Takamine

120
DECEMBER 2006
TAKAMINE EF340SCO, EF444S-TBS & EF508KC
£749, £799 & £899
ELECTRO-ACOUSTICS
instruments. One minor difference is
that where the EF444S-TBS has a boat-
bow heel, the EF508KC and the
dreadnought’s are both rounded,
presumably to ease cutaway access.
SOUNDS: Despite its completely
different body timbers, the EF508KC
actually sounds very similar to the
EF444S-TBS, and hence is an equally
impressive and likeable acoustic
performer. There’s possibly a shade
more underlying warmth in the mids
and low end, and a sense of slightly
stronger projection, but these are very
subtle differences and you’d need to be
blessed with a keen ear to tell them
apart with certainty in a blind test.
Likewise when the CT4BII is fi red up.
The comparative nuances become even
more fi nely shaded, and it’s more than
likely that you’d fi nd yourself using
near-identical backline and onboard
EQ settings whichever of the two
instruments you were playing. There’s
consistency for you.
Verdict
As far as perceived value is concerned,
the one disadvantage Takamine has with
these debuts is that they might seem
expensive compared to other electros
that offer all-solid construction for less
money. In theory it makes two solid-
toppers and an all-laminate (admittedly
koa) look a tad off the mark.
The reality is that for the important
criteria of build, playing enjoyment and
sound, all three comfortably justify
their respective price points. The
EF340SCO is the least exciting (and
as a dreadnought has the fi ercest
competition) but it ably acquits itself as
a good-quality workaday all-rounder.
The two NEXs are outright delights,
and choosing between them should
simply be a case of whether you prefer
the EF444S-TBS’s vintagey aura or the
fl ash-it-up-a-bit demeanour of the
cutaway EF508KC, because sound-
wise they’re pretty much dead-ringers.
We’d happily own either – in fact,
they’re the nicest couple of Takamines
we’ve tried in a long while.
Takamine EF508KC
RATING
Takamine EF340SCO
RATING
Takamine EF444S-TBS
RATING
TAKAMINE EF508KC
As EF444S-TBS except…
PRICE: £899 (inc case)
TYPE: NEXC-bodied
cutaway electro-acoustic
TOP: Laminated koa
BACK/SIDES: Laminated
koa
TUNERS: Gold diecast
FINGERBOARD: Cream-
bound rosewood,
279mm radius
BRIDGE/SPACING:
Rosewood with bone split
saddles/52.5mm
WEIGHT (kg/lb):
2.27/5.0
OPTIONS: Solid cedar/
mahogany EF508C-VN in
vintage gloss (£999)
LEFT-HANDERS: Not as
EF508KC. Try the cedar/
mahogany Advanced
Natural Series TAN40C-
LH with solid top and
back and CoolTube
preamp at £1,019
FINISH: Gloss natural
EF444S-TBS &
EF508KC
K Yairi FY40SBE
(approx) £975
Washburn Timbercraft
F52SW-CE £599
Yamaha CPX900 £679
K Yairi’s folk-inspired
non-cutaway FY40SBE
is solid spruce/
mahogany and features
the patented direct-
coupled split bridge
design and a T600MkII
preamp. Another
folk-based design,
Washburn’s cutaway
F52SW-CE is all-solid
spruce/mahogany and
carries a B-Band A3.2
system. The solid
spruce/fl ame-maple
CPX900 from Yamaha
features the innovative
three-way ART system
of multilayer contact
transducers. Its three-
band preamp adds
separate gain control for
high- and low-frequency
sensors and includes
a tuner.
The rivals
TAKAMINE EF508KC TEST RESULTS
Build quality
Playability
Sound
Value for money
■ WE LIKED Largely as EF444S-TBS plus
all-koa body’s visual appeal
■ WE DISLIKED Very oblique view of
preamp, but that’s the Takamine way
Snowfl ake inlays and
an abalone rosette
add a touch of ‘bling’
GIT284.rev_takamine 120 7/11/06 13:48:58