Takamine

Nobody can make an open mic "sing" like Sarah Zimmerman and Justin Davis of the always satisfying Striking Matches. Case in point: this sweet serving of Fleetwood Mac’s "Never Going Back Again", featuring acclaimed upright bassist Scott Mulvahill.

If that crisp acoustic offering left your guitar heart longing for more, you’re just one of many Matches fans glad to hear of the celebrated guitar duo making their way to a stage near you. The Striking Matches Tour starts back up Aug 25 in Bethesda, MD, and is currently adding dates into the fall.

In the clip you’ll notice Justin chose his P5NC from Takamine’s Pro Series 5 with the brand’s popular NEX body style, solid rosewood back and sides, solid spruce top and Takamine’s graceful Venetian cutaway and proprietary split-bridge saddle for the superior combo of access and intonation essential to a player like Davis. Still earning Sarah’s favor (and sharing many of the P5NC's features) is her circa 2010 TAN45C, which has notably accommodated Zimmerman’s wide spectrum of 6-string wizardry, including her lighting quick, satin-smooth slide work. And while the couple’s collection of cool guitars has grown over the years, the role their Takamine guitars play in the realm of live and studio performance remains unchanged, as this recent interview for "Takamine Showcase 2021" explores.

Other Takamine models that might be found on a Striking Matches stage include the P3MC, the fast-playing cedar/satin OM cutaway and arguably Justin’s favorite, as well as the fingerstyle-friendly TF740FS from Takamine’s iconic Legacy Series, very much like the current thermal spruce-topped EF740FS TT. 

“To say we’re ready to play live again is an understatement,” says Davis. “We’ve enjoyed all the writing and recording we’ve been doing this past year – but we’re ready to go. We’ve really missed everyone."