1978 Takamine F-370S Dreadnought Guitar

I didn't get a chance to snag a video of this guitar, but it's a Japanese-made F-370S (s is for solid top) model that apes a Martin D-28 herringbone in many ways. It's well-built and sounds the business, though the ply back and sides (I'm assuming) give it a bit more of a D-18/Yamaha-ish voice to the snap of the midrange than a "true" D-28 would have. It looks killer, though, and has plenty of that "bluegrassy" vibe to it.

This was just in for repairs via a customer of mine and it got a new bridge, new bone saddle, new bridge pins, a fret level/dress, mild cleaning, and a setup. It plays bang-on with 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE action at the 12th fret, the truss rod works, and it has a good, stable build. The top is solid spruce and has x-bracing similar to '70s Martins but more lightly-cut.

These old Takamines are getting more and more popular among guitar players excluded from the vintage Martin and Gibson clubs. Every year I get more people asking me if I've seen any out and about for sale. The answer: they're out there, but hunt for the ones with S after the model number.

Oh right, it needed a new bone nut, too.