B R I N G I T T O L I F E Owners Manual www.takamine.co.
THE ART OF INNOVATION The Takamine story started four decades ago in the town of Sakashita, Japan, with a small group of luthiers crafting modest numbers of high quality acoustic guitars following established designs and using traditional methods. Forty years on, and Takamine guitars are cherished by thousands of players the world over and championed by some of the most talented and celebrated musicians on the planet.
B R I N G I T T O L I F E 1962 A small family business located at the base of Takamine mountain, starts making fine, handcrafted acoustic guitars. 1968 Mr Mass Hirade joins the company heading up design and production, and shortly thereafter, introduces the first Takamine world-class ‘Classical’ guitar. 1975 The company begins overseas trading as a result of Takamine’s rapidly growing reputation.
B R I N G I T T O L I F E www.takamine.co.uk THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING TAKAMINE This instrument combines materials with state-of-the-art technology to bring to the musician an unrivalled blend of innovation and craftsmanship. Please take the time to read through this manual to familiarise yourself with your new instrument. CARE OF YOUR INSTRUMENT Your guitar is finely made from select tonewoods and finished with a thin lacquer, allowing it to resonate freely when played.
B R I N G I T T O L I F E STRINGS & ACTION ADJUSTMENTS All guitars are shipped from the factory with light/medium (.012" -.054") gauge strings on steel string guitars and normal tension nylon strings on classics. ‘Action’ is used to describe the ease of playing and the resistance felt when fretting the strings. Generally the higher off the fingerboard the strings are the higher the action setting is.
B R I N G I T T O The truss rod adjusting nut Clockwise (green arrow) rotation corrects forward bow. Anti-clockwise (yellow arrow) rotation for correcting back bow. Note: 5mm Allen key required for adjustment (not supplied) IMPORTANT Never make forced adjustments especially if the nut will not easily rotate. It is possible to over adjust the truss rod and cause irrepairable damage to your guitar.
B R I N G I T T O L I F E CT4-B PRE-AMP Your guitar may be fitted with any of the following pre-amps. Please refer to the separate pre-amp information for operation and specifications. CT-4B pre-amp features ■ The CT4B pre-amp is designed for ease of use and purity of tone. The CT4B consists of 3 bands of graphic EQ tone control, a volume control slider and a built-in chromatic tuner. ■ The 3 band EQ provides control over the bass (LOW), midrange (MID) and treble (HIGH) frequency response.
B R I N G I T T O www.takamine.co.uk L I F E The CTP-1 ‘Cool Tube’ pre-amp gets its name from Takamine’s unique and new technology that runs the Tube at very low voltages, therefore the tube does not glow or produce high levels of heat. The tube actually runs at only two or three degrees above ambient, so there is no concern over the delicate tone woods being affected by radiant heat.
B R I N G I T T O L I F E www.takamine.co.uk TAKAMINE TK-40 AND TP-4 Our Takamine G Series electro-acoustic guitars come equipped with either the TK-40 or TP-4 pre-amps, each of which has been designed to provide exceptional naturalness of amplified tone and maximum ease of use. Both pre-amps feature gain, bass, mid and treble controls plus a low battery indicator, while the TK-40 offers players the added benefits of a highly accurate built-in tuner, EQ bypass, notch filter and a mid contour switch.
B R I N G I T T O L I F E www.takamine.co.uk TRI-AX We developed the Takamine TRI-AX with acoustic amplification specialists Lloyd Baggs to produce a truly great sounding soundhole-mounted unit and one that complements the CTP-1 Cool Tube pre-amp perfectly. It’s ability to produce breathtakingly realistic acoustic tones is largely down to the unique Tri-Axial Dynamic body sensor, which not only captures the information generated by string vibration, but also the complex vibration of the guitar’s top.
B R I N G I T T O L I F E www.takamine.co.uk FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q. What strings do Takamine use? A. Takamine use their own brand strings and D’Addario EXP strings. The gauge for steel strings is .012" to .054". Nylon strings are normal tension. Q. I think the neck might need adjustment, should I adjust the truss rod myself? A. You probably can if you are careful. A quarter of a turn may be all that is needed.
B R I N G I T T O www.takamine.co.uk L I F E SERVICING YOUR TAKAMINE LUTHIER’S CHECKLIST Please make sure you keep your purchase receipt. In the U.K your guarantee is for one year from the date of purchase. This covers you against faulty workmanship and materials but not normal wear and tear or misuse. Should your Takamine guitar develop a problem and require attention and is still under guarantee you should contact your authorised retailer who will be able to help.
