Takamine ES-50C Jasmine Acoustic Bass

Takamine Jasmine ES50C 2003 model 22 Fret Price:$200 US
Made in Indonesia Electronics:Useless Body Style: Acoustic Cutaway
4 String Acoustic/Electric? Bass

My music style is blues, folk, rock, and on a really bad night it's sometimes turns into jazz. I find this instrument to be very low in volume, so to play an all acoustic gig you pretty much have to use a pick. The pickups and electronics in this guitar might as well be sitting on a shelf somewhere, as they really do very little for sound or tone. I have ran it through several amps from a SWR (400W)on a Peavey 8-10's cab, a 68 Traynor PA Head (200W) on a Traynor 2-15's cab, a Behringer Bx3000T on a Peavey 2-10 + 1-18 cab. On the bigger equipment you can get sound out of it, but at just about double the volume of any other guitar. The tonal qualities of this guitar, (other than the volume are really not that bad) I had got ahold of Takamine and asked them if they would consider selling me the electrics off the EG512, as they are miles away from the ES50C, but all I got was a runaround, and it seems like for the price and hassle you might just as well go buy th EG512 and get it over with.

Originally I got this Bass from an Ebay dealer from Vancouver. When it arrived, it had a buzz on the 5th fret on the G string, but after a couple of weeks in my wood heated house that cleared up on it's own.
The guitar plays really nice, the action is excellent, if you didn't read the headstock it would be hard to tell the difference between this guitar and it's more expensive cousin, the Tak EG512. The only thing I hate about it are the absolute garbage electrics and the volume. I will always keep it for a Campfire Bass, and the next acoustic I look for will be a 5 string anyway.

I really can't imagine anyone using this Bass on stage anyway, so I guess the live playing question is redundant. The fit and finish of the guitar seems really quite good considering the price. The Strap button doesn't exist on the front, and the only reason there's one on the back, is because that's where you plug in. Dependability, so far I have owned mine for a little over a year and the action, fret buzz etc. has remained constant. but I always return it to the hardshell case when not in use, and I've never left it out in the cold overnight. It stays in tune quite nicely over long periods of sitting.

Warranty is supposed to be lifetime, but that would be on everything else, other than what went wrong. Has not needed any repairs. I did however try to get a new set of electrics and all I got was politeness and no responses after the first one.

I've been playing guitar sinse I was about 12 and Bass only for the last 2 years. I own Basses: Hammer 4 String Electric, Dillion Avalanche 6 String Electric, and This one. Acoustic Guitars: A Takamine 6 String Dreadnaught Acoustic/Electric Takamine 12 String Dreadnaught Acoustic/Electric

Made in Indonesia 2005
4 strings
22 frets
Laminated
Pickup with gain and tone control
Adjustable neck
No front strap peg

I play rock. This bass does not produce a sound I can use on stage. It just does not get me the thump or the edge I want. It does not put out much volume either. Slapping this bass is difficult at best. In short, it produces neither the tonal quality nor the playability of a good instrument. It's ok for goofing off, but not good enough to play for anyone.

However, I bought this bass so I could goof off with a co-worker during lunch breaks. I leave this bass at work and it delivers plenty of sound along side his acoustic 6. In this role, I'm actually pleased with this bass. It does a fine job for our little "un-plugged" jams. At $200 this bass sounds even better, and I don't mind if some joker gets his peanut butter covered fingers on it as long as he wipes it off afterward.

The action on this bass is really high, and as far as I can tell, about impossible to adjust down to something normal without taking drastic measures.

I first learned to play classic upright bass, and then moved to jazz in college where I made the leap to electric. Perhaps its because of that background, but for whatever reason, the high action has kind of grown on me to the point where I don't mind it quite so much. You can forget about any "Mr fast fingers" licks though.

It came with a decent set of strings. I like the overall feel apart from the high action. It reminds me of a Fender Precision. For an instrument this inexpensive I find the neck and frets to be surprisingly good. If the action were a mile lower I think I'd enjoy playing this bass a lot more.

The electronics on the bass are pretty lame. I doubt I will ever plug it in again. It seems as though they've managed to select a pickup that amplifies only the worst tonal qualities of this instrument, and do a weak job of that. Honestly, it sounds a lot better unplugged.

The bass looks great from a distance. I've passed it off as a high end instrument to some of the fools at work so they think twice about doing the wango tango on it when I'm not around. Yeah its cheap - but they don't have to know that. Nice looking bass!

Apart from the action, and the weak pickup, there is nothing that irritates me about this bass. The neck is straight, the frets are clean and well placed. The finish is glossy if otherwise typical.

I have not had this bass long enough to get a sense of how it will hold up, but its my intent to treat it with little respect. It seems to have plenty of bracing and glue inside from what I can see. Its actually kinda sloppy which is to be expected I suppose.

The hardware looks good. If the bass were destroyed I would definately salvage the hardware for some fixer-upper down the road.

There is no strap button on the front - bummer!
The quality of the pickup is dubious. I would not trust this bass to get me through even the most casual of gigs.

No idea

I've been playing for 19 years.
I play a Fender Jazz and an Ibanez Roadstar.

If this bass were lost I would probably buy another, but I might look around for an alternative in the price range. I bought this bass off ebay, so obviously, I had low expectations. I'm pleased with what I got sight unseen for $200.

