git272rev takamine

EG330SC-NSCrafter DE-12 £299Vintage VEC1100N £299Tanglewood TW115-AS-CE £349Crafter’s equivalent differs in its dao back/ sides, abalone tiny dot markers, no scratch-plate and LR Baggs pickup. Vintage offers a solid German spruce top and solid rosewood back/sides and Shadow system. Tanglewood’s most similar model has laminate mahogany back/sides, abalone inlays and B-Band EQ system

The rivals

Takamine EG330SC-NS, EG220SC & G220S-NS £359, £299 & £189Do Takamine’s fi rst Chinese-built G Series models live up to expectations? by Matthew Wig

ith most major guitar manufacturers now using Chinese facilities in order to

remain competitive, Takamine has sensibly followed suit. Production of high-end models will continue in Japan, but G Series acoustics will now be built in China (as well as Korea and Taiwan). Korg UK (Takamine’s UK distributor) endeavours to keep its Takamine range as logical and well-pruned as possible, but there may be some confusion as residual stock of certain discontinued G Series models will still be on sale while lower-priced Chinese-built replacements start appearing, some with the same model codes. But how do these new arrivals shape up?

EG330SCInside, it’s clean and generally shipshape with just the odd patch of hasty woodwork. We fi nd non-scalloped soundboard bracing in a traditional layout, with the main ‘X’ struts being tall and triangular(-ish) in cross-section for lightweight rigidity.

If you scrutinise closely, you’ll spot some scruffy seams, but from inches away it looks fi ne. Solid spruce tops will exhibit a fair bit of cosmetic variation at this level; however, this example is a decent, if slightly streaky, orange-hued slice with straight, tight grain. Its single-band abalone/black/white rosette and black/white perimeter purfl ing are generally clean-cut, but there’s the odd fl aw. Body binding is ivory-white plastic, with matching thin strips running along the back’s central seam and sides’ end-joint.

The neck is typically economic, made up from several mahogany blocks, but it’s basically a three-piece heel/shaft/headstock construction. It’s dovetail jointed into an L-shaped neck block, which helps stabilise the neck’s alignment. The fi ngerboard looks conscientiously well prepared, while the frets are neatly laid and the nut is squarely seated in its fractionally over-wide channel. This thinly veneered rosewood-faced headstock gets a silk-screened spray-on silver logo, and its

generic tuners feel solid enough, but the gears are a bit sticky.

Typically, the bridge is left slightly rougher than the fi ngerboard, but is otherwise tidy. However, the saddle does lean forward in its slightly baggy slot. The all-over satin fi nish looks very even despite the odd pimply patch. It’s applied after the neck is joined, but it’s a fairly thin coating and doesn’t pool in the crevices.

For G Series models, Takamine uses a simpler integrated saddle/pickup (the same as Ovation’s Thinline unit). This Chinese incarnation of the EG330SC carries the new TK-40 preamp (a repackaged version of the TK4NT, now more like the units on the Japanese models), which sports a large, very visible LED window for the tuner’s pitch indicator. Its knobs, sliders and buttons feel a bit fl imsy, but it neatly packs a lot of useful features in.

Takamine necks are narrow but deep, with a fairly straightforward ‘C’ profi le. This one’s shaft depth tapers from just under 23mm (fi rst fret) to just under

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TAKAMINE EG330SC-NSPRICE: £359ORIGIN: ChinaTYPE: Cutaway dreadnought electro-acousticTOP: Solid spruceBACK/SIDES: Rosewood (laminated)MAX RIM DEPTH: 125mmMAX BODY WIDTH: 403mmNECK: MahoganySCALE LENGTH: 643mmTUNERS: Individual die-cast chromeNUT/WIDTH: Synthetic/42.5mmFINGERBOARD: Rosewood, rosewood-bound, with pearloid ‘diminishing’ dot markersFRETS: 20, wideBRIDGE/SPACING: Rosewood with synthetic saddle/54mmELECTRICS: Standard G-Series CP-100 piezo pickup into TK40 preamp, gain, bass, middle, treble, switchable mid contour, EQ bypass, notch fi lter with in/out switch, built-in chromatic tuner with LED display window, low battery LEDWEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.4/5.3OPTIONS: G330S-NS (£245) purely acoustic non-cutaway version; G320SC-NS (£299) with mahogany back/sides, black/white three-band rosette, black binding and TP4 preampLEFT-HANDERS: NoFINISHES: Natural matt-satin body and neck (as reviewed) or gloss body (EG330SC) for the same priceKorg UK 01908 857100www.takamine.co.uk

