Takamine EG341SC Acoustic Electric Guitar

MSRP: $699

Real price: $499

The Takamine EG341SC features a dreadnaught cutaway body with a solid spruce top. The cutaway gives easy access to the higher notes, and the solid spruce top provides a bright tone with extra volume. The backs and sides of the EG341SC are made of resonance-enhancing mahogany, which is known for its midrange character and meaty overtones that are ideal for most acoustic guitar players. The neck on the Takamine EG341SC is phenomenally smooth, sleek, and extremely easy to navigate. If nothing else, the way the neck feels is worth the price twice over. The tuners are gold with pearloid tuning knobs, but not really impressive. The finish is a black gloss, and the inlays and rosette are both abalone for added elegance. Like all G-series guitar, this one is designed with high-quality construction at a price many non-professionals can afford.

Plug that sucker in!

The Takamine EG341SC is awesome when plugged in. Great for both recording and live gigs, this guitar does a good job avoiding feedback caused by being too near to the speakers. Electronics include Takamine’s under saddle pickup and the TP4T preamp designed specifically for G-series guitars. This preamp includes a three-band equalizer with easily adjusted sliders for highs, mids, and lows; a dial for the gain (volume of the preamp); and a built-in chromatic tuner. After ninety seconds, the tuner automatically turns itself off to ensure better battery life. The TP4T preamp runs on a single nine-volt battery, and there’s a low battery indicator light that will let you know when it’s time for a new one. The pre-amp will automatically turn on when an instrument cable is plugged into the jack, and then it turns itself off automatically when the cable is removed.

The dirty

There are things I actually don’t like about this guitar. First of all, it doesn’t come with a case, not even a soft gig bag. You can purchase a Takamine case for it (GC1128G), but it will run you an extra $80. The tuning mechanism is gold and “pearloid,” which really just means that the knobs are plastic-y and cheap. They mostly work fine, but they do seem to snag a little bit sometimes.

Overall, I only have very minor complaints about this guitar. When paired with a good pair of D’Addario EXPs and a decent amp, the Takamine EG341SC surpasses expectations and its low price tag.