(SOLD) Takamine PT-406 Koa Parlour Acoustic/Electric 1983
Takamine PT-406, made in Japan 1983, natural gloss. I'm always keen on vintage Taka guitars, they really are terrific instruments. This one dates to 1983, and back then, it was still possible to make a guitar out of koa. It's not all solid, but the practice around the time this was made in Japan was to use a two or three ply laminate, which is almost closer in sound and structure to a solid piece than it is to today's five to seven ply laminates. Holy heck, the grain on show is absolutely superb. The front, back and sides are all brimming with glorious detail pronounced figuring, it's just beautiful. The smaller body size and fairly slim neck profile make for a comfortable player too, it sits very happily on your lap on a couch and never makes you work too hard. Koa is renowned for a snappy, defined attack and a pronounced midrange, which makes for a very articulate little charmer. It rewards a nuanced fingerstyle player, but also has enough bark to enjoy a good bit of blues lead too. Takamine were the first company to add on-board pre-amps and pickups to acoustic models, and this has one of their cool early offerings on deck. It's simple and effective with a handy EQ, translating the acoustic sound fairly accurately. Hawaiian koa is so scarce these days it's nigh on impossible to get in a new guitar, so score yourself this beauty while it's in the neighbourhood and enjoy a fun few decades with it.
Model: Takamine PT-406
Made: Japan, 1983 (serial 21050220)
Finish: natural, gloss poly
Body: parlour size, 14th fret join, laminate Hawaiian koa
Neck: mahogany, rosewood fingerboard, dovetail joint, 25.5" scale, 15" radius
Weight: 1.995kg
Pickup: Takamine piezo + preamp system
Mods: none
Case: basic gig bag, handle broken
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has some minor dimples on the end and back, as well as a couple of spots of peeling on the front. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, just a minor scratch near the nut, minor dimples and some glossing from play on the back only. The back has some scuffs and dimples around the whole body, most notably in the middle, but there's no nasty major marks. The sides have some minor dimples on the top horn, scuffs in the elbow area, and some dimples along the bottom side. The front has some dimples along the bottom edge and elbow area, a couple of surface scratches along the beck edge and some play wear around the sound hole. Overall: very good condition (8/10).
Playing condition notes: action is moderately, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. The electronics have been tested and everything works properly. The frets have some minor wear, 8/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 12/54 Elixir strings.