TAKAMINE EG330SC-NS, EG220SC & G220S-NS £359, £299 & £189

ACOUSTICS/ELECTRO-ACOUSTICS

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JANUARY 2006 129

TAKAMINE EG220SCAs EG330SC except…PRICE: £299TYPE: Cutaway NEX mini-jumbo electro-acousticBACK/SIDES: Mahogany (laminated)MAX RIM DEPTH: 109mmMAX BODY WIDTH: 398mmBRIDGE/SPACING: Rosewood with synthetic saddle/52.5mmELECTRICS: Standard G-Series CP-100 piezo pickup into TP4 preamp, with gain, bass, middle and treble controls plus low battery LEDWEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.2/4.8OPTIONS: See G220S-NS for acoustic version; EG260C (£239), which is the same except for its laminate spruce top and white bindingFINISHES: Natural gloss body and matt-satin neck (as reviewed) or natural matt-satin body and neck (EG220SC-NS) for same price

25mm (10th fret); a bit plumper than the Japanese Takamines. String spacing is a bit cramped. This example’s fi nely fi nished fi ngerboard and frets prove as smooth as they look, and although the fret ends aren’t obsessively manicured there are no snags.

An intelligently set neck angle, as found here on the EG330SC, allows both a manageable action and plenty of height on the saddle. This bodes well for future adjustments and is benefi cial to tone. The fi ngerboard and frets may not be up to Taylor standards of evenness, but you can still appreciate a fair bit of precision for the price.

Sensibly, the saddle is compensated, so intonation is pretty tuneful high up, and it’s both easy and comfortable to play in the cutaway region.

SOUNDS: We hear a really broad tonal spectrum emanating from this dreadnought – from big, warm (if

slightly boingy) bass to surprisingly sweet sparkling treble, but it’s the woody earthiness of the overall sound that really impresses. Slightly scooped in the mid frequencies, it does naturally exhibit notable Takamine traits, and the unwound strings do sound a bit thin and compressed on the high notes, but in the balance it all seems to work. The saving grace is that there’s no scratchy edge to the treble registers, so it all sounds easier on the ear. Loud but not too boomy, clear but not piercing, it’s probably at its best delivering a balanced wash of strummed-up sound, but intricate fi ngerpicking is carried well and lead lines are really snappy.

Through the pickup system we are slightly compromised by a quiet bottom E string, but it’s a decent, full-sounding piezo transducer that does capture the breadth and fl avour of the acoustic tone. However, it is very sensitive to any kind of percussive string plucking.



Top: Takamine’s new Chinese-built EG330SC-NS costs £349

Middle: The Takamine EG220SC mini-jumbo weighs in at £299

TAKAMINE EG330SC-NS TEST RESULTSBuild quality PlayabilitySound Value for money

■ WE LIKED Good solid acoustic tone; impressively equipped preamp

■ WE DISLIKED Pickup system is very sensitive to percussive plucking

TAKAMINE EG220SC TEST RESULTSBuild quality PlayabilitySound Value for money

■ WE LIKED Clean construction and good, ‘future safe’ angle on the neck

■ WE DISLIKED Relatively lightweight acoustic sound

All three guitars share the same headstock design, with chrome tuners

The EG330SC-NS has a feature-packed TK-40 preamp


EG220SCVery similarly constructed to the dreadnought, this cutaway NEX mini-jumbo’s differences are either obvious or can be referenced in the spec check.

The EG220SC offers a three-band black/white soundhole rosette, black body binding with matching heel cap and seam inlays for the back and sides, and an even-coated gloss body.

The TP4 preamp follows the same new look format as the TK-40, but is paired down to the absolute basics.

