{"id":145726,"date":"2024-10-13T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-13T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/?p=145726"},"modified":"2024-10-11T15:03:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T22:03:46","slug":"review-the-takamine-ft340-bs-a-quality-modern-dreadnought-primed-for-the-stage-or-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/review-the-takamine-ft340-bs-a-quality-modern-dreadnought-primed-for-the-stage-or-studio\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: The Takamine FT340 BS\u2014a Quality Modern Dreadnought Primed for the Stage or Studio"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"New Gear: Takamine FT340 BS Dreadnought is Made for Stage and Studio\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Fz_-y36eSt8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in 1979, Takamine revolutionized the amplification of the acoustic guitar with the introduction of the Palathetic electronics system. Using six separate and individually shielded piezo-electric elements, the pickup and onboard preamp gave acoustic guitarists who needed to plug in greater control of tone, as well as the ability to play at louder volumes with less feedback and improved clarity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This innovative design, which propelled Takamine onto the international guitar market, has changed little in the last four decades. Each year, the company makes several handcrafted guitar models in very small quantities, and one of the most recent is the <a href=\"https:\/\/reverb.grsm.io\/ag?query=takamine%20ft340%20bs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FT340 BS,<\/a> limited to 300 pieces worldwide. I put this handsome dreadnought through its paces and was suitably impressed by its sound and playability.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Striking and Well\u2013Built<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At first glance, the FT340 BS appeared like a classic and straightforward dreadnought. But when I took the guitar out of the case, I was struck by the beauty of its burled sapele back and sides, with their warm, reddish hue and dark, rippled figuring. As I continued to examine the guitar, I found evidence of quality artisanship throughout\u2014inside the box, there were no glue traces, and all the visible joints were well seated. The fretwork was clean, without any rough edges. The body\u2019s flawless gloss finish reflected pleasantly in the afternoon sun, and the satin natural finish on the back of the neck felt smooth to the touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"441\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Front-shot.jpg?resize=441%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Takamine FT340 BS front\" class=\"wp-image-145729\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Front-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=441%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 441w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Front-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=215%2C500&amp;ssl=1 215w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Front-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1784&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Front-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=129%2C300&amp;ssl=1 129w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Front-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=661%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 661w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Front-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=882%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 882w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Front-shot-scaled.jpg?w=827&amp;ssl=1 827w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 441px) 100vw, 441px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of Takamine Guitars<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Nicely Balanced Voice<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking out my trusty 1.4mm ToneSlabs pick, I found the acoustic sound of the FT340 BS to be full and balanced without being overpowering. I started off by playing a section of J.S. Bach\u2019s Cello Suite No. 1 in G major. The 644mm (25.35-inch) scale length was comfortable even with six-fret stretches, and the nut width of 42.5mm (1.67 inch) gave enough space for my plectrum to perform the task of either a rest stroke or alternate picking.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sustained arpeggiated passages on the Bach arrangement blended together nicely, as the guitar possessed a pleasant natural reverb and sustain. And the notes projected with precision and balance, even though the FT340 BS isn\u2019t quite a cannon like some of the finest dreads. I found the tone quite easy to control, but I had to maintain a lighter touch with my pick than I normally would.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"442\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Back-shot.jpg?resize=442%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Takamine FT340 BS rear view\" class=\"wp-image-145730\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Back-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=442%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 442w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Back-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=216%2C500&amp;ssl=1 216w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Back-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1779&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Back-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=129%2C300&amp;ssl=1 129w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Back-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=663%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 663w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Back-shot-scaled.jpg?resize=884%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 884w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Back-shot-scaled.jpg?w=829&amp;ssl=1 829w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 442px) 100vw, 442px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, I improvised some strumming patterns with alternate bass. The individual bass notes rang clear and sat well in the bed of the chord. If I pushed too hard with my picking hand, the sound got slightly muddled, but as long as I kept it gentle, the guitar delivered more than I put into it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Somewhat surprisingly for a dreadnought, FT340 BS excelled when fingerpicked. I moved from a free improvisation to Peter Gabriel\u2019s 7\/4 acoustic prog masterpiece \u201cSalisbury Hill,\u201d and the notes projected with great clarity\u2014I could play extremely lightly, and each note sang. Subtle shifts in volume were easy to achieve, and the lighter touch made more difficult parts easier to play.