Speaking of 12-fretters ... Recommendations?

[12fretter]

It's hard to beat my Larrivee 000-50!!!!

[M19]

Originally Posted by HHP

No, it is, they just used pre-production artwork. From the description...."This model features a 12-fret large body"

The spec says:

Model: * D-45S Authentic 1936
Construction: * Mahogany Blocks/Dovetail Neck Joint - Hide Glue Construction
Body Size: * D-14 Fret (Large Body)
Top: * Solid Adirondack Spruce
Rosette: * Style 45 Authentic
Top Bracing Pattern: * Standard ''X'' Scalloped (Authentic Style) - Circa 1936

[Tuba Mike]

Originally Posted by 12fretter

It's hard to beat my Larrivee 000-50!!!!

I bet! It's hard to beat a Larrivee period. I very much like my "00"12-fret all hog and was blown away by a friends 12-fret Forum III Larrivee and another friends 12-fret Larrivee Dread (all hog). I just love 'em!

[posternutbag]

I love my Martin 000-28vs. It has obviated my need for other instruments. It is a great fingerpicking guitar and it strums/flatpicks well. Just extremely versatile. I'm not a classical guitarist, but even play my classical repertoire on it. I used to have a D-18, a OM-15M and a classical all out at once. Now I use the 000-28 for everything.

[JJO]

I don't think anyone has mentioned the Santa Cruz D 12 Fret yet, but that is a wonderful, wonderful guitar. It's a little bit shallower that the big Martin 12-fret dreads, so it's got a little more focus and projection while remaining very powerful.

[smpetty]

My Webber 000 12-fret shares my "favorite guitar ever" prize with my H&D TOM-R. The Webber has the sweetest warm tone, strong but clean bass with shimmering mids and trebles, perfectly balanced, loud with incredile dynamic range, super comfortble neck, just the right string spacing... I love it. It's a lot like a warmer Goodall without the muddiness that comes with the Goodall overtones. David Webber builds the best guitars for the price on this planet.

Scott

[darylcrisp]

i've owned a few and played a few more.
the ones i've owned and really liked were:

Goodall TR000-built great of course, loud, projective, powerful, 25" considered shortscale by Goodall-mine was sitka/EIR. very adaptable guitar for any music style-wonderful fingerstyle and top shelf flatpicker:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UugqFVJbvyM
acousticpromusician used to carry some neat 12 fret instruments

i love the Taylor 12 fret GA/GC models. lots to choose from in woods but as others mentioned, the standard sitka/EIR versions are tough to beat. if you like the taylor sound with a little more "dark" and grunt, these are there-still that taylor balance, shimmer, easy to play neck and easy to achieve a low action setup-wonderful instruments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Puubyrddvk (there was a nice looking GA size of this in the classifieds- http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...Macassar+Ebony

there's also a taylor GC size cedar/mahogany 12 for sale in the classifieds:
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=280320

GuitarRodeo has one in stock it appears:http://www.guitarrodeo.com/guitars/g...12-fret-2.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvslvU5IujU

[Turp]

Originally Posted by darylcrisp

there's also a taylor GC size cedar/mahogany 12 for sale in the classifieds:
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=280320

Not a salesman but, this one is a pretty good buy. The seller has added a bone saddle and nut I believe.

[socalrobt01]

I recently bought a used Recording King ROS-627. It's 12-fret with the vintage slot-head. Solid spruce top, solid rosewood sides & back. Ebony fretboard & vintage-style 'pyramid' bridge. Herringbone binding & Grover butterbean-style open tuners. I bought it because it so resembled the Martin 000-28S in both appearance and tone. I just didn't have the $3000+ to spend on a new rosewood Martin 000.

The RK ROS-627 would be a wonderful guitar, especially for the money if RK had bothered to use properly aged woods and invested in quality assembly. But true to virtually every Chinese made product, the quality control was very poor. I'm investing an extra $350 of work to make the guitar right. This is a 2 year old guitar, and it needed properly set frets and entire fretboard leveling, a 6" grain crack in the rear lower bout filled & refinished, and 6 or 7 cracks filled in the ebony fretboard.

