Maury and Andrew get a crash course on the Takamine Pro series guitars!

Mike Markure and Tom Lanahan invited Maury's Music for an informal visit and thorough sound test of the Takamine Pro line.  Andrew and I spent hours in a fun and educational hands-on test of these great instruments.  Tom took us on as a dealer 6 weeks ago, and he's been a great rep.  His knowledge of the entire line is quite impressive - but my knowledge of Takamine is just beginning.  I really wanted to get my hands (and ears) on the different models.  I come from a Martin and Blueridge background, and a good part of our success with those lines is directly related to the fact that I know all the subtle details of the different models and features.  With Takamines - I'm still very green. 

Mike is the brains behind guitar design and pickup design - so I was immediately tuned-in to everything he was saying.  I have an obsession for live tone, and here I am speaking with THE guy that is responsible for Takamines' stranglehold of the acoustic/electric market.  He's not only the guy who wants the best live tone possible - he's got the knowledge and product design to GET it.  I foresee many e-mails between us starting very soon :)

Andrew and I worked our way slowly through all the pro models, starting with the least expensive and up from there.  What I found was very interesting. I chose 3 favorites (as a player) and they were literally those least-expensive, most expensive and right in the middle.  There really is something for everyone - and every budget.

I asked Mike why he uses so many cedar tops, and he says that cedar gives you a nice broken-in tone immediately, out of the box.  The mellow warmth that we all want from sitka, but no waiting.  Most of these guitars were either mahogany or rosewood back & sides, but I did get to play a koa and a maple, and to my ears they were both warmer than previous examples I've played by other builders. 

Coming from a Martin background, I was excited to finally get to play the Bluegrass and Nashville Taks.  Unplugged, did they have the bass I love from a D-28 Marquis or an HD-28V?  Nope.  Were they close?  Kinda.  I would say these Martin-voiced Taks sounded about as bassy as an HD-28, under-ear.  When Mike played them aimed at me, I heard more bass than when I was playing them.  The surround-sound bass that goes in every direction (ala D-35) isn't present.  What is there, is a focused bass that sounds more balanced in your lap but that's by design - so they can be plugged-in onstage with no fear of boomy feedback rumble.  Plugged-in, these Taks sound amazing - and a slight bass boost on the onboard EQ makes this trade-off VERY welcomed.

All in all, I'm glad I was able to wrap my head (and ears) around this great product line.  Andrew and I will continue to research and digest everything that Mike has thrown at us.  Its important that we know what we sell, and this trip to KMC was a great starting point.  If you're in the market for an acoustic-electric guitar you must checkout the Pro Series Takamines.  Give us a call or e-mail and we'll be happy to help you find the right one for you!

When shopping for a new guitar, what's the price? No, what's the real price? I mean - how much does it really cost? Every guitar retailer pays X amount of dollars for a guitar before they sell it to you... but depending on which dealer you buy from, they may be paying much more than the cost of the guitar itself.  And guess who absorbs all of those other costs?  The customer.  So many other factors add up when you consider the true expense of selling a guitar. 

For example, when you - a customer - sell a guitar on Ebay, you could say it costs you the price you paid for the guitar plus the Ebay fees, right?  So if the guitar cost you $500 when you bought it, and the Ebay fees are $25, we could say it cost you $525 to sell it.  You need to sell it for at least $525 just to break even.  But what if you had a few dozen employees help you sell it, and you give them health insurance and workman's compensation?  I'll bet you'll need to put way more than $525 in your pocket to sell that same guitar.  You might have to increase your price by 20-30% or more. 

Let's step on the other side of the equation. You want to buy an XYZ guitar, and you find 2 listings for the same guitar.  One is $525 from a seller who's selling it on his own.  Another seller has dozens of employees and a huge store and, well, lots of overhead.  He advertises the same exact guitar for $682.50.  Would you buy the one for $682?  I wouldn't.  But that's what many uneducated customers do every single day at the big box chain stores.

When you walk into a huge big box store, take a look around.  Count the number of employees you see on the showroom floor.  Add a couple more for the management you don't see.  Add a several more for warehouse workers.  Add still a few more for corporate suits with super-high salaries.  Now, count the number of guitars you see on the wall.  Never mind amps, pedals, cables and accessories.  For now, we won't even include high-priced rent, advertising, insurance, operating costs, fixtures or displays.  Just figure for every single guitar on the wall, they have a few more each in the back room, and more on the way via UPS.  When you pick one single guitar off that wall and look at the price tag the price you are asked to pay helps pay for ALL of these expenses.  When you give a big chain store your hard-earned money, only a portion of it really goes to the guitar.  So you wanna spend $1000 for a new acoustic?  In reality you bought a $650 acoustic and became an anonymous non-profit investor in their company.

In comparison, if you shop for that same guitar at MaurysMusic.com, things are very different.  We are a small mom & pop store.  There are only 3 of us here.  We each wear many different hats and we are very efficient.  We have extremely low rent and overhead.  We don't pay a board of directors or a room full of accountants.  We run this entire business with one thing in mind ... cut the fat, and get these great products to our customers at the lowest prices possible.  

Give us a call or e-mail and ask us for the real deal on our acoustic guitars labeled at “(MAP) minimum advertised price”.  You found the guitar you want at a big box chain store?  That's ok... just get the facts before you spend your hard earned money.  Make it go farther ... much farther ... give us a chance to earn your business and put more money back in your pocket. You can’t take the extra overhead home and play it - so why pay for it?