I have a real craving for a 12 string but having only ever played an awful EKO from the 60's-70's, my experience is limited. I've got some great six strings but really don't want to spend a fortune on a 12 string that may be a flight of fancy, or may get used infrequently.
I think (think) I've got it down to one of the following:
Yamaha APX700
Art and Lutherie Legacy 12 Bourbon Burst
Seagull Coastline S12 Cedar
Guild F2512e
Has anyone got one of the above or alternatively played on any of them before? I don't know much about A&L, or Seagull but believe they're all sort of the Godin group. They're all very different types of guitar and while I like my Dreadnoughts I think a smaller body may be a bit easier to adapt to a 12 string: I may be wrong though.
Thanks for your help.
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The Yamaha will sound decent plugged in but tinny and small unplugged.
The Art & Lutherie and the Seagull will probably sound the best initially but they have a problem with build quality in the longer term - they're too lightly built (which is why they sound good) and seem to suffer a lot from pulled-up tops and other problems, especially on the 12-strings. They also have the highest rate of headstock breaks I've seen other than Gibsons, which is again a worse problem on a 12-string due to the length of the head.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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12-strings are traditionally made in dreadnought and jumbo sizes, for the reasons Bogeyman mentions. I like small bodies as a rule, but my current 12 is a dred. I don't think it would have enough oomph in the bass to balance the high octave strings in a smaller body.
I can vouch for that...... I generally tune a tone down now.
A few guys over on MM forum have them and speak pretty highly of them
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
There's one come up for sale over there today.
Thanks both. Please excuse my ignorance but what's the MM forum?
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
https://michaelmesser.proboards.com/thread/12639/vintage-statesboro-12-string-guitar