Looks Like Takamine Bounced Back from the Fender sale of Kaman Music Group.

JohnW63

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One is a F375S which is a solid spruce top 3 piece Jacaranda back and sides

I think I played one, at a GC, but it had been not taken great care of and it looked like it needed a neck reset. Even still, GC wanted 700 bucks.
 

SFIV1967

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One of the companies that was part of this was the Liquidation of Takamine through the sale of Kaman Music Group.
I don't think that statement is fully correct. Takamine was never owned or part of FMIC, FMIC only had a distribution agreement for the US and Europe (EMEA) for Takamine.
Takamine had ceased its existing distribution agreement with Fender, effective December 12th 2014.
After that ESP Guitars and Takamine Guitars had announced a partnership in which Takamine instruments will be available exclusively through ESP and selected dealers in the USA. This new distribution partnership began in March 2015. For Europe they went to country specific distribution channels.

http://www.takamine.com/
http://www.esptakamine.com/products?categories=takamine-guitars

Ralf
 

K.O.M.A.

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Funny Takamine story. When I was younger I was a bouncer in a bar. There was a live band one night that got into a fight with a drunk in the middle of their set. The drunk snatched the singer's Takamine away from him and just as I stepped in to break it up he El-Kabonged me with it, destroying it. I was fighting the drunk guy with an acoustic guitar draped around my shoulders in pieces. The singer was behind me trying to get what was left of the guitar back and screaming like a girl while the drunk had the other part trying to pull it the other way. It felt like the damned thing was going to saw my arm off. The drunk went to jail and the guy from the band wanted me to replace his guitar. I heard later that he got restitution from the drunk as part of his probation. I was subpoenaed to testify but never was called in. All I got out of it was a scar on my chin that's sill there and the 24 bucks a night I made doing the job. Every time I see a Takamine I think of that night.
 

gilded

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Funny Takamine story. When I was younger I was a bouncer in a bar. There was a live band one night that got into a fight with a drunk in the middle of their set. The drunk snatched the singer's Takamine away from him and just as I stepped in to break it up he El-Kabonged me with it, destroying it. I was fighting the drunk guy with an acoustic guitar draped around my shoulders in pieces. The singer was behind me trying to get what was left of the guitar back and screaming like a girl while the drunk had the other part trying to pull it the other way. It felt like the damned thing was going to saw my arm off. The drunk went to jail and the guy from the band wanted me to replace his guitar. I heard later that he got restitution from the drunk as part of his probation. I was subpoenaed to testify but never was called in. All I got out of it was a scar on my chin that's sill there and the 24 bucks a night I made doing the job. Every time I see a Takamine I think of that night.

That's the best story I've heard in a long time. Thank you!
 

banjo

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I guess it's worth recording that I have a Takemine F360s dated 1980. I just about ceased playing it when I bought a Yamaha LS400vt about 10 years ago. That in turn got pensioned off when I bought a Sobell "New World" last year. As a newbie contributor to this forum, some may be aware that I recently acquired a 2006 F512. You all know how good they are but hey, the Sobell is an extraordinarily difficult instrument to follow!
The Takemine served me well for over 20 years, but it's out to pasture these days.I paid £99 for it in 1980. I bought a Calton case for it back in the day. Ironically, the Calton is worth way more than the Tak so it has been deservedly turned over to the Sobell.
Neat guitar the F360s.
 

Walter Broes

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Agreed Tom. While it's not as ugly as a Gibson Hummingbird, Dove, or J200 (and they have those dreadful looking bridges as well), it just doesn't look right to me. And I agree about the Hank Williams Jr. thing too.
Ouch! I love J200 bridges and pickguards! (haven't played a lot of J200's that were impressive guitars, but I love the way they look!).

I take it you won't be signing my "bring back the early style Guild F-47 with the horsey/horseshoe pickguard!" petition then.... :)
 

12 string

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Funny Takamine story. When I was younger I was a bouncer in a bar. There was a live band one night that got into a fight with a drunk in the middle of their set. The drunk snatched the singer's Takamine away from him and just as I stepped in to break it up he El-Kabonged me with it, destroying it. I was fighting the drunk guy with an acoustic guitar draped around my shoulders in pieces. The singer was behind me trying to get what was left of the guitar back and screaming like a girl while the drunk had the other part trying to pull it the other way. It felt like the damned thing was going to saw my arm off. The drunk went to jail and the guy from the band wanted me to replace his guitar. I heard later that he got restitution from the drunk as part of his probation. I was subpoenaed to testify but never was called in. All I got out of it was a scar on my chin that's sill there and the 24 bucks a night I made doing the job. Every time I see a Takamine I think of that night.

It's certainly a good thing you didn't get hit with an F-512! It would have come away without a mark on it, but you, on the other hand....

Talk about "lawsuit guitars"!

' Strang
 

deebeewhy

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Tx: Thanks for this, which inspires my question: hesitant to use the over-broad descriptor "lawsuit era", I wonder which if any of the 70s Japanese builders knocking off the big American factory acoustics used solid tone-woods? I've a feeling that Ibanez, Takamine, and Yamaha were not, but I am happy to be corrected. I recently picked up a '71 Yamaha FG230 red label 12-string, that, despite a razor thin saddle and wonky intonation at the 12th and above, is full and impressive (not too chimey) tuned down a whole step. But the entire guitar seems to be laminate. Was that customary for the so-called lawsuit guitars?
 
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