Takamine EF-261S Acoustic/Electric

My guitar is a Takamine EF261SB according to the extremely faint stamp on the inner wood of the guitar below the soundhole, and based on the serial number I believe it was made in 1994. Whilst it is clearly the same guitar and is very like the descriptions on previous comments, mine differs slightly in that 1. it has a N4B pre-amp, which means that, being an earlier model, it has no 'exciter' control, and simply has 3 hi-mid-low EQ sliders and a gain slider (although I find it quite good at that), and has a battery popout and check switch. 2. The gloss colour finish is a stunning dark red 'sunburst', with red/brown wood tones in the centre moving out to almost black at the edges. Other than these differences, it is the excellent FXC small body shape, made in Japan, solid top cedar, mahogany back, sides and neck.

The guitar has a really smooth full sound. I find the small-body great for intensity and tone, as it can provide those really percussive bursts you need when playing rythm on accoustic to cut through a band like a snare drum but without sounding harsh or breaking up. In fact for several years in my church band it was just me and a piano, and I used this guitar to play intentionally percussively and compensate for a lost drumkit. I play some folk fingerstyle, some heavy bass-muting blues Neil Young style, and will perform more regularly with a pick doing rhythm and some breakouts using effects. Despite a small body, I also feel I have a solid bass feel, which I also enhance using a subtle effect from my Boss PS-3 pitch-shift delay, which gives a really warm chorus type effect in mode 4. The guitar suits a Luka Bloom warm bass but glassy highs sound, so for fingerstyle it will sound more modern, less oaky. A travesty to some, but I like to put less-subtle effects on my accoustic, and this guitar works exceptionally well with distortion and overdrive due to its feedback resilience and tone/sustain. I roll back the percussive element when i need to with a Boss CS-3 compressor/sustainer and it gives you the stable tone you need for drive, delay wah etc. This guitar is made to be plugged, and the sound is delicate but full, not like the artificial tops sound from most amplified accoustics.

The guitar was bought 2nd hand. The set-up was tainted by muself because I got the action raised at a shop too early - way before I was used to accoustic guitars and knew what I wanted to play on them. I feel I might need to adjust this to lower the action at some point as lots of up the neck chords produce sore hands. Intonation might also need to be adjusted but I believe this might go hand-in-hand with the action error.

Nothing loose, all extremely good condition parts, and the guitar looks amazing. I know that you should usually select guitars for their sound, but when I was looking around for one it was the look of this guitar that had me hooked for a week before I ever tried it out. Extremely stylish and I love that its not another blonde dreadnought.

The guitar has been played live every week for 6 years, and doesn't go out of tune. I have had some frequent string breakages, so important to have spares but again, I believe my setup might be part of the issue. The finish is very solid, as is the strap button. I always use it without backup, although I'm not in the same league that you would need one. I find it very dependable though - never changed a battery.

Never had to deal with the company as its a 13 year old guitar and is out of warranty.

Have been playing 8 years, I play this guitar though an AER compact 60 and aforementioned pedalboard and it sounds crisp and full. Also own Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite MIII (a very unique half-strat half LP) and a Marshall valvestate amp, and 2 trombones. I would definitely buy again if stolen, although I would look at some of the higher Takamine models in this body shape to see what they offer too. I love the intense modern acoustic sound of this guitar, its small body makes it very playable, and its unique deep-red finish. I have not yet seen guitar with a similar finish. Have tried seagulls and matons but not extensively, I find this sounding warmer in the mids and highs.

This Japanese made guitar is smaller than a dreadnought with solid cedar top and mahogony sides. It's painted black which I particulary like. It has awesome Japanese electronics. IMHO, Takamine is the best. It has an Exciter control which dirties the sound a bit... nice.

The tone on this is unbelievable... that's why I bought it. The solid cedar top was just what I wanted. Rich full sound and the electronics are very responsive.

I bought this used so I do not know how it was initially set up, but I have bought new Takamines before and was always pleased. The black finish is coming off in places, but the cedar underneath looks cool to me. Like Willie's guitar, a worn acoutic is a sign it's been played. The dings are like badges of honor. The action is fast and plays effortlessly.

