Tama TG 120

Purchased 12/80 according to the warranty tag (which miraculously has not been lost or misplaced in the 25 years since purchased). Believe I paid $400.

Reviews below pretty much cover it. This TG-120 definitely has solid rosewood sides and back, very nicely bound and perfectly finished. The fingerboard, bridge and pins are ebony; the nut and saddle are real bone. The top is a beautiful, tightly grained piece of spruce. Tuners are closed machine heads of unknown manufacture but have held up perfectly.

Overall, the quality of both materials and workmanship on this guitar is really unbelievable, especially for a guitar in this price range. (An online inflation calculator says that $400 in 1980 would be ~$1,000 in 2005.)

This TG-120 has a tasteful stylized "T" pearl inlay on the headstock, rather than the huge T-A-M-A that I've seen on some other Tama models. Someone else mentioned the diamond-shaped volute behind the nut -- I agree, it's a cool and subtle bit of work, which is kind of the story of this guitar in a nutshell.

Funny side note -- the dealer had a TG-80 and this TG-120. I remember the owner saying (back in 1980) that he'd gotten these two as 'new old stock' and that they'd been discontinued some time before. He resisted selling me the TG-120 -- told me it really wasn't for sale...not a sales ploy, he really didn't want to part with it, wanted me to buy the TG-80 instead. I persisted...and the rest is history.

Sound is deep, butter-smooth and sustained, maybe a little on the rich side -- definitely not bright, but very pleasing and full. If sound were beer, it would be like a rich chocolate ale. The rating would depend on what you're comparing the guitar to, I guess. I'll give it a 9 but relative to guitars that compete at its price level it would be a 10.

Setup was perfect from day one and has never needed adjustment. Action is essentially perfect. I mostly fingerpick, but I can hit it with a pick and get no fretbuzz.

As noted above, the quality of workmanship is really as good as it gets, regardless of price -- perfect. The warranty card was signed at the factory by M. Nakamoto, a Manufacturing Quality Controller. He and his colleagues certainly knew their craft and have my thanks.

Well, 25 years, no service, in spite of care that's sometimes been less than perfect...what more to say?

Will give this one an N/A since I've never had to deal with Tama and wouldn't know where to start if I did now. For what it's worth, the warranty card says it's backed by a lifetime warranty.

I have been playing since the mid-1970s, call it 30 years now. I have had quite a few guitars over that period. This has been the one that I've never dared to sell or trade -- never even considered it. If it were lost or stolen, I would replace it in a heartbeat, but how? For the money, it was/is way out front in terms of build quality and sound. Even not considering the price, it compares favorably with guitars that were and are priced a good bit higher. If the $400 price in 1980 dollars translates to $1000 dollars in 2005, there is no question that you'd have to spend at least twice that today to get the same sound, materials and workmanship.

Great to find some other people out there appreciating this excellent - if obscure - Japanese classic. I bought mine about 10 years ago. I'd been on the lookout for a well-made but affordable guitar for all-round use, plus lots of Irish sessions where lots of volume is needed to beat the fiddles: maybe a '70s Washburn, or a Daion, or an Alvarez. I wanted an old one because Japanese quality of 25 years ago was fantastic. I saw the Tama on the wall of the local music store. I couldn't identify it at first, but spotted the apparently rosewood back and sides, the solid spruce top, the beautiful maple body binding and the wood soundhole rosette and got pretty excited. Then I saw it had an ebony bridge and fingerboard, and peering inside the back and sides actually seemed to be SOLID rosewood. Wow. Pearl 'T' on the rosewood-veneered headstock, Tama-badged tuners, very cool volute behind the nut, no sign of a truss rod adjuster, which was strange (it took me a while to realise it was literally under the nut. Never seen that before).

Now I had to buy it. Luckily for me, the previous owner had lowered the action by, wait for it, filing grooves in the saddle. It literally didn't play at all - but with woods that good, it had to be worth a try. Took it home, added a new bone saddle and we've been together ever since.

