Takamine Pro Series LTD2010 Acoustic-Electric Guitar (with Case)

In searching for inspiration while designing next year's LTD model, the Takamine looked to Japanese history. Specifically, they researched some of the ideas embodied in Japan's rich and unique aesthetic tradition. One of the more interesting concepts is the idea of "miyabi". A product of the Heian period in Japanese history (794-1192 AD), "miyabi", roughly translated, refers to a sense of elegance, grace, and perfection of form and color. Perhaps the most influential literary work in Japanese history was The Tale of Genji, which chronicles the workings of the Heian royal court. The highest value of the court of Genji is miyabi. In the years since, the concept of miyabi eventually became a defining characteristic of the Japanese worldview. In order to capture the spirit of miyabi, Takamine looked to some of the designs featured on traditional cloth historically used for Japanese kimono. These are the elegant, formal dresses worn by Japanese women for thousands of years, and which reached an early peak of importance during the Heian period, the same time as the development of the miyabi concept.

After considering several alternatives, Takamine developed a process in which actual kimono cloth is embedded into an acrylic matrix and then laser-cut to precise shapes for guitar inlay use. It is the incorporation of these authentic, beautiful pieces of material into the design of the guitar which gives the LTD2010 its unique characteristics, and which embodies perfectly the concept… read more of miyabi. you can see the incorporation of the black kimono material with gold metallic thread into the headstock, pickguard, body purfling and other details on the guitar. To the best of our knowledge, Takamine is the very first guitar manufacturer to make use of this innovative technique for inlay design. We think everybody will agree that the result is an exceptionally beautiful guitar. read less