Japanese Takamines last forever and only sound better with age. The electronics are rock solid. I'd play this guitar without a backup any day.

n/a

I'm a serious hobbyist, but sound is the most important thing for me. A guitar has to soung great or I won't play it. I am very pleased with this guitar. I looked at used Martins and Taylors, but for the money it's hard to beat a Japanese Takamine.

Made in Japan 2001. Bought new. It has a solid cedar top and nato back and sides. Nato is a type of mahogany in the same way sapele is a type of mahogany. I think it may actually be genuine mahogany, but the new ones use nato. The neck is mahogany with a rosewood fretboard and it has a nice cutaway. It comes with a split saddle made of bone. It uses an under-saddle transducer with a Graphex pre-amp with 3 band EQ and an "exciter"... I'm still not sure what exactly the "exciter" does but it effects the sound alot. it will make everything more crunchy and sensitive when its up and more mellow when its down. I usually leave it 1/3 the way up. It has funky body shape for an acoustic, I find it quite attractive. try reading some of the other posts for details on its shape. I'm STILL trying to find a case to fit it. I keep it in a drednaught case but it still has about an inch of give at the body's widest point. Its glossy all over (even the fretboard kind of shimmered for a while). mine is black (EF261SBL) but this thread doesn't specify a color.

oh, no strap button on the heel. a few dollars and 5 minutes can fix that.

It sounds best tuned all the way up, the bottom string can get muddy if you drop it down too low. The guitar seems to like 80/20 bronze strings more than phosphor bronze. It can get some AMAZING high notes and has a nice punchy bass. it also gives that gut stirring feeling when you strum it.

Its a pretty quiet guitar, so you dont want to go busk with it.

The sound is actually quite respectable unplugged. It cought my consideration while comparing it to Martin D-15's and OOO-15's acousticly. All the reviews said it was amazing plugged in, but I didn't get a chance to before I bought it... Now I plug it straight into a crappy PA and sounds as good as the PA will let it (which is still REALLY good). I plan to add an outboard equalizer and maybe some reverb; it will probably sound professional at that point.

The action on it was good compared to anything else in the store except the taylors, I always fix anything thats wrong with the setup myself anyways. pretty much flawless except a tiny little knot looking thing on the fretboard.

one gripe. the top is bellying out more than I would like and its more appearant since its all glossy and black. I have the truss rod cranked as much as I feel confident to and I had to lower the saddle (which is a pain in the arse when its bone). Other than that, its really sturdy, I've banged it into a microphone (hard) several times and it only leaves tiny little marks that are pretty much invisible. The finish will get minor scratches if you don't get a pickguard. but I figure scratches (where the pickguard would be) would look as good as a pickguard on a black guitar.

If you play a real gig without a backup your dumb. If you play a gig with more than one back-up your stupid.

I haven't dealt with them, but I figure I've done too much to it for them to accept the warranty.

I've never heard highs as good as this guitar can get. I chose this over the 15 series Martins because of all the features. I consider it too different from the 15-series Martins to compare them directly, since it would involve my sound preference anyways. I could have flipped a coin though.

If it were lost or stolen I'd get something different because it just seems silly to buy the same guitar twice, plus I'd want something more expensive probably. Still, a great buy in the price range.

(made in 1996)Features: Solid Spruce top, mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck, Takamine Graph-EX active electronics. I loved the looks, and bought it after I plugged it into a Peavey acoustic amp.

Like others rating this guitar... The "unplugged" sound isn't awesome, but it sounds darn good. When it's plugged into a good amp it does sound awesome! I have a Fender acoustasonic 30. I love the combination of the Takamine and Fender amp.

My guitar was well setup from the store. The action seems a little high to me, but when I put light strings on; I get a lot of fret buzz. The finish is very well done. Well made guitar. No pick guard, but I'd rather scratch up the top than look at a pick guard.

I've been playing this guitar for 5 years as my primary guitar. The finish has lasted very well. A few very light scratches from over strumming chords. I play 50/50 fingerstyle/picking. I had to add a strap button at the base of the neck so it was more confortable standing up on stage.. The frets are showing a lot of wear. But, I have played this instrument every day for the last 4 years...

Never had any reason to contact Takamine

After 5 years playing this guitar, I am at this review area shopping for a new guitar. Martin or Taylor? I have got a lot of enjoyment out of this guitar. After I purchase the next level, my takamine will become the campfire guitar. The EF261 is a great intermediate guitar. Better than a starter, not as good as a $3000 instrument. I highly recomend the Takamine EF261

Features as per previous reviews. Mine is black head to toe.

