12 fret Acoustics with cutaway

Whitecat

the_butler said:

Not a 12 fret, but I believe Taylor Grand Concerts are 24.75" scale & are small bodied.
They're the ones that end in '2'  so 312c through to 912c

Taylor does do 12-fret versions of their Grand Concert models... for some reason it's not explicit in the model numbering though, so they will be labelled as '12 fret' in addition to being called a 322 or whatever. One of the dead giveaways is the headstock - 12-fret Taylors are slotted, 14-frets aren't.

I picked up a 322ce about a year and a half ago now and it's been great - wanted something small-bodied, killed two birds with one stone so to speak by going both small-bodied *and* 12-fret. Really nice tone, these days as far as Taylor stuff goes I think I prefer it to most of the 14-fret stuff, just has a different presence to it and a little more midrange. The wood combo on it is excellent - mahogany top and Tasmanian Blackwood back & sides - the former being interesting to me as I otherwise only have had spruce top steel-string acoustics. I believe that Taylor uses "genuine" mahogany too on anything labelled 'tropical' mahogany from their factory, just that it could come from any number of countries, if that sort of thing matters to you.

If OP prefers spruce though, I suspect something like this would be a good grab - although not at Coda - https://www.peachguitars.com/taylor-namm-2018-312ce-12-fret-ltd-used.htm

GTC

If you are going to Coda then it would be well worth looking at the Brook guitars they have in stock - in particular, the Lynn and the Creedy. They are both 12 fretters - the Lynn having the larger (00) body and a 630 mm scale and the Creedy with a shorter 623mm scale and smaller body. Both have a 45mm nut width. Every Brook I've tried has played like a dream and they hold their value well if you need to sell on.

The figured mahogany back on the Lynn at Coda is particularly nice (I saw an example made from the same batch when I picked up my custom Taw lefty at their workshops in October)

dean111music

GTC said:

If you are going to Coda then it would be well worth looking at the Brook guitars they have in stock - in particular, the Lynn and the Creedy. They are both 12 fretters - the Lynn having the larger (00) body and a 630 mm scale and the Creedy with a shorter 623mm scale and smaller body. Both have a 45mm nut width. Every Brook I've tried has played like a dream and they hold their value well if you need to sell on.

The figured mahogany back on the Lynn at Coda is particularly nice (I saw an example made from the same batch when I picked up my custom Taw lefty at their workshops in October)

Thanks I’ll check it out. Ideally need a cutaway but sounds great here

https://youtu.be/71nqXmT6tZM

looks very comfortable 

 

dean111music

They also have the Atkin 00

https://www.coda-music.com/acoustic-guitars/atkin-0037s-relic.html

GTC

dean111music said:

They also have the Atkin 00

https://www.coda-music.com/acoustic-guitars/atkin-0037s-relic.html

That video of the Brook Lynn sounded lovely! If you try it and you like it you could always order a custom model direct from Brook with a cutaway. The additional cost of a cutaway is £250. It would take around 7 months from order but you'd get to choose your own woods and dimensions. Going there is an experience in itself.

Last year I did see a 2014 Lynn with cutaway up on Reverb for a very good price. All I could do was curse that I was born left-handed! They are currently making me a custom nylon-strung based on their Cary model with a cutaway (figured ebony back/sides and spruce top).

I haven't any experience with Atkin but it looks nice. The dimensions are very similar to the Lynn.

GTC

Regarding Andy79 's idea about trying something cheaper first size-wise. It is a good one as what might seem terrific from a relatively short trial in a store may not prove so great when you've lived it with it for a month or two.

There are plenty of good cheaper 12-fret acoustics - e.g. Sigma. Finding one with a cutaway will be more difficult. The only thing that comes close that I can think off is a Faith Mercury with a "scoop" (mini cutaway - but effective). This has a short 610mm scale and a 43mm nut width. There is a used one on Amazon at the moment for under £400.

Have you considered any nylon string option? I have recently discovered La Patrie (a Godin brand) guitars and have been hugely impressed. Take the Arena range for example - 12 fret cutaway with a radiused fingerboard and 2" nut - and feels very comfortable for a steel string fingerstyle player like me. E.g. https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/La-Patrie-Arena-CW-QIT-Natural/2HTM 

If you go for the cheaper option, get a recognisable brand to easily sell on if the experiment is unsuccessful or if it works out and you want to move on to something more expensive and, perhaps, custom.

In the custom area there is also Avalon (ex-Lowden). I have a custom Avalon and it is a beaut. You can also save a lot on Avalon shop prices by going direct.

dean111music

GTC said:

Regarding Andy79 's idea about trying something cheaper first size-wise. It is a good one as what might seem terrific from a relatively short trial in a store may not prove so great when you've lived it with it for a month or two.

There are plenty of good cheaper 12-fret acoustics - e.g. Sigma. Finding one with a cutaway will be more difficult. The only thing that comes close that I can think off is a Faith Mercury with a "scoop" (mini cutaway - but effective). This has a short 610mm scale and a 43mm nut width. There is a used one on Amazon at the moment for under £400.

Have you considered any nylon string option? I have recently discovered La Patrie (a Godin brand) guitars and have been hugely impressed. Take the Arena range for example - 12 fret cutaway with a radiused fingerboard and 2" nut - and feels very comfortable for a steel string fingerstyle player like me. E.g. https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/La-Patrie-Arena-CW-QIT-Natural/2HTM 

If you go for the cheaper option, get a recognisable brand to easily sell on if the experiment is unsuccessful or if it works out and you want to move on to something more expensive and, perhaps, custom.

In the custom area there is also Avalon (ex-Lowden). I have a custom Avalon and it is a beaut. You can also save a lot on Avalon shop prices by going direct.

Thanks so much for your input.

yes I think your right I could end with an expensive guitar that I might not need or want and a quick try in a shop may not cut it.

Sigma are a good shout to try before going anything too expensive!

ill look into them more 

GTC

The distance from the nut to the body with a 12 fret 650 mm scale guitar will be roughly the same as that for a 14 fret short-scale 610mm guitar - so, if you don't mind the short scale length a cutaway might not be necessary.