1994 Takamine G334 Acoustic Guitar

Vintage dreadnought, made in Taiwan, original owner and my main guitar since 1994

 

I wanted to feature the rest of my longtime pieces, before we move on to some new acquisitions and an update on some items that were featured in the past. This one has been my acoustic guitar of choice for over 20 years. Even when this thing was brand new, it sounded sweet enough that friends were asking to use it for demo recordings.

This has since seen countless recording sessions and shows all over the state. I recently took it to Clay at Beach City Pawn and Guitar for some fret work and a set up, and he was very impressed. He even swore up and down that it's a solid-top, even though it doesn't look like it to me and Takamine's website says otherwise.

I purchased this beauty at Guitar Center in Fountain Valley, I believe the day after Christmas, 1994. The sticker price was $699 and they were having a buy one, get one free sale. My good friend and eventual first roommate wanted to buy an acoustic guitar and I didn't have one myself, so we decided to take the plunge after sitting around and playing a bunch of them for a few hours. Over these last few years, I've only picked up a few acoustics that have rivaled this beauty and its still on the wall as one of my go to's...

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.

1986 Takamine EF-341 Acoustic/Electric Guitar

Vintage Japanese build from the pioneers of acoustic/electric preamps

Without a doubt, my favorite brand of acoustic guitar is Takamine. The first guitar that I ever bought brand new was a 1994 G334, which has seen plenty of playing time and is still in the rotation today. Since then, I've seen at least a half dozen other Takamine acoustics pass through my hands and this one is among the best.

I picked this up from Clay at Beach City Pawn and Guitar, he gave me a sweet deal on the price and did a great job setting up the guitar. The action is nice and low and it sounds beautiful as a naked acoustic guitar. I'm not really a fan of acoustic guitars that are plugged in, something just gets lost in the sound for me.

But, I bought this one because it was a great price for a vintage Japanese Takamine and I didn't have an acoustic/electric in my collection, so this will be what I take with me if I ever hit an open mic or something. One thing that strikes me is how thin the neck is. It plays fast to begin with, but when I have it hung up on the wall next to the G334, you can actually see that its smaller from a short distance. This model is still in production as the EF341SC and its a popular one that goes for a pretty penny...

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.

1978 Takamine F-385 12-String Acoustic Guitar

Vintage Japanese Martin copy from the lawsuit era. Some cosmetic defects, but still rock solid

Sticking with the made in Japan theme, this beauty was yet another thrift store find. Its amazing what people will give away. After parting with the 1995 G335 a couple of summers ago, I'd been looking for another Takamine 12-string and was very fortunate to have this one fall in to my lap.

It plays nice and easy, but it definitely needs a setup and some intonation work. I always set up my 12-strings with extra light strings and usually add this in on recordings to accentuate certain sections with arpeggios, just slightly in the mix.

Something occurred to me as I was taking the photos of this guitar; the date is stamped onto one of the braces around the soundhole, just like the old Carlos acoustic guitars featured here. The Carlos models that I've owned had a date stamped there from 1980-85 and the font on the stamp looks identical. The big hole in that theory is the fact that Takamines were made in Japan until at least the mid-80s and Carlos guitars were made in Korea. Of course, some of the early Jasmine models were made in Korea, so maybe it's not a completely crackpot theory.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.

1992 Takamine G330 Acoustic Guitar

Vintage dreadnought, made in Taiwan, a precursor to today's G Series 

SCGM loves Takamine guitars, from the old Japanese Martin copies to today's G Series, the company has always put out quality, affordable products. This one was a craigslist find, it has it's flaws, but they're purely cosmetic. The finish has a milky haze, which I've read is moisture that somehow gets between the wood and the finish. The previous owner couldn't figure out exactly how it happened, but this Takamine 12-string from the same era also had the problem.

Like that 12-string, this guitar also plays and sounds great. I've had a G334 since December 1994 and this one feels nearly identical. The action is nice and low, with no buzz whatsoever. It also has the same die-cast Takamine tuners. We'll leave this one out of the case to see if that haze starts to dissipate after time and will set it up with a new bone saddle sooner than later, to get an even sweeter tone from this beauty.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.