Takamine P3NY vs CP3 NYK
Reasons to Get
Takamine P3NY over CP3 NYK
Reasons to Get
Takamine CP3 NYK over P3NY
Other Key Differences
Takamine P3NY vs CP3 NYK
Shared Features
Takamine P3NY vs CP3 NYK
Common Strengths
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- High-Quality Nut
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Solid Side Wood
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Takamine P3NY is probably the better product overall with its final score of 83 compared to the Takamine CP3 NYK's 81 score, although not by a lot.
The Takamine P3NY wins when it comes to playability, build quality. On the other hand, the Takamine CP3 NYK has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Takamine P3NY.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Takamine P3NY is the better choice.
The Takamine P3NY meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Takamine CP3 NYK meets only 4. 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.
New Player Friendliness
Takamine P3NY- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Soft Strings
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Takamine CP3 NYK- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- 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.
Takamine P3NY Overview
- From Takamine's 2014 Pro Series 3 series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 24.8"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Solid Cedar top
- Solid Sapele back
- Sapele sides
- Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: CT4B II (Preamp/Active)
- Fixed bridge
- Acoustic Asymmetrical C Set neck
- 20 Medium frets
- Takamine Gold tuners
- Compare Specs >
Takamine CP3 NYK Overview
- From Takamine's 2018 Pro Series 3 series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 24.8"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Solid Cedar top
- Solid Koa back
- Koa sides
- Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: CT4B II (Preamp/Active)
- Fixed bridge
- Acoustic Asymmetrical C Set neck
- 20 Medium frets
- Takamine 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 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.
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.
This is a softwood that is commonly used for acoustic guitars. It's known for its warm tone with strong overtones. However, there are many species so the tone and look can vary a lot.
Woods Used in the Takamine P3NY
It's similar to Mahogany in both color and tone. It can produce warm tones, and it's known for its beautiful figured grain patterns. Find out more about Sapele.
Woods Used in the Takamine CP3 NYK
It's a type of wood native to the Hawaiian Islands, where it's pretty common. Its musical properties make it a great wood for making guitars, but it's especially popular for building Ukuleles. Find out more about Koa.
Winner: Tie.
Electronics
Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.
Winner:Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
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 Takamine P3NY compares to the Takamine CP3 NYK.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Japan.
Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.
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.
In this case, both have Bone nuts. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
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 Takamine P3NY's are Takamine Gold while the Takamine CP3 NYK's are Takamine
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Takamine P3NY
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Bone Saddle
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Laminated Side Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Takamine CP3 NYK
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Bone Saddle
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Laminated Side Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
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
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Takamine CP3 NYK has the wider nut with 45mm (1.77'') vs 42.5mm (1.673''). This is a 2.5mm (0.097'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Takamine CP3 NYK, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
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.
In this case, both have a scale length of 24.8".
This is around the same scale found in most triple-O acoustic guitars. It's still considered a long scale, but shorter than the standard 25.5" scale.
A shorter scale length guitar has a few advantages. One is that it is easier to play because the strings are under less tension. This can be helpful for beginners, or those with smaller hands.
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
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.
Both the Takamine P3NY and the Takamine CP3 NYK have a Asymmetrical-shaped 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
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 Takamine P3NY and the Takamine CP3 NYK 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.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Takamine CP3 NYK favors large hands more than the Takamine P3NY. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Takamine P3NY:
Takamine CP3 NYK:
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.