12 fret guitars

Choivert · August 2023

I've not enjoyed so many mahogany top guitars (I love hog back and sides!) I did once have a nice Guild D25 which was all hog. But it just wasn't as versatile as my D18.

Back to twelve fretters and after a very very long wait I'm pleased to have this guy back and playable. A 1948 Gibson HG-2. Its got a really great bass response and overall beautiful. So much sustain you can throw electric guitar lead lines on it and it works. Well I can't since I can't play lead but a friend played it and was doing just that.

I will do a NGD soon but just thought it belonged here too.

Basher · August 2023

guitarjack66 said:

I had a horrible mahogany cheapo guitar from the Harley Benton range. It was terrible and has made me wary of it now.

My friend has one of the "Hardly Bent-One" all mahogany guitars and he loves it! Admittedly, he's a part-time guitar tech and I think he may have sorted the set-up out on it but he's had some nice acoustics (stuff like old Fyldes) and knows his stuff. He thinks they're great.

I think all mahogany guitars have a fairly specific sound - very dry and mid-focussed. They do a certain raw, "Americana" sound to my ears and lack the top end sparkle and hi-fi piano bass tones you get from a nice spruce/rosewood instrument.

I only posted mine here as it's also a 12 fretter.

I did once play a 12 fret Larrivee slope shoulder dread in Frailers at Runcorn. That was another specialised yet splendid guitar that did the Norman Blake flat picking tone really well.

guitarjack66 · August 2023

Basher said:

guitarjack66 said:

I had a horrible mahogany cheapo guitar from the Harley Benton range. It was terrible and has made me wary of it now.

My friend has one of the "Hardly Bent-One" all mahogany guitars and he loves it! Admittedly, he's a part-time guitar tech and I think he may have sorted the set-up out on it but he's had some nice acoustics (stuff like old Fyldes) and knows his stuff. He thinks they're great.

I think all mahogany guitars have a fairly specific sound - very dry and mid-focussed. They do a certain raw, "Americana" sound to my ears and lack the top end sparkle and hi-fi piano bass tones you get from a nice spruce/rosewood instrument.

I only posted mine here as it's also a 12 fretter.

I did once play a 12 fret Larrivee slope shoulder dread in Frailers at Runcorn. That was another specialised yet splendid guitar that did the Norman Blake flat picking tone really well.

Frailers is local to me actually. They are out of my price range though.

jaymenon · August 2023

Here's mine...

thomasross20 · August 2023

That sounds great - always love it when folk put clips up, thank you!

Well I popped into the guitar shop at lunch...
Tried Martin OOO18 vs GCP11 sapele vs rosewood models.
Still prefer mahogany type woods.
The same sound differences sapele vs mahogany were consistent with Martin.
Two of the same Martin sounded different, one was a bit "meh" and none had the nice neck feel of my Larry's.
But was interesting to hear the sapele vs mahogany differences.
What I did like was the scalloped bracing bass tone. I prefer it, for whatever reason, to Larrivee scalloped guitars.

Have to say the Atkins completely stole the show, once again.
They feel so lightly built and are sonic nirvana.
"The 47" was fantastic - pissed all over everything else in the shop imo.
Only thing is, the neck isn't as comfy as my fave brand (lol) but other than that, really really good sounding guitars.

So I come back and try my OM-05 and wow, just magnificent. Not as much bass as the Martin and not as much as the L-05 but slimmer body, slightly easier to play. Also lots of sonic nirvana going on. Absolutely love it.

It's between quilted sapele vs honduran mahogany for my build and I'm stumped.
But I know I'm going for the luscious lutz top.

Oh, I also tried a few cutaways and I still say, for me, they barely help with access.
They're an additional cost and cut out part of the sound chamber.
The 12 fretters sound great but I actually think they're more difficult to play as your arm is butting up against your side the higher you go and feels crammed. I think if you get a good 13/14 fret guitar from a good builder then you get a good sound, anyway. Just depends - horses for courses, no right or wrong.

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12 fret guitars

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