NOGD

[bil]

I just picked up an old Takamine 12 String. It’s in decent condition, but has a repaired crack along the body next to the fretboard. Doesn’t seem to affect it. The bridge is solidly in place with no lifting evident. Good string height and intonation. It holds tune and plays easily.

Appears to be solid rosewood body, solid spruce of some type top, and mahogany neck.

The guy I got it from says it’s a 1977 model and inside is stamped 451S.

I got this guitar for a very (I think) reasonable price.

Can’t seem to find anything about it, is this familiar to any of y’all?

BTW, pics as soon as I’ve cleaned and re-stringed it.

[NotALuth]

Model: F451S

According to the very limited information on Takamine’s website it has solid spruce top, jacaranda back & sides, rosewood fingerboard.

Pre-1980 there does appear to be little in the way of information or catalogs for Takamine available. From my understanding you should be able to confirm year of manufacture from the serial number.

Hope that helps,
Clive.

[Wade Hampton]

bil, while the rosewood used for Takamine guitars made in the 1970's (and beyond) was good quality, it was not solid rosewood, but a high quality, well-matched laminate. Takamine finally made some all-solid wood guitars maybe ten or twelve years ago, but even those were rare and represented a very small percentage of their output.

Guitars built with solid tops, with good quality laminated backs and sides and fitted with excellent electronics have been a longtime trademark of Takamine guitars.

I'm glad you got a good deal on a nice used one.


Wade Hampton Miller

[bil]

Thanks y'all. I researched it a little further and found out mostly the same. My mom had a huge jacaranda tree in her yard in St Petersburg, Florida. Although there is a lot of debate about whether or not it is a rosewood, at least botanically, it is not. Upon further inspection this morning, it is most definitely a laminate. So not the score I was hoping for but still a very playable old 12 string. I just strung it up with Elixir lights and it does boom!

The intonation is spot on at the 12th fret and there is no neck buzz, bridge lifting, or belly bowing one might expect from a 42 year old guitar. It doesn't appear to have been played much, but not real well taken care of. It is cosmetically pretty beat up but that's mostly superficial. The only major issue is the crack I described earlier. That has been repaired, although amateurishly IMO, but it plays smooth all the way up and the crack doesn't seem to affecting anything about it. I'll just call that stuff mojo and move on.

I traded it straight for an old off brand Telecaster copy that I haven't used in years, so win all around.

Pics on the way.

[bil]

IMG_1575721028.071877.jpgIMG_1575721049.669157.jpg

[zombywoof]

I know nothing about Tak 12 strings. I would have the guitar looked at by a good repair guy though just for peace of mind. That crack you described running along the fingerboard could have been caused by the neck block shifting. Not saying it is just that the crack can be a symptom. I would at least keep an eye on it to make sure it does not spread down to the soundhole.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by bil

....Pics on the way.

Wow, pretty with all that abalone! I had a Tak GJ72CE-12 that was pretty darn good for the <$700 price tag. It inspired me to get a Guild 12-string.

[ziapack]

Very nice guitar indeed bil, my sister has a very similar looking Tak from that era without the abalone highlights, back looks identical. I asked her about it after seeing this thread this morning. Model number on hers is a F400S, she bought it new in 1981. Hers is in pretty pristine condition, very little wear, no cracks, gets very little play time, I probably played it last a few years ago when visiting her, she said that was the last time it got a string change. I've tried to talk her out of it a few times but she won't let it go, I do get to play it from time to time and am always impressed by it.

[rstaight]

Nice, I have 2 Takamines, a GD93 and GJ72CE 12 string. Couldn't be happier with them.

I would take some measurements of the crack and monitor it. But if you keep an eye on the humidity it may be fine.

[wooglins]

Gorgeous guitar! Congrats!