This is the part I like. As its a mini grand type guitar which does not have a full acoustic sound, until you plug it in. When this thing is plugged in its awesome, the sound is very rich and full. I run it through a Zoom 504II(I like a little chorus and reverb) direct into P.A.Just takes a little time to experiment with pre-amp settings. Particularly the exciter (presence) control. I bought it as well because I like the size for performance, it is comfortable to hold for a long time period.

The action was a bit high from the store, but I didn't mind too much. I play mostly open chords and occasionally capo up to 5th fret. The tuners are great, stays in tune well, intonation was also great from store. The tech says to bring it back he'll lower the action and set up to my liking, what a guy.

I never play without a backup, I have been known to break a string early in a set, always have spare guitar!. This is my main acoustic though. I think though I will add a black pic gaurd as I read here. Sounds like a good Idea.

Dont know, never had to deal with em.

This thing is great. I was actually bidding on one on e-bay and lost the auction. I walked into a guitar shop next day and found this one in awesome condition for $600 canadian with proper hardshell case. It was alot less than the one on e-bay sold for without case. I've been playing for a long time, can't remember, but I've always wanted a Tak, they have a unique sound plugged in. I'm a worhip leader and I depend mostly on my acoustics. If lost or stolen, well it would be a dark day. I would hunt for another. I also have a Cort MR740FX, strat, bass , other gear blah, blah. If you can find one of these don't hesitate, they're great well made and sounding intstruments.

This guitar was made in Japan, year 2000. My model, the EF-261SBL, has a 21 fret neck with venetian cutaway, a solid cedar top, and laminated back and sides. I added a black pickguard to the black lacquered finish. The body size is a small grand auditorium shape--just to give you an idea of the size, my guitar fits perfectly into the SKB-30 CLASSICAL guitar case that I bought for it.

The electronics feature the higher-end pickup found on the more expensive Taks (not the G-series) in a split saddle configuration. It has a Graph-EX pre-amp with three band EQ, recessed volume knob, and exciter controls.

Everything I could ever want in an acoustic. Minus one point, though, for the lack of a strap button on the heel of the neck.

Playing unplugged, you could definitely find better value in a guitar for your dollar. Stick a cord in this thing, though, and you'll instantly realize why Taks are so popular (esp. among country guitarists). The small body doesn't lend itself to great sustain and fullness, but through a PA or suitable acoustic amp, this guitar has a very balanced, natural tone that sounds as good as anything I've ever heard live.

Most often, I plug straight into the PA through a Whirlwind IMP-2 DI; sometimes I add a little bit of reverb/delay with a BOSS RV-3. Keep in mind that my rating for this category reflects only the guitar's sound when plugged in--precisely the reason why many people buy Taks to begin with.

The factory set-up was great. With a very nice-loooking inlay on the pegboard, the white binding, etc., this guitar scores high marks in the presentation and aesthetics category.

This guitar is definitely one made for gigging. The gloss finish on the top scratched a little too easily for my liking, but a black pickguard cured quickly that problem. Quality hardware, electronics, construction...

Never dealt with them.

The finish and presentation are top notch, and ranks right up there with guitars three or four times its price in terms of plugged-in sound. For a guitar to use when playing out, I'd definitely buy this thing again if it were lost or stolen. Acoustically, don't expect it to sound like a similarly-priced Larrivee, but if you're looking for an _electric_ acoustic, this is it.

(made in 1997)Features: Solid Spruce top, mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck, Takamine Graph-EX active electronics.

I've never owned a real good acoustic, but I've played lots of junk. I know the difference in sound. This guitar sounds really good. I only paid $450, and I know a $2000 guitar will sound better. But it sounds incredible plugged in!

The action is pretty good. I'm uset to my Ibanez JS, and this took a little getting used to. But I like that it makes me run scales harder. Most other guitars have horrible action. This one is nice. The finish is nice, no factory flaws I can see. However the top, just behind the bridge is pulled every so slightly, you almost cant see it at all. I will keep a close eye on it for sure.

Seem fine.