With matching neck dimensions and the same well-judged neck geometry, the EG220SC is also almost identical to play, but many fi nd this compact NEX body style more ergonomic.

SOUNDS: This guitar’s acoustic tone doesn’t benefi t from direct comparison with the dreadnought. As a smaller bodied guitar it is less boomy, but there’s generally less ‘oomph’, and little else that would sway you. However, if a lighter, smoother, more chirpy tone is what you want, you have this option.

Amplifi ed, typically, the sound is immediately more generic and more similar to the dreadnought’s electro tone, but you can still detect that this guitar sounds inherently thinner and relatively brighter. With only EQ to play with, you’ll be glad the TP4 preamp offers some functional mid-range contouring and treble pruning.

G220S-NSThis is the full body, purely acoustic version of the previous model, with

a natural matt-satin fi nish to deliver the entry-level point for the G Series.

It also highlights how solid spruce tops can vary from model to model – this one is darker due to its denser orange streaks; and this results in an aesthetically pleasing earthiness.

Bar the lack of cutaway, and its non-compensated saddle’s intonation issues, the G220S-NS is much the same to play as the other two. However, this review model features a particularly extreme example of neck pitching, with more than enough ‘spare’ on the saddle – there’s more poking out than there is sitting in the slot. This defi nitely ensures that the strings make a healthy rake angle over it, which improves volume and tone.

SOUNDS: Unlike its cutaway electro incarnation, the purely acoustic G220S-NS bears up better to the same comparison. While, overall, it still sounds pretty light up against the dreadnought, it retains some of the earthy, woody colours in the tone that gave the fi rst guitar its pleasing character. It’s true, however, with both these G Series NEX size models, that their naturally tempered response

leaves you feeling that they are not giving out all that you’re putting in.

VerdictSizing these Takamines up to other credible, great-value brands in the UK’s budget-to-mid-price acoustic market, like Crafter and Tanglewood, it seems that, unsurprisingly, the prices are pitched at a pretty spot-on level for what you’re getting. Thankfully, the switch to Chinese production has certainly not affected the basic build quality, and the cutaway dreadnought had as good an acoustic tone as anything we’d ever heard from a G Series Taka. The NEX models didn’t have the same impact on us, but not everyone likes a big sound, and the G220S-NS should easily make Takamine a reliable fi rst choice for a starter guitar.



130 JANUARY 2006

TAKAMINE G220S-NSAs EG330SC except… PRICE: £189TYPE: NEX mini-jumbo acousticBACK/SIDES: Mahogany (laminated)MAX RIM DEPTH: 109mmMAX BODY WIDTH: 398mmBRIDGE/SPACING: Rosewood with synthetic saddle/52.5mmELECTRICS: NoneWEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.1/4.6OPTIONS: EG220SC-NS (299), which is the natural matt-satin body version of the EG220SCFINISHES: Natural matt-satin body and neck

TANGLEWOOD EG220SCCrafter GAE-12 £299Tanglewood TW170-AS-CE £299Fender JG26SCE £359The GAE-12 differs in laminate dao back/sides, abalone tiny dot markers, no scratchplate, and LR Baggs pick-up. The TW170 has abalone diamond fi ngerboard inlays, and a B-Band EQ. Fender’s JG26SCE has a solid cedar top, nato neck and a Fishman Classic 4

The rivals

Takamine EG220SC RATING

Takamine G220S-NS RATING

G220S-NSCrafter GA-7 £189Tanglewood TW170-AS £199Aria ASP-130 £249The GA-7 differs in its solid cedar top, abalone dot fi ngerboard markers and no scratchplate. The Tanglewood has abalone diamond fi ngerboard inlays and a gloss fi nish. Aria’s Sandpiper differs in its rectangular bridge, offset dot markers and no scratchplate

Takamine EG330SC-NS RATING

TAKAMINE G220S-NS TEST RESULTSBuild quality PlayabilitySound Value for money

■ WE LIKED Great price for a solid top acoustic of this standard

■ WE DISLIKED Again, the acoustic tone lacks energy compared to the dreadnought

All three G Series Takamines feature centre-joined two-piece backs


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