Takamine

You can Yelp and Trip Advise all you like, but if you travel with any regularity, it’s going to happen. A late-night hotel check-in yields zero evidence of a reservation. The National Taxidermist convention is in town and the only room to be found, but only if you hurry, is a pet- and smoker-friendly twin-twin at the Mystery Stain Motel just 22 miles away.

While you and I might try to bury a night like that in the far reaches of our subconscious, Jacob Johnson sees it as a sensory experience to be shared, and the perfect excuse to unleash 5-1/2 minutes of pure six-string wizardry, which -- if you know anything about Jacob Johnson -- you knew was coming.

Thus, in Jacob’s freshly-released "The Sketchiest Motel in Fayetteville", we are treated by way of Johnson’s talents to the smell of cigarette smoke and the taste of stale coffee, and it still manages to make our day. We were first introduced to the gifted singer-songwriter-guitarist extraordinaire back in the spring of 2020 via his beloved "Goodnight Chorus", a tribute to “the beautiful people we cross paths through music,” cleverly conceived and brilliantly executed on his well-played EAN10C (similar to the current P3DC). Later that winter, we were treated to a holiday visit from Linus, Lucy, and Charlie Brown by way of Jacob’s rich rendition of "Christmas Time is Here" from his Wild and Sweet: A Christmas Album, so seasonally satisfying that we revisited it for Christmas 2022, and will likely do so again this December.

In every instance, Johnson’s songwriting prowess and crafty knack for delivering melodies, bass lines, percussion, and often vocals in a single, satisfying musical stream have made him a favorite of both guitar instrumental and singer-songwriter aficionados alike. The P1DC-SM from Takamine’s Pro Series 1 has been Jacob’s guitar of choice for the last couple of years, and is also the model he plays in "The Sketchiest Motel". The solid cedar top, sapele back-and-sides dreadnought cutaway provides the all the clarity, projection, and warmth a solo artist like Jacob could want, while the spot-on intonation via Tak’s split-bridge saddle is absolutely essential. The result is the pure joy generated by a consummate musician in absolute union with their instrument.

Takamine Guitars is proud and honored to be the acoustic guitar of choice for the masterful Jacob Johnson. Enjoy more of Jacob’s music on your favorite platform.