Jasmine by Takamine S33 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar (with Case)
This low-priced dreadnought acoustic guitar is perfect for beginners, though guitar veterans will be amazed at the quality craftsmanship.
Overall User Ratings (based on 36 ratings)
Submitted March 30, 2013 by Guitar Blocks
"I love this guitar!"
I bought this guitar specifically to review it
(not here, but on my website www.guitarblocks.com)
AESTHETICS (appearance):
I fell in love with this guitar the moment it came out of the box. The lacewood back and sides are amazing! The binding (which adorns the fretboard also) is beautiful and really sets up the contrast between the dark back/sides and the blonde spruce top. The neck is also a very nice looking wood, maybe mahogany? The fretboard is rosewood, which is of course another plus! To top it all off, the finish is deep and glossy showing off every detail of the wood grain. The spruce top is a book matched style with a good solid feel. This guitar is much prettier than anything else I've seen in this price range.
PLAYABILITY:
The neck is fast for an acoustic, it has a comfortable shape. Not too thick or thin, but just right. The jumbo frets are nicely polished and it has dot inlays in the neck binding for easy placement. The body is tapered so its thinner towards the neck making it easier to hold and play. The action is fairly low for an acoustic. It begs to be played. I can't stop playing this thing. I haven't touched any of my electric guitars since I got it. The sound is rich and full with clear ringing tones from every string. It can be soft and sweet for classical or folk, or loud and "plunky" for blues and rock! I found that even harmonics and artificial (pinch) harmonics were possible in many places.
BREAK IN:
It did require a "break in" period of about 5 hrs (spread out over 2 days) during which it caused me hand cramps and sore fingers lol. I mean it was like playing a 2x4 with great tone! But I anticipated that a break in period would be necessary, so I held my ground and wrestled this guitar into submission. Now it's like butter in my hands and is uniquely formed to my style. It feels so natural and comfortable that I don't think I will ever be able to part with it.
VALUE:
Awesome deal! Great guitar for the price and it comes with a decent case that has string pads to hold the position of the guitar in the case. This seems to be about a $60 case. I honestly think this is by far the best acoustic guitar you buy in this price range. That's why I bought it to see if it was a quality instrument and then do a review. You can bet it's getting a good review from me. I fall more in love with this guitar every day. It feels very similar to a Honer Acoustic that I used to own and love.
THE BAD:
Rosetta is a decal, but it is under the finish so it looks alright.
Sealed tuners are nice, but slightly crooked in clock position.
Some glue residue on the bridge joint
Cheap gold painted name on headstock (not under finish so I will probably remove it and leave the headstock blank)
The book matched top changes shades in certain lighting which sometimes makes it look like two different woods, but in most lighting situations it just looks gorgeous.
Other than that it's a great guitar. It's got quality where it counts.
Sorry for the long-winded review (can you tell I'm obsessed with this guitar?)
All I can say is if you're looking for something that's a cut above at a bargain price, you've found it!
Musical Background:
20 year guitar player
Musical Style:
All Genres
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Submitted October 23, 2007 by a customer from hotmail.com
Jasmine by Takamine S33 Customer Review
I expect to be upgrading within a couple of years, and will probably get another Takamine.
Sound
Sound is mostly good, esp when the OE strings were changed. Some buzzing, but that's probably my lack of skill!
Features
Came with a hardshell case, stand, tuner, picks (special package at the shop). The rosette is a decal; no biggie for me, but it shows its price point.
Ease of Use
Fairly easy for me toget good sound, but I have limited experience on other models. As I get better, the guitar sounds better. Gee, how did that happen?
Quality
No problems so far!
Value
Great bang for your buck!
Manufacturer Support
Not applicable
Musical Background:
Still learning.
Musical Style:
Rock
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Submitted January 4, 2010 by a customer from aol.com
"Its worth a look."
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I intend to replace it. In fact I am awaiting delivery on a Fender Sonoran SCE "SURF" and a Fender Acoustasonic amp. (DSP 30). Again, the S33 is exactly what you get, a nice beginner's guitar or something to sit around the campfire with. That's about it. If you intend to take it gigging you need to step up to something a little more reliable.
Not long after I bought it and decided I liked the guitar I started searching for my next guitar. If it was stolen I would buy something a little more advanced.
I wish i had known that I would soon want to play through an amp and at more advanced level and there are no electronics.
