Takamine G49 Series FXC AC/EL Guitar with Cutaway in Cosmic Black Sparkle Finish
Takamine G49 Series FXC AC/EL Guitar with Cutaway in Cosmic Black Sparkle Finish - Image 2
Takamine G49 Series FXC AC/EL Guitar with Cutaway in Cosmic Black Sparkle Finish - Image 3
Takamine G49 Series FXC AC/EL Guitar with Cutaway in Cosmic Black Sparkle Finish - Image 4
Takamine G49 Series FXC AC/EL Guitar with Cutaway in Cosmic Black Sparkle Finish - Image 5

Takamine G49 Series FXC AC/EL Guitar with Cutaway in Cosmic Black Sparkle Finish

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Original price was: $1,199.00.Current price is: $999.00.

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Free pickup from our Melbourne Store at 4 Drake Boulevard, Altona VIC 3018. Your order will typically be ready by the next business day. We recommend calling us on (03) 8360 7799 beforehand to check it's ready for collection.

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Takamine GF49CE-CB — FX Cutaway Acoustic Electric Guitar, Cosmic Black Sparkle (TGF49CECB)

The Takamine GF49CE-CB (TGF49CECB) is a G-Series FX cutaway acoustic electric guitar built around one of the most striking finish combinations in the Takamine range — cosmic black sparkle gloss with red body binding, red concentric circles rosette and all-black hardware. Spruce top, sapele back and sides, satin mahogany neck, laurel fretboard with 42.5mm nut width, laurel bridge with synthetic bone split saddle, black diecast machine heads and Takamine's TP-3G onboard preamp with 3-band EQ and built-in tuner. The FX body is more compact than a full dreadnought, making it more comfortable to hold and play — and the combination of spruce top with sapele back and sides gives the instrument the warmth and projection the product description references as belying its compact size. A guitar that makes a visual statement before the first note is played.

Angkor Music — The FX Body Shape, What Sapele Is, and Why This Finish Stands Out

Three things define the GF49CE-CB. First, the FX body. Takamine's FX body is a compact, folk-sized cutaway shape — smaller than a dreadnought in both body depth and width. The smaller body is easier to hold against the body, more comfortable for players who find the full dreadnought size physically unwieldy, and well balanced acoustically — the combination of spruce top with sapele back and sides extracts good warmth and projection from the compact dimensions. The cutaway gives upper fret access that the FX body's more playable feel makes practical — this is a guitar designed to be played across the full neck, not just in open position. Second, sapele. The spec sheet lists the back and sides as Mahogany (Sapele) — an honest designation worth understanding. Sapele is an African hardwood in the same botanical family as mahogany, widely used in guitar manufacturing and often described commercially as a mahogany-type or African mahogany. Its tonal character is similar to genuine mahogany — warm, midrange-focused and well rounded — with a slightly more pronounced upper midrange presence that adds definition. Sapele's distinctive interlocked grain produces a ribbon-stripe figure when quartersawn, which contributes to the guitar's visual appeal alongside the finish. Paired with a spruce top, sapele provides the warm fundamental body that makes the GF49CE-CB sound larger than its compact dimensions suggest. Third, the finish. Cosmic black sparkle gloss is a deliberate visual statement — the metallic flake sparkle embedded in the black adds depth and movement to the body under stage lighting, shifting between flat black and glittering reflection as the light angle changes. The red body binding and red concentric rosette create a high-contrast accent that references the bold, unsubtle aesthetics of the 1980s music scene without being a costume or a novelty. Black diecast hardware throughout keeps the colour story consistent. This is a guitar for players who want to look as good as they sound. We stock this model at Angkor Music — contact us for availability.

FX Cutaway vs Dreadnought — Body Size Comparison

Feature Dreadnought FX Cutaway (this guitar)
Body size Full size — larger body depth and width Compact folk size — easier to hold
Upper fret access Limited without cutaway Full upper fret access via cutaway
Playing comfort Standard — suits larger frames More comfortable for smaller players
Bass response Maximum from large body volume Warm and full — tonewood combination compensates for smaller body

Cosmic Black Sparkle — The Visual Story

The GF49CE-CB's finish is the most immediately distinctive element of the instrument. Cosmic black sparkle gloss uses metallic flake embedded in the lacquer — under stage lighting the body shifts between deep flat black and glittering reflection depending on the light angle and distance. It is the kind of finish more commonly associated with drum shells and electric guitars than acoustic instruments, and its appearance on an acoustic electric guitar is deliberately eccentric. The red body binding provides the essential contrast — clean, hard-edged red lines against black, mirrored in the red concentric circles rosette. Black diecast machine heads complete the look, keeping all hardware in the same colour story. The result is an instrument with a specific, committed visual identity that suits players who want their instrument to make a statement on stage.

