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Old 02-20-2013, 03:28 PM
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Old 02-20-2013, 04:22 PM
tamiller1952 tamiller1952 is offline
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My twelve fret has a cutaway and I wouldn't consider one without. I love the look, but I play fingerstyle well above the 12th fret.
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Old 02-20-2013, 04:27 PM
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The 12 fret will have a deeper bass and sound bigger and fuller overall.
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Old 02-20-2013, 04:38 PM
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The difference between a 12 fret and 14 fret is greatly dependent on the maker. Martin used different body sizes and shapes, as well as different neck widths and bridge spacing. Gibson built 12, 13, and 14 fret guitars on basically the same bodies. Other makers have done all sorts of different things.

Martin 12 fret 000's and Dreadnaughts are long scale, and their 0's and 00's are short scale. The prewar 12 fret guitars had 1 7/8" nuts and 2 3/8" bridge spacing. The reintroduced 12 fret D's from the 60's forward had 1 7/8" nuts and 2 5/16" bridge spacing. Most of the modern versions have 1 3/4" nuts and 2 5/16" bridge spacing.

The Santa Cruz is Martin-esque. It is long scale (25.4") and has a 1 3/4" nut. The ones I've played were Martin flavored Santa Cruz guitars in both tone and feel. I like them a lot.

I play Bluegrass and seldom utilize the entire 14 fret board, so the 12 fret board doesn't bother me at all.
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Old 02-20-2013, 04:38 PM
mchalebk mchalebk is offline
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The difference between a 12-fret and 14-fret guitar is not how many frets the guitar has, but at which fret it joins the body. In other words, a 14-fret guitar does not have 2 more frets, it has two more frets free of the body.

A 12-fret guitar also does not necessarily have a shorter scale. Usually, they simply move the bridge.

If you never play above the 12th fret, you won't have any issues playing a 12-fret guitar. If you do play that high, you would likely want a cutaway on the 12-fret model.
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Old 02-20-2013, 04:39 PM
scottishrogue scottishrogue is offline
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Smile 12 frets vs 14 frets

I recently acquired a Martin 000C Nylon classical guitar and I love the cutaway, even though I don't spend a lot of time in the upper register. It's nice to know I can go there, if necessary. I also like the slightly wider neck as it gives me just a little more room for fingerstyle playing. What I found so amazing about my guitar is the sound projection of the nylon strings, and when I plug it in to my amp, it's simply AMAZING!

I've watched several classical player that don't have the cutaway, and it's quite a stretch when they play above the 12th fret. It shows in their facial expression often.

I also have several 14-fret acoustics, acoustic-electrics, electrics and I don't have any problems switching back and forth.

Glen
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Old 02-20-2013, 05:31 PM
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i'm a sucker for the sound of a good 12 fretter, and i liked the sound of the 1929s in 0, 00 and 000. a cutaway would have been nice, but they're pretty sweet guitars.
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Old 02-20-2013, 05:36 PM
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It took me a while to get used to having my arm closer to my body. I actually played my Taylor 12-fret on my left leg for a while to move my arm out some. Now, it doesn't bother me much, but I still feel that my barre chords suffer up past 7 due to how the different geometry changes the leverage angles.
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Old 02-20-2013, 05:57 PM
darylcrisp darylcrisp is offline
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i love 12 and 14 fret builds. i do highly prefer having a cutaway after having a few awesome 12 fret guitars that didn't. once i played a 12 fret that had a cutaway i promised myself to never buy another without it-thats just me-as others mentioned, if you don't go that direction up the neck don't even think about it.

the santa cruz are very cool, been looking at those for 2 years easy-the one thing that hinders me is the pretty sharp V neck on the 29 series-just talked to a buddy tonite who owns one and helped ease my thoughts-just wish they had the OMPW neck on them-and put a cutaway on the 00, i'd buy it in a second.

12 fret builds kinda bring a aura to the sound-you just got to hear and play one-you'll either love it or simply won't get it.

d
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Old 02-20-2013, 06:08 PM
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I agree with Daryl, you're either gonna love it or hate...I love mine even though it doesn't have a cutaway, the 12 frets forced me to re-think voicings and that's kind of helped to bring new life to some older tunes.
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Old 02-20-2013, 06:13 PM
kmcmichael kmcmichael is offline
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I like 12 fretters. I went to them to get the wider necks but like thier more robust sound. Sure, one might miss the reach but restriction can enhance creativity.
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Old 02-20-2013, 06:24 PM
Rosewood99 Rosewood99 is offline
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The only issue is if you like to tune down a half or whole step. That would potentially put you way down on the frets depending on the song you played. That might not be an issue but worth considering.
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Old 02-20-2013, 08:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Randers View Post
Essentially, I am looking at the Santa Cruz 1929 OOO but I have never played a 12 fretter. I am used to short scales (J-45) so that is not my concern. My concern is if I will like 12 frets. Has anyone here found the transition difficult? What really is the main difference between the two other than the 2 additional frets. Thanks!

Ryan
You may never go back I love my 14 fret dreadnought, but I'll always be a twelve fret guy. To me it sounds and feels (responds) so much better. You don't see a lot of fourteen fret classical guitars... The twelve fret design is about getting the bridge in the sweet spot. Just more of everything. Personally a twelve fret with no cutaway is a non-issue for me in terms of playing up the neck -maybe because I played classical guitar for a while as a kid. Again, I love my fourteen fret guitar too, but the twelve fretter will always be my main guitar, by far.
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Old 02-21-2013, 09:46 AM
Yanto Yanto is offline
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Default 12 Fret acoustics?

Hi everyone. Been looking at the Recording King ROS-06 and ROS-16 models and going to play some on Saturday. They seem to be excellent value for money guitars. Can someone please tell me though the advantages/disadvatages of the 12 fret guitar? Many thanks

Ian
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Old 02-21-2013, 09:53 AM
MisterZeus MisterZeus is offline
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I think that they just sound better and play better...
particularly if they are built with a slot head and a short scale.
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