Sound
I like the way it looks, that's part of why I bought it. The sound is pretty much what you would expect for a guitar of this price. However, I am a beginner (
Features
I like the tuner keys, although the low E tends to "detune" quickly. That could just be my fingers. The fret board is nice, and the strings on mine are mostly original and have held up. They are placed well in relation to the frets. I treat it rough and it has a few dings but that is my fault. The finish is tough and well done. The body seems a bit "weak" NOTE ! There is only one strap knob, on the bottom ! So I thought I'd put another one on so I could stand and play and it pulled right out. Again, not really the guitar's fault but the factory should have done it for me.
Ease of Use
This guitar is very simple, so it's easy to use. If you can tune it, you can play it. I think as my first real guitar it was a good value and would recommend it for a beginner.
Quality
No good for road use, I don't think its tough enough to take a real beating. Since I don't gig I don't need a backup but if I did gig I would definately step up. This guitar is what it is. Decent overall.
Value
I think in terms of value it is about where it should be. Its not a steal, but its not a rip off either.
Manufacturer Support
Never dealt with Takamine.
The Wow Factor
Again, it has a nice traditional look and feel about it. It is big and feels natural in my hands.
Musical Background:
Novice-Hobbyist
Musical Style:
The Fray, Coldplay, Social Distortion, Classic acoustic rock, and alternative
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Submitted February 9, 2010 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Great guitar even for a step above beginner. or even a advanced player because the better you are the better you'll hear the gui"
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
I've owned this product now since late 2008 and I wouldn't mind getting a new one but Im still just as happy now with it. Mind its my first guitar I ever bought and plan on keeping it for as long as I can. I like the characteristics of use it gets from being played.
Sound
Its the first guitar I ever bought so at first the sound wasn't a big issue with me but as I began progressing and finding out little things about it Ive noticed a few things: 1) Its great for chords like full sounding chords so in this sense it would be perfect for just playing for a small crowd lets say house party/ campfire etc.
2) It has a very full bass sound meaning the Thick E string gives a powerful sound that I can sometimes feel reverberate through my chest as Im holding it, this is great for deep sounding blues as well as open G tuning which is my favorite on this guitar, standard is just as good just a little more difficult to find the right chords. Much of the sound however can be adjusted with different style strings so this is up to you as to what spectrum of sound you want, have it be deep/bassy or high/kinda tinny, personally I found almost any medium string works best for my style of music.
Features
I bought my second hand so as to original features Im not sure, I do know that case that comes with it is a huge plus for me. Its a hard case with a soft guitar friendly material lining the inside, as well as two smaller compartments seen in most hard cases such at the flip open compartment located about midway up the next which is great for tuners extra strings harmonicas etc. The other one is mainly for the top of the next where the key are located but is still manageable as a secondary compartment. I estimate the case to worth on its own 50-70$. It also comes with secure 3 maybe 4 secure locks all of which has the option to lock with a set of keys provided with guitar.
Ease of Use
As I said earlier this was my first guitar it is also the first guitar I played that begin said I found it very manageable, The top of the neck has a slightly thinner width then the other end like most acoustics but what i found with this style is that it seemed to resemble a electric guitar for the width the depth is thicker obviously but because of this it makes it very god to grip and slide up or down the frets are spaced accordingly. the only problem I had was the the E string would sometimes buzz most of the issue was do to me but even now and then I can still hear it it can be fixed and avoided but I forget often. over all though great guitar for beginner to use until the next level.
Quality
The quality is good the wood I found has some very intricate details and patterns, if you look closely. The main body of the guitar I found to be a little bit weaker then other guitars Ive held, that being said though I have carried it from the top of the neck a couple times (dont do this) and luckily avoided buying a new guitar. I found the next to be flexible enough to use a semi-whammy (be careful doing this) and the best thing I have seen from this guitar so far is that I left it out in ym barn since thats where I played from july to early december so the weather gave it the ultimate test and for some reason i think it sounds even better with no cracks dings splits anything Id actually give it a 8.5/10
Value
great price for what you get specially thats its half off!!
Manufacturer Support
I had no issues to all for support with this product it has been satisfactory on all levels.
The Wow Factor
It all depends when i walked into the store I strung the strings open on mostly all the guitars in my price range and this one sounded like what i wanted to hear. Its all depends on the person
Musical Background:
daily hobbyist
Musical Style:
Blues/alternative/classical/blues rock
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