Spruce Top and Sapele Back and Sides — The Tonal Combination

Spruce is the standard acoustic guitar top tonewood — clear, projecting and tonally balanced across the frequency range. Combined with sapele back and sides, which provide a warm mahogany-like fundamental with slightly more upper midrange definition than genuine mahogany, the GF49CE-CB produces the warm, full-bodied tone the product description references. The compact FX body means total volume is less than a full dreadnought, but the spruce and sapele combination extract warmth and projection that players often find surprising from a smaller-bodied instrument — well suited to intimate performance, recording and stage contexts where a smaller footprint is practical.

Laurel Fretboard and Satin Mahogany Neck

Laurel is a dense hardwood used as a rosewood alternative throughout quality acoustic guitar production — smooth playing surface, good sustain and a warm tonal character. The satin finish on the mahogany neck eliminates the drag of a gloss surface, allowing the hand to move freely along the neck during position shifts and chord changes. At 42.5mm, the nut width provides standard spacing for comfortable chord fretting and single-note playing.

Takamine TP-3G Preamp

The TP-3G provides 3-band EQ (bass, mid, treble) and a built-in chromatic tuner — Takamine's standard G-Series electronics package for live performance. The 3-band EQ allows the amplified tone to be shaped for any room or PA system, and the onboard tuner provides silent stage tuning without a separate pedal. A guitar with this much visual personality on stage benefits from being as practical to operate as it is striking to look at — the TP-3G delivers that.

Who Is the Takamine GF49CE-CB For?

  • Players who want a stage instrument with a genuinely distinctive visual identity — the cosmic black sparkle and red binding are not understated
  • Players who find full dreadnought body size uncomfortable and want a more compact, playable acoustic electric
  • Players who want upper fret access for lead work and melodic playing on an acoustic electric
  • Players drawn to the 80s aesthetic who want that visual language on a quality acoustic instrument
  • Players who want spruce and sapele warmth in a compact body with onboard EQ and tuner

Specifications

SKU TGF49CECB
Brand Takamine
Series G-Series
Type Acoustic Electric — FX Cutaway
Finish Cosmic Black Sparkle Gloss
Top Spruce
Back and Sides Sapele (mahogany-type)
Neck Satin Mahogany
Fretboard Laurel
Nut Width 42.5mm
Bridge Laurel — synthetic bone split saddle
Binding Red body binding
Rosette Red concentric circles
Machine Heads Black diecast
Electronics Takamine TP-3G — 3-band EQ, built-in tuner

Expert Advice at Angkor Music

At Angkor Music Melbourne we stock the Takamine G-Series range. Contact us or visit us in Altona to play the GF49CE-CB alongside other models in the range.


★★★★★ 4.9 Stars — Read Our 1,600+ Google Reviews →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the FX body shape?
Takamine's FX body is a compact, folk-sized cutaway body — smaller than a full dreadnought in both width and depth. It is more comfortable to hold for players who find the dreadnought physically large, and the cutaway provides upper fret access that the more playable feel of the smaller body makes practical. The trade-off compared to a dreadnought is slightly less raw acoustic volume, though the spruce and sapele tonewood combination produces warmth and projection that works effectively in the smaller format.

What is sapele and how does it differ from mahogany?
Sapele is an African hardwood in the same botanical family as mahogany, widely used in acoustic guitar construction. Its tonal character is similar to genuine mahogany — warm, midrange-focused and well-rounded — with a slightly more pronounced upper midrange that adds definition to the tone. The spec sheet lists it as Mahogany (Sapele) to reflect this relationship accurately. In practical playing terms, sapele performs as a mahogany-type tonewood and delivers the warmth the product description references.

Does the sparkle finish affect the tone?
No — the finish is a surface treatment applied over the instrument's body and does not affect the resonance of the tonewoods. The spruce top and sapele back and sides perform tonally the same regardless of the finish applied. The cosmic black sparkle is purely an aesthetic treatment.

Is the split saddle on the laurel bridge significant?
Yes — a split saddle allows independent intonation compensation for each pair of strings rather than a single continuous saddle angle. On any guitar this improves intonation accuracy across the fretboard. It is a practical construction detail that contributes to the guitar playing in tune accurately up the neck.

What does the TP-3G give me for live use?
The TP-3G provides 3-band EQ (bass, mid, treble) for shaping the amplified tone to suit any room or PA system, and a built-in chromatic tuner for silent stage tuning. For a visually distinctive stage guitar like the GF49CE-CB, the onboard tuner is particularly practical — quick, silent tuning keeps the performance flowing without breaking the visual energy of the set.

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Additional information

Weight 0.0000 kg
Type

Electro-Acoustic Guitar
String Configuration

6 String

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