I recently sold my old 1978 model Takamine so that I could get a new electrified acoustic. So, in my pursuit to get a new one, I went to the nearest Guitar Center to try out various brands and models of guitars. I think I played the majority of acoustic guitars they had on display and believe me, they had plenty. I tried Gibson, Taylor, Martin, Ovation and of course Takamine. In my honest opinion, the Takamine EG531SC held its own with the other guitars costing about a thousand dollars more. It was simply a no brainer for me. The EG531SC had a beautiful rich sound that equaled the high dollar guitars. Also, the electronics are very nice with the equalizer and notch filter. However, the big advantage with the electronics is that it has a built-in chromatic tuner. That's right - a tuner built-in that is always at your finger tips. The tuner works exceptional well and is easy to use. (Talk about being the envy of my other guitar buddies when they ask me to strum an A string so they can tune their guitars to mine.) I did some searching on the internet and ended up purchasing the guitar from Music123 for $389.00 with free shipping. This price even included a wonderful hardshell case. Wow! After receiving the guitar I discovered that it played just like the one in the store. I will have to say the action was maybe a little higher than what I like, but overall, it plays great. Needless to say, I think someone would be hard pressed to find a better value.

Recommended: Yes