Takamine EG5013S

This is a satin-finished orchestra or grand concert (smaller-sized) acoustic guitar. The finish is a very faded cherry burst, and to be honest, it's hideous. Maybe some people would like it, but I'm the type of guy that would rather not have an paint on his acoustic guitar. The tuners, while they work just fine, have these ugly, cream-colored plastic buttons. Now you're probably thinking that there are better features on this guitar that made me buy it - and you're right.

It's got a solid spruce top like every other acoustic out there, and it has maple back and sides. Now I don't believe that they are advertised as being solid, but check this out. It's flame maple, which is clearly visible on the back, but what's interesting is that you can clearly see the flame inside the soundhole on the unfinished side. Maybe the back is two solid pieces bookmatched. I'm not sure, and really, I don't care. I got this thing to plug in, so I don't need high quality, booming solid woods.

There is a good pickup system that includes a three-band EQ (plenty for anyone except overly picky people who think that an audience cares what your upper mid frequency is), a fairly accurate tuner, and a notch filter. I'll elaborate on the tones in the sound section.

This was a cheap guitar, but it came with all of the essentials. I'll give it an 8, mostly for the ugly paint.

Acoustically, it's a little thin. It's a small-bodied guitar with maple back and sides, and it's even shipped with tiny .011s - what do you expect? It sounds fine for practice, hacking away in the living room, or something to use to write with.

However, I bought this guitar for the pickup. At the store, I played it through the crappiest Crate amp I could find, just to make sure it sounded good on its own. It did. I took it to the rehearsal studio and went straight into the PA. it sounded great - no annoying quack, and a full, balanced tone even without moving the EQ sliders out of the zero position. I also took it to a recording session. I went straight in, and I also used a Zoom G2 as a preamp. Both applications sounded great! The engineer was quite pleased with it, and he was quick to tell you when things didn't sound good. Played next to a friend's $2k+ Taylor, it sounded better. No joke. I'm not saying this is better than any Taylor out there, but I'm not about to spend 4x more for a guitar that only kind of sounds better. And let's be honest, people, audiences don't care if you've got a Taylor or a cheap Tak like me - it only matters if you're a decent player.

The action out of the box (well for me, it was off the wall at the store) was extremely low and easy - almost too low. It's nothing noticeable, as long as you know what you're doing. If you hack mercilessly at guitars, then you might require some adjustment.

Um... it's got a light satin finish that will likely start to rub off in a few years, especially if (like me) you're going to use this regularly at gigs. Other than that, it's as durable as an acoustic guitar is going to get.

No experience with them - no need.

I've been playing for 14 years, and I play fusion, classic rock, alternative, and acoustic/folk. This guitar is great for the price. I bought it for the pickup - I've got a really nice Larrivee that doesn't have any electronics, and I didn't want to pay to gut it. I found this guitar on a closeout (it used to go for $600 street, I only payed $300), and it costs about the same as I would have spent electrifying the Larrivee, except now there's no risk of regret that I modded my guitar. If you're looking for a solid working man's instrument, this could be it. I've never been a fan of Takamines, but this guitar has taught me not to look at the name on the headstock.

This is a Takamine OM (orchestral model) shaped guitar that is smaller than a dreadnought - medium sized. Mine has a satin finish on the body and neck, a beautiful vintage sunburst finish, solid spruce top, laminated flame maple back and sides, a cool onboard single source (piezo) pickup with tuner, strap buttons, creme white body binding, creme colored mini tuner buttons, rosewood bridge and fingerboard, and mahogany neck. I bought mine used with a perfectly fitting hard case by Road Runner. The neck is a standard rounded neck, the nut is 1 11/16 inches wide. I sort of wish the finish was glossy - but the satin finish apparently sounds better and looks dusty and "vintag-y" which carries its own appeal.

A deep booming Guild - this is not. The smaller body and the spruce and maple combo make for a clear, punchy and mid-rangy sound that lacks bottom ended resonance, but cuts through nicely with an emphasis on the mid and high tones. My other dreadnought satisfies my need for a deeper sound, and so I'm cool with this as a backup or alternative guitar with a different sound and tone. UNPLUGGED RATING - 6.5.

Plugged in, however, this is where the guitar seems to shine. The pickup is remarkably crisp and clear - not quacky. The controls are not complex - a simple treble, mid and bass control along with volume, nothc filter and few extra buttons. The onboard tuner is SWEET - no need to fiddle with an extra tuner. I found the bass that was lacking on the guitar when unplugged came through nicely through the pickup. The guitar sounds crisp and well-rounded while still sounding like an acoustic guitar. I think Takamine does a good job with it's electronic systems. PLUGGED IN RATING: 9.5.

My first Takamine (an F340S) back in my college days had unusually high action - making for difficult fretting, but a loud sound. This EG5013S came the exact opposite - the neck was SUPER straight and the action was low - too low for an acoustic. Any serious strumming would result in noticeable string buzz. The truss rod is easily accessable via the soundhole with an alum wrench. I loosened the action and the string buzz reduced considerably. Strong strums will still produce slight buzz, but overall the fretting and fingering is very easy and carefree on this guitar. I also noticed that the inside of the soundhole the wood was sort of rough and unsanded. When I strummed I found myself smarting at points with an annoying scratch from the wood. I took a fine grain sandpaper to the inside of the soundhole and removed this annoyance. It would have been nice if this had been settled prior to owning it, but no biggie. I must say that the OM is a cute and comfy player to hold. Easy to play on the couch - close to a parlour sized guitar.

The guitar feels solid and clean. I've already played it in a group setting and plan to use it for the coming years. I may write again to give an update on how it holds up. Thus far, I'm just happy to have it!

My first Takamine was a great first guitar (Japanese made). I moved away from them for a few years while my tastes turned to Guild's and Larrivee's. Now I return to this Korean made Takamine and I'm pleased with the result. The rosewood guitars sound deeper and are more to my preference, but as a backup guitar I was looking for a different guitar altogether. This little OM maple guitar came with everything I needed - an onboard pickup and tuner, strap buttons and a hard case. It came to me ready to take on stage and I didn't need to do any modifications or repairs. Another great plus with this guitar is its price. It sells on musicians friend for $599.00, but it doesn't come with a case. I got mine used with a hard case for less than Musicians Friend's price. Compared to low-end Martins and Epiphone's recent Masterbilt series, this Takamine goes toe-to-toe with them - but for less. If finances are an issue, then this guitar comes out on top for its value.