TAKAMINE & CRN-TS1

TAKAMINE TC135SC & CRN-TS1
100
GUITARIST JUNE 2022
PROS A charming crossover nylon-
string with a good range of sounds
and excellent live potential
CONS Traditionalists may prefer the
wider fretboard and 12th-fret join
PROS A well-priced Japanese
stage-ready acoustic guitar with
great build quality
CONS If you like a lot of boom in
the bass, then look elsewhere
TAKAMINE TC135SC
PRICE: £1,700 (inc case)
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Cutaway hybrid
crossover classical
TOP: Spruce
BACK/SIDES: Rosewood
MAX RIM DEPTH: 103mm
MAX BODY WIDTH: 376mm
NECK: Mahogany
SCALE LENGTH: 650mm
TUNERS: 3-a-side classical style
NUT/WIDTH: 47.6mm
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood
FRETS: 24 on treble side, 22 on bass
BRIDGE/SPACING:
Rosewood/59mm
ELECTRICS: CoolTube CTP-3
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 1.97/4.36
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: Crossover nylon-
string guitars are less available, but
Takamine has a few alternatives
in its range, including the thinline
TSP148NC NS (£988) – see website
for details
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISH: Gloss
TAKAMINE CRN-TS1
PRICE: £1,499 (inc case)
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Slope-shouldered dreadnought
TOP: Thermally treated spruce
BACK/SIDES: Sapele
MAX RIM DEPTH: 125mm
MAX BODY WIDTH: 460mm
NECK: Mahogany
SCALE LENGTH: 632mm
TUNERS: 3-a-side classical style
NUT WIDTH: 42.5mm
FINGERBOARD: Ovangkol
FRETS: 20
BRIDGE/SPACING: 54mm
ELECTRICS: Takamine CT-4BII
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.09/4.62
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: For thermally
treated tops Takamine’s EF360SC-TT
(£1,544) and EF400SC-TT (£1,497)
are both cutaway dreads. There are
other dreadnoughts available across
various ranges – see website for more
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISH: Gloss
7. With 60 years of
experience making
acoustic instruments,
Takamine’s build quality
is faultless
body woods begin to sing in unison when
the guitar is played on a regular basis. A
well-travelled acoustic guitar generally
has a different tale to tell than one that’s
fresh from the luthier’s bench. Having said
that, it recorded well, delivering the goods
without any hassle at all.
Verdict
Two very different guitars from Takamine.
The nylon-string TC135SC charmed us with
its gentle voice and ease of playing and the
preamp, with its all-encompassing range
of controls, would engender confidence in
any live situation. The CRN-TS1 was also a
good playing experience, despite that slight
dip in bass response, which, it has to be said,
was adequately compensated for by the
CoolTube pickup system when recording.
With 60 years of experience building
acoustic guitars, Takamine is to be
congratulated for a catalogue of
instruments that fits into practically any
playing situation you could choose to
dream up. If your ambitions include a
little laid-back bossa, then the TC135SC
should definitely be on your list of guitars
to audition. If a slope-shouldered dread
is your ideal stage companion, you should
seek out a CRN-TS1, too. We don’t think
you’ll be disappointed.
8 8
The CRN-TS1’s 12th-fret body join
hits the eye – a once-familiar
attribute in acoustic days of yore
7
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT485.rev_takamine.indd 100GIT485.rev_takamine.indd 100 12/04/2022 16:1112/04/2022 16:11