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  #1  
Old 01-30-2020, 05:41 PM
GregiK GregiK is offline
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Question 500€ Fender or Takamine

Hello,
until now I borrowed a guitar to play and I am finally going to buy my first guitar.
I would have two guitars in mind.

The Fender PM-3 Triple-O and the Takamine GF30CE.

Both are about the same price range and I am struggling to choose between those two. I don't really care for the electronic part of the Takamine because I am manly playing for fun and wouldn't need the guitar to be amplified.

Are there any opinions on these guitars? Which one would you recomend?
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Old 01-30-2020, 05:59 PM
rstaight rstaight is offline
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I own 2 Takamine's so I may be a little biased.
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Old 01-30-2020, 06:51 PM
L20A L20A is offline
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I will be the first to comment that there are a lot of other choices.
If your only choice is between these two, get the Takamine.
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Old 01-30-2020, 09:44 PM
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As others have said, you should expand your options if you could (Yamaha, Seagull, Eastman, Ibanez...). However, if your choice is truly between those two, I'd go with the Fender because it is all solid wood, it comes with a hardshell case, and (frankly) it looks nicer. The down side is that Fender has long struggled to prove itself in the acoustic arena and I did play one used PM-3 that was a bit underwhelming; however, I've also tried low-end Taks that left me cold. Try to play both before you buy.
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Old 01-30-2020, 10:09 PM
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DenverSteve DenverSteve is offline
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It's great you've narrowed it down to 2. Your call. No one here can advise you on two guitars they haven't played. I had the Fender, but I've no idea on the Takamine.
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Old 01-30-2020, 10:17 PM
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TBman TBman is offline
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Bring someone with you, who is an experienced player, to test out guitars with you. I'm assuming that you just started playing. If not ignore my advice

The big problem with starting out with guitars is that you don't know anything. You don't know about nut widths, neck profiles, setups, body size and style and wood combos. What sounds good to your ear, could cause problems as far as learning, if the guitar isn't a good fit for you ergonomically. Some guitars don't come setup and ready to play for most people. A "setup" needs to be done that sets the strings at a comfortable height from the fretboard and there's a few things that have to be done to do this.

Sometimes though you can find a guitar that needs almost no adjustment. An experienced player can help you find one. I suggest going in with a low ball budget, get something playable that won't kill your ears and play the heck out of it. The trick to this is that you have to ignore the name on the headstock.

In a year or two you will have enough feel for playing to be able to pick out a guitar that is better if you want.
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Old 01-31-2020, 04:08 AM
GregiK GregiK is offline
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Thanks for the detailed replies.
Of course there are more options than those two and I also looked at others but I had to narrow it down in some way.
Right now I am playing a Seagull Model 6 and it's a bit clumpy for my taste.

I am looking for a OOO/OM because I often play fingerstyle prefer the gentle sound in comparison to a Dreadnought and I really like the sound of mahogany. A cutout is a must for me because I want to reach those high notes.
So these are the reasons I broke it down to those two guitars, but if there are other guitar that satisfies my conditions I am happy for suggestions.

The best way to make a choice would be to play those two, but sadly there is only one music store in my area which doesn't offer them. Therefore, I can only order one, but of course with the option to return it in case I don't like it.
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Old 01-31-2020, 05:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GregiK View Post
Thanks for the detailed replies.
I am looking for a OOO/OM because I often play fingerstyle prefer the gentle sound in comparison to a Dreadnought and I really like the sound of mahogany. A cutout is a must for me because I want to reach those high notes.
So these are the reasons I broke it down to those two guitars, but if there are other guitar that satisfies my conditions I am happy for suggestions.

The best way to make a choice would be to play those two, but sadly there is only one music store in my area which doesn't offer them. Therefore, I can only order one, but of course with the option to return it in case I don't like it.
I know what you mean - I live in rural NC where the closest decent guitar store is an hour's drive away.

Since you're leaning towards mahogany, you might be interested in the all-mahogany PM-3: https://shop.fender.com/en-US/acoust...970331322.html
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Old 01-31-2020, 06:00 AM
EllenGtrGrl EllenGtrGrl is offline
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Try out both of them (or if possible branch out to other guitar brands, and try them too). I've played both Fenders and Takamines, that sounded "meh" to say the least. By the same token, I have played examples of Fenders and Takamines, that while they didn't sound as good to me as my Taylor, Breedlove, or Martin, still sounded pretty good. At the price level you're looking at, IMO there's a lot of sound variation in what Fender and Takamine offer, hence the need to play them before shelling out the money.
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  #10  
Old 06-25-2020, 08:27 PM
drvenom drvenom is offline
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Default Better Options Out There

At your price point there are better options than Takamine. I'd stay away from their G-series. I got one of their nicer solid top and solid back guitars (EGSF 15 SC) and it sounds ok, but there was not a lot of detail put into the construction of the inside of the instrument. I don't know how much of that might contribute to the sound though. Some of the finish behind the head stock is pealing too. Keep in mind that I take care of this guitar and it never leaves my house. I posted a pic so you can see what I'm talking about. I have a Yamaha that was more affordable and it detail they put into its construction is just far beyond the Takamine.


Picture
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Old 06-25-2020, 08:34 PM
BluesBelly BluesBelly is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GregiK View Post
Thanks for the detailed replies.
Of course there are more options than those two and I also looked at others but I had to narrow it down in some way.
Right now I am playing a Seagull Model 6 and it's a bit clumpy for my taste.

I am looking for a OOO/OM because I often play fingerstyle prefer the gentle sound in comparison to a Dreadnought and I really like the sound of mahogany. A cutout is a must for me because I want to reach those high notes.
So these are the reasons I broke it down to those two guitars, but if there are other guitar that satisfies my conditions I am happy for suggestions.

The best way to make a choice would be to play those two, but sadly there is only one music store in my area which doesn't offer them. Therefore, I can only order one, but of course with the option to return it in case I don't like it.
I was in your shoes preferring the gentle sound Of mahogany, and playing fingerstyle, I’d be all over a Larrivee OM 40M.

I’ve got Martins, Gibson, and Takamine, but I play at least one of my three Larrivee guitars daily. You can’t beat a Larrivee mahogany guitar

Blues
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