player opinions

Takamine FP350-SMC-SB

Takamine FP350-SMC-SB

  1. Name: Andrew Poirier

  2. Band: Solo

  3. Model Year: 1997

  4. Price Paid: $1,000 (used by one owner)

  5. Performance

  6. This guitar is fantastic. The intonation is true, and it play’s very quickly. The model I have does not have the cut-away, and I wish it did, but my friend gave me a very good price. I would prefer the cut-away. I don’t think this is the “best” acoustic guitar I have ever played, but it defiantly ranks up there.

  7. Performance Rating: 9

  8. Sound Quality

  9. The sound of this guitar is very “sound.” The tonal qualities of this guitar are very bright, and suit fingerpick and soloing styles. The sound of the guitars pre-amp is outstanding. I love the reverb, and feedback resistance options. I’ve never heard a better acoustic guitar through an amp.

  10. Sound Quality Rating: 9

  11. Construction

  12. This guitar is about as solid as they come. The first thing I noticed when I picked it up for the first time was the weight. The maple is thick and sturdy, and all of the frets, nuts, even the saddle look perfectly solid. The finish is exquisite, and the detailing on the back of the guitar is unmatched. There is sunburst all around the guitars back, sides, and back of the neck. What a gem.

  13. Construction Rating: 10

  1. Name: David Moore

  2. Band: Mr. Drysdale

  3. Model Year: -----

  4. Price Paid: $1,500 List, $1,100 Retail (I paid $675 for a second)

  5. Performance

  6. This is a wonderful acoustic/electric. The basic specs are: Dreadnaught body style with a cutaway, solid spruce top, flame maple back and sides, mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard, sunburst finish and Takamine’s accuracoustic preamp. I had a local luthier set it up for me and it plays as easy as most electrics. This is as good an acoustic as I have ever played.

  7. Performance Rating: 10

  8. Sound Quality

  9. The unplugged sound is full and bright. The maple really makes this a bright sounding guitar. The clarity and sustain are outstanding. The neck is dead straight and very fast. The plugged sound is very clear and true. The preamp has high and low EQ with sweepable mids (a VERY nice feature). The ONLY thing I have heard that even compares to the plugged sound of this guitar is a Taylor with the Fishman blender system. I can’t give it a 10 because the Fishman blender system is better, but the accuracoustic preamp is still stellar. Give it a 9.

  10. Sound Quality Rating: 9

  11. Construction

  12. This guitar is bulletproof. I took it camping with me (gasp!) and even in the outdoors and humidity it stayed in tune. The top piece is firly thick and the guitar just screams quality. One quick warning. Takamine has a lot of instruments made in Taiwan. The Taiwanese instruments are low quality (Jasmine and Tak G series). I would avoid them like the plague. The Japanese constructed guitars are true works of art. If you can swing it I would definitely get a Japaese Takamine. One other quick note. This guitar has the nicest piece of spruce for a top I have ever seen. The grain pattern is amazingly tight (which is why the tone and clarity are so darn good). I have repeated compared the top pieces of numerous guitars, and the only top piece I’ve seen as nice as mine was on another FP-350-SM-SB (the non-cutaway version). I can’t wait for the instrument to get a little age. The sound will become other worldly in about ten years.

  13. Construction Rating: 10

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  1. Average Ratings
  2. Performance: 9.5
  3. Sound Quality: 9
  4. Construction: 10
  5. Ratings Key
  6. 10: Excellent
  7. 0: Useless
  8. Company
  9. Takamine

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