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I then worked my way through a chord-melody arrangement of \u201cNuages\u201d by Django Reinhardt. The melody notes sat nicely above the chords when picked with a little emphasis. Additionally, I found the compensated saddle for the first and second strings provided accurate intonation. While this guitar is not built for this style of playing, it responded to dynamic variances when I dug in, as long as I didn\u2019t do so with excessive force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Bridge-closeup.jpg?resize=1024%2C819&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Takamine FT340 BS bridge closeup\" class=\"wp-image-145733\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Bridge-closeup.jpg?resize=1024%2C819&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Bridge-closeup.jpg?resize=500%2C400&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Bridge-closeup.jpg?resize=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Bridge-closeup.jpg?resize=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Bridge-closeup.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While teaching recently at the <a href=\"https:\/\/swangathering.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Swannanoa Gathering<\/a>, a series of summer folk workshops in North Carolina, I had the opportunity to accompany the great Katie Glassman during her faculty concert playing Texas\u2013style fiddle. The next day I was shooting the video for this review so I thought I\u2019d give the FT340 BS a try on this style of chording. Even though the instrument isn\u2019t a powerhouse of acoustic volume, the bass notes and strummed chords were nicely in balance, and the low end provided a full foundation for the chords.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I later plugged the guitar into my Henriksen Bud amp, I found the onboard CTF-2N FET preamp a delight to use. As one would expect from a Takamine, the sound was transparent and retained a convincing acoustic character. What surprised me was its ability to retain the same character at low and high volumes and anywhere in between. And though I\u2019m not a fan of the appearance of a preamp mounted on a guitar\u2019s bout, I enjoyed the ease of adjusting the subtleties of the frequency with the onboard EQ.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CTF-2N-Closeup.jpg?resize=819%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Takamine FT340 CTF-2N onboard EQ and Tuner\" class=\"wp-image-145731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CTF-2N-Closeup.jpg?resize=819%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 819w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CTF-2N-Closeup.jpg?resize=400%2C500&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CTF-2N-Closeup.jpg?resize=768%2C960&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CTF-2N-Closeup.jpg?resize=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CTF-2N-Closeup.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Takamine FT340 BS is a singer-songwriter\u2019s dream, ideal for players who want total control of their onstage amplified sound. It\u2019s a versatile axe for the gigging acoustic guitarist who needs a consistent sound at a variety of volumes in a variety of venues. The guitar doesn\u2019t overpower the voice, has high-quality onboard electronics for the stage, and sounds great on its own. With a street price tag of under two grand, including a quality backpack-style case, it\u2019s smart addition to a performing guitarist\u2019s quiver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Specs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>BODY<\/strong> 14-fret dreadnought; solid Sitka spruce top with Sitka spruce X-bracing; laminated burled sapele back and sides; East Indian rosewood bridge with 53mm (2.09&#8243;) string spacing and compensated saddle; tortoise pattern pickguard; gloss polyurethane finish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NECK<\/strong> Mahogany with reinforced dovetail joint; 644mm (25.35&#8243;) scale<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>length; 1-3\/4&#8243; bone nut; East Indian rosewood fretboard; 20 medium nickel-silver frets; Gotoh 18:1 tuners; satin polyurethane finish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>OTHER<\/strong> D\u2019Addario EXP16 strings (.012\u2013.053); Takamine CTF-2N electronics; gig bag<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>MADE IN<\/strong> Japan<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PRICE<\/strong> $1,799.99 street<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esptakamine.com\/products\/31531-ft340-bs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">takamine.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/no-349-nov-dec-2024\" name=\"magazine\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 198px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/001_349_Cover-150px.jpg?w=1290&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Acoustic Guitar magazine cover for issue 348\"><\/a>\n<p style=\"font-family: sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 15px 0px;\">This article originally appeared in the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/no-349-nov-dec-2024\">November\/December 2024<\/a> issue of <em>Acoustic Guitar<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Takamine FT340 BS is a versatile axe for the gigging acoustic guitarist who needs a consistent sound at a variety of volumes in a variety of venues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":145728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"The Takamine FT340 BS is a versatile axe for the gigging acoustic guitarist who needs a consistent sound at a variety of volumes in a variety of venues.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1683,1670],"tags":[1954],"ppma_author":[1593],"class_list":["post-145726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dreadnought","category-guitars","tag-november-december-2024"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/FT340-BS-Front-shot-detail.jpg?fit=1200%2C859&ssl=1","authors":[{"term_id":1593,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"greg-ruby","display_name":"Greg Ruby","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/AG329_BASICS_GREG-RUBY.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/AG329_BASICS_GREG-RUBY.jpg"},"user_url":"https:\/\/gregrubymusic.com\/","last_name":"Ruby","first_name":"Greg","job_title":"","description":"Greg Ruby is the director of Guitar Week for the Swannanoa Gathering and has taught extensively. He is the author of the <i><a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/the-oscar-aleman-play-along-songbook-vol-1\">Oscar Alem\u00e1n Play-Along Songbook<\/a><\/i>."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145726"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146075,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145726\/revisions\/146075"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145726"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=145726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}