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Takamine are renown for their work in the premium acoustic guitar market, and more often than not stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Gibson, Taylor, and Martin when it comes to some of their higher-end models.
And one guitar that reinforces this reputation is their unique TSF48C Santa Fe NEX electro-acoustic. This beauty promises a professional performance, inspirational design, and innovative electronics that should make the Japanese brand’s competitors a little nervous… Let’s check it out!
Make no mistakes about it – this electro-acoustic is a real masterpiece, in both style and performance.
With Takamine’s NEX body shape, the guitar features a natural gloss-finished solid spruce top with a solid rosewood back and sides, giving the Santa Fe excellent projection and volume. The slick mahogany neck (with a nut width of 1.675″) is joined to the body at the 14th fret with a super-strong dovetail joint, and all 21 frets of the ebony fretboard are easily accessible thanks to the generous single-cutaway on the treble side.
The woods and construction are excellent, but almost take a back seat when compared to the stunning detailing on this guitar. The TSF48C Santa Fe features a southwest Native American theme, which is apparent across the guitar – the eye-catching black crow rosette, and intricate laser-cut American eagle abalone fretboard inlays in particular are superb.
The TSF48C Santa Fe comes fitted with some innovative Takamine hardware, including their celebrated CTP-3 CoolTube system, which is the first – and only – onboard tube preamp for the acoustic guitar.
This is a special piece of equipment, and is excellent at producing a natural sound through an amp – especially when paired with the Palathetic under-saddle pickup. The controls are versatile, including volume, bass, mid, treble, and blend controls, as well as a second-source input, allowing you to get the amplified sound that you want, while there’s also an effective onboard digital chromatic tuner.
Aside from electronics, there’s a rosewood bridge, with a bone split saddle for added tuning stability. At the headstock, you’ll find a bone nut and six gorgeous gold tuners with amber pearl buttons, which are smooth and responsive to use.
Acoustically, the TSF48C Santa Fe’s spruce top and rosewood back complement each other to give big resonance – a very powerful sound with a broad dynamic range. The basses are deep, the mids are rich, and the trebles are clear. The biggest plus is that they lose none of their character when amplified, thanks to the work done by the innovative CTP-3 CoolTube system, while the preamp controls add versatility to your sound.
It’s genuinely hard to fault the TSF48C Santa Fe – it’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for. From the attention-to-detail and craftsmanship on the rosette and fretboard inlays, to the powerful but natural amplification by the unique tube preamp system, this guitar delivers, and offers very good value in the high-end market.
Whether playing for yourself and friends in your living room, or to an audience of 5000 in an auditorium, this Takamine is a versatile performer, and one electro-acoustic you’d be proud to have by your side.
For more info about the Takamine TSF48C Santa Fe NEX, click here.
For more acoustic guitar under $2000 you might like, click here.
Olivier Delahaye says
I’m french and now 65 years old. I have been playing guitar for several decades.As I never wanted to make a star of myself (I mostly play for my own pleasure or small friendly gatherings) I never bought a real good guitar. I decided I should offer myself the guitar of my life. So I went to my favorite music shop and said : “I want a really good guitar”. Of course, they started by putting a Martin D45 in my hands. A jewel. But the price was jewel like just as well. I was not ready to sell my car, my house or my wife to get this guitar. MUUUCH to expensive. So I tried guitars of smaller and smaller price. Other models of Martins, Gibsons, Ovations… Something I wanted to try was a Taylor but they had had problems importing them in the past years so they were’nt selling them any longer. Sometimes I liked the sound, sometimes the ease of playing, or the look. Then the guy asked me if I knew Takamine guitars. I had heard of them. I thought they were made in China. The guy brought then a TSF48C and I laid my hands on it. That was love at first sound. As you said, the basses are deep, the mids are rich and the trebles are clear, all of it in a perfect balance. To top it up, the little card saying : “Passed on the…”(which is the birth certificate of the guitar) said 9 June 2015. It was born the same day as I was. We now live together. I learned so much more with it. At first, I could not believe that was me playing what I heard. I go back to my music shop from times to times and try again some of the other great guitars. What I can tell you for sure is that, to my taste, the differences of sound, playability, look is not worth the huge amount of money asked for some of these beauties.