Takamine's reputation is founded on designing stage-ready acoustic guitars, and now the Japanese company wants to bring new players into the fold with the GL series; short-scale instruments with preamps and a tempting £299 price point.
The launch lineup comprises of four guitars, two with the NEX parlor shape and two and dreadnoughts, offered in okoume or spruce top options, all with okoume backs and sides with Takemine's TP-3G electronics.
This offers a three-band EQ and chromatic tuner. With the 24.8-inch scale length for easier playability on young hands, these could ideal starter electro-acoustics. Or handy travel / house guitars for others too.
Further up the Takamine line is two new dreadnought cutaway additions to the G Series with the GD34CE BLK (£619) and 12-string GD38CE BLK (£659). Both feature a black gloss finish and take inspiration from the higher end EF models.
Both are solid spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides with the new Takamine TP-3G featuring a new FET circuit preamp. Alongside a slider control EQ, there's a notch filter and chromatic tuner.
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Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.
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