[pauliejay]

Takamine EG523SC12 12-string
Acoustic/Electric Guitar

[Schneibster]

How much did you purchase this item for? $650 US (lists for about $950)

Where did you purchase this item? Guitar Center, Kirkland, Washington, USA

Is this item new or used? New

Features: 12-string acoustic-electric
* proprietary Takamine piezo-electric pickup system, supposedly including six piezos embedded in the bridge
* white flame maple sides and back
* spruce top
* white maple neck
* Rosewood fretboard and bridge
* Mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays and sound-hole decoration; fretboard inlays are two-tone
* "tortoise shell" nitrocellulose "flame-shaped" pickguard
* TK-40 electronics package, including:
- 3-band EQ
- Notch filter (for feedback prevention)
- Volume knob
- "Mid contour" control (haven't quite figured out how to characterize it yet)
- Tuner (accuracy confirmed against a high-accuracy reference)
* Takamine proprietary tuning machines
* TS output jack in tail strap button
* High-fret cutaway below neck

Construction:
* headstock is glued (and presumably pinned) onto the neck, the headstock segment is attached to the neck at the 2nd fret, and the grain runs right along it, with the cut at the top of the neck parallel to the bottom of the headstock- providing it is pinned and the glue job is high-quality, this is probably actually stronger than traditional single-piece necks
* Split saddle, with one for the EADG strings and their octaves and the other for the B and E couplets
* Jumbo body
* Truss rod adjustment inside soundhole at butt of neck
* V-brace top braces, straight braces across the back
* 2-piece back
* 2-piece sides (joints at neck butt and tail)
* Tailpiece holds string balls at tail end of bridge, no string pegs- the strings go through the tailpiece/bridge rather than inside of the body, and emerge from a scalloped cut with the vertical flat of the scallop toward the tail
* Plastic nut and bridge saddles
* Fretboard is fully bound, and side-dotted
* Not provided with a second strap button
* Frets are medium-sized, hard nickel-silver, properly set, properly crowned, properly beveled- polish job is not perfect, but this is easily addressed at the first string change with minimal effort
* Tail strap-button jack has three miniature screws holding it in rather than more traditional nuts inside the body
* Electronics package occupies the top curve, only an inch or two out from the neck butt joint- this is actually easier than earlier placement in the waist, since placing one's arm over the waist does not interfere with the package- the picture on the web site shows it on the waist, this may have been a prototype or earlier version
* Wires properly secured with a tie-wrap anchor plate on the inside of the top curve under the top end of the waist (this, as I disovered while installing a piezo in another guitar, is essential to prevent the wires from creating unpleasant noises when they flop around)
* Front and back joints to sides properly reinforced with continuous split strip joint reinforcements
* Fit and finish is superb, everything one would expect from Tak and a pleasant surprise on such a low-cost model; the inlays, flame-maple sides, and straight grain on the top, as well as the top and bottom and fretboard bindings mark this as a quality instrument, it's not a $159 beach-beater; you won't be embarrassed to bring it on stage

Sound:
Acoustic: Good to excellent. This is not a $3000 Martin, but it sounds considerably better acoustically than the Fender and Yamaha offerings in this price range. I don't think I'd mike this guitar, but if you're just practicing, or acoustic-jamming without amps, it will hold its own. The jumbo shape emphasizes the top end somewhat above the waist, and the bottom end in its wide bottom below the waist. There are no buzzes or other undesirable resonances audible when playing acoustically, and the definition of the string sounds is clear and sharp. Played acoustically, this guitar rewards the choice of bright strings, as it does played electrically.
Electric: Solidly excellent. This guitar came equipped with an extra light D'Addario set, .010 Es and .008 octave G. I broke the octave G in four days, launched the crappy D'Addarios (sorry guys, I hate D'Addario steel strings, never liked the tone and they break like crazy) and put a set of GHS Phosphor Bronze Lights (.011 Es, .009 octave G) on it. The axe totally woke up with these strings on it.

