Takamine en10c sell or keep ?are newer acoustics better ?

mark123 · May 2019

As title
have acoustics moved on to be way better than my old japan takamine en10c with cooltube pre amp ?
Or do i sell for around £500 and go for Faith ,yamaha ,sigma ?
or will i not notice much difference?,anyone done it and regretted it or think wow big improvement?

ICBM · May 2019

The CoolTube Takamines are really nice in my experience. I'm not a huge fan of them normally but that particular preamp does sound very good - I have no idea if it's genuinely anything to do with the valve or not, but it is definitely possible.

VimFuego · May 2019

are you happy with the tak?

Personally, though I haven't played a huge number of taks, the ones I have played have been really good guitars and I'd be happy owning one.

Dmlk · May 2019

I have this model and I find it just keeps getting better and better with age... (I have had if for at least 20 years) Mine was with the standard fisherman pickups when I bought it all those moons ago.

When I try other guitars I believe the next step up would be in the 2k/3k bracket which is not worth it for me. But you may find something different to me.

Best thing to do is play some other guitars and see if it sounds and feels better than what you have. I personal think the EN10c is a great guitar sound wise and feel.

Hope this helps

proggy · May 2019

I'm a huge fan of Takamine guitars, personally I wouldn't offload one for a Yamaha or Sigma. I have played a couple of Faith guitars and they are very good but I would still prefer the Takamine, just my opinion of course.

BigLicks67 · May 2019

Is this one with a cedar top? If so, I've played some nice Taks with cedar and I doubt you will find much better in the chinese market. I'm not a big fan of all the electronics, but if you are happy with the guitar, why change.

ToneControl · May 2019

What are Takamines like, I vaguely remember being told they were heavily braced, and not so good acoustically, but more sturdy than most guitars

JCA2550 · May 2019

En10c is a classic.

ICBM · May 2019

ToneControl said:

What are Takamines like, I vaguely remember being told they were heavily braced, and not so good acoustically, but more sturdy than most guitars

I don't think they're particularly heavily braced, but they do have ply back & sides, which makes them less fragile as stage guitars for sure.

The main problem for me is that the older ones have that 'classic' 80s-90s piezo pickup sound when amplified - ie that weird buzzy but somehow rubbery attack, and tinny tone... I've begun to find it grates a lot - even more than it did, now there are better alternatives. The Cool Tube preamp sounds much better to me though - and I admit to being deeply sceptical before I heard one, my first reaction was that it would just be 'valve voodoo'.

axisus · May 2019

I have an N10 (no pickup) that I bought in the 80s. It's a great guitar, I'd never let it go. I do have a Taylor 814CE as well, but sure keeping the Taka.

mark123 · May 2019

wow thanks for all the input,i really thought it would be "miles better acoustics and pre amps now, get it sold"
instead its these are still highly regarded ...

Dmlk · May 2019

They don't make them like they used too.

If I was getting another guitar to my EN10c I would be looking at the Taylor 814CE level of guitar (like Axisus) but that is too expensive for me.

The specs of the EN10C are still good even for today I believe:

EN10C

6 String Acoustic/Electric

Dreadnought

The most popular body shape of the past half century, the Dreadnought delivers a strong low end with plenty of volume.

Specifications

Top	Solid Cedar
Back	Solid Mahogany
Sides	Mahogany
Finger Board	Rosewood
Electronics	CT4B
Finish	Gloss Natural

Good guitar sound better the older they get too.

robwright · May 2019

I've got the non-cutaway version, bought new in 1994 from Cranes in Cardiff (not relevant, but it makes me nostalgic!!). I would never sell it and have played it on countless gigs. The only limitation with mine is the Graph-ex preamp which is a bit 'long in the tooth'. I would say with a Cool Tube, you would find it hard to better the amplified sound for less than £1000.

ICBM · May 2019

robwright said:

I've got the non-cutaway version, bought new in 1994 from Cranes in Cardiff (not relevant, but it makes me nostalgic!!). I would never sell it and have played it on countless gigs. The only limitation with mine is the Graph-ex preamp which is a bit 'long in the tooth'. I would say with a Cool Tube, you would find it hard to better the amplified sound for less than £1000.

Later Takamine preamps - although not the early ones with the brown frames - are interchangeable, so you could upgrade that to the Cool Tube.

polotska · May 2019

I briefly had a recent all-solid EF360S-TT which was perfectly made and sounded superb—but sadly the neck was far too thick for my taste. Aside from that, it was one of the best dreadnoughts I’ve ever played.

mark123 · May 2019

robwright said:

I've got the non-cutaway version, bought new in 1994 from Cranes in Cardiff (not relevant, but it makes me nostalgic!!). I would never sell it and have played it on countless gigs. The only limitation with mine is the Graph-ex preamp which is a bit 'long in the tooth'. I would say with a Cool Tube, you would find it hard to better the amplified sound for less than £1000.

yours must be the ean10 ,the cool tube pre amp would fit (i think) around the £250 mark

Moe_Zambeek · May 2019

polotska said:

I briefly had a recent all-solid EF360S-TT which was perfectly made and sounded superb—but sadly the neck was far too thick for my taste. Aside from that, it was one of the best dreadnoughts I’ve ever played.

I just bought the mahogany version of that, the 340. Great Guitar, monster neck right enough! My G7th trigger capo only just fits!

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Takamine en10c sell or keep ?are newer acoustics better ?

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EN10C

Dreadnought

Specifications