like a dream.

I don't foresee any problems...obviously, it is a box guitar, and susceptible to more easily being damaged than others..but i do baby my stuff (as much as possible).
I don't foresee the paint peeling off, the guitar imploding, or any other abnormal deficiencies to occur. I will depend on it, and I will use it without a backup...well,maybe backup nylon strings.....and batteries...

I have not dealt with Takamine directly...oh, wait. I lied. I did email them a question about the difference between the ec132sc and the ec132scx...


so..yer still waiting for me to tell you what the difference is? hahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
never had to have it repaired ( it's like... a week and a half old. hellloooo)
lifetime warranty (I think). The company from which I purchased this seems to conduct business very well, and I had 2 very courteous encounters with some guys there.Like most music stores, the employees are musicians.Unlike most LARGE, chain music stores, they are not teenage musicians who are getting (unfortunately) paid peanuts, and really don't know much about the gear they are selling.(no offense...they are mostly nice guys, but that has been my experience..)These guys gave me contructive ideas about the preamps I could select(yes! I actually had a choice!!), and what would be the best for me. Anyway, I will give the store I bought this from the rating for customer support.

oh god. I've been playing almost 20 years (yikes), own a bunch of other stuff..rack mount and otherwise. This is my only acoustic, and it will serve as lead and chord/rythm duty.I compared this to the really high end taylor classical ns62ce...ok. you really can't compare that guitar to anything else. It is just phenomenal.Bright enough for rythm, balanced enough for lead, classical runs. An excellent bridge between steel and nylon string guitars.It's also 2000 bucks. I compared it to the lower end taylors, and for the money, this is better.I compared this to the cordoba gypsy kings model which I'm sure sounds better plugged in ( fishman blender system), but this had better projection unplugged...and did I mention:
I GOT IT BRAND NEW FOR $579.00 SHIPPED. whew. yup. that was the selling factor for me. Things I wish it had? just the strap buttons...but I think I can live with it.

Manufactured: 2003
Origin: Japan
Body Shape: Classical cutaway
Top: Solid Cedar
Back: Solid Indian rosewood
Sides: Laminated Indian rosewood
Fingerboard: Solid Indian rosewood
Frets: 18, 19th fret on 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th strings
Neck reinforcement: Steel truss rod
Preamp: AD1 DSP
Case: Not included (#1518)

Overall, the guitar has a warm "cedar" tone, and projects very well. It is sensitive to pressure on the back, so leaning against it while playing distinctly dampens the acoustic volume. It has a good balance of base and treble across the entire range. Midtones are even but a bit weak, sometimes getting lost among higher notes. I normally play the guitar acoustically, although I use the tuner feature of the DSP preamp regularly. The DSP preamp is powerful enough to play through headphones. Its acoustic modeling settings are just the ticket when playing outdoors or in a club. A great DSP feature is the built-in feedback attenuator, allowing the performer to quickly eliminate feedback without leaving the performance area.

The factory setup is good. I opted to change the strings after a day to LaBella 413P strings as the factory strings didn't sound "quite right". A few days later, and with a second opinion with a local luthier, I found out that the bridge was just a "tad" off and the saddle should be reset in a slightly different position to properly compensate the guitar. However, the compensation issue is truly minor, and most audiences wouldn't notice the difference.

I particularly like the feel of the neck and fingerboard. The action seems a bit high, but is probably set that way for the general student community. It's a quick and inexpensive adjustment when setting up the guitar at a local shop.

The instrument seems well constructed and sturdy. The DSP preamp support moves slightly in the guitar's body, but I haven't noticed any buzzes or other detracting sounds.

This is a beautiful instrument, and a very comfortable guitar to play. Although not the guitar for "Acoustic Only" purists, the EC132CSX provides an excellent balance between a quality classical and amplified instrument. The DSP preamp is a HUGE step up from the standard CT-4B preamp.