Customer Video Review Length:: 0:43 Mins

First the bad: this guitar came with low quality strings that were corroded and unplayable in my opinion. The first thing that I did before even playing it was to change the strings.

If you are a beginner this may be a problem unless you know someone who can do it for you. If not, I suggest you purchase a string winder (B0002E1G5C), a set of good strings (B0002H09RU) and a guitar tuner (B003VWJ2K8.) Find a web page or YouTube video that explains how to change the strings on an acoustic guitar. However you may get a guitar with a shiny set of new strings that sound great and this won’t be a problem. But you will need the stuff that I mentioned later if you keep up with your playing. Actually if you are a beginner you will need a guitar tuner — buy one with your guitar. You will never sound like you are making progress with an out-of-tune guitar.

The good: A little money and you get a lot of guitar. I needed a “crasher” guitar that I wouldn’t feel guilty if I bumped it around and another guitar for a gift. I purchased this along with the slightly more expensive Jasmine By Takamine S34C NEX Acoustic Guitar (B0002GXZK4). I don’t think you are missing a lot by choosing this guitar over the model that is a bit more expensive, although the other model looks sleeker and has a cutaway for access to the higher frets. The other guitar has a slightly better sound, but you are a beginner, it won’t matter.

This is a nice looking, nice playing and nice sounding guitar (the same qualities that make for a good girlfriend.)

Rather than take someone’s word about the sound of the guitar, I made a video so you could hear for yourself.

If you play guitar and want a “crasher” guitar, or you want to learn, or you want to give a very nice gift… this is it. You can’t go wrong. I hoped my video and review helped you decide and if you go for it, I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine.

I want to start by saying that most of the very few negative reviews on here are because these individuals do not know how to set up a guitar, or know that most new guitars need to be set up in the first place.

I think it may be done to save labor, but the truss rod is often not tightened, and the saddle is too high.

This guitar also has the capability to sound like a 0 guitar, but this will cost 20 in extra parts. A TUSQ saddle and a new set of strings. I prefer medium-light for these lesser expensive guys, if the action is set correctly, it will be easy to play and sound beautiful. These are not necessary, but for all the reviewers who say this doesn’t sound as good as some of the nice ones, put the new saddle on and the new strings, set the action, torque the truss rod, and you have yourself a wonderful sounding guitar.

Regardless of your experience with guitars, an easy test to see if this guitar needs to be set up is to stick a quarter under the 12th fret. If it has room on top of it before it touches the string, it will need to be set up. Proceed to step 1, if the quarter fits just perfectly with no room, congrats, you got lucky, you are ready to play.

1.) If you are new to guitar, I would highly recommend taking it to a guitar shop and having them set your action. This will usually cost 20-30 bucks but will make this guitar play really nicely, and your progression as a guitarist will be effortless instead of very difficult. I dont recommend spending the extra money on a new saddle or new strings for a beginner. To them, this thing will sound full bodied as it is, and you can switch out the saddle and the strings in 6 months or a year when you replace the strings anyway.

If you are not new, or new but handy with little repairs and such, go on you-tube and type in “how to set up your new guitar” A great video of how to set it up. For anyone experienced with guitars, the sound quality will be pretty good stock, but to make it resonate and sound full bodied and amazing (like a true solid spruce top guitar) change out the saddle for a TUSQ or something equivalent and buy some Ernie ball Earthwood medium light 80/20 strings. Together they run and once your action is set correctly and your truss tightened perfectly this thing will sound like a 0 takamine, No joke.

I keep referring to the action, this is the amount of space between the frets and the strings, it is the most crucial part of setting up a new guitar and will make ease of playing, sound quality and the whole experience fantastic. The way to decrease action is to loosen the strings enough to pull the saddle out and sand it down 1/32 – 1/8th inch depending on how much is needed. This process takes less than 10 minutes yet many players don’t know how, or don’t know that this is an option.

Many reviewers on here say that the “action is too high” which it may be, but it is VERY easy to fix, and makes or breaks any inexpensive guitar. Please don’t listen to the bad reviews from the individuals that have not yet set up their action correctly, this is a takamine (Taak-ah-mani)which is a fantastic brand that makes fantastic quality guitars, do not be fooled by the price tag. This is a beauty, and is simple but perfect for any person with a spare 100 bucks.

And honestly, I would not buy any guitar upgrade until you could afford a Seagull s6 (roughly 0) as the seagull will play like a ,200 guitar. DO NOT waste your money on any other cheap guitar out there, and remember… when you buy a new guitar, it needs to be set up!

You now know more than 90% of the people out there, so the next time you hear someone saying “the action is way too high” or “This cheap guitar doesn’t have sustain” or “this doesn’t sound full bodied like the nice ones.” Just smile and know that all they need is to buy a new saddle, some new strings, and adjust the action (all less than 20 bucks if you do the work yourself). I have seen friends buy 00 guitars and never sand the saddle down, it makes me sad.

I know this is long guys, but thank you for reading, I highly recommend this guy, and I highly recommend the seagull s6 as the next guitar upgrade. Have fun playing!

Smooth the the touch. Smooth to the ear.

Takamine’s model designation for this is ‘S35’. In my estimation, the ‘S’ must stand for ‘solid’, ‘smooth’, ‘superb’, ‘special’ or just plain ‘sweet’.

This guitar seems to be perfect for a beginner or amateur/recreational player.

The construction and overall quality are very impressive. From the solid fit and finish to the easy to tune/maintain hardware – this guitar is top notch.

Looks-wise, the finish is darker than pictured and is matte not glossy. The finish will not show finger prints like a gloss-finished black bargain basement model. This is one good looking instrument that looks like it cost far more than it does. It features a warm, rich wood tone exterior.

The sound produced by the guitar is brilliant and warm. In terms of playing, the action doesn’t seem to be too high as indicated in other reviews. I find this to be a very easy instrument to play and keep in tune.

This guitar will never be mistaken for a cheap guitar. Compared to other ‘entry-level’ offerings, this product is in a different class. This guitar has received several “wows” and more than one “beautiful” from friends and family.

Thanks to Takamine for producing a great product at an affordable price. It is encouraging to see that a true value can be had that allows just about anyone to put a quality musical instrument in their hands.

In shopping for guitars I checked out higher-priced models from all kinds of makers. To be sure, a higher-priced Takamine or Martin will impress your friends and make you the envy of your neighbors. But pound for pound, this is the best guitar that I have tried out.

If given the choice, I would purchase one again with no hesitation.