I am still cycling through string sets seeing if there is anything better, but so far not. I have a set of GHS White Bronze Lights on order, and I am told by someone I trust that these are the only strings likely to sound better. I'm currently running a set of Martin Phosphor Bronze Lights. These strings take a while to "settle in," but even after playing them for two weeks I am still not satisfied with the top end; their one advantage is that they don't break as easily, but this is easily obviated by obtaining some plain .009s for spares- by the time I've broken the octave G twice, it's about time to replace standard phosphor bronze strings anyway. The Martins sound "muffled" to me, a little muddy in the bottom end and not quite crisp and sharp at the top end; the shimmering highs that GHS strings generally get are a firm part of my style, and I'm not willing to give it up. So far the Martins are the only string set that has come anywhere near what I hear from the GHS Phosphor Bronze Lights. I did pretty much the same thing with my two electrics (a Lyle 1962 335 copy with a fully hollow body (no log) and a knock-off neck, and an Ibanez Roadstar II black strat copy), and I settled on GHS Boomer Extra-lights, and have never looked back.

This guitar, like many acoustic/electrics, strongly rewards the use of a light chorus with very slow cycling, and a plate reverb. Played through an amplifier with these two effects, and a good set of strings, the axe sounds like a choir of angels. This is very much a guitar that is built to be played through an amplifier, and as I said above I see no point whatsoever in miking it. As with most electric/acoustics, the use of a tube amp provides superior warmth and gives tonal qualities that are peculiarly suited to reproduction of the sounds an acoustic/electric makes.

Ease of Use: This guitar was the easiest playing 12-string in the store, including Taks, Martins, and Deans in the $2000-$3000 price range. I was and continue to be amazed at how easy it is to play compared with other twelvers. I barely noticed the difference between 10s and 11s on it. Within a week, I was confidently playing barre chords with no buzzing at all. This guitar rewards the use of string and neck lubricant; I use Finger-Ease and have used it extensively on polished-wood, tung oiled, varnished, lacquered, and nitro-lacquered axes with never a finish problem. It has the added advantage of reducing "squeak" when changing chords. It conditions my calluses perfectly, preventing them from flaking off or ripping, while leaving them hard enough to protect my finger pads.

The controls on the electronics package are conveniently placed and intuitively configured, with three sliders for the EQ and a large, bright display for the tuner. The battery can be a little difficult to replace; the contacts are two springs, which sometimes get a little tangled in the larger battery terminal. Care is required to avoid stretching the spring. The tuner has an auto-off feature, and tends to turn off about halfway through a tuning check (just when I start on the G pair); an extension of this time, or an off-switch, would be an improvement in usability I would suggest to Tak.

I am not a fan of tying the strap to the headstock. IMO, it places stress on the entire neck that is undesirable, and I have observed that it can affect the intonations, presumably by bending the neck slightly. My first move, therefore, was to drill the back of the neck butt where it sticks out from the body for a strap button. This operation went flawlessly, and I encountered no unexpected obstacles inside the butt. This makes the axe just a bit head-heavy, because of the doubled weight of the tuning machines on the headstock; however, once one is used to it, it's not a problem. Just be careful if you set it up this way for the first couple of weeks so you don't whack the head on something when it unexpectedly tips on you. Obviously, if you disagree with me about tying the strap to the headstock, or you choose to put a strap button on the headstock, you won't encounter this problem.

The rather unique bridge/tailpiece arrangement makes string changing on this axe much more like what one expects of an electric rather than the tedious pin removal, with the possibility of damaging or breaking the pins, that is de rigeur on most acoustics. The one gotcha is that you have to bend the tips of the strings into a gentle upward curve so that they emerge upward from the scallop rather than catching on the grain inside of it.

The tuning machines are beyond reproach; I haven't checked their pitch, but they are buttery-smooth in operation. I have rarely overshot when tuning (I always tune up to the note, since in my experience it prevents extra tension from building up on the head stock behind the nut, only to slip the first time you bend a note and detune the string). I have not noted any friction in the nut, the few times I have broken this rule (by tuning down) on a plain string (I never break it with a wound string). The axe stays in tune for about two songs played hard; it will stay in tune for a set if gently handled. Of course, a quick tuning check is a breeze with the tuner right there on the axe.

