My Takamine sucks worse than a cheap pawn shop dread.

[andare]

Last week I jammed with a friend. He owns a no name, cheap dreadnought he bought in a pawn shop for about $25. He had to reglue the bridge, change the pins and do other minor adjustments. Basically a genuine POS.

Well, it blows my Takamine EG332C (solid cedar top cutaway) out of the water, especially in how much bass it has. Notes feel like they're springing from the guitar.
My Takamine, on the other hand, sounds totally dead. The notes are nice but there's no projection, no bass, no sustain, even with new strings.
I adjusted the truss rod, the string action, cleaned the fretboard, bought different string gauges, the works, yet every other guitar I've tried was easier to play.
It's my first and only acoustic, a high school graduation present from my parents that I personally picked out of many instruments back when I knew nothing over 20 years ago.

Just bummed out.
I'm now looking for a parlor and ready to pull the trigger on an old, cheap Framus. Can't suck worse than my Takamine.

Has anyone had similar experiences?

[HHP]

Is your friend, generally, a better player than you? Did you let him/her play your Takamine? Did you play the $25 guitar?

[andare]

Of course I played the guitar. He played mine too. It's not a matter of skills, the difference was audible to both.

[HHP]

Originally Posted by andare

Of course I played the guitar. He played mine too. It's not a matter of skills, the difference was audible to both.

Look on the bright side, if $25 guitars sound that good to you , you will be saving a lot of money in the future.

[Sage97]

Originally Posted by andare

Of course I played the guitar. He played mine too. It's not a matter of skills, the difference was audible to both.

Offer to buy your friends guitar for $100.

[TBone-Idle]

Originally Posted by andare

I adjusted the truss rod, the string action, cleaned the fretboard, bought different string gauges, the works, yet every other guitar I've tried was easier to play.

First of all, welcome to the forum.

Of course, you might well have bought a duffer, and the G Series is Takamine's bargain basement range after all, but do you really know what you're doing when playing with truss rods and adjusting actions? The fact that you feel that cleaning the fretboard would make a difference to the sound would suggest not.
I would be inclined to take it in for a professional set up before doing anything else.

[JakeStone]

Some guitars don't "get better with age" ...

Plus you mentioned it was not easy to play.

Life it too short to be playing a dull sounding guitar.

Maybe it is time to find " the one " for you.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by andare

My Takamine, on the other hand, sounds totally dead. The notes are nice but there's no projection, no bass, no sustain, even with new strings.
I adjusted the truss rod, the string action, cleaned the fretboard, bought different string gauges, the works, yet every other guitar I've tried was easier to play.
It's my first and only acoustic, a high school graduation present from my parents that I personally picked out of many instruments back when I knew nothing over 20 years ago.

Just bummed out.

Why? It's twenty years old - hardly a recent purchasing mistake, is it? And it sounds as though you've almost literally hated the instrument for some time with all these experiments to improve its sound. In your shoes, I'd be rubbing my hands at the exciting prospect of trading in the Tak for a new guitar - one that may well be considerably cheaper!

[martingitdave]

Guitars are funny things. They don't always sound like you'd expect. If you're unsatisfied with the bass response of your Tak, I wouldn't necessarily go looking for a parlor sized guitar. Consider shopping around for a good "all arounder." Your buddy has proven you don't have to spend a lot. You can save the Tak for stage use.


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[Montesdad]

Originally Posted by andare

Has anyone had similar experiences?

No -

Sounds to me like you need to have a good pro set up your guitar for your style of play. Subtle changes can make substantial differences.

In addition, I'd shy away from a cedar topped guitar if you want to go toe to toe with a stika or adi topped guitar for projection. Your friends pawn shop guitar may have been a real beast in its past life - sounds like it may still be. Might take him with you next time you go shopping.

[GHS]

I would look a little deeper into what the problem may be. Strings do make a difference. Try a different brand and see. I dont remember if that model has a two piece saddle but have the action set up. That and new/different strings may help. It has for me in the past.

[andare]

Originally Posted by TBone-Idle

First of all, welcome to the forum.

Of course, you might well have bought a duffer, and the G Series is Takamine's bargain basement range after all, but do you really know what you're doing when playing with truss rods and adjusting actions? The fact that you feel that cleaning the fretboard would make a difference to the sound would suggest not.
I would be inclined to take it in for a professional set up before doing anything else.

I know all about guitar setup, I have all the necessary tools and I know cleaning the fretboard doesn't improve the playability. It might have a wider/fatter neck than other guitars and it just doesn't work well with my hand.

Anyway it's electroacoustic so it's a good stage guitar.

[andare]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Guitars are funny things. They don't always sound like you'd expect. If you're unsatisfied with the bass response of your Tak, I wouldn't necessarily go looking for a parlor sized guitar. Consider shopping around for a good "all arounder." Your buddy has proven you don't have to spend a lot. You can save the Tak for stage use.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Actually I'm not looking to replace the dreadnought, I want a parlor exactly because of its midrangy sound and more comfortable body.
The Tak is a fine stage guitar with the pickup. Just not a good acoustic.

[Bill Yellow]

I think quality at the entry level has improved greatly in 20 years. Listen and play as wide a selection as you can!

[ukejon]

Some Taks from that era feel overbuilt and overbraced, and it can be hard to make them sing. Go find something that fits your ear better.