This TG-120 is a classy guitar. It's not the loudest dread I?ve played, but it's smooth. Warm, firm bass, rich mids, mellow highs. It's a fine flatpicker and strummer. For me it's not a great fingerpicker, but of course it's a dread... I need a smaller body and a 1 3/4 nut for that, anyway. basically, I've played many worse '70s Martin D-28s (though a few better, it should be said, and in a head-to head with a decent Collings, I'd jump ship). Still, I've had a lot of compliments. I fitted a couple of SBTs under the bridgeplate and a Switchcraft endpin jack. Low tech, but just fine through a Fishman Pro-EQ.

No problems with the build of this guitar. Mind you, I've had .13"-.56" strings on it for a while, but I'm going back to .12"s for safety: I wouldn't say it needs a neck reset, but there's almost no saddle left. I'm going to get someone really good to look at the Tama because it's worth it. This is no criticism of the guys who made it, because it's a sturdy and fabulously well put together guitar. It's coming up to 30 years old, after all...

Solid as a rock. I don't need to tell you.

This guitar has paid for itself many, many times over... and if I ever saw another, I'd buy it. I wouldn't get one of the D-45 type Tamas; all the ones I've seen have had laminated tops, and they haven't been as good. I would consider a solid-top Ibanez Artwood, though, which is basically what this is, but in a slightly earlier, better-built incarnation. I love having a 'sleeper' - an obscure, low-outlay, high-quality handmade guitar that blows most of the competition into the weeds. It's the Ultimate Stealth Dreadnought.

I bought my first guitar, Tama TG-80 or 120 with paper route and bus-boy money and it was (is) a beauty--only problem is that it was stolen from me outside the Los Angeles Convention Center from my '67 Camaro in a downpour of rain. It has a small square indentation near the "pin" or whatever you call the dealy that you hook your strap up onto. If you have it or see it, I will reward you handsomely to have it returned to me. What would be fair these days? $600-1000 or more? I don't know but if you have it, I'll buy it from you. Please write to "bill@coresurf.com" and Thanks!!!

Tama TG 120, from 70s. I've owned it since about 1980. Spruce top, very tight grain. Two others have reviewed TG 120, one said side and back mahogany, one rosewood. Maybe they varied the woods. At any rate, Mine seems to be rosewood. Ebony fingerboard. Dreadnaught style. Very pretty inlay down middle of back. Binding fine and neat. Craftsmanship appears excellent. Tuners sealed, say Tama. It's hard to find out much about these guitars as the drum company made them for only a short time. It has everything any normal Joe could want.

I flat pick, and it sounds great. It sounds every bit as good as the Martin and Taylor I own. These guitars aren't well known because of rarity. If there were more, you would hear a lot.

Action has always been great and has never changed.

Thirty some years, no complaints. I guess that's just fine, Thank you some anonymous Japanese craftsman.

I guess a low rank is in order here. After all, a research librarian at Harvard probably couldn't learn much about these guitars.

Great machine despite being obsure. It stands solidly with my low to mid range martin and taylor models. If you find one, buy it. I notice they go quickly on ebay. Someone recently let one go for $350, which seemed an absolute steal. I would have gone for it if I didn't already have five guitars, which is at least one or two more than it makes much sense to own. Maybe I'm becoming a "collector," at any rate, I'm glad I collected the Tama.

i bought my Tama new in '74, and it has been a big part of my life ever since. the first time i played it at the music store it felt like it belonged in my hands. it played sweetly then and its only improved with age. it has beautiful woods, rosewood sides and back, perfectly matched, all solid wood. the spruce top has aged incredibly to this very mellow shade - indescribable. pearl bindings and inlay, this guitar is solid as the rock of gibraltar. i don't care if it is japanese, the luthier that put this baby together has a reward awaiting him in heaven. very solid neck, which has never - never - needed to be adjusted. i live in NE ohio, and the weather here changes every 6 minutes. the action has always been just right. not that it doesn't fluctuate, but the fluctuations are minimal.

