Build and features

Takamine has a great track record as far as electro-acoustic guitars are concerned. They are extremely gig-friendly, well-built, comfortable to play and produce the kind of focused sound that PA engineers love. So it should come as no surprise that we get the same qualities in this tasty-looking bass version.

The unadorned rosewood fingerboard and bridge give this a very clean look that is brought to life by the abalone rosette and multiline beading. Essentially a classic looking instrument with cutaway provided for higher fret access and (thankfully!) it comes with two strap buttons.

It is also available in a flame finish at the slightly higher cost of £475. The EG512C is loaded with a TK-40B preamp that is more comprehensive than most. The threeband EQ has the benefit of a rotary mid-shift control and there’s also a bass boost provided to aid that focused sound principle.

Along with the volume control comes an EQ bypass that is very useful to kill any of those nasty runaway feedback problems instantaneously, giving you time to adjust the settings. There’s also an onboard tuner and a battery check switch, as well as easy access to the power pack itself.

Next: Takamine EG512C sounds, pros and cons