Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar 

Comments about Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

After playing the guitar for about a year, I decided that I wanted to get serious. Getting serious with any musical instrument means shelling out for a nice one that you will actually enjoy playing. So, I went to Guitar center the day after Thanksgiving (they were having a 20% off one item sale) and promised myself that I would play every guitar in the showroom and walk out with my favorite, regardless of cost (ok...like anything below $4000).

I played every guitar in that room, from the cheap Fenders to the stupid-expensive Gibsons and Martins, and this is the guitar I walked out with. Not only was it the first guitar to catch my EYE, it was also the guitar that caught my EARS. The sound is so beautiful and bright and sweet. The case that comes with it is awesome, too, which is an added bonus.

I have had this guitar for 6 years now, and I have NEVER regretted buying it. To this day, I will go to a guitar center and play a few of the high-end guitars and then pick one of these up, and it still sounds better to me than any guitar in the room. I get countless complements on its good looks and sound. I will have this guitar until I die, or until it goes out of use...at which point I will buy another one.

If you like fingerpicking and softer-style strumming, this is the guitar for you. Probably not the best for heavy hitters. I don't play it amped a lot, but when I do it sounds a bit tinny. Probably because I don't know what I'm doing with the amp.

Comments about Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

Great value. Looked long and hard at koa guitars before purchase. Very satisfied. There is a less expensive Tak as well, according to cust support, that one made in china and has lower end G Series equalizer and tuner. That one probably sounds great to

If you buy on line from musicians friend, be sure take advantage of 15% discount frequently offered. To do this, you will have to chat with cust while doing order on line asthe coupon code does not work for all Taks. But they will apply it if you chat with rep after queuing order on line
The Takamine koa acoustic electric is a nice piece. The equalizer/tuning unit is more advanced than my G Series 12 string in that the equalizer is more responsive and true to the highs and lows. It does bring out the low end better than the high
Quality is good. Well constructed. This guitar is made in Japan rather than china, as is all of their pro series. Great sound. This beats my Taylor 610CE significantly in sound. Please note that when this says " all koa", it is figured koa, which means to some "laminate" and not koa.....several discussions with takamine support, and I got an answer I u dyer stood. This all koa. However, unlike the more expensive koa guitars by Tak and Taylor, this is made of sheets of koa wood glued together. The expensive koas start with one piece of koa......bottom line, this gives the sound of koa in a more resilient construction as it is less prone to environmental conditions. This guitar is designed for live performance
Clearly with sound, looks, this is a great value. Especially considering the difference you would pay for non-figured koa. Brute sound, great in live performance

Comments about Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

What I like about this guitar is that the neck is nice and thin. Easy to play. The workmanship on the case could be improved. The onboard tuner works fine
When I received this guitar in the mail the buckle on the case was broken. The guitar looked fine and was easy to play. When I played along side my Taylor I could hear the difference. There was no resonance in the guitar. If you are going to plug in it, I think you will be fine. You get what you pay for and for the price its ok. I returned it because I think there are better sounding Koa guitars out there. This one said made in China on the case. I will keep looking...
For the price the quality is ok
I think its a little pricey for what you get.

Comments about Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

Get one. You'll love it
Great sound even without being plugged in
Beautiful KOA all over Great bookmatch
Envied by all my Hawaiian buddies who don't already have one

Comments about Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

Overall this is a fantastic sounding guitar and a very good case. As for keeping this guitar in proper humidity it is still important even though it has laminated top, sides and back. The braces in the guitar still will require humidity. I repeat my opinion that you will never have to worry about the top cracking due to temperature and humidity. However proper humidity is still important especially in locations with very cold winters.
I upped the rating as this guitar is so beautiful and the sound is very good.
The guitar once again is a 10. The case has a few minor flaws and it is a 9.
I raised the value to a 10 as the laminated koa looks gorgeous and is a frugal way to get the koa look. Sound is surprisingly good and loud enough in the middle and upper register. Bass is adequate in sound. The case is beautiful with a brown leather look with black plush lining. Takamine in gold lettering on the cover is a nice touch. Electronics are very good and the tuner mutes when plugged in to your amp.

