Takamine

May 2009 Guitarist 105
NYLON-STRING ELECTRO ROUND–UP £440-£1,058
ELECTRO-ACOUSTICS
We like: The battery free
p/u; individual sound quality
We dislike: Nothing
Guitarist says: Forget the
label – this is a quality
instrument
We like: Feel; playability
We dislike: Thin tone; lack of
body in the treble; expensive
Guitarist says: Nice playing
instrument, not the best for
authentic plugged in sound
The Bottom Line The Bottom Line
With its solid cocobolo (South
American mahogany-type)
back and sides, the Solea is a
very striking g uitar. A single
light wood carriage line
outlines the back of the
instrument, while the two
book-matched sections are
separated by a wider piece of
light wood. Binding around the
body of the Solea is also in wood
and the single carriage line is
repeated on the solid red cedar
top with its unique ‘V’ pattern
marquetry rosette. The
classically shaped Honduran
cedar neck is set on a scooped
neck block and comes with a
carved cocobolo heel plate and
carries a 19-fret ebony
fingerboard. To the head is a
bone nut, while to the side of the
fingerboard is a very useful
white position dot marker by
the 7th fret. A carved ebony
facing adorns the headstock,
which is fitted with high
quality three-on-a-strip black
tuners with ebonite buttons.
The bridge is once again made
of ebony with a bone saddle.
Sounds
Not only is the Solea visually
unique, there is also a distinct
uniqueness to its sound. Very
bright and lively, it has the clear,
The solid cedar table of the
TC132SC carries a rich, warm,
golden hue and triple cream
carriage lines to the binding.
The soundhole rosette is finely
detailed with a mix of
marquetry and transfer. The
solid rosewood rims are
figured with the same classy
cream double carriage lining to
both the top and bottom, while
the equally sumptuous book-
matched solid rosewood back
is outlined by more double
carriage lines, which are again
repeated in duet down the
central spine.
With a modern half moon
rosewood-faced heel, the solid
cedar neck and its truss rod
carries a rosewood ’board with
19 medium frets, while the
rosewood-faced headstock
with ‘T’ script carries three-
on-a-strip brass tuners with
plastic buttons. The bone nut
matches the bone saddle set on
a matt rosewood bridge.
Electrics are Takamine’s
Palathetic pickup and the new
CTP-2 Cool Tube preamp
system, which includes a
useful green ‘operating’ light,
an onboard chromatic tuner
and an auxiliary jack and
volume knob for controlling an
add-on pickup.
clinical characteristics of the
Hauser-style while at the same
time displaying some of the
warmth and richness of the
Spanish instruments. There is
a creamy depth to the Solea’s
voice, which is very appealing,
and it displays excellent
separation and articulation
with harmonics popping out
with ease.
Although the Solea carries
no onboard sound
modification, and therefore no
unsightly control panel, it does
benefit from the remarkable
‘plug in and power’, battery
free, MiSi Trio system with its
preamp located within the
body of the instrument just
behind the end jack. This,
along with an LR Baggs
undersaddle pickup, gives a
natural and unadulterated
amplification of the Solea’s
admirable acoustic qualities.
Sounds
The TC132SC has a very open
sound, but this comes with a
thin toned treble – although
there is plenty of warmth and
depth in the lower register. Like
many Japanese-made classical
instruments it has a liquid-y,
almost syrupy voice allied to
a strikingly bright timbre.
Equipped with the very latest
CTP-2, the TC132SC comes
alive when it is plugged in. It’s
a very well-spec’d preamp but
the onboard valve technology
seems to add more weight and
depth to the tone at the
expense, however, of
reproducing the natural
acoustic sound. You may like
that addition; this reviewer
finds it intrusive. But such is the
diversity of amplified sound
that we must stress how
important it is to get out and try
these guitars plugged in.
Orpheus Valley Solea £950 Takamine TC132SC £980
GIT315.rev_roundup 105 24/3/09 2:59:28 pm