Own a Roctron Taboo twin,(love it)A Vai Legacy head (love it) Marshall 1960 4x12 cab (love it) Ibanez JS1000 (love it) Esp Ltd 7 string (like it) Alesis M1 Active reference monitors for recording. (love em)

This guitar was made in Japan in 1999. It has 21 frets, a rosewood fingerboard, mahogany , solid cedar top and the sides and back are mahogany. It sports a NEXC type of body-Small but perfectly formed. The finish is "antique gloss". The neck is narrow but I quite like that others may not. Acoustically the guitar is quiet, but it sounds sweet. It has the Takamine GRAPHEX Pre AMP with bass, middle, treble and an exciter control. The latter is used to adjust the attack.. There is also a pop-up volume pot. This active circuitry really brings the guitar alive. There are two bridge saddles, with some adjustment. The Gotoh machine heads are superb. Mine came with a Takamine Case but it is not the correct one for the body shape, however it does its job.

I play a variety of styles mainly pick based, but some finger picking. The main acoustic music is based upon Heather Nova, Suzanne Vega, Fleetwood Mac et al. The 261 copes with all of these superbly. Although acoustically quiet, the active GRAPHEX Pre amp is fantastic. I tried many other comparably priced guitars but nothing came close. The Sound is very full: deep bass and sparkling treble with a very fine middle. I like it. For a gig situation I run it through the P.A. But I have used my Laney GC60C 2x10 chorus amp with very good results. I find you need to be careful with the exciter not to take too much away from the middle.

The guitar was well presented. The strings were not fantastic, but a set of D'addario EJ26's did the trick. The action is fine for an acoustic and it plays very well.

This guitar withstands live playing. It does so admirably, holds it tuning superbly. The hardware looks very good. I haven't seen any problems so far. The 261 looks wonderful I wish it had a scratch plate ( transparent) for extended durability. There is only one strap button which doubles as a jack socket. I think that I will have a second one fitted. I don't have a backup guitar so I have to depend upon it. It's not let me down yet.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing for 25 years. I have 2 Yamaha Acoustics (Folk and Clasical), a aluminium necked Kramer 350G, a Jaydee Strat, Laney GC60c amp, Marshall Practice Amp (although my son seems to have acquired this). If it were stolen or lost, I would you buy it again. Or perhaps upgrade to a loader acoustic sound version. I like the sound, and the playability of the guitar. The GRAPHEX was the final selling point for 261. I am very happy with the instrument.

This is an electric/acoustic guitar made in Japan (as are all Takamines) -mine is a 1996 model. Since its on the middle-range market you get quite a handful of features for your money. It is a small bodied guitar, meaning that it is quite shallower than a dreadnought. Takamine calls this type of body NEXC -that basically means that it curves dramatically in the middle and its lower part is completely round and slightly bigger in circumference than a standard dreadnought. Its rosette was made using lasers. The various controls for the electronics are on the upper left side of the quitar. It's solid-top cedar, and the sides and back are mahogany. It is superbly finished in dip-in-glass orange/brown transparent gloss. It is incredibly balanced and VERY comfortable for gig use. The neck is made out of mahogany, and is of the thin/flatback variety. It has 21 frets, on a rosewood fretboard. The tuners are super-reliable Gotohs. It has two (2!!) saddles on the bridge, positioned slightly diagonally against each other -one saddle is for the lower 4 strings (LowE ADG) and one for the other 2 (B UpperE). Note here that the saddles' height can be adjusted via 2 small screws situated on the brigde, unfortunatelly only by a small amount. Since it is an electric-acoustic, it has a bridge pickup and active electronics. The pickup is actually located under the saddle, and is a piezo-type specially made by Takamine. What this means is that the pickup consists of a series of small cylinder-like magnets -just like on an electric guitar- only here they receive the vibrations from the saddles and pass them through the pre-amp and the EQ. The pre-amp is made by Takamine, as is the EQ -Takamine's own Graph-EX system. This has several (and I mean A LOT) controls; there are 3 sliders for the EQ (low, mid, high freqs), an exciter control (adjusting the sensitivity of the pickups), a pop-out volume knob, and a battery-check led and button. The battery compartment is right next to the controls, allowing for dead-easy access to it. In all the guitar seems to be very solidly built, and I firmly believe that it could take quite a few drops without even winching. Along with the guitar, you get a hard-case especially made for it! -remember that the EF has a very particular shape, and you'd be hard pressed to find a separate case in the market. It has the Takamine logo printed on it, and has a lock (rather flimsy one).

