Takamine GX-200

Features: This as a red and black Takamine GX-200. It has 22 frets, 3 knobs (volume, treble, bass), a pickup selector, non-locking tuners, and two sets of humbuckers. I believe this guitar was made in Japan, has a solid body, a maple fretboard, and a Strat-shaped body. there's nothing extremely special about this guitar, although it is a very beautiful guitar. The head is black on the front, and black with a spray-paint like design in the middle of the back of the head. The body and the back of the neck are black around the edges with that same spray-paint like quality red in the middles. // 8

Sound: I play mostly hard rock and metal, and this guitar is a perfect match. I use it with a Marshall JCM 800 Lead Series amp, and I use such pedals as Ibanez SD9 Sonic Distortion, Line 6 CrunchTone, and a Rocktron Silver Dragon Distortion/Overdrive. It definitly is a good match for hard rock and metal players, because it can give you those heavy rock sounds that a lot of guitarists look for. It has a very full sound, and can also give you those screaming highs that come in handy for high-speed metal shredding solos. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar does not contain any obvious manufacturing flaws. All the pickups were adjusted to perfection. It has high quality wood on the fretboard, and every part of it looks as if it were very carefully crafted. The finish on the guitar is very good and has lasted about 20 years now without any of it wearing off. I really admire the work on this guitar. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is extremely reliable and durable. This particular guitar is about 20 years old, and sounds as if it is brand spankin new. It has been dropped, hit, and whacked on shelves and dressers multiple times over the years, and takes those blows without a problem. The most major thing that has happened to it is a chip came out of the body, but is barely noticable. Everything on it was built to last, and the finish has not worn off at all. I would rely on this guitar for just about anything, anytime. // 10

Impression: I play hard rock and metal, and this guitar is perfect for it. I gives you that real solid metal sound, especially with a good distortion pedal. If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely look to purchase another one, eventhough they are very hard to find these days. I love the extremely heavy music this guitar can give you, but I think its biggest flaw is when it is in a dropped tuning, no matter how much you adjust it, the low-E string always seems to rattle against the fretboard. For all you rockers and metal players out there, I would highly recommend this guitar // 9