It was not abused by its first owner, nor was there a humidity problem that caused the cracks. RK just rushed unseasoned wood into production, and evidently didn't care how the guitar played above the fifth fret. Unfortunately, I didn't detect these issues as I was evaluating the guitar in rather limited light. The guitar is otherwise very beautiful, especially the master grade top. Its tone is impressive too, when played in the lower registers.

But in short I let the looks and my too-brief inspection convince me to buy it. I'll have over $750 into it when the work is done, which isn't huge money for a fine acoustic. It just wasn't the fine deal it seemed to be at first.

So if you are considering a Recording King for your vintage-style 12 fret acoustic, make sure you take a highly experienced acoustic guitarist with you for a second opinion. Otherwise, you might fall in love with the good things about the guitar, and make the mistake of buying something you won't be happy with as you get better acquainted with the instrument.

In closing, I always lean to buying Made In USA products. My Martins are a testament to that. Buying the ROS-627 was a weak moment for me. But it serves as a reminder of the night-and-day quality differences between American guitars and Chinese guitars. Bottom line: Save a while longer for your dream guitar, and buy USA. Your instrument will hold or gain value over the long run and you won't have buyer's remorse. Plus you'll make our nation (and not China) stronger for it.

[blue]

Originally Posted by 12fretter

It's hard to beat my Larrivee 000-50!!!!

Yup. It's always a toss up for me between my Larrivee OOO-50, and my SD-50. Both 12 fretters for those who aren't into Larrivees.

The SD-50 is by far a more powerful beast, but gives up none of the subtleties of its gentler brother. It does it all.

However, for sheer comfort and personal enjoyment, a OOO 12 fretter is just about the most comfortable guitar for me to physically handle. I am more at home on a OO in terms of "knowing it like the back of my hand" from all my time on my Nationals, but a OOO is really the most comfortable for me in all situations. Meaning from sitting on a dedicated music stool, to laying almost flat on a bed supported by pillows, and everything in between.

Larrivee 12 fretters are wonderful. They add everything the 12 fret design is supposed to add to a guitar's tone to the already vibrant and balanced Larrivee tone.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have found both of them used for a great price. And even more fortunate that they are the "Total Sunburst" models.

[woodbox]

My first guitar was Grandpa's Martin 0-18 12 fret, so I have always had one.
Currently have four 12 fretters.

The Santa Cruz 000 1929 mentioned often here is a fine instrument but I never quite bonded with it, a little dark...preferring the sparkle of my Martins.

The Martin 000-18GE 12 fret Custom from My Favorite Guitars is one of the best ever, (and I have one available) in that its dynamic range is quite broad.
Lots of low end that does not overpower the highs...very well balanced overall and gets loud easily if you want it to with lots of headroom. The adirondack top and Golden Era bracing a major factor here I think.

Its more guitar than I am player...I just dont do it justice.

[guitpic]

I have one of these...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7pmVJbYGhs

Called Taylor to see if it was o.k. to put on some Martin SP Life Span .012 - .054's to give it a bit of a deeper sound. Taylor gave the go ahead and I couldn't be more pleased.

For me anyway, sound and playability are great. I think Taylor came up with a winner on this guitar....and I've owned a few Taylor's over the years.

[Gibsonstrummer]

Scgc D12 small but deadly

[juan.pavan007]

Vote for Recording King ROS-627. This is the best (for me) in the bang-for-buck category. Nearly identical in features and looks to a Martin 000-28. To get everything this has from Martin would come to $7500 or more with case. Got mine for $725 because of some imagined finish flaw....never have actually found the supposed flaw. Even sounds like a Martin, definitely did their homework. By the way, don't believe everything you read about Asian built instruments. I own three of them and have never seen the kinds of things I see others encounter.




2007 Alvarez M8012
2010 Recording King ROS-627
2012 Jim Frieson Classical (Jim is Canadian, lives in Japan)

[Yrksman]

00-12 that Ralph Bown had just finished last week. EIR and Lutz, one of the finest guitars I've ever played. I want one!