Comments about Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

This guitar sounds good unplugged. Plugged in the preamp is a bit bright and the guitar can sound a bit harsh. A tube amp would probably help soften the sound. The koa laminate is simply gorgeous and the guitar is well built. While this guitar will probably never open up and get louder unplugged with age I think this guitar would be a great travel guitar. I think the laminate would handle temperature change very well. You shouldn't have to worry about the wood drying out as much. The top should never crack like a solid top might. My guitar when unpacked had the tuner still on. The Takamine inspector at KMC in California probably forgot to turn it off. I wonder if Takamine would send me free 9-volt battey? As for the action on this guitar, it is set a bit too high on the upper frets. I will take the guitar to a luthier for a set-up.
Laminated KOA top, sides, and back. Preamp has a mutable tuner. Hard case is now the GC500 that includes an attachable shoulder strap. Case is dark brown and has Takamine in gold lettering on the cover.
I dropped the guitar down to a 9 because the case's vinyl covering has a few bubbles. Case quality could be a little bit better. The guitar is a 10. Finish is excellent and the build is perfect.
This guitar is a bit high priced for using laminated wood on all sides. But the guitar is so beautiful it almost makes up for this.

Comments about Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

I purchased this E-Series Takamine because I was impressed by Takamine's acoustic-electric selection. This Koa is NOT a solid top, back or sides. It is "figured" Koa. The overall sound and tone is still very good, but it is not nearly as playable nor does it sound anywhere near as good as my Taylor 315-CE or Martin D-15. The looks are stunning, but again, it's not a Martin or Taylor!

Comments about Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

My first experience with koa came via a 'ukulele; i absolutely love the tone and the sound it produces and knew i wanted to find an all koa guitar to start playing ki ho'alu (slack key) with. After doing a lot of research i decided on the Takamine EF508KC and I absolutely love it! the sound is soft and warm, the action is amazing and it is an absolute joy to play. If you haven't played koa before, be aware that you won't get a booming bass or sharp treble with this wood. But for what i wanted to play on it this guitar is perfect and I can't speak highly enough about it!

Comments about Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

When I picked up the Takamine EF508KC, I knew it was a keeper. My wife said it was the most beautiful guitar she'd ever seen. Myself and many other people agree. The koa has a flamed look in the light- it's brilliant. The rosewood fretboard is dark and feels very nice. Now for the sound quality: I have been working on my 2nd album for over a year. I have recorded with some other Takamine's and also a few Martin's and Taylor's. Finally I got in the studio with this Koa beauty and everything came alive. We mic it up with 2 mics and plug it in direct and blend it all- sounds crisp and clear. There have been MANY compliments on the sound. I also play in a live setting every week and I found out some interesting things when it's plugged direct into a PA. 1st of all, I highly recommend using Elixer stings because plugged direct, if the strings are slightly dead it just doesn't sound that great. The strings it came with died after two weeks. Also, the bottom end and mids are pretty boxy. There IS a fix. Turn the lows and mids all the way down and keep the highs flat and now it sounds terrific. I had one more test before I decided to buy it. I had my friend bring in his $3000 Martin John Mayer Signiture Acoustic and compared them side buy side unplugged and then plugged direct. This was the deal breaker folks; there was no comparison. I was not the only one that realized this. The Takamine Koa is an amazing product for the money. It sounded much more alive and looked a thousand dollars more expensive. I feel so lucky to have stumbled upon it!

Comments about Takamine EF508KC NEX All Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

I play for a living...a good living and I currently own a Taylor, Martin and Breedlove to name a few. I felt it was time to pick up a new guitar so I sat down at the old giant music store and played several new models for about a hour. As I was about to leave, I noticed the EF508 hanging on the wall. (It looks beautiful!) The sells guy takes it off the wall and says..."Try It". After about 45 secounds of playing it I stood up...handed it back to the sells guy and said, "I'll take it!" It sounds great! Looks even better and you can tell that it's built to last. I don't touch my other guitars much anymore. Enough said.