Takamine

Sean Rowe New Lore Sweepstakes

Sean Rowe is a singer, a songwriter, and a guy who can forage for his own food... and has an epic beard that we're all a little jealous of. But more importantly, he's a super talented creative force who uses his beloved (and heavily duct taped) Takamine guitar to make amazing music, like the song "To Leave Something Behind" that was recently featured in the movie The Accountant. To celebrate the release of Sean's album New Lore, we're giving away a Takamine Pro Series P3D, along with a signed copy of Sean's album to one lucky winner. The P3D is made in our Pro Series facility in Japan, and features a solid cedar top with sapele back and sides, along with a mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, hand-scalloped X bracing, and stylish ivory body binding complemented by handsome dark purfling. It also includes Takamine's highly acclaimed CT4B II preamp system with three-band EQ, volume control and built-in tuner. To enter, be sure you are registered as a member of the Takamine community, and enter your email address at the link. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Open to residents of the United States. Void where prohibited. Good luck to all of you from Takamine and Sean Rowe!

Cedar versus Spruce: What Top is Right for You?

If you're looking for a new acoustic, one of the big choices that drastically affects the tone of the instrument is what kind of top wood is used. While tone is also influenced by the guitar's body size and shape - and the player, and their style of playing - the top wood is what produces most of the guitar's overall volume and translates the flavor of the wood used in the back and sides. While spruce is the traditional choice for many acoustics, Takamine also creates a good number of guitars using red cedar. Cedar is a softer, lighter wood than Sitka spruce, and requires less energy to get moving. This makes it ideal for players who strum lightly, or fingerstyle players looking for an instrument that is less dynamically challenging. It gets louder earlier, and because of that, the impression is that the wood is warmer than Sitka spruce for the player with light to medium touch. It can make a small body guitar sound louder than its size would indicate as well. If you're a player who has a heavier touch, spruce might be a better choice, with cedar seeming to be too compressed and dull for their style. Some of Takamine's coolest cedar-topped models include the following:

- CP400NYK
- EF261S-AN
- G20 SERIES

All About the Takamine Palathetic Pickup

Takamine is perhaps best know as the brand who lets you bring your unplugged acoustic sound to the stage with the superior electronics in our guitars, and a big part of that is the under-saddle Palathetic pickup. Most piezo systems use a strip of six piezo crystals wrapped in foil that sits in the base of the bridge under the saddle. These crystals are typically very small, and are taxed to produce the dynamics of hard strumming. Takamine employs six individual crystals in individual shielding capsules that are typically more than ten times the size of the average pickup system's piezo crystal. The dynamics increase dramatically, allowing the guitarist to strum softly or loudly while still retaining a natural sound, low noise, and full output.

Video: Inside Magome

Watch as Takamine's master luthiers create the latest of our renowned limited-edition guitars, LTD-2017 Magome, while seeing some of the beauty of the area that inspired its creation.

Inside the Takamine G Series

While many Takamine models are handcrafted at our Pro Series facility in Japan, not every musician has the option of owning such a luxurious instrument. That's why Takamine created the G Series, which are quality guitars available at prices that most musicians can afford. Here's a brief rundown of each level of the G Series.

G10: An excellent choice for students and beginning players who still want a good-feeling, reliable instrument. More

G11: The mellow, rootsy sound of a mahogany top at an attractive price point. More

G15: Classic spruce-topped, mahogany-backed guitars in a variety of styles, perfect for that extra acoustic-electric needed for stage or studio. More

G20: The warm and detailed sound of red cedar, now an affordable addition for your guitar arsenal. More

G30: With solid spruce tops, these guitars offer an incredible bargain as serious, great-sounding guitars. More

G50: The classic combination of solid spruce tops and rosewood back/sides make these a strong contender for any player. More

G70: Stylish looks, solid tops, and upgraded electronics are the hallmark of this excellent guitar series. More

G90: When it's time for a serious guitar that's still well within your price range. Solid tops, three-piece back construction, and reliable performance. More

We just added four new G Series guitars to our offerings in this versatile and affordable range of guitars. Check them out!

GD90CE ZC: Dreadnought cutaway with Ziricote back and sides. More

GN90CE ZC: NEX body style cutaway dreadnought with Ziricote back and sides. More

GN77KCE: NEX cutaway with koa back and sides. More

GY11ME: Affordable mahogany goodness. More

Live Takamine Performances at the NAMM Show

Check out some clips of the exhilarating performances from the 2017 NAMM Show at the ESP/Takamine booth.

Jake Allen
Kiernan McMullan
Jason Charles Miller
The Accidentals
Striking Matches