Mr Viral
Back in 1979, Takamine revolutionized the amplification of the acoustic guitar with the introduction of the Palathetic electronics system. Using six separate and individually shielded piezo-electric elements, the pickup and onboard preamp gave acoustic guitarists who needed to plug in greater control of tone, as well as the ability to play at louder volumes with less feedback and improved clarity.
This innovative design, which propelled Takamine onto the international guitar market, has changed little in the last four decades. Each year, the company makes several handcrafted guitar models in very small quantities, and one of the most recent is the FT340 BS, limited to 300 pieces worldwide. I put this handsome dreadnought through its paces and was suitably impressed by its sound and playability.
Striking and Well–BuiltAt first glance, the FT340 BS appeared like a classic and straightforward dreadnought. But when I took the guitar out of the case, I was struck by the beauty of its burled sapele back and sides, with their warm, reddish hue and dark, rippled figuring. As I continued to examine the guitar, I found evidence of quality artisanship throughout—inside the box, there were no glue traces, and all the visible joints were well seated. The fretwork was clean, without any rough edges. The body’s flawless gloss finish reflected pleasantly in the afternoon sun, and the satin natural finish on the back of the neck felt smooth to the touch.
Courtesy of Takamine GuitarsNicely Balanced VoiceTaking out my trusty 1.4mm ToneSlabs pick, I found the acoustic sound of the FT340 BS to be full and balanced without being overpowering. I started off by playing a section of J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G major. The 644mm (25.35-inch) scale length was comfortable even with six-fret stretches, and the nut width of 42.5mm (1.67 inch) gave enough space for my plectrum to perform the task of either a rest stroke or alternate picking.
The sustained arpeggiated passages on the Bach arrangement blended together nicely, as the guitar possessed a pleasant natural reverb and sustain. And the notes projected with precision and balance, even though the FT340 BS isn’t quite a cannon like some of the finest dreads. I found the tone quite easy to control, but I had to maintain a lighter touch with my pick than I normally would.
Next, I improvised some strumming patterns with alternate bass. The individual bass notes rang clear and sat well in the bed of the chord. If I pushed too hard with my picking hand, the sound got slightly muddled, but as long as I kept it gentle, the guitar delivered more than I put into it.
Somewhat surprisingly for a dreadnought, FT340 BS excelled when fingerpicked. I moved from a free improvisation to Peter Gabriel’s 7/4 acoustic prog masterpiece “Salisbury Hill,” and the notes projected with great clarity—I could play extremely lightly, and each note sang. Subtle shifts in volume were easy to achieve, and the lighter touch made more difficult parts easier to play.
I then worked my way through a chord-melody arrangement of “Nuages” by Django Reinhardt. The melody notes sat nicely above the chords when picked with a little emphasis. Additionally, I found the compensated saddle for the first and second strings provided accurate intonation. While this guitar is not built for this style of playing, it responded to dynamic variances when I dug in, as long as I didn’t do so with excessive force.
While teaching recently at the Swannanoa Gathering, a series of summer folk workshops in North Carolina, I had the opportunity to accompany the great Katie Glassman during her faculty concert playing Texas–style fiddle. The next day I was shooting the video for this review so I thought I’d give the FT340 BS a try on this style of chording. Even though the instrument isn’t a powerhouse of acoustic volume, the bass notes and strummed chords were nicely in balance, and the low end provided a full foundation for the chords.
When I later plugged the guitar into my Henriksen Bud amp, I found the onboard CTF-2N FET preamp a delight to use. As one would expect from a Takamine, the sound was transparent and retained a convincing acoustic character. What surprised me was its ability to retain the same character at low and high volumes and anywhere in between. And though I’m not a fan of the appearance of a preamp mounted on a guitar’s bout, I enjoyed the ease of adjusting the subtleties of the frequency with the onboard EQ.
The Bottom LineThe Takamine FT340 BS is a singer-songwriter’s dream, ideal for players who want total control of their onstage amplified sound. It’s a versatile axe for the gigging acoustic guitarist who needs a consistent sound at a variety of volumes in a variety of venues. The guitar doesn’t overpower the voice, has high-quality onboard electronics for the stage, and sounds great on its own. With a street price tag of under two grand, including a quality backpack-style case, it’s smart addition to a performing guitarist’s quiver.
SpecsBODY 14-fret dreadnought; solid Sitka spruce top with Sitka spruce X-bracing; laminated burled sapele back and sides; East Indian rosewood bridge with 53mm (2.09″) string spacing and compensated saddle; tortoise pattern pickguard; gloss polyurethane finish
NECK Mahogany with reinforced dovetail joint; 644mm (25.35″) scale
length; 1-3/4″ bone nut; East Indian rosewood fretboard; 20 medium nickel-silver frets; Gotoh 18:1 tuners; satin polyurethane finish
OTHER D’Addario EXP16 strings (.012–.053); Takamine CTF-2N electronics; gig bag
MADE IN Japan
PRICE $1,799.99 street
takamine.com
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