The placement of the truss rod adjustment inside the sound hole obviates the removal of a cover plate, making truss adjustment a breeze. I was done in two minutes, compared with up to half an hour on some axes I have adjusted.

The tail strap button placement of the output jack is convenient and avoids searches with the cable end in odd places on the lower curve, which inevitably wind up in finish scratches surrounding the jack.

Reliability: So far not one problem (knock knock). I have carefully observed the top to ensure that it is not deforming under the stress of the strings, and see nothing that concerns me. The frets are not wearing at an alarming rate, and the electronics package performs flawlessly. I got the "low battery" light at the beginning of a 4-hour jam session and didn't have to replace the battery until I got home. A single 9V battery lasts about a month, and I play four hours a day every day of my life and more on weekends. I would recommend because of the bridge design that the old strings be removed slowly, particularly the wound strings, to avoid wear on the tailpiece. Martin guitar polish and Finger-Ease leave the axe looking like a million bucks and playing like a dream.

Note that while I was evaluating this model at the store, I encountered a problem which caused the electronics package to fail about every five minutes, even with a new battery. This problem was not fixed by swapping the electronics package with the identical package from another axe, and was therefore a short in either the pickups, their wiring, or the jack wiring or jack. I have not seen any sign of this problem with mine, which I had to go into the city to pick up will-call since the one I was playing at the local store was the only one they had in stock there. But I would not recommend buying this guitar on-line unless the retailer has a good replacement policy; simply swapping the electronics package will not fix it, they will have to send it to the factory for repair or replace it. Do be sure to play the axe for a good half hour through an amplifier before you put your simoleans down on the counter.

I have changed strings four times on this axe, and the tuning machines show no signs of the slightest change in their butter-smooth action.

Overall: An incredible value. Buy one of these, particularly if you're an electric player and you've always wanted to play a 12-string. This is the one you wanted, easy to play, sweet sounding, and with looks your buds will envy.

I still cannot believe I didn't pay $1200 for this axe. At $950 it's a pretty good deal; at the $650 I payed, one of the best deals I have ever gotten. Easy-playing, nice-looking, sweet-sounding, an ideal entree for the electric guitarist to the world of 12-strings. You'll find yourself looking at that old beater 6-string acoustic with new eyes, as well, once your hands strengthen up. And after you've exercised on this baby for a couple weeks, you'll find yourself doing things that used to take some effort on the old electric without thinking about it or even noticing anything but that it sure does seem a lot easier somehow; maybe even putting .010s on it instead of those .009s you've been playing all these years. I would buy this axe again at list price if that's what they had to charge (I believe in grinding, some people don't like to dicker, but I like to negotiate though not to extremes- I could probably have got it under $625, but I got a really nice jumbo case for waaaaay cheap and a free strap, and both I and the salesman were happy with the results- I felt I got the killer deal, and he felt I hadn't ground him into the dust).

Tak has taken a number of steps in the design of this axe to keep costs down without compromising quality: laser-cutting the inlays, putting the truss adjustment inside the sound hole so no cover plate is needed, using a two-piece neck, splitting the back, using a three-screw plate for the tail button/jack rather than the one with a nut inside the body, and designing the bridge without pins. But they didn't skimp on frets, or a pick guard, or on the playability or build quality, or put cheap electronics in it either. This is to my mind a nearly ideal compromise among sound, playability, and cost, in the 12-string market.

Experience Level: Two months.

I'll probably post an update at around six months and update it every so often thereafter.

[Schneibster]

6 month (more or less) update: The White Bronze turned out to be the best. The Phosphor Bronze strings are kind of twangy in the bass notes, as I'm sure most of you have noticed- this goes away with the White Bronze strings, yet the sweetness of the top end that you get from GHS strings isn't compromised. I've been playing heck out of this axe nearly every day for months on end, and I have yet to find a flaw. I recently bought a Behringer V-Amp Pro, and the tube preamp setting works wonderfully with this axe. I'd still buy it again for half again as much.