i play with a very heavy hand, mostly flat pick. i do a lot of stuff to my guitars besides strum and the Tama has never winced. tone quiality is perfect across the strings. i mentioned i play with a heavy hand, but its funny, i'd be jamming with guys and their wives would say "why is his guitar so much louder than yours?". so that should answer any questions you may have about the projection of this beauty. of course, its 28 years old now - so it sounds only better!

i had to take the Tama to the shop once for a brace repair - one had come loose and needed re-glued. that was about 20 years ago. that is the only work i've ever had done. oh - i had a fret job about 15 years ago - need another one now based on appearances. but i keep putting it off until i hear that fateful buzz, which hasn't happened.

i already mentioned the astounding durability of the action. the finish is still beautiful, but i always keep all my guitars in their hardshell cases. although its got a few dings and scratches you'd never know this baby was 28 years old upon initial inspection.

i play the Tama at church, unmiked. granted, the accoustics are good in this 100 year old building, but the Tama sounds as good from the back pew as it does in the front. or so i've been told.

i've already mentioned the durability of this guitar. even if i averaged playing just a half hour a day every day for 28 years, the guitar would have over 5000 hours of my playing and it has only had one minor repair. i don't wear kid gloves when i play, nor do i lightly strum. i reach deep into the strings and pull out every ounce of sound i can get - believe me, a lesser guitar would have flown apart at the seams 20 years ago.

never spoke to anyone at Tama in my life

i own a martin jc-16gte (figured i had to get something close to the sound of my Tama for playing in amplified situations). i have a takamine electric/accoustic POS that i paid about 250 bucks for and i can't give that darn thing away. i've had my martin for about a year, and its in the shop as we speak because the top is bowing out and i am very unhappy about that. they'll make it right - but i never had anything like that with my Tama. i play fender electrics - 72 tele custom, 2000 P-bass. i play my martin through a genz-benz UC4 and that amp makes it sound like a dream. i play my tele through a fender deville 4-10.

the Tama is irreplaceable. they only made them for a few years and every one who has one would just as soon sell their mother.

one other thing - when you play a Tama, you know you have a guitar in your hands. it has a weight and solid feel to it that the newer guitars just don't have - i don't know if they're using thinner wood or what, but when i pick up a new guitar, it seems so fragile and feather light. if you have a chance to buy a Tama, mortgage your home and buy it.

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The Tama guitars were made in Japan,from ca.1973 to 1979. They were replaced by the Ibanez Artwood series. I seem to remember something about a fire or flood in their guitar wood storage warehouse that may have caused them to give up this part of the business.

I have seen (but not played) a tg-80 and a tg-140, the higher numbers = better quality. From the catalog I saw 23 years ago, I believe there was also a tg-160, which cost $600 or more back then. The main difference was in the quality of the wood and extra decoration on the binding, etc., on the pricier models.

Acoustic 6 string, dreadnought. Basically, a Japanese D-28. Close-grained solid spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck, nice binding.
locking chrome gotoh tuners, bone nut and saddle, ebony fingerboard and bridgepins. Even has the little cloth patches in the box, like an old D-28.

very close to a good older D-28; same bass, a little less middle twang, clean and smooth top end, also a little less twangy than the Martin. Overall VERY smooth even sound. Perfect for accompaniment, maybe a little subdued for solos.

nothing wrong with this instrument. Near-perfect action, satin finish on the neck has always been quick.

Never had a problem. Has been strung all 23 years, haven't even needed a neck tension adjustment since the first year. The finish hasn't begun to wear, though there are a few nicks around the pickguard.

N/A

9+ If you see one, just buy it. Sell a family member if you need to.
At the time, D-28s started at $800 or so, and I got this for less than half (was working for the store at the time). Nothing less than $600 had a sound that was even close to this good, unless it was another Tama.