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Epiphone PR-5E
Takamine GF30CE
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Playability
77
Sound
79
Build
64
Value
83
Score
73
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Playability
77
Sound
84
Build
74
Value
83
Score
78
FIND IT ON:
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Epiphone PR-5E vs Takamine GF30CE

Reasons to Get
Epiphone PR-5E over Takamine GF30CE

Neck Profile
Acoustic C vs Acoustic Asymmetrical C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Nut Width
1.68'' (42.7mm) vs 1.685'' (42.8mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 25.3'' (642.6mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone

Reasons to Get
Takamine GF30CE over Epiphone PR-5E

Release Year
2014 vs 2012
From a more recent year
Neck Profile
Acoustic Asymmetrical C vs Acoustic C
Adapts to the natural shape of your hand
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone vs Plastic
Good quality nut with rich tone
Top Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Nut Width
1.685'' (42.8mm) vs 1.68'' (42.7mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Scale Length
25.3'' (642.6mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone

Other Key Differences
Epiphone PR-5E vs Takamine GF30CE

Back Material
Mahogany vs Okoume
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Mahogany vs Okoume
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Plastic vs Synthetic Bone
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Pau Ferro vs Fixed
Different Bridge Material
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Ovangkol
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Plastic vs Synthetic Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Epiphone PR-5E vs Takamine GF30CE

Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany
Same Neck Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

Epiphone PR-5E Prices

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Takamine GF30CE is probably the better product overall with its final score of 78 compared to the Epiphone PR-5E's 73 score, although not by a lot.

The Takamine GF30CE wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Epiphone PR-5E has the upper hand when it comes to.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

Both meet 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Epiphone PR-5E
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Takamine GF30CE
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Epiphone PR-5E Overview

  • From Epiphone's 2012 Modern Acoustic series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Select Spruce top
  • Select Mahogany back
  • Select Mahogany sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman Sonicore (Preamp/Active)
  • Pau Ferro bridge
  • Acoustic C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Epiphone Premium Die cast tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Takamine GF30CE Overview

  • From Takamine's 2014 G series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 25.3"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Okoume back
  • Okoume sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Ovangkol fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: TP-4TD (Preamp/Active)
  • Fixed bridge
  • Acoustic Asymmetrical C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Takamine Die-cast tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

Woods Used in Both

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Woods Used in the Epiphone PR-5E

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Woods Used in the Takamine GF30CE

Ovangkol wood pattern used for guitar building
Ovangkol
Okoume wood pattern used for guitar building
Okoume

Ovangkol is a beautiful wood that's popular for acoustic guitars. Its tone sits somewhere between rosewood and mahogany, meaning it has a punchy low-end and nice mid-range. Find out more about Ovangkol.

Okoume is an affordable wood and one of the first to replace Mahogany when the prohibitions started. It's generally softer than Mahogany and the tone has warmer lows.

Winner: Epiphone PR-5E.

Electronics

Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Epiphone PR-5E
Sustain 65
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 79
Takamine GF30CE
Sustain 80
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Epiphone PR-5E compares to the Takamine GF30CE.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in China.

China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Epiphone PR-5E has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

On the other hand, the Takamine GF30CE comes with a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.

Winner: Takamine GF30CE.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Epiphone PR-5E's are Epiphone Premium Die cast while the Takamine GF30CE's are Takamine Die-cast

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Epiphone PR-5E
  • Expensive Wood
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • Laminated Top Wood
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Takamine GF30CE
  • Expensive Wood
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Synthetic Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Epiphone PR-5E
Quality of materials 51
Features 85
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 64
Takamine GF30CE
Quality of materials 76
Features 85
Quality Control 60
Build Quality 74

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Epiphone PR-5E Nut Width
Epiphone PR-5E Nut Width
Takamine GF30CE Nut Width
Takamine GF30CE Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Takamine GF30CE has the wider nut with 42.8mm (1.685'') vs 42.7mm (1.68''). This is a 0.099999999999994mm (0.0050000000000001'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Takamine GF30CE, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Epiphone PR-5E's Scale Length
Epiphone PR-5E's Scale Length
Takamine GF30CE's Scale Length
Takamine GF30CE's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Epiphone PR-5E has the longest scale: 25.5". The Takamine GF30CE is only 25.3" long. This is a 0.2'' (5.1mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Epiphone PR-5E Neck Profile
Epiphone PR-5E's neck profile
Takamine GF30CE Neck Profile
Takamine GF30CE's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Epiphone PR-5E has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

The Takamine GF30CE, on the other hand, has a Asymmetrical neck. Even though this neck shape looks like a poorly-made job, it's, in fact, the neck that most naturally adapts to the arc of your hand when grabbing a guitar neck. You'll notice that the lower part of your palm makes a more pronounced, deeper curve while the upper part makes a more subtle arch. This is the shape that adapts the best to that natural arch your hand makes while playing.

Fretboard Radius

Epiphone PR-5E Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Epiphone PR-5E and the Takamine GF30CE have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Epiphone PR-5E:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Takamine GF30CE:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Epiphone PR-5E and Takamine GF30CE Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium fret size

Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.

Final Playability Scores

Epiphone PR-5E
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 80
Playability 77
Takamine GF30CE
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 85
Solo Playability 70
Playability 77

Specs Side-by-Side

Epiphone PR-5E vs Takamine GF30CE
General Epiphone PR-5E Takamine GF30CE
Brand: Epiphone Takamine
Year: 2012 2014
Strings: 6 6
Made in: China China
Series: Modern Acoustic G
Colors: Natural Black
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Select Spruce Solid Spruce
Sides Material: Mahogany Okoume
Back Material: Mahogany Okoume
Bridge: Pau Ferro Fixed
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Epiphone Premium Die cast Takamine Die-cast
Fretboard: Rosewood Ovangkol
Neck Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Decoration: Dot Dots
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.3"
Shape: Acoustic C Acoustic Asymmetrical C
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 12"
Nut: Plastic Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 42.7mm (1.68'') 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Fishman Sonicore (Preamp / Active) TP-4TD (Preamp / Active)