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BRING IT TO LIFE
Owners Manual
www.takamine.co.uk
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THE ART OF INNOVATION The Takamine story started four decades ago in the town BRING IT TO LIFE 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. CONTENTS And in this time we’ve introduced technological inn
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BRING IT TO LIFE 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. 1978 Takamine introduces its eagerly anticipated acoustic-electric guitars featuring the stunning new
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BRING IT TO LIFE 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. With careful use, your instrum
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BRING IT TO LIFE www.takamine.co.uk When changing strings, do not wind on too many turns, 3 or 4 STRINGS & ACTION ADJUSTMENTS is usually sufficient with wound strings and 4 to 5 turns on plain. All guitars are shipped from the factory with light/medium Too many string windings can cause tuning stability problems. (.012" -.054") gauge strings on steel string guitars and normal If you are changing to a different gauge of string it may be tension nylon strings on classics. necessary to adjust
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BRING IT TO LIFE www.takamine.co.uk The truss rod adjusting nut TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Clockwise (green arrow) rotation corrects forward bow. PROBLEM LOOK AT Anti-clockwise (yellow arrow) rotation for correcting back bow. Resonant buzz on Action/Truss rod setting Note: 5mm Allen key required for adjustment (not supplied) certain notes (adjustments required) IMPORTANT Never make forced adjustments especially if the nut Strings (buckled or poor quality) will not easily rotate. It is possible to o
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BRING IT TO LIFE 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 n 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. n The 3 band EQ provides control over the bass (LOW), midrange (MID) and treble (HIGH) frequency response. With the sli
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BRING IT TO LIFE www.takamine.co.uk 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. With the Takamine CTP-1 ‘Cool Tube’ pre-amp, the playing will be hot, the tone will be warm, and the tube always remain
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BRING IT TO LIFE www.takamine.co.uk TAKAMINE TK-40 AND TP-4 Our Takamine G Series electro-acoustic guitars come equipped Additional features of the TK-40 pre-amp: with either the TK-40 or TP-4 pre-amps, each of which has been EQ Bypass. Bypassing EQ is desirable in some studio or live designed to provide exceptional naturalness of amplified tone environments where external EQ is preferable. It’s also useful and maximum ease of use. Both pre-amps feature gain, bass, in that it allows you to co
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BRING IT TO LIFE www.takamine.co.uk TRI-AX It’s also highly resistant to acoustic feedback, which of course, We developed the Takamine TRI-AX with acoustic amplification is just what you need for playing live. specialists Lloyd Baggs to produce a truly great sounding soundhole-mounted unit and one that complements the CTP-1 You can choose to run the TRI-AX in either active or passive Cool Tube pre-amp perfectly. modes. When connected to the Cool-Tube, select passive mode and use the Cool-Tube
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BRING IT TO LIFE www.takamine.co.uk FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q. What strings do Takamine use? Q. I think my guitar needs a service, any suggestions? A. Takamine use their own brand strings and D’Addario EXP strings. A. There are plenty of very competent guitar The gauge for steel strings is .012" to .054". Nylon strings are makers around and it would be best to take normal tension. it with you to demonstrate problems. Try the Q. I think the neck might need adjustment, should I adjust the tr
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BRING IT TO LIFE www.takamine.co.uk SERVICING YOUR TAKAMINE LUTHIER’S CHECKLIST Please make sure you keep your purchase receipt. Each and every guitar that passes through our warehouse is individually checked by qualified In the U.K your guarantee is for one year from the date of luthiers to ensure they meet the highest purchase. This covers you against faulty workmanship and standards. materials but not normal wear and tear or misuse. Should your Takamine guitar develop a problem and requ