Made in Indonesia, the Takamine ES-50C by Jasmine has 21 frets, 4 strings, laminated top, with volume (gain) and tone controls. Is a light instrument, but with a hard scale.

I play some rock music, with an "acoustic accent" in this bass, and I had problems with that. The frets are too high that makes you really exausted playing it. Not recommended for begginers. It's not loud, so I always have to use picks while playing it together with an acoustic guitar. Actually since I bought it, I haven't change the strings or made some regulation in it, and I think it can be better after some luthier attention on it.

This part is ok. It's not a wonderful quality of wood, but remember that this bass it's a cheap one.

It's still quite new to have an opinion, but I think this always depends on the player.

I live in brazil, and there is no support here.

I have an Ibanez GSR-200, and this is my first acoustic bass. I knew exactly what I wa sbuying: an instrument with limited features, but that does its job. Of course I have plans of buying a better one later, but considering the price of the Jasmine, I don't regret.

I bought this Jasmine es50c acoustic bass because it was an off-shoot of Takmine,,I own a Takamine Guitar and I really like it,,
I had hoped that this bass would share some of the Takamine's features,, FORGET IT !! It doesn't !! This bass is the finest example of corner cutting available,, Cheap everything,, More plywood than Home Dept's lumber department,,,

I play Western -Swing and Rockabilly,,I was hoping for a way to effect a more "upright bass" type sound ,using the EQ system,,FORGET THAT TOO !! There isn't one !! I have played this amp through a Fender Bassman and also directly through my Akai DPS1600 recording studio,, This bass has NO volume,,even when used with a pre-amp..
this thing is so weak it is barely audible unless you turn everything all the way up,,then you get a distorted, honky kind of sound,,not to mention a lot of feedback when using an amp. I also experienced a lot of problems with the bass picking up radio signals,,I haven't ex[erienced this with any of my other guitars or basses,,

When I got this bass,,it was new, and unused,,the action was so high , that it was unplayable,,I figured after a new set of strings,,and maybe a neck adjustment,,it would be OK,,,WRONG !!
The action is very high,,,to the point in fact where it fatigues you to play it,,the fretwork is also very sloppily done,,and the frets are jagged at the edges,,making this monstrosity even more difficult,and unpleasant to play.. The finish on this instrument is ok at best,,it has a nice ,glossy finish,,but there are some flaws in the lacquer,,ocerall,,not a bad guitar to look at,, The nut is cheap and plastic-looking,,, the bridge saddle is made of a soft plastic wich is difficult to file therefore adjusting string height by deepening the string notches is challenging,,and after you do ,,the cheap, soft plastic looks rough. Jasmine boasts the use of NATO wood for the construction of this bass,,,Sorry,,but WHAT IS NATO ? It seems that most lower-end cheap guitars use this wood,,I don't mean to sound ignorant,,But it seems to be a cheap alternative to a higher grade lumber. The tuners are by far, the highpoint of this guitar,,generic and Run of the mill, perhaps, but a nice set of tuners for an otherwise cheaply made and junky guitar.

I suppose this bass would take moderate playing abuse,,but who would want to play it long enough to find out ?

Yeah,,Right Customer support from indonesia ?? Gimme a break

I am very displeased with this garbage bass. The biggest disappointment was the implementation of such cheap electronics.
I would strongly advise beginners to stay away frm this model,,as it is difficult to play,,sounds like crap, and would certainly discourage any beginner from continuing with the instrument,,
Let's face it folks,,,Junk is Junk,,and this is junk at it's finest,, For what I paid for this bass,, I could have gotten a used bass of some quality,,One I could play anyway.. My advice to anyone considering one of these would be : save up a few extra bucks and buy something worth owning,,,THIS BASS IS A DOG !!!

2004 Indonesian made 4 string acoustic bass. Laminated everything, gloss finish on everything, super cheap generic transducer electronics. Adjustable neck too so the basics are covered. No front strap button.

I am no expert on acoustic basses, so I have trouble giving an objective rating here. But my personal opinion is this bass is acceptable. It isn't particularly loud (unfortunately) and it does not have a fantastic sound. But it does get the job done.

Plugged in you get the standard rubbery, bland transducer sound. Roll the tone way off and you can kill some of that and end up with a fairly warm, low end thump. Nice to have at least the option of plugging it in.

Again, this bass is acceptable. It plays just fine and stays in tune alright. Action is a bit high and the neck isn't perfectly straight, but it isn't unmanageable. I like the fact that the whole thing has a gloss finish, helps the durability factor, especially since on a cheapo bass like this you aren't too inclined to take special care of it. The bracing on the inside is actually rather clean.

Only had it for a month or so, but it seems to be OK. I am hoping the laminated construction and all gloss finish will help it withstand the abuse I intend to subject it to.

na

I wanted an acoustic bass but I couldn't spend much on it. This is one of the cheapest acoustic basses it is possible to buy. I wanted something I could play on the couch/at a friend's house etc to keep my chops up without having to go back into my home studio. I am not really a bassist so I wasn't too picky. My other bass is a Carvin 4 string bolt-on solid body electric. I had no delusions of getting a Martin or a Taylor acoustic bass...I didn't do much shopping.

I suppose if I ever start playing bass in a band I would feel motivated to get something better (with better electronics for sure), but until then it will hold its own.