Takamine EF-385 12-String

I sought out my 385 because I owned another one years ago and regretted selling it. The one that I have now is a 1977 in mint condition. The neck, even without a tensioning rod has remained very stable and the action has stayed perfectly with very little adjustment. I have no electronics in mine and find that it works extremely well with quality microphones.

I prefer it to the Martins because they have too much "boom" that overpowers the balance of the instrument. Excellent overtones and clarity allow the guitar to fill a room easily even with the laminated top. Excellent range of volume.

I use light silk and steel strings with excellent results. The action is far better than most 6 strings and, as a result this is the primary guitar that I use when performing.

Mine is 30 years old and has all original pegs and equipment. I do have some wear on the bridge, but it simply requires replacement of the bone (or plastic) at the point of contact with strings. Finish still looks excellent and there are no visible cracks.

I have found that instruments that are stable after several decades are likely to remain that way, if reasonable care it taken. I will likely add a high quality pickup for convenience, but it plays with enough volume that I can also do without it. This particular guitar was built during the "lawsuit" era when Martin sued and won because the copy was far too much like the Martin D-28.

This is a very basic, no frills, laminated spruce top dreadnought acoustic electric 12 string. It's got an, again basic, 2 band eq. I bought mine new in 1988 and it's been my main axe since.

I've been playing for 25 years and do solo stuff through a Behringer ACX, or Fender Acoustasonic SFX. I started playing for the sole purpose of doing Beatles' stuff. I also do Mellencamp, Eagles, Clapton, and anything else from the 70's through the 90's that I can sing well enough to entertain people. The sound of my ES 385 has always drawn compliments. Not just by intoxicated audience members, but by fellow musicians who actually know something about guitars. Believe it or not, I recently sold an expensive Ovation 12 string because it just flat out didn't sound as good as my 385. It's a great guitar for my solo act because it fills a room so nicely.

The action right off the shelf was great. It actually played easier than the Seagull 6 string it replaced. There were no flaws anywhere and I'm hard to please. That being said, this guitar will never win any beauty contests. It's very basic and plain. If you're looking for a flashy prop on stage, this ain't it.

I've played this guitar a lot for nearly 20 years and NEVER had a problem with it. It's built like a tank.

Fortunately, I have no idea.

For a relativly inexpensive guitar, you can't beat this one. I'm sure they've been discontinued, but if you are considering a used one, buy it! They probably don't bring a lot of money and they sound great. I seldom play mine unplugged. I notice another reviewer stated his sounds bad unplugged. I've played a few small parties unplugged and, again, people remarked how nice this guitar sounds. If it were lost or stolen, I'd immediately start looking for a NOS, new old stock, ES 385. The only reason i might consider another Takamine 12 string in it's place is for better looks.

Nato (?) mahogany-type sides and back, plywood top dreadnaught 12-string with Takamine proprietary electronics and hardware. A relatively standard acoustic-electric. No frills appointments. Nothing really missing, but nothing stand-out, either.

Unplugged, this thing is a dog. Plugged in it's pretty decent. The plugged in sound is what I bought it for, to add some variety to my duo. I can't give great marks to a A/E guitar that doesn't sound at least good acoustically.

Factory setup was OK. High nut and bridge, to compensate for climate variation. Can't have buzzing at the store. Finish was decent. Went the next week for pro set-up.

Durable, sure. Don't need to worry about the top cracking on this one....it's gotta have a pound or two of glue in it. I do gig it without a backup. The electronics work well, and there's an indicator light for battery life.

It is what it is, a tool, not an instrument. For the price, somewhere around $700 new, IIRC, it's a very good deal. I'm guessing it's discontinued at this point. Used I'm sure it's less than $500, and an even better deal, since it's be tough to mess this one up.

Basic, simple, and great: 1986 12 string Takamine, laminated spruce top dreadnought acoustic electric, active pre-amp, justifiably famous Tak pickup with 2 band EQ and volume controls. Amazing what Takamine did w/ their pickup system and 2 band EQ in their early years--they sound better than most of their (and everbody else's) later model 3+ band EQs. The thing had perfect action right out of the box. Looks just like a basic dreadnought.

Have used it w/ a variety of amps and gear, including a DI box into a PA. Always sounds great amplified and just as good unplugged. Amazingly flexible sound w/ a 2 band. For the $, nothing can beat a Takamine's amp'ed sound, and it beats most regardless of $...and I have and continue to play a lot of them. Sustains like a solid top, but without the propensity for onstage feedback. Beautiful bottom end, and well balanced w/ good highs, but maybe not the 12-string for those that want nothing but sparkle. If you want that 1-D sound, go with an Ovation.

It was great off the shelf. Have no idea if the place did any set-up work, but I doubt it. A basic looking axe with no flaws. But if you want to impress folks with a flashy axe, this ain't it.

I've beaten this thing to the best of my abilities and it has held up without flaw. Finish seems to be resistant to flogging and the occasional drops.

Takamine is justifiably famous for its lack of support. They don't answer e-mails, regardless of how many you send. This one had no warranty, but it hasn't mattered. That said, I've got a newer one that did need some warranty work and that was squared away perfectly, due to a local Tak. tech.--no direct help from Takamine, otherwise.

I've been playing for about 15 years, the last 4 in a transidiomatic roots band w/ short attention span. this swings on everything from pirate ballads to C&W to punk to psychadelia. I play spendy 12-strings all the time when I've got the time and its only the occasional one that sounds better than an EF-385 and most of them cost more than 6 times what I paid for this one. Virtually every EF-385 I've played sounds great plugged and unplugged. Beats the living daylights out of all Gibson's (currently the most overrated and overpriced line of guitars in the world) and most Taylor's and Martin's. Only Guild makes a more consistently better 12-string (you pay for it!) and only Seagull can compare with the sound for the price. Hard to find these things used, but if you can, it's a good way to go. For price, durability, and sound, I gotta go with a 9. And I'm critical.