 This guitar DOES have a BIG SOUND for a small price |
| Review Date: March 25, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Wilhelmina Gaudy, Beaverton, OR USA |
I was thrilled when my guitar arrived and even more so after I tuned it and began to play.
My guitar is absolutely beautiful. The finish is flawless. And it's got that new guitar smell...ahhhhhh.
It does have a pick guard (that is not shown in the photo on any website or in any catalog) which pleases me. It would be a shame to scratch the surface while strumming with a heavier pick. I read one review on a music vendor's website where the reviewer complained about Takamine and Jasmine printed all over the pick guard. And they were right about that...but I found it very easy to remove all these words by simply peeling off this protective sticker. Dah.
The strings are a little heavier than I like but I'll be changing them in a few weeks anyway.
The sound and craftsmanship is anything but what you would expect from such an affordable guitar and everything you'd expect to pay more for. It has a rich, full bodied sound.
I am now a diehard Takamine fan. |
Great entry level guitar
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| Review Date: June 9, 2008 |
| Reviewer: T. Tran, Huntington Beach, CA USA |
I'm learning guitar on my own right now. This was my first guitar that I've bought myself and I have to say that I'm quite satisfied.
The people that have tried out the guitar have all given compliments about how nice it is.
The intonation is nothing to complain about.
One thing that should be noted is that the action is slightly higher than normal and it takes some getting used to; once you get used to it, it's alright.
And one final note, I purchased this guitar directly from the Musician's Friend website where I got free shipping. |
Great guitar for the price!
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| Review Date: May 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Stephen M. Wells, |
I normally don't write reviews, but this is an exception because I've been so pleased with this guitar. To be up-front, I didn't buy this through Amazon, but instead through a local retailer, at a similar price.
To prep you for what I'm about to say, what I write is absolutely true, and from the heart of a pleased customer.
Starting at age 13, I've been playing steel string guitar now for the last 37 years. When I was 16, I loved guitar playing so much that I committed to save up an entire summer's worth of life guard wages to buy myself a Martin D-35 guitar. I did so, and still have and love this guitar today - my main guitar.
A while ago, I was at a local music store waiting for a non-guitar related service of some kind, and while I was waiting, I pulled a few guitars from the hangers on the wall, and messed around with some of my stock guitar riffs and pieces I know.
Among those guitars was this Jasmine S34C guitar. I was really impressed with the sound, and had to double-check the price tag to overcome my disbelief.
I probably played that guitar for another 1/2 hour, amazed at the great sound, appearance, and playability of such an inexpensive guitar. Action was easy and close, yet the neck absolutely straight, the fit and finish was flawless.
Over my years of guitar playing, I've sampled many guitars, often in settings such as this, and I have to say, I have not played a guitar that I enjoyed as much as this one selling for anything less that $700.
I've purchased a couple of these now for family members, and if I didn't have easy access to one around the house (my daughter's guitar), probably would have bought one for myself, just for a variety from my D-35.
I have to say that on one of them, I did need to file one of the high frets down slightly to remove a slight buzz - due in part to the very close action of the strings. I found that the action varied a bit among the 4 S34C's at the store, so you may find that you want to modify this slightly if you have the capability (fairly simple). I chose the one that had the most desirable action for my tastes, but all of them were acceptable.
Anyway, this guitar comes very close to closing the gap between low priced guitars (and this is a REALLY low priced guitar!) and high priced guitars over $1000, such as my Martin. Honestly, if my Martin were lost, stolen or destroyed today, I would not (even if I could) pay the high price to get a new one. Much as I love that guitar, the Jasmine S34C would be sufficient to satisfy me. It kind of hurts that such a high quality guitar can be purchased so cheaply! (makes my Martin seem way over-priced) If it weren't for name-brand appeal, I believe the high-priced guitars would be pushed out of the market place by ones such as this from Asia.
As mentioned in other reviews here, it is rather light-weight, which can feel a bit strange, if you're used to a heavier guitar, and the finish is matte, not gloss - also a bit unusual, but I like it.
All in all, I personally feel this guitar is an absolute steal, and would not hesitate to recommend it highly.
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Good Solid Beginner Guitar
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| Review Date: December 8, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Brett A. Gregory, Pleasanton, CA |
| This guitar has become *the* guitar I recommend to students looking for a starter acoustic steel string guitar. The price has been this low for quite some time. The guitar is a full size guitar, same depth as a drednought and same width at the lower bout, but because of the NEX style body (which just basically means it has a very narrow waist like a Jumbo) it sits very low on your leg which gives it the feel of a smaller body guitar but all the desireable sound characteristics of a drednought. The cutaway is also nice, allowing better access to the higher frets. I have seen quite a few of these guitars come thru my door and they almost always need a bit of a set up (adjusting the string height etc) and a new set of strings and I always string them up with Elixir Acoustic Light Polyweb guitar strings. This brand of strings really works well with this guitar. For this plus the cost of a set up and strings, it is an excellent playing guitar for a beginner student or someone looking for a decent acoustic that wont break the bank. Of course it's not the great sound you would get from a solid top guitar but that would also run you hundreds of dollars more. Great value, good sound, certainly a guitar to consider as your first acoustic or as a value minded acoustic guitar. |
Pleased...At Last
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| Review Date: July 11, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Matthew V. Grumbling, Oceanside, CA USA |
| This is my second Tak, and I am pleased to find that, despite the low price, it has that same Takamine quality to it. I have found none of the problems noted in other comments: I like the pick guard, which is clearly depicted in the catalog photo; the action does not seem all that high for an inexpensive guitar; the strings were in good shape; there were no noticeable finish problems. I bought it for knocking around -- beach, pool parties, etc -- not for serious performance work. This would have been a decent buy at $200 (I paid about $200 for my first guitar in 1977!); at $100 it is a very good bargain. The only criticism I have is that it arrived more than 10 days past the estimated delivery date. That's OK. A guitar this good and inexpensive is worth the wait. |
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