Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp  (Used)

Comments about Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp:

In one word - NICE.
This is my second rosewood guitar. My first is an old Fender F65 rosewood with spruce top I bought back in the 70's. The rest of my acoustics are mostly mahogany with spruce tops and some exotics mixed in.

I really like the rosewood and cedar top combination on this guitar. My spruce tops took a year or so before they developed a nice ringing voice. This one is right there out of the box.
The CTP2 is a lot of fun. I really like the added dimension of the tube. I have not added an auxiliary pickup to test the blend feature, but it's a good option to have. I'll test it out down the road sometime. The built in tuner is accurate when compared the Korg tuners I tent to favor.
Flawless finish, beautiful woods, excellent construction. I could not find an issues with the dovetail neck joint fit, or with any other aspect of the construction. Usually I can find where they fit the sound hole rosette sections together or where the binding ends begin and end. Not on this instrument. Very nicely crafted.

As expected, the guitar comes with a middle of the road action setup. A bit high for my taste, but I'll lower it after I break it in for about 6 months.

Intonation is near perfect. I could not detect any deviation with my ear. The on board tuner showed barely noticeable sharpness consistent across all 6 strings on the 12th fret. To me, that's an indication of excellent bridge positioning. I expect the intonation will alter slightly, yet remain consistent when I change string gages and lower the action.

The guitar comes strung with D'Addario EXP lights. They give the guitar a nice warm voice, but they are a bit heavy for me. I'll put some lighter strings on when I adjust the action.

Not much to say about the CTP2 other than it appears to be top quality.

Everything is tight. No buzzing or rattles.
Very good value for the money. I'm a bit of a cheapskate. I love Taylors, but only own a Baby because I'd need to spend over $2500 to get a full size I'd be happy with. I own a Martin DCME that I bought used for about 1/2 retail. I can't bring myself to give the TAN15C a full 10 for value because the guitar isn't cheap. It is definitely worth the money and when considering voice and playability, it compares very well with the higher end Martins and Taylors.

Comments about Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp:

I had owned a previous version of this guitar, the EAN 15C, it was a marvelous instrument, that I let go to a co-worker's son who had totally mad skills, but limited fiancial resources. This edition features the Cool Tube technology the other did not, a major upgrade.
I will compare this guitar to any on the market today for price quality and sonic perfection. I have owned Martin D-45's and HD-28's, Taylor 810, and 814 CE models, and quite simply this guitar compares favorably with all of them in both sound and projection and its setup from the factory is superb.
Everything was just perfection

Comments about Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp:

I bought the guitar sight unseen with never owning an acoustic that I really liked and I have had at least five and still have a few including a semi expensive washburn. I bought the guitar shopping here because I wanted an expensive in hopes that I would find an acoustic that I would love enough to play all the time, and the price was too good to pass up. I have found the tone to be rich, deep and not equal to any other acoustic instrument that I have owned. If I pick up the others they all sound tinny and weak. So I have come to love this guitar and use it to record with, song write and practice with everyday. Now I want a TAN16C12 darn it.....
I like the shape, the depth, the weight, the gold hardware, the on board tuner and the cool tube electronic sounds with the on board equalizer when jacked. However it is the deep full tone of this instrument which sets it apart from others I have played plugged in and it sounds great not amplified.
I have had it for 5 years purchased off of Musicians Friend there has been no maitenance issues, seems very well built to me. I play it everyday and use the elixer strings I purchase in 8 packs right here.
The value was stunning because I bought the TAN15C Takemine off the scratch / used section and it had one minor little knick, and a broken clip that holds the batteries in, doesn't effect the performance of the instrument . I am generally hard on instruments and will have worse wear eventually, but to save a bunch it was not really noticable and well worth it. I scrape for cash and purchase items after looking long and this guitar is now my favorite acoustic period.

Comments about Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp:

In 14 years of playing guitar, I've only come across two guitars that blew my mind. One was a Seagull Artist Series (this was a while ago, but I'm pretty sure), and the other was this Takamine TAN15C. I've recently been looking for anything that could come close as far as playability, unplugged tone, amplified tone, and overall feel. After playing dozens of guitars and using the TAN15C as a reference, nothing could come close in this price range. I tried some very pricey Martins and Taylors, other Takamine models, anything I could get my hands on. My final decision was to buy another TAN15C as a backup guitar for gigs.

Comments about Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp:

I own the EAN15CX, the same guitar with the CT-4BII pre-amp rather than the Cool Tube (I bought it before the Cool Tube came out). I love the bass(thanks to the cedar top)and the action. I tried Taylor and Martin when I bought and found this to be the BEST value by far. It looks great and is a joy to play. You won't go wrong for the money.

Comments about Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp:

Looking to upgrade, I spent several months playing around with 4oo series Taylors and similar price range Martins. While those were good guitars, this Tak caught my attention. It sounds as great and plays as smooth, and you'll save $$$. Check it out... you won't regret it!

Comments about Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp:

I bought this guitar recently and the first thing I noticed was the really great action. Low and comfortable from low to high up on the board unlike some guitars ive played where the action bows . Ive even had a couple Taylors do the "bowing" thing or rather the guitar had an uneven action to it that even a truss rod adjust wouldnt get right. The Tan15C is not one of those ! Perfect playability as I play Al Dimeola style fast picking attack to Vai to Morse to Ole SChool Funk, BLues, Groove, Alt. , Instrumental, Flamenco, BLuegrassy stuff, etc. Ive used it a few times at the store I teach at as well . Getting a ROland Chorus Acoustic amp. Not very big amp but the size of a GK500 from the 80s for those that remember. THe sound with the cool tube is huge , warm and very responsive and puts a smile on my face. Chord Play is warm and mellow to snappy and tight and anything inbetween. What you put in is what you get out. THe tone from this preamp is simply wonderful. The aesthetic of this guitar is nice as well. Indian Rosewood back and sides to the Cedar top and the EBony neck and so on. Great looking great playing piece!

Comments about Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp:

I just got this guitar in the mail and I must say that it has a very robust sound. I am very impressed with it's ability to stay in tune as well as the richness and fullness of the sound. My friend is a professional guitarist says its awesome! I am just learning and I find that the action is not too demanding and makes the learning curve just that much easier. I highly recommend this guitar to anyone.

Comments about Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp:

The cool tube in the preamp just lights up the sound of this guitar. The tone quality is amazing unplugged espcially. BUY THIS GUITAR! Don't fool around with lower level Taylors or Martins because those companies put no money into the lower end guitars. unless you got 3-5 thousand dollars laying around...you need to get a takamine.

Comments about Takamine TAN15C Supernatural Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Cool Tube Preamp:

I've owned a number of guitars from Guilds to Gianninis over the years. While the name Takamine may not inspire awe among guitar afficionados, I loved the playability and sound of my EAN 15C with CT-P1 Cool Tube from the first time I picked it up. (Takamine's website lists the EAN 15C as having a CT-4B, but this isn't the case for mine. I'm not sure if the early Cool Tubes weren't placed in bodies already labeled as EANs, not TANs.) Although Martins, Gibsons, and Taylors may inspire greater envy among name-conscious pickers, I haven't found one that felt or sounded better than my Tak.