I had a test of this last night with my crusty old Saitek rudder pedals. Takeoff is perfectly controllable, it just takes practice. Key points to keep in mind:
Bring the power in smoothly. Don't just jam it forward.
Keep the inputs small. All it takes is a bit of light pressure. No need to go stomping on the rudder.
Predict, don't react. When you've applied a correction and you see it taking effect, neutralize your inputs BEFORE you reach where you want the nose to be. The aircraft has yawing momentum, so if you wait until you are through the centerline again, you will zig-zag around on the runway.
Be quick about your inputs. Quick but small inputs are better than slow and large ones.