I bought this guitar to use with the Fender Play guitar lesson since I saw an ad on facebook and saw that it was half price for life. I never knew how to learn to play and the Fender program was just what I was looking for.

In my highly unqualified opinion I think this is a pretty nice guitar for a very good entry level price. This is not my first guitar. I bought one several years ago and quickly became frustrated just to sell it, for a loss, after it sat int he corner for a few months. My son, who is 7 years old got a Yamaha 3/4 size guitar for his birthday in September, which sparked my interest again. His Yamaha is all I have to compare this Guitar to and the Yamaha, in my opinion is probably a "nicer" guitar. I nearly bought a Yamaha, but after browsing I decided for the less expensive option in case my playing history repeats itself.

I was surprised that the strap peg (is that what it is called?) is under the neck instead of above it. It is above the neck on the Yamaha. I don't have a strap yet so I don't know if it effects the guitar in any way.

I think the finish on the Yamaha is much nicer than the Jasmine, but I really don't care. I figure that is I learn to play I can spend a $200 or $300 on a better guitar later down the line.

The B string was a little too close to the E string, leaving an uneven gap between the B and the G string, but I was able to correct that.

Other than that so far so good.

The Background:
I am a professional singer and musician who has been at it for decades. I've played Taylors and Martins, but prefer a nice Breedlove because their tone seems to sit right in the middle between Taylor's cut-through-the-mix bite and Martin's perfect-tone-for-blend smoothness.

I bought this as a gift for my daughter for Christmas. I would have loved to have had $500+ to spend on a starter guitar for her, but we simply didn't have it. I did a lot of research on sub $200 guitars and came across this instrument. I was a bit surprised by the rave reviews and have to admit that I had high hopes because of them. However, as a musician who has seen his share of bad, cheap instruments, I was fairly certain I was going to be disappointed. After all, $70 for an acoustic instrument is...well...ridiculous. Again, I was hoping against hope that it would be as good as the reviews said, but I was more than ready for and expecting things like sketchy construction, uneven fret spacing, substantial fret buzz, poor tone, and more. In short, I was more than pleasantly surprised!

The Good:
I pulled it out of the under-whelming packaging and was instantly taken by the look of the guitar. It's beautiful. Don't get me wrong - it's not a $700+ instrument, but I've seen plenty of $400-$500 starter guitars that didn't look nearly as nice. Love the satin finish.

Because of the reviews I'd read, I was ready for rusted strings and praying it didn't have any damage due to the poor packaging. I'd purchased some nice D'Addario strings to put on it and was fully ready to go through a lengthy set-up process to get it playable as some reviewers suggested. However, the strings were in perfect condition and, when I tuned her up, the guitar had nearly perfect set-up and sounded pretty stinkin' amazing out of the box! I'll still take it in after Christmas to have it fully set up by a pro, but out of the box this things was extremely playable with a very respectable tone.

As for tuning, the frets are nearly perfect. My first guitar was a much more expensive Epiphone that sounded great open on the lower frets, but lost tonality quickly as you moved up the neck, especially under capo. Not this little gem. She sounds great all the way up the neck. The neck is narrow and very playable, the frets are smooth with no jagged edges, and the size of the instrument just feels right. The guitar itself is not huge, but it's also not tiny like a travel guitar. Again, it just feels really nice to play.

The Bad:
There's not a lot at this point, really. If this were a $500+ instrument, I'd have some things to say here, but even if it was in the $300-$400 range, I'd have to be fairly picky to write much in this column. The only thing that even crosses my mind is a some concerns for longevity. For instance, the tuners are functional, but you can tell that they are entry-level. They tune just fine and hold tune surprisingly well (again, better than my Epiphone did), but will they last? Only time will tell. Worst case scenario, though, is that they tank and I spend $20-$25 to put some nicer tuners on it. Even if that were to happen, I'd still be in this thing for a ridiculously low price! That almost moves this "bad" possibility into the plus column, in my opinion.

