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Rating: - Very Satisfied
Although like many of my generation, I had wanted to learn to play guitar as a teenager, but I never realized that dream. Now as an 54 year old, I'm going to give it a try.
So this review will be from the point of view of an inexperinced novice. I was looking for a cheap, um....... inexpensive guitar to learn on, after searching different places for reviews for something that would meet my requirments. I settle upon the Takamine S34C, because of the opinons of many experinced musicans, who said they were impress by the sound and tone of this inexpensive instrument.
Now for my humble review, it seems to have good quailty construction and a nice satin finish. It tunes easily and holds its tune. Intonation seems good. When I'm ready to replace the strings, I'm thinking maybe D'Addario EXP 16 and maybe have the action lowered.
All in all, I'm very happy this guitar and think this not only makes a very good beginner's guitar, but one that might give good use for many years to come.
I ranked it 5-stars for my satisfaction.I don't have any experince to rank it to other $100 guitars, does it garner 5-stars aginst them? I don't know, maybe.

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Rating: - Pleased...At Last
This is my second Tak, and I am pleased to find that, despite the low price, it has that same Takamine quality to it. I have found none of the problems noted in other comments: I like the pick guard, which is clearly depicted in the catalog photo; the action does not seem all that high for an inexpensive guitar; the strings were in good shape; there were no noticeable finish problems. I bought it for knocking around -- beach, pool parties, etc -- not for serious performance work. This would have been a decent buy at $200 (I paid about $200 for my first guitar in 1977!); at $100 it is a very good bargain. The only criticism I have is that it arrived more than 10 days past the estimated delivery date. That's OK. A guitar this good and inexpensive is worth the wait.

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Rating: - Great entry level guitar
I'm learning guitar on my own right now. This was my first guitar that I've bought myself and I have to say that I'm quite satisfied.

The people that have tried out the guitar have all given compliments about how nice it is.

The intonation is nothing to complain about.

One thing that should be noted is that the action is slightly higher than normal and it takes some getting used to; once you get used to it, it's alright.

And one final note, I purchased this guitar directly from the Musician's Friend website where I got free shipping.

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Rating: - Nice for the price but......
I didn't really get any more than I expected from this guitar. First the bad. As others may have stated, the finish is not glossy like the picture and it has a pick guard, also not in the picture, but is OK. I had to change the strings as they were somewhat corroded. There were several minor finish flaws and there is a shadow of some poorly cleaned off glue or something that shows on the spruce top when held up to the light just right. Most people will never see most of these flaws as they are felt more than seen. Would have been nice to have a strap button by the neck. I use a leather thong at the headstock but will install a button on the body soon.
Now the good. The action on this guitar is medium to medium/low. The intonation is great for such a cheap guitar. It stays in tune pretty well. This is a good first guitar and I'm happy with it over all. I've banged into a doorway with it and chipped the paint... off the doorway. The guitar was fine.
I got Jasmine for a play anywhere anytime guitar and it's been great for that. My baby grabs and smacks it around and the semigloss finish hides his handprints. I don't really care. Someday it'll be his.

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Rating: - This guitar DOES have a BIG SOUND for a small price
I was thrilled when my guitar arrived and even more so after I tuned it and began to play.

My guitar is absolutely beautiful. The finish is flawless. And it's got that new guitar smell...ahhhhhh.

It does have a pick guard (that is not shown in the photo on any website or in any catalog) which pleases me. It would be a shame to scratch the surface while strumming with a heavier pick. I read one review on a music vendor's website where the reviewer complained about Takamine and Jasmine printed all over the pick guard. And they were right about that...but I found it very easy to remove all these words by simply peeling off this protective sticker. Dah.

The strings are a little heavier than I like but I'll be changing them in a few weeks anyway.

The sound and craftsmanship is anything but what you would expect from such an affordable guitar and everything you'd expect to pay more for. It has a rich, full bodied sound.

I am now a diehard Takamine fan.

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