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Takamine has started feeding back

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bluechargeboybluechargeboy Frets: 1905
in Acoustics
I have a cedar dreadnought Takamine ETN10c, with a very worn top. It has recently started feeding back more than it has done historically, and it seems to be the same frequency each time. I could just be unlucky with PA/monitor, but this weekend I got the chance to compare directly with my Larivee, which was totally fine.

If I crank the volume through an amp and tap the body, the tap seems to be between E and F, which correlates with the feedback I am getting. I am wondering whether the damage to the top has just degraded/changed the resonant character somehow?

Signal chain: Tak preamp > Keeley Compressor > TU3 > Radial passive DI > desk

Would I be better off with a nice soundhole pickup? Some kind of feedback-killing preamp? Rubber bung in the soundhole? Retire the guitar?

The guitar also needs attention to the frets and saddle, so I am wondering when I will be throwing good money after bad...

I'm just a Maserati in a world of Kias.
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Comments

  • fandangofandango Frets: 2204
    A thought ... has it received a knock that might have disturbed the bracing inside, or loosened the glue somewhere and affected the structural integrity? I doubt a sound hole pickup will cure such a fundamental issue.

    Do you have a trusted local guitar technician/luthier? You've probably thought this already, but unless money is tight, maybe taking the guitar and talking to him and demonstrating the feedback issue - and allowing him to give his hands-on assessment could be worth the effort/cost. He'll have the experience to determine if the issue is structural and whether it can be fixed. Get that resolved either way and you might not need to waste money on accessories that don't cure the root problem.

    I hope I'm not insulting your intelligence, but reinforcing what you should already be considering.


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  • bluechargeboybluechargeboy Frets: 1905
    @fandango I had not considered bracing; the guitar certainly gets hit by me all the time in the heat of battle. I am not one of these slappy slappy players but I do slap it for percussion purposes during some tunes...hmmm...
    I'm just a Maserati in a world of Kias.
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