Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX Acoustic-Electric Guitar: Full Review

The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX is a high quality acoustic-electric guitar with a stylish and distinctive appearance. This guitar features a concert-style cutaway body made from solid spruce on the top and mahogany back and sides, resulting in a nicely balanced and articulate tone.

Some key specifications of the GN20CE-NS NEX include:

• Body type: Concert cutaway
• Top wood: Solid spruce
• Back and sides: Mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Electronics: TK-40D preamp system
• Finish: Gloss natural

With its solid spruce top and mahogany body, the GN20CE-NS NEX produces clear, bright tones expected from a concert-sized acoustic. The cutaway body allows easy access to the upper frets, making this a versatile guitar suitable for both strumming chords and soloing. The built-in preamp provides plug-and-play convenience for live performances or recording. Overall, the Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX is a high-end electro-acoustic that looks, feels, and sounds fantastic.

Body Style and Construction

The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX has an elegantly curved NEX (NEX means “next”) style body with a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides.

The solid spruce top provides excellent resonance and responsiveness, allowing the guitar to produce a robust, balanced tone. Spruce is a popular choice for acoustic guitar tops thanks to its strong projection and dynamic range.

The back and sides are made from mahogany, which imparts a warmer, rounded tone. Mahogany adds depth and richness to the sound. The combination of spruce and mahogany produces a nicely balanced tone that is versatile for various music genres.

At just under 4 inches deep, the NEX body style provides a comfortable feel and makes the GN20CE-NS NEX easy to handle during longer playing sessions. Despite the modest depth, the guitar still delivers impressive volume and sustain.

The gloss finish protects the spruce and mahogany construction and gives the guitar an attractive look. Overall the GN20CE-NS NEX has a high quality build with tonewoods selected to provide excellent acoustic resonance and performance.

The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX acoustic-electric guitar features a stylish, comfortable NEX body shape with solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides. This combination of tonewoods produces a nicely balanced tone across the tonal spectrum - great for all music genres. The slim NEX profile is comfortable for extended playing while still offering impressive volume and sustain. With electronics for plugging in, the GN20CE-NS NEX is a versatile stage-ready acoustic-electric guitar.

Another high quality stage-ready acoustic-electric to consider is the Yamaha A3R TBS. This guitar has a traditional dreadnought body shape with solid Engelmann spruce top and rosewood back and sides. The tone is focused in the mids and highs with crisp articulation. Built-in SRT Pickup and preamp system provides excellent amplified tone. The A3R TBS has a comfortable body depth and slim taper neck for easy playability. Yamaha is known for consistent high-quality construction and playability. Players looking for a reliable acoustic-electric with traditional styling and Electronics should check out the Yamaha A3R TBS.

When choosing an acoustic-electric guitar, consider your music genre and playing style. The body shape affects comfort and tone - some prefer the traditional dreadnought while others favor slimmer profiles like the NEX. Tonewoods make a big difference in the guitar's inherent acoustic resonance and amplified sound. Solid wood tops like spruce project well unplugged. Quality electronics allow accurate reproduction of the natural acoustic tone when plugged in. Test playing the unplugged and amplified sound. Finding the right balance of playability, tone, and features is key to choosing the best acoustic-electric to match your needs.

Neck and Fretboard

The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX features a nice mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. The mahogany neck provides a warm, balanced tone that pairs nicely with the bright crispness of the rosewood fretboard.

The neck has a slim tapered profile that makes it comfortable and easy to play, even for extended periods of time. It's topped with 20 medium frets to allow for smooth and precise fingering throughout the entire fretboard.

The rosewood fingerboard adds definition and articulation to each note. Its hardness brings out the clarity and resonance in the strings, helping the notes sing with vibrancy. The fretboard's dark color also provides an elegant visual contrast against the lighter mahogany neck.

Overall, the mahogany and rosewood combine to offer players both tonal nuance and exceptional playability on the GN20CE-NS NEX. The materials work together beautifully to make this an acoustic-electric guitar that feels great to play while producing clear, balanced tone.

Electronics and Hardware

The GN20CE-NS NEX features Takamine's CT4B II preamp system with 3-band EQ and built-in tuner for great amplified tone and performance. The CT4B II preamp gives you incredible versatility, with independent bass, midrange and treble controls, mid contour switch, built-in tuner, 3-band EQ bypass and gain controls. The preamp has an integrated chromatic tuner with high-definition readout that's easy to see on any setting.

The guitar is equipped with Takamine's proprietary Takamine TK-40D preamp system and SRT Piezo pickup for excellent amplified tone. The preamp system gives you incredible versatility for shaping your amplified sound. It also features three-band EQ with bypass capability for excellent tonal control.

For stable tuning and precision, the GN20CE-NS NEX features quality chrome die-cast tuners that keep this guitar in tune through any performance. The tuners are mounted on the guitar's headstock and are easy to access while playing.

The electronics and hardware deliver pro-level amplified tone and tuning stability that makes the GN20CE-NS NEX a versatile guitar for playing live, recording in the studio, or practice and performance at home.