The guitar was initially bought for accoustic use. My main music style is Dylan and Young folk-rock, new-age rock, and ballads. It is run on a Trace-Elliot combo, with a Korg EX300g multi-effect pedal -used mainly to provide depth, and fluidity to the sound. Even running it clean, it has a completely balanced sound. It might not have the 'wide' sound of a Gibson, but it comes VERY close to that. It has a full-bodied warm sound, with very well defined middle frequencies, and THE most translucent and bright highs I have ever heard. When used with the effect pedal, the result is absolutely stunning; on numerous occassions it has hugely impressed sound engineers when doing studio work. I frequently play new guitars in local stores, but you only get that kind of sound from guitars in the #1,500-over neighbourhood. Being overly strict I could say that the bottom end can be slightly round at times, but you can give it much better definition by using the exciter. However, care should be taken using the electronics, because on extreme settings you can easily take the sound overboard, giving out too jingly highs, or booming lows, etc. Maybe a slightly more neutral setup would be preffered by some. Yet, a complaint lies in the middle frequencies department. Although the mids are very good, they lack character -especially when compared to the highs.When taking the mids up, it takes away from the clarity of the sound, and it is easy to make it sound unnecessarily fussy. Having said that, it's all about taste -I have utterly fallen in love with the sound. It is very quiet, and with the use of noise reduction on my Korg, it nears perfection.

I have to admit that I wasn't too thrilled about the factory setup from the start; the action is relatively high, and although rather comfortable, it is a bit too high for my liking. While you can adjust the saddles you can only lower the action by a few mm's, before you get fret buzzing. I wiill take it to have the action lowered, since I can't cope with any 12s strings as it is. My other guitar, (a Sigma) has an extremely low action, and its very annoying to get a better action from a #180 guitar!! Other than that, however, the guitar's finish is completely flawless, with perfectly matched top, sides and back. The inside of the body is so smoothly sanded that it feels like satin, and there are no traces of glue on the joints. It has a highly polished fretboard (it reflects the sunlight!), on the headstock the Takamine logo is set in Silver, and all the hardware including the electronics, are set with a watch-maker's precision. I would rather the connecting wires inside the body were tucked away completely, though this was not possible because there must be some slack for the electronics to come out when servicing the instrument. Another rather annoying thing is that the top's finish is a bit too easy to dent. Moreover, if you want to keep the frets as polished as they are, you need to clean it thoroughly straight after use/gigging.

The guitar feels like its made out of one piece of wood. It doesn't detune easily, and can go through a 3-hour set like there's nothing to it. I have gigged on several occasions here in the University, and I totally depend on the guitar. I wouldn't have any use for a backup. The finish is very good all over, except for the top where the gloss could have been thicker. The hardware is granite-solid, and the tuners in particular are easy to turn, but feel tight enough all the same. I have to make a note about the finish here, that doesn't however detract from the guitar's total reliability. Since it doesn't have a pick guard, the finish is easily scratched and is something that has troubled me quite alot. I think that the finish on the top is not on a par with the rest of the guitar. Another unfortunate thing is that it has only one strap button; while another one can be fixed on the neck joint, I would not do that because it could compromise the guitar's reliability, so I have to gig with the strap tied to the headstock.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing for 7 years, and I also have a Sigma DM-3, and a Squier Stratocaster. I have a Trace Elliot combo, a Peavey G-10, and as far as effects are concerned I use a Korg EX300g. I can't imagine anything I could have asked before I bought this Takamine. When I went into the store, I had already played this guitar and knew its sounded amazing. If ti were stolen, I would get the same one, or maybe a Taylor, or a Gibson. Believe it or not, I don't think I'd settle for ANYTHING less! What I love about the EF261 is its looks, and its jaw-dropping sound. What I hate about it is its rather fragile top finish, and especially its high action. Its Graph EX is rather impressive as well. I have compared it to Yamahas, Fender Acoustics, Sigma, Kaman, small and medium range Taylors, and smaller Takamines. If there's something I wish it had is a pickguard -but it wouldn't look as cool as it does now!! If anyone is interested in checking out my guitar, go to my web-page at: www.aber.ac.uk/~nil6.