Product: Takamine F-345
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
12/06/2008
at
10:02pm
by
J. Welch
Features
:
9
Manufactured approximately 1976. Japan. 21 frets. Two humbuckers one tone, one volume pot 3 way selector. Maple chambered body, neck with rosewood board. Explorer body style. Didn't have a bridge, tuners or pickups when I bought it. 25.5" scale. Very nice SLIM neck 1 5/8" nut. The neck is smaller than an early 60's Strat. The fretboard radius is 9.5"
Sound
:
10
I bought this at a yard sale for nothing. It had no hardware or electronics and had a badly broken neck at the bridge/headstock. I repaired the neck by sinking dowel rods and a small metal pin.
The sound of this guitar is ENORMOUS!!!! As good as my Greco hollowbody and that is saying tons. I installed some no name pickups (SINGLE COILS) and pots and shazam!! The body is CHAMBERED. I sanded off the gothic black paint to find the nicest bit of woodworking joinery you could ask for.Beautifull maple wood and chambered in the bout and butt.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
Superb everywhere. Neck is super thin and fast. Perfect fret work. I have no idea what these sold for new, but they were a bargain regardless. I was expecting a kids cheap guitar sound and playability, but was I shocked.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
I would think so...Very straight-forward design.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
No opinion.....?
Overall Rating
:
10
Playing fifty + years. Have and have had nearly everything. It's hard to stay conservative with this guitar's review. I can only say this rates as one of the best guitars I have owned from a sound and playability standpoint. Truly as good as a guitar can be.
If you run onto one of these (apparently an experiment by Takamine that didn't work out) buy it without hesitation! Get rid of the aweful paint and spend a few thousand hours enjoying it....
