If you ask about cheap acoustic guitars, you can usually hear how the best option for the double-digit price is a used guitar, and I can’t agree more in most cases.
But this particular Jasmine acoustic guitar is totally different story.
The Jasmine S35 comes from one of the top brands that make quite good and expensive guitars – Takamine.
If you are on the budget, but you want new, rather than used guitar, then you’ve found your instrument.
Review
Jasmine S35 is a very nice looking guitar with dreadnought-style shape, with some pretty good features.
It is quite suitable for the beginners and for those who seek the cheap guitar that can deliver a decent sound.
Let’s be real, it is not a premium quality guitar, but you can’t expect that kind of quality from the guitar that costs less than 100$.
This is the budget guitar made by Japanese company Takamine, and although it is not the top notch quality guitar, you will be surprised how good sound quality you can get for such a low price.
Let’s say it’s a perfect guitar for playing by the campfire.
Body and Neck
The guitar features the dreadnought body made of Agathis back and sides, and a spruce top. You can’t expect a solid wood top on the guitar this cheap.
It has a nato neck with a rosewood fingerboard. There are 20 frets on it, and the bridge is made of rosewood. The neck provides a decent comfort while you play.
Both nut and the saddle are made of synthetic bone, and the whole guitar is nicely coated in smooth satin finish.
The headstock doesn’t look too special, but it is quite compact and discreet with nice chrome tuning machine.
The Sound and the Feel
When it comes to sound, one thing is for sure – this guitar doesn’t sound like some cheap entry-level guitar. With that being said, you can’t really expect the top notch sound neither.
The braces on this guitar are in X pattern and close to the sound hole. This gives you a more open sound and allows a bit freely vibration of the top.
Jasmine S35 has a balanced, warm tone and provides the full soundscape, and although the action is quite low, it doesn’t buzz when you play it.
The guitar very light and the neck is quite thin. The thin neck in combination with low action makes this guitar extremely comfortable to play.
This means that this guitar is great for the beginners because it is very playable and it’s easy to push the strings.
This model doesn’t have any electronics, so it’s purely acoustic guitar, and the strings that the guitar comes with are, as usually, terrible but this can be solved with 5$ set of new strings, so it’s not a big deal.
Design and Build
This guitar as originally made by Takamine but the production has shifted to KMC Music Company. Today, the S35 guitars are made in China, but they kept the original design made by Takamine.
Now, most of the budget guitars look and feel very cheap and low-quality, but this one has a smooth satin finish that makes it look a bit more high-quality.
This satin finish also maximizes the resonance and optimizes the quality of the sound.
Like every other cheap guitar, this one can also have some imperfections or build issues, so it’s smart to inspect the guitar when it arrives to make sure it was assembled properly.
Because it was made to be cheap, they used the synthetic bone saddle and nut. Now, the saddle sometimes may be placed too high. If this is the case, the guitar requires a setup.
This is not a big problem because you can get this done in any guitar shop for a very small price or you can watch some instructional Youtube videos and do it yourself. It’s not such a hard thing to do.
Because the guitar was designed by Takamine, the most of their quality is still kept today. The guitar may not be outstanding when it comes to quality of the build, but it is quite impressive for the price.
If you buy this guitar, you can expect decent quality and surprisingly good sound from it.
Is it Worth to Buy?
Yes, it is. If you are a beginner or you are just looking for an acoustic guitar to carry around when you travel and play it by the campfire, this guitar is totally a good choice.
Let’s be honest, when you first start playing it is quite painful until you learn some good tunes and the playing becomes a pleasure. At this point, there is absolutely no need for expensive guitars.
Maybe at some point, you realize you don’t want to play the guitar, but you already spent the fortune on your instrument.
This is why this is the best choice for beginners. If you realize that you are becoming really good, then you can buy the best guitar you can find.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Rich and balanced tone
- Consistent sound
- It’s very light and quite comfortable
- Looks great
- Fun to play
- Very useful travel guitar
- Amazingly low price
Cons
- It requires a setup
- Requires constant tuning
- Average quality
- May have some build issues
- You must replace the strings
Jasmine S35 Alternatives
1. Yamaha FG800 Acoustic Guitar
If you are willing to spend more money ant to get the guitar with a solid top then go with this Yamaha guitar.
It features the traditional look, and it’s made of a bit better materials, it’s very fun to play, and it has a rich, clear, and mellow tone.
2. Seagull S6 Original Acoustic Guitar
If you can expand your budget even more, then you can choose the Seagull S6 acoustic guitar.
This guitar also has a solid wood cedar top with a semi-gloss finish, and it looks as same as it sounds – amazing.
It is very versatile, and you can play any genre you like on it.
3. Fender FA-100 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
Fender FA-100 is one of the best entry-level guitars, and it looks, sounds, and feels amazing.
Not only that but with this package, you get all the necessary equipment you need to start playing.
You can read my review about this guitar here.
My Takeaway Advice
Overall, I think that this guitar offers an exceptional value for the price.
It is not the premium quality guitar, but I dare you to find the better one for the same price.
It’s excellent travel guitar and an ideal choice for beginners.
If you are interested in this guitar, click here to get it.
