Sounding is the most important parameter that you need to think about while choosing a guitar. Jasmin S35 is one of those budget acoustic guitars, which start making super good sound after the correct adjustment.
Takamine Guitars
As many other companies, Takamine guitars started as a small family business back in 1959. The guitars were gaining popularity really fast, so in three years the first small manufacturing factory was opened. The company had been growing rapidly, so by 1965 it already had over 50 employees.
10 more years passed and the president of Takamine has changed. New leader`s priorities were widening the production range and entering the new markets. He succeeded in both beginnings. In 1979 the first Takamine electric guitar was presented. It allowed to start selling products worldwide.
1986 was the year when yet another new successful line of guitars was launched. They were natural-acoustic models. The tendency continued, the product became famous as well. Jasmine S35 is one of the newer guitars of this model. Let us take a look at it.
Physical Aspects
First of all let me explain what the “natural” means in the name. Well, it means that this acoustic guitar is just a classical well-made one. The thing is that the guitar industry has been developing so fast during all these years, that the number of modifications is countless. The term “natural” simply allows you understand, that this is not a cutaway, nor electro-acoustic version, nor something else. Just simple, natural, acoustic guitar.
Let us now proceed to looking through its` physical characteristics, such as material used for building, the dimensions and the strings.
| Material | The combination of three classical materials is used in this guitar: it has the solid spruce top with satin finish, back and sides of natowood, and rosewood fretboard. Although the guitar by itself is rather cheap, I can`t say that the budget build is used. Spruce top is the thing that provides durability and tonality of higher level, than you expect. |
| Dimensions | As I`ve already mentioned, natural means “natural” in the name means, that guitar is completely classical. This relates the size as well. Jasmine S35 is full-sized. Its` dimensions are 18*8*48 inches (which is 457*203*1220 in millimeters). The guitar is not hard to handle, unless the player has small hands. There are ¾ and ½ guitars for such beginners. I`ll mention them a little bit later. |
| Strings | You could have already guessed that the strings here are natural as well. Which means, no nylon for the beginners. I usually recommend replacing them, if you have troubles getting used to metal strings, but this is not the case. Better struggle for a while and try getting used to these strings, as any upgrades making the playability easier kill the device`s main feature. |
This guitar has some features I`d like to mention:
- The rather high action. Action is the space between the strings and the frets. Although some people claim that it is way too high, which makes the playability harder, I can not completely agree with them. Action is an adjustable parameter, which can be lowered by simply loosening the strings. If you are not sure you can do that, simply visit your local store and ask employees to set up your guitar. It will cost a bit money, but you`ll not have to struggle with distorted guitar at least.
- The upgradability. The guitar does sound decent by itself. However the sound can be improved up till it sounds like a 400 dollars worth guitar. It will cost extra 30-50 dollars to purchase the better strings and saddle, but the result will be outstanding, However, if you are completely new to music, I strongly recommend to avoid upgrading device for a while. The difference in the sound isn`t that big, that you`ll be able to appreciate it immediately.
Now, that you know the basics of the guitar`s build, let us proceed to more extended tests of how jasmine S35 sounds.
The Test of Sound
I`ve already said that the guitar sounds decent and that it can sound even better. Here is what I meant while talking about that:
- Great bold sound. The construction of guitar allows sound waves spread exactly as they have to to make sound exactly as clean and clear and intended. The volume of sound is high as well.
- Excellent resonance. The guitar is very responsive. This is mainly due to the spruce top with satin finish, which sits in the hand pleasantly. You`ll feel how the body vibrates while playing this guitar.
- Nice playability. One adjusted, this guitar requires little effort to produce great sound. It is not very heavy, the neck is slim and chrome-cast tuners allow easy tuning as well.
However, everything mentioned above will only work if the guitar is set up properly (all the freshly-purchased guitars need to be adjusted first). If you already have some experience in adjusting, look for manuals on YouTube (it`s not that hard to do). However, if you`re not sure, simply ask someone more experienced or just contact music stores. Always remember, that the guitar that is not set up properly will sound awfully, no matter how great and expensive it is.
John, 27, Amateur
- People mainly leave negative feedback due to being inexperienced. I`m sure that at least 70 per cent of those “Guitar sounds bad” commentaries are here only because they didn`t manage to tune the guitar correctly. Although I`m not the biggest professional myself, I would recommend the following: get yourself a new saddle, fresh strings and adjust action. This will all cost less than 20 bucks, if you are doing it all by yourself. I would, however, not recommend spending money on upgrades. Better save money until you can purchase the more expensive model.
This was the basic info about Jasmine S35, but there is still a lot of models worth considering. Let us take a look at them before finishing this review.
Other Takamine Guitars
Takamine has a lot of “natural” and non-natural acoustic guitars, that are at the very least are worth taking a look at. Here are some of them.
| Takamine Guitars | |
| Takamine GD20CE-NS | If you`re looking for an upgrade to electro-acoustic guitar, this one is worth considering. It has really impressive solid wood top, convenient cutaway, and built-in tuner with EQ. The guitar sounds great and comes at a decent price. |
| Takamine GD11MNS | This is a bit more expensive acoustic model made of mahogany. It has thin satin finish, pinless bridge and chrome tuners. The guitar has great durable steel strings, which are great in terms of playability and sound volume, but they hurt. Getting used to this sort of musical instrument will take a while. |
| Takamine GC1 NAT | GC1 NAT is a representative of a previous generation of natural guitars. This is a cheap model, which is decent. The things that differ from S35 are the finish and the mahogany sides and back, which feel a bit warmer. The guitar provides an overall balanced sound. |
Takamine has much more worthy guitars, so if you want to get acquainted with their products, check their official website. There is a lot of interesting stuff there.
Acoustic Models Worth Considering
Other manufactures are not willing to lose their piece of cake as well, therefore they create natural guitars as well. Some of them are reasonable for beginners.
| Natural Acoustic Guitars | |
| Rogue RA-090 | This guitar has two main pros, that differ it from other models significantly. First, is that it is ambidextrous, so left-handed players won`t have troubles playing this one. The second, is the variety of available designs. The matt-black and sunburst versions are on the market. All the other characteristics are balanced and decent, but there is nothing outstanding. |
| Fender FA-100 | Fender is known for making great guitars. FA-100 isn`t an exception. It is a convenient model. The main feature of this guitar is its` durability. It has powerful finish and solid wood top. |
| Yamaha FS800 Small Body | Small body is a small body. It provides better access to upper frets and eases the playing process for children and players with small hands. As the manufacture claims himself, the 800` series have more powerful and loud sound in comparison to previous Yamaha Acoustic guitars. |
You may also wanna check Seagull guitars as a possible upgrade to your acoustic version. There is a lot of decent models on the market, so feel free to choose whichever you`re feeling comfortable to and start exercising. If you are a new player, the guitar does not matter as much as the amount of practice, so better do that.
Summing it Up
The time has come to make a final conclusion:
- Takamine is a Japanese company that produces guitars of different kinds.
- Natural guitars are classical acoustic guitars that have no built-in upgrades.
- Jasmine S35 is a budget guitar, that provides sound of great quality and has a huge potential of upgradability.
- There are other Takamine acoustic guitars on market as well. They all are reasonable and worth considering.
- Many worldwide famous manufacturers create natural acoustic guitars as well, you might consider purchasing them as well.
- If you are a complete beginner the guitar choice doesn`t matter as much as practice.
Having said that, I wish you good luck in your business. Learn the guitar and upgrade your skills.
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