acoustic 12 string

D

dragan

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What are your favorite 12 string acoustics , around or below $1k, old or new ? I would probably prefer old/ older ( guild 212/112, gibson b45, ovation usa , taylor???) . I need something to record with but doesnt have to be real pretty or sound phenomenal . looking for ez player that sounds good

 
I have - beside my Ovation doubleneck - an Vintage Yamaha FG 312 (or 412?) from the early 80s here. Plays and sounds very nicely, shouldn't be so hard to find on ebay, I guess.

 
I really love my Guild 12 string.

It's an early '90s JF-65-12, and probably a bit fancier than what you're looking for, but it sounds fantastic. I am hoping to pick it back up this week (??) from mirrorimij, who was monkeying around with it and making it even cooler...

Definitely check one of those out - I think the New Hartford ones blow mine away though. The attention to detail and overall execution truly are superior in my opinion. To me, it would be if the New Hartford Hamer guys started building Gibson R9s.

 
Here's my '81 Ovation Pacemaker. I got this for a steal IMHO due to it being covered with dust on my GC's used rack thanks to a horrid setup and strings that were brownish-black with excessive corrosion. After a setup, the action is so low it plays itself. The slotted headstock is an absolute pain in the ass to restring (I draw blood on at least one finger every time) but I found a coated string that doesn't feel coated so that PIA and bleeding doesn't recur as much nowadays.

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I got a nearly new Taylor GA3-12 off EweBay for around $800. It's at the low end, so no electronics or other fancy stuff, but plays and sounds like a Taylor. Great guitar for the money

 
For me I like used USA Ovations in the <$500 price range for live (good electronics, very resistant to feedback from loud monitors, etc.), but for recording in a studio where you're putting a mic in front of the sound hole the tone and projection of a used Tacoma is tough to beat in the <$500 price range.

 
Some time back I decided I needed an acoustic 12 and headed off to the biggest Mom 'n' Pop in town. I played every 12'er in stock, and that was a fair number of 'em. My intent was to get the best sounding one, regardless of price. Fortunately the guy running the guitar department is an old friend and he tolerated it pretty well. In the end, the one that jumped out was a $500-ish Yamaha. No fancies, no electronics, just great sound. I put in a Baggs I-Beam Active for just in case. The Baggs sounds uncanny, BTW, but forget any kind of serious volume live.

The huge majority of my 12-string needs are met by my Eclipse 12, but I've no complaints about the Yamaha. It plays very well, too.

 
thanks , all , your responses confirm what I was thinkin . guess its down to how much $$ I can part with.

 
Carl.B said:
I know Jeff R made a recomendation for the Ovation and I just saw this one on the local CL.

1978 USA Ovation acoustic/electric 12 string - $350

Made in Hartford , Conneticut , USA 1978 per Ovation serial # 129739

Pacemaker model # 1615-1 w/ original Ovation hardshell case

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/msg/4597684472.html

Carl B
Click to expand...
Seems amazingly cheap to me and the HSC is included too.

I would look no further than this, could there be a cheaper quality 12 string?

Plus you certainly wouldn't loose out if you had to re-sell it.

ETA. $350 is the HFC recommended price too.

$350 is just over £200.00 !!!

I still can't get over that for a quality USA made instrument approaching vintage status.

 
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I've got a Seagull S12 for sale for in the For Sale section. Let me know if you're interested.

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I love Alvarez Yari from the 80s, found a 12 string from 83 for our beloved $350 last year!

 
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Alvarez Yairi...my fav acoustics! I had some cool ones along the way. One was an Epiphone Japan with the zero nut. That gave it a steely sound with an emphasis on the higher frequencies. Played so easy and sounded great.

Also, had a really unique one; a 12 string Giovanni Craviola;

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Funny thing was when I searched for a pic like this I stumbled on this one and thought that looks a lot like mine. Well, it was...that's my pic of when I sold it...those are our stairs! Anyway, really cool instrument. I wish I could have kept it but one in one out is the de facto rule around here!

But, with the help of my family and recordings helping me decide, I sold it and kept an Alvarez Korean-made Artist 503712-string. This does great for as little as I play one.

Good luck in the search!

 
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Taylor just introduced their new entry level 12 string -- the 150e. Nice price on a well built instrument from the company that made their name on easy playing 12 strings.

 


If your going to play plugged in I'm partial to Ovation but any of the guitars listed above will work. The black Ovation 6756LX Legend 12 String I picked up used from a big box music store out east in January 2014. I think I paid $800.

 
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