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  #1  
Old 08-19-2014, 09:59 AM
$ongWriter $ongWriter is offline
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Default Takamine plugged in sound

I've done a few songwriter gigs in and around Nashville over the years. And, every time I play with someone with a Takamine I love the way it sounds plugged in. Plus, they have the built in tuner and pre-amp so they only have to bring the guitar. A lot can be said for that when you're in a hurry to get plugged in between rounds and get a soundcheck that consist of "turn it up and play..can you hear it..ok let's go we're behind schedule" So, what do you like about the Takamine plugged in tone and what don't you like about it. I read an article once about it that basically said Takamine does not have the "best" plugged in sound..but it's what many people "expect" an acoustic that is amplified to sound like..and that's why people like it...
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Old 08-19-2014, 10:04 AM
HHP HHP is offline
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There was a time when it was about as good as you could get, but many of the newer technologies would seem to have eclipsed them.
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Old 08-19-2014, 12:41 PM
MikeBmusic MikeBmusic is offline
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A lot depends on what price range you are looking at, too. Certainly the built-in tuner/preamp is not ususual these days.

A friend with a Tak that was in the $1-1.2K price range plugs into a Fishman SA220 for his solo gigs and has learned how to adjust the sound to be good (to his ears). Acoustically, I think it isn't very good at all (maybe thicker gauge strings would help). When we played a gig with a house PA, it was recorded with separate tracks on a digital recorder from each PA channel, so what was recorded was exactly what went into the DI box. When he heard the recording, he didn't think it sounded like his guitar!
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Old 08-19-2014, 02:47 PM
RustyAxe RustyAxe is offline
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Tak's "palathetic pickup" and their Cool Tube preamp are a great combination. Tak got it right very early on ... the other popular contender at the time was Ovation. If I have to describe it, I'd say the tone is balanced from string to string, due to the unusual design of the pickup. Their preamps have always been good, even on my old Tak.

-- I have a Tak EF-349 from 1984 (all laminated mahogany, nothin' special) that sounded great on stage until the preamp finally bit the dust recently.
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Old 08-19-2014, 03:30 PM
Ruppster Ruppster is offline
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The comment that other technologies have caught up to Takamine is correct. I have two Takamines I gig with as well as the other guitars you see on my signature line. The Martin OMCPA1+ can rival the Takamine, perhaps sounding even more organic. The problem is it takes time to punch through the buttons and is best when you have a good bit of time before a gig to dial in what you want. It is not a guitar for adjusting on the fly. That said, it is such an interesting guitar and it is a Martin...

When I play with my Takamine it takes less than a minute to find a sound I'm happy with; that includes solo gigs, duos, and full fledged bands. It's very well made, though it does seem to lack that "X" factor of some of my other guitars.

Bottom line, at least to me, it's a GREAT working musician's guitar, it's just not the one I pull off the wall when I'm at home.
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Old 08-19-2014, 09:15 PM
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My Tak Kenny Chesney Signature is my main workhorse and it sounds awesome live thru my Fishman...so I'm a fan of the upper end Tak electronics such as the CT4BII and Cool Tube stuff...here's a quick lil' sample: http://youtu.be/YcFA4kKf5QE?list=UUu...kmAGQIcpgsx45w

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Old 08-19-2014, 09:30 PM
RGtheMusicGuy RGtheMusicGuy is offline
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In my experience running sound the common (low to mid range) Takamines that are around seem to have a high mid bump that can sound a bit honky. I know well enough to compensate, but there are plenty of sound guys out there that are pretty clueless.
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Old 08-20-2014, 08:36 AM
RustyAxe RustyAxe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RGtheMusicGuy View Post
In my experience running sound the common (low to mid range) Takamines that are around seem to have a high mid bump that can sound a bit honky. I know well enough to compensate, but there are plenty of sound guys out there that are pretty clueless.
Every acoustic six-string I've ever played has a midrange bump. I'm not sure if it's the guitar, or the fact that human hearing has a heightened sensitivity to those midrange freqs. In any case, it's standard for me to set or ask for a cut in midrange EQ.
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Old 08-20-2014, 01:23 PM
lmacmil lmacmil is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by $ongWriter View Post
I read an article once about it that basically said Takamine does not have the "best" plugged in sound..but it's what many people "expect" an acoustic that is amplified to sound like..and that's why people like it...
And that's why most casual listeners (e.g., the open mic non-playing audience) don't mind the sound of a UST-equipped guitar. It's the guitar sound they are familiar with whenever they've heard live music. Plus they're listening to the song, not the guitar tone.
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Old 08-20-2014, 01:39 PM
Random1643 Random1643 is offline
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I'll PM you. Got an idea.
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Old 08-20-2014, 03:07 PM
Petty1818 Petty1818 is offline
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The "Palathetic" pickup system still offers exceptional plugged in tone. I still don't think that there is a better plug and play pickup out there. It's true that other companies have created pickups that rival what Takamine has but Takamine is the most consistent sounding system out there. Also, I have been to a few shows where the artists used Takamine guitars (The Eagles, Great Big Sea) and I have been blown away by how natural these pickups are.

With that said, people often overlook the fact that the lower priced Takamine guitars (G series I believe), which many artists use at open mic shows, use a different pickup. I believe it's just a simple UST.
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Old 08-20-2014, 05:32 PM
krisls krisls is offline
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As a long time Tak player I always find these discussions.. interesting.

Fore several years I used a Tak G series guitar live. Nice build, decent pu and pre but yes, plenty of other guitars and PU's could match it. About a year ago I upgraded to a Pro series w' cooltube.

Now I may not be totally sold on the cooltube perse but overall the guitar and electrics do it for me very well. Now here in Sydney where I am, Matons are probably the major player and they are great live guitars. But I prefer my Tak. There are maybe a dozen other brands I've looked at, listened to, even liked.. but for me I still prefer my Tak.

Pure acoustic sound tone whatever? Possibly not depending on the various prejudices present, but for live playing with actual people making some background noise they are hard to beat.

Kris
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