1998 TAKAMINE PSF-65C Professional Series SANTA FE Classical Nylon-String Guitar

This Santa Fe PSF-65C, solid cedar top, rounded cutaway, 15-7/8" lower bout, rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard with turquoise inlays, rosewood bridge, black crows motif soundhole rosette, slotted headstock, gold tuners with amber pearloid buttons, acoustic-electric with onboard Accuracoustic preamp, 3-band EQ, 1-7/8" nut width, 650mm scale. (SN: 98011779) This guitar and case are in excellent condition.    

Takamine craftsmen are especially proud of the SantaFe series. Takamine is the first guitar maker to apply Southwestern American Indian designs to an acoustic guitars. These are truly special instruments. Most not only feature laser cut inlays with special woods and abalone shell, but choice turquoise style into majestic eagles, black crows and setting suns. The absolutely gorgeous Takamine PSF65C (MSRP $1,699.00 no longer available ) is a solid spruce topped nylon string instrument with Accuracoustic electronics and palathetic pickup. It is a small-bodied guitar with fine rosewood back and sides featuring an intriguing Black Crow rosette.

Think Acoustic - Live Electric

   Not so long ago, top musicians wouldn't have been caught dead on stage with anything less than one of the "prestige" brands of acoustic guitars. But then an incredible thing happened: Artists the caliber of Pete Townsend showed up both on stage and in their videos sporting acoustics with the name Takamine on them. Today, Takamine has become one of the most respected acoustic guitars in the entire industry, with diverse players such as Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks, Nils Lofgren, Steve Wariner and Dave Stewart using them both for recording and stage work. Their quality and durability has made them the guitar of choice for touring bands the world over: David Gilmour used Takamine 6 and 12 strings with Pink Floyd during the "Delicate Sound Of Thunder" and "Pulse" tours!

   Now you might think this company is relatively new, but in fact, Takamine was founded over 30 years ago by Mass Hirade, who designed and built the very first Takamine guitars. There are many factors that separate the best guitars in the world from pedestrian instruments. Though famous artists from every musical discipline - from country to jazz to pop to classical - agree that Takamine guitars possess the desired acoustic properties and playability, it's the painstaking detail found in each and every one that truly distinguish these instruments from those offered by other top guitar makers. These stringed instruments can only be described as stunning. The designs of these guitars are rich in history, having evolved from smaller bodied instruments that gained popularity and prominence in the early twentieth century.

   Within the walls of Takamine, a small group of master luthiers still lovingly craft these guitars by hand, at their own pace (you just can't hurry a good thing), using Mr. Hirade's original drawings. It's almost amazing that such a tradition continues in a world that forces most manufacturers to adopt assembly-line techniques. Takamine artisans have faithfully combined old-world craftsmanship with modern technology. Nowhere is this more readily visible than in

Takamine's precise laser cut ornamentation. Incredibly unique rosette and fingerboard inlay motifs blend premium woods such as maple, paduk, and walnut along with natural stone, abalone shell, and rich turquoise. Of course, magnificent woods are not only found in the inlay. Solid cedar and solid spruce form the tops, while hand-selected rosewood, mahogany and rare koa form the backs and sides. As for the finishes, all would make any skilled luthier envious: Whether stained or natural, the hand-rubbed gloss or satin finishes are both beautiful and extremely durable.

   But you can't talk about Takamine guitars without mentioning their electronics, and the company's acoustic/electrics feature the most responsive palathetic pickups, as well as the exceptional Accuracoustic, Graph EX or 4-Band Exciter preamps. These elec-tronics are at the very heart of the company's "Think Acoustic-Live Electric" philosophy, with natural, transparent acoustic sound at any volume level.

   Undoubtedly, the combination of feel, sound, detail, and electronics is the reason why many industry publications consider these Takamines to be among the most exquisitely made, collectible guitars.