Here is my only real concern for this guitar - it's light. I mean, really light. So much so that it almost feels fragile (it doesn't feel fragile, but it's close). My Epiphone was a tank, and I never had to worry about hurting it with the normal bumps and bangs that often come with a first guitar. This guitar, however, is just the opposite. My daughter is very good at taking care of her things, so I'm not too concerned about it because of that. However, if I were getting it for my son who is notorious for destroying everything, I'm not sure it would make it to 2019. Again, only time will tell how this guitar holds up. I'll try to keep this updated as time goes on.

The Wrap:
BUY IT! It's $70, and I'd be shocked if you could find something of this quality for anywhere near this price point. If you are in the market for a sub $350 guitar, don't spend a penny more than the $70 it costs for this gem. To do so would just not make sense. Even if you had to replace the tuners, strings, and get a better nut, bridge, and pegs right out of the box, you'd STILL be in this for less than $150. You'd also have an even BETTER sounding guitar. In my opinion, the only reason to spend $350-$400 on a different guitar is NOT to get better tone or playability (I doubt you'll find it, honestly), but because you will have instruments in that range that are sturdier and that have solid tops/backs, etc. But, again, this is only SEVENTY BUCKS! What do you have to lose?

In Love with Jasmine. This guitar is so sweet, the neck feels great, the action is fine and the overall build quality is above outstanding. When I got it I replaced the saddle and nut with bone parts and put in some brass bridge pins. The result is a nicely resonant instrument that plays like some $1000 guitar. Don't believe me, try same. I doubt that there is a better value out there, Takamine hit it out of the park with this one.

Some reviewers have criticized this guitar but, as one positive reviewer said, it is amazing that you can buy a musical instrument of this quality for such a low price. If you are a guitar enthusiast and avid player, you probably will immediately notice that this guitar is not nearly as good as one that sells for $300 or $400. But of course not--it is not a $300 guitar; it is a $70 guitar. For $70, you can't go wrong. It is a beautiful guitar. The action is not as high as others have said and the strings are fine. I tuned it and played it right out of the box and it sounds great. I love this guitar. You cannot go wrong for $70.

I was going camping and wanted to take a guitar along to play on that trip, but I wasn't thrilled with the idea of exposing my expensive guitar to the perils of sharp rocks, fireside smoke, and errant goo from toasted marshmallows. So, I ordered this Jasmine S35 specifically for use as a campfire guitar (i.e. a cheap beater that you buy to play at a campfire, and when you're finished you have no regrets about just throwing it in and using it as fuel for roasting hot dogs). What I got was a perfectly serviceable instrument that was nicely playable out of the box after tuning. It has a bright, clear tone and sports a nice satin finish. The neck's truss rod can be adjusted if needed through the sound hole with the included Allen wrench. The S35 doesn't have the cosmetic appointments that you'll find on higher-priced guitars, and most people would probably never call it gorgeous, but for just 70 bucks you're getting a solid little beast that's a perfect choice for anyone looking for a good entry-level guitar or an inexpensive "just because" instrument. The Jasmine will never replace my other guitar as my favorite, but it will make a nice 2nd instrument to have around for practice or just a change of pace. If that's the kind of guitar you're looking for and you're on the fence about buying the S35, trust the very high proportion of positive Amazon reviews and press the Order button.

UPDATE:
A week or so after my Jasmine arrived, I happened to be visiting family in a city where there was a Guitar Center, so I dropped in to noodle on a few guitars and then leave without buying anything. (Yeah, I'm THAT guy.) One of the guitars I played was an $800 Martin...and the sound of my Jasmine beat the sound of that Martin all to heck. Seriously. Once again I say, buy the Jasmine. Just. Buy. It.

UPDATE # 2:
After few nights around the campfire the Jasmine does now have a slightly smoky smell to it, but my wife thinks it's kinda sexy. Win-win.