Players looking for a great acoustic-electric guitar option should also consider the Jameson Guitars 979 BLACK CSE. This model features a solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides for balanced tone and sustain. It has a slim neck profile for comfortable playing, along with a cutaway for easy access to upper frets. The guitar includes a built-in tuner and quality electronics for amplified performance. With its stylish all-black finish, the Jameson 979 BLACK CSE delivers versatile sound in an eye-catching package. Between the Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX and Jameson 979 BLACK CSE, players have two great options for acoustic-electric guitars that sound fantastic and excel on stage.

Sound and Tone

The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX produces a well-balanced tone with clear highs, warm mids, and tight low end. This makes it a versatile guitar that works well for various styles, from strumming chords to intricate fingerpicking.

The solid cedar top provides excellent resonance and responsiveness, contributing to the guitar's rich sustain and harmonic overtones. When strummed, chords ring out with warmth and clarity. The mahogany back and sides also add depth and definition to the sound.

Many reviewers praise the GN20CE-NS NEX for its balanced and detailed tone that lends itself beautifully to fingerstyle playing. The notes are clear and full, allowing complex fingerpicking passages to shine through. The tonal balance makes the guitar very responsive to dynamics in playing style, from soft fingerpicking to more aggressive strumming.

Overall, the Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX delivers a balanced, organic tone profile suitable for various playing techniques and styles, while the solid top construction provides excellent responsiveness and dynamic range. The result is a great sound for the price point.

Playability

The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX features a very playable neck that is comfortable and fast. The profile is slim and modern, making it easy to play chords and riffs up and down the neck. It has a satin finish which allows for smooth gliding of the hands up and down the neck.

The action on this guitar is also set very low from the factory. This makes it effortless to press down the strings and play complex chords without excessive finger effort. The low action allows for very quick lead playing as well, since you don't have to press the strings down as far to fret notes up and down the neck. This adds to the overall playability and makes the GN20CE-NS NEX a great choice for players who want a very fast and comfortable playing experience.

Pros

The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX has many features that make it an excellent choice for an acoustic-electric guitar in its price range.

• Quality build and components - The GN20CE-NS NEX is constructed using Takamine's NEX body style with a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides, giving it a rich and balanced acoustic tone. It features a smooth satin finish and abalone rosette around the soundhole for a premium aesthetic. The guitar uses quality hardware including die-cast chrome tuners and a pinless rosewood bridge for solid intonation.

• Great plugged-in and unplugged tone - In addition to sounding great acoustically, the GN20CE-NS NEX features Takamine's CT4B II preamp system which provides a very natural amplified tone. The Palathetic pickup and 3-band EQ give you excellent control over your amplified sound. It's among the best in class for reproducing the nuances of the guitar acoustically when plugged in.

Cons

The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX acoustic-electric guitar does have a few downsides to consider.

Electronics could be improved

While the electronics provide decent plugged-in tone, they are quite basic and use an older design. The preamp doesn't offer much tonal shaping or feedback controls. Players looking for more advanced electronics may want to consider upgrading the preamp or installing an undersaddle pickup. The overall electronic performance is decent but leaves room for improvement.

Only comes in natural finish

The GN20CE-NS NEX only comes in a natural gloss finish. Those wanting a different colored or satin finish will need to look elsewhere. The natural gloss limits the aesthetic options, which may be disappointing for some players. The lack of finish options keeps costs down but reduces visual customization.

Alternatives

The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX is an excellent entry-level solid top acoustic-electric guitar, but there are some notable alternatives in a similar price range worth considering:

Yamaha A-Series A5R

The Yamaha A5R is a comparable option with solid rosewood back and sides paired with a solid Sitka spruce top. It produces a balanced, full tone across the tonal spectrum. The A5R has a slightly wider nut width than the Takamine, which some players may prefer. It also includes an excellent SRT pickup and preamp system designed by Yamaha. The playability is very comfortable, with a slim neck profile and smooth satin finish. Overall the Yamaha A5R provides a great value acoustic-electric guitar with impressive build quality and tone.

Martin Road Series DRS2

This Martin dreadnought acoustic-electric sits at the top of the Road Series lineup. It has a solid sapele top, back, and sides, delivering an organic and resonant tone. The DRS2 features Fishman electronics and an ergonomic neck shape for comfortable playing. As you'd expect from Martin, the craftsmanship and attention to detail is superb. The tone has a balanced character that works well for various musical styles. It's an excellent choice for those looking for a great all-solid wood acoustic-electric in this price range.

Conclusion

The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX is an excellent mid-priced acoustic-electric that showcases Takamine's quality craftsmanship. This guitar has a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides, giving it a balanced and articulate tone. The slim mahogany neck provides smooth playability up and down the rosewood fretboard.

The onboard preamp system offers flexible EQ and tuner controls right on the guitar. While not as premium as Takamine's higher-end models, the electronics get the job done for amplifying and modifying your acoustic tone. Overall, this is a very respectable guitar for the price that any level player can enjoy. The Takamine GN20CE-NS NEX hits all the right notes as an affordable, stage-ready acoustic-electric.