Takamine GD93CE Acoustic-Electric Guitar - Natural Reviews

First, let me get things started by sending out a big thank you to Gage Massey, my Sales Engineer for the past six years. Gage has been there to help me with all my purchases, answer any questions I have had, and steer me in the right direction to accomplish my goals. It's a shame that all companies don't have customer service this good. Ok, now on to the review.
This is the first guitar I have ever bought at any price point that I didn't have to tweak in one matter or another. The setup was great right out of the box. Action was low, intonation was spot on, and playability was fantastic. Unplugged sounds are terrific. A nice warm sound with plenty of volume. The TK-40D preamp sounds great! Nice range on the EQ, and the notch filter and tuner are a bonus. The fit and finish are flawless. I have had it a little over a month, and seriously, there is nothing on this guitar I would change.
If you are on the fence about buying this one just do it. You won't be disappointed. This is my third Takamine and all of them are great guitars.
Thanks again Gage!

I looked at 4 other name brands of acoustic before I bought the GD93CE dreadnought body Takamine to be a complementary addition to my other acoustic, a PRS SE thinline. The quality of the craftsmanship is excellent. Say what you will about guitars made overseas, but I doubt it could have been made any better anywhere else. It looks great too, a very visually appealing guitar with more "bling" than you'd expect at this price. The sound it produces (non-electrically) is very good. Plenty of crisp brightness. If you want to boom a bit on the lows you can plug it in and set the pre-amp to highlight the lows. I'm not a professional player. If you're a pro who's been playing a number of years maybe you'll notice a difference between this model and the Pro series. But I doubt most others would be able to tell much difference when playing non-electrically. Definitely 5 stars.

I've owned several acoustics in my time, but this may certainly be the highest quality acoustic I've owned for the money. I generally keep my budget around $1k for a guitar, and this one far surpasses the quality for the money. The detail work, the sound quality, the overall look and feel, it's all there. I only wish I would have bought one much sooner.

My first takamine and definitely a keeper upon first strum !
It arrived quickly, set up & ready to play right out of the case. Got it shipped safely inside hard case..had no problems..especially during holiday season.

Customer service is always perfect, Second to none !!

If you're on the fence about getting this guitar, get it !! It's great for the price range and craftsmanship.

I was attracted to this guitar by that gorgeous 3 piece back. When it arrived, the detail, especially the flamed maple binding, was astounding. Then I played it and it has a beautiful resonant sound, that is difficult to express adequately. I bought an SKL case and the fit was perfect. I also had the Sweetwater team do a setup. Brent and the entire team took care of me exceptionally well. Thank you again Sweetwater!!!

I bought this cause we've been playing a lot of outdoor private parties and my Martin OM28 & D35 took a couple hits. Bought this from Sweetwater and played a gig with it 5 hours after it was delivered. I've had and still have a few Takamines and was impressed with the preamps and they real play and sound great. This particular guitar I setup Elixer Polyweb to darken the tone 10s. Yes 10s, I use 13s on my 35 and 12s on the 28 but I read up that 10s are great for tight bass and finger fatigue. I have to admit this guitar sounded better through my Fishman Loudbox than the Martins. For the price you can not beat this guitar for gigging. Highly recommended!!!

Jangly and bright in tone, this dreadnought guitar with a slender neck is both fun to play, and easy on the eyes. Customer service at Sweetwater was, as usual, outstanding!

Excellent instrument for the price range. Excellent playability. Sounds great naturally without going through a system. Beautiful craftsmanship.

Excelente!!!!!!

I have this guitar, and it is built with great care and attention to detail. The slender neck is a joy to hold. This guitar has a voice of its own. great mid range, and a crisp high treble. The bass is lacking a bit, but should open up as the guitar opens up. The craftsmanship is outstanding. The three pc back is beautiful, and the fit and finish is outstanding. Being its a all wood guitar, and at a great price. I bought it, and a case, and it will be my travel guitar, so I wont have to take my Martin D28 D18, nor my Gibson J45 custom when I go to see my kids and grandkids.
Over all, I would recommend this guitar. Most of all I recommend Sweetwater music. They are top notch and will do everything to satisfy their customers.

I got mine at Sweetwater in Ft.Wayne, Ind. I had seen this modle in the Takamine catalog and was shocked at how it looked. I then had a chance to see it and play it for my self. I could not believe that it looked as good in real as it did in the pictures. Their attention to detail is nearly as good as their $3000 one. The electronice are great and the tone and playability is great as well. If you are looking for a show stopper guitar that won't break the bank, this would be one to check out. I am very glad I did.

I played a Takamine EG363SC a few years ago and I loved it. They discontinued it about a year ago. What now do I do? Then this year 2013 I got an e-mail from Takamine about this GD93CE. They answered my prayers! I believe they did it better! I found that Sweetwater was the only ones where I can get it. I talk to Katie Stockman and she came thru for me! I've been playing it for a few months now and I love it better then the other. Not only is it a beautiful guitar. The sound is the greatest and the Pre Amps Takamine TK-40D is one great preamp! I do believe the 3-piece back has a lot to do with it! I trust Sweetwater for there crew and there 55-point checking it over!
I believe you will love this Takamine GD93CE!!!

Binding on the Body, Neck, Head stock and, the three piece Back is also bound as well. Yes, its designed in Japan and assembled in China. I couldn't find these features on an American made guitar unless I was willing dish out over a grand. The guitar sounds and plays very well, and for me, that matters more than where its made. This, is by no means, an entry level guitar. Well worth every Penny.

Great sound and features, love this guitar

This is a good guitar that sounds great. My guitar came with some cosmetic defects due to the fact that it is made by machine and not by hand.

MY GD93CE WAS DELIVERED WHILE I WAS GETTING READY TO REPLACE THE STRINGS I NOTICED A FLAW IN THE CLEAR COAT FINISH OF THE GUITAR. DO GE ME WRONG THE GUITAR PLAYED AND SOUNDED GREAT JUST DIDNT WANT TO KEEP IT WITH THE FLAW IN THE FINISH. I CALLED DYLAN UP AT SWEETWATER AND HAD A HASLE FREE RETURN. DYLAN AND SWEET WATER WERE GREAT. HAD A NEW ONE AT MY HOUSE 3 DAYS LATER. UNFORTUNATELY THE SECOND ONE HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE ONBOARD ELECTRONICS. CALLED DYLAN AGAIN AT SWEET WATER AND HAD A FEDEX RETURN LABEL IN MY EMAIL WITHIN MINUTES. I GUESS I WASN'T MEANT TO HAVE THIS GIUTAR. SWEETWATER WAS WONDERFUL AND GAVE ME NO ISSUE WITH THE RETURN PROCESS. NOW I CALLED DYLAN AND ORDERED A EPIPHONE MASTER BUILT DR500MCE. THE GUITAR HAS ALREADY BEEN DELIVERED TO ME BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN HOME TO OPEN IT. HOPEFULLY IT GOES WELL WITH THIS GUITAR.

Most putrid bridge design causes a muffled string response.
Took mine apart to inspect. Half a dozen shims, and a metal piezo pickup are worthless. Pickup will not even detect low E string.
I put a Baggs pickup in it. WAAY better. I'm replacing the crappy plastic bridge saddle with a bone saddle, removed all the shims and metal parts preventing string resonance and sustain.
It improved sound dramatically, and improved sustain, clarity, harmonics, and tone. GET RID OF THAT BRIDGE! The rest of the axe is fair quality.