The Takamine GS330S is an excellent guitar for beginners that want an instrument that is relatively inexpensive but can actually deliver high-quality, mellow tones. It’s also the perfect guitar for a long-time players looking to add an excellent dreadnaught to their collection without breaking the bank. This dreadnaught features a solid cedar top with laminate nato back and sides and a light satin finish. The slightly arched back helps to give a bigger sound, and although the nato back and sides aren’t as impressive as the mahogany they are used to imitate, they will actually hold up better than the cedar top and produce plenty of tone without the large costs of mahogany. The back of the guitar features a slightly angled build to help propel the sound forward, and the natural finish only uses a light satin gloss, which means that the finish doesn’t impede the sound, but it does help protect the guitar. The neck is slim and allows for fast movements and transitions, and the setup for stock guitars is very clean and proficient. Unlike many guitars in this price range, you won’t typically need to setup the action out of the box.
Pros
High-quality build
Attractive woods
Great setup straight from the box. Typically speaking, intonation and action won’t need to be adjusted. Once the strings are broke in, the tuning will hold extremely well for casual players.
Plenty of volume
Tons of high-end response
Great for beginners and professionals
Cons (and what to do about them)
No electronics, (but you can buy a simple sound hole pickup for $30-50 with relatively good results).
No pick guard, (but these are extremely cheap and not difficult to add).
Only one peg for a guitar strap, (but you can purchase straps that tie around the neck, which is highly suggested over adding a second peg as this can sometimes damage the guitar when done improperly).
Doesn’t come with a hard shell case, (but there are plenty that will fit it).
When compared to other guitars in this price range, the Takamine GS330S blows them out of the water. Takamine and their GS330S are very often quoted as the best value guitars available, and that’s definitely the case here. Play it side by side with one of the lower-end Martins, such as the Martin DM series, and you’ll have a hard time explaining to yourself why the Martin is hundreds of dollars more than the Takamine. For the price, you simply can’t find a better brand-new guitar. This is personally one of my favorite picks.
