Best 12 String Acoustic Guitar Review with Guide
These beautiful instruments assist solo performers and rhythm players to fill out the sound. Nothing is fulfilling like settling down with a 12 stringed guitar and letting some open, big chords ring out.
The 12 string acoustic guitar is unforgiving compared to its six-string counterpart. Its player must fret two strings at the same time, this requires some practice and sometimes extra layers of calluses. Also, its neck is broader than on a regular guitar to accommodate the 12 strings. But if you can tame the 12 string guitar, there is nothing quite fulfilling its rich and jangly tone.
In this piece we will discuss five of the top rated 12 string acoustic guitar on the market; we have also included the advantage and disadvantages of these guitars as well as how to choose the best 12 string acoustic guitar.
No matter the budget you are working with, you are sure to find what you are looking for on this list.
Best 12 String Acoustic Guitar - Comparison
Image | Name | Item Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
  | 7.65 pounds | ||
  | 18 pounds | ||
  | 7.1 pounds | ||
  | 8.5 pounds | ||
  | 12.02 pounds |
Top 5 12 String Acoustic Guitars
Like I just mentioned, there are several 12 string acoustic guitar that will offer an amazing user experience. The acoustic guitar has listed below offer superior performance, top-notch components, excellent craftsmanship, and abilities.
The Oscar Schmidt is a hidden gem of the twelve string domain. The Oscar Schmidt is a top notch guitar all through and highly recommended.
Oscar guitar features a beautiful mahogany body on both its back and sides and a select spruce top.
This guitar utilizes a set of electronics developed by Oscar Schmidt acoustic-electrics that feature and active MET-A07 preamp that has an onboard digital tuner for easy tuning. The guitars instruments die-cast tuners are also robust and capable of getting the job done.
It produces warm and fuzzy sound. This guitar offers quality vibe and easily competes against the Epiphone model just with a slight difference-stronger bass.
- Pros
- Cons
- It does not have a pick guard.
- It does not come with a case.
- Impossible to tune to standard.
The Jasmine S34C NEX Acoustic Guitar is a great sounding beginner guitar at an affordable price. The body features a spruce top, a Sapele back and sides, a 21 fret mahogany neck, fretboard, a darkly stained rosewood bridge and a covered chrome tuning machine to finish off this solid acoustic guitar.
The neck is slim and made from mahogany. Knowing the price you are probably not expecting a lot from this guitar, but in reality, quality of its sound will surprise you. If you find it difficult to play just lower the action a bit, which is the only tweak you will make once you take this great guitar out of the box.
This guitar is loud, stays in tune, and has a rich and bright tone. This guitar is a winner in this price range and has set a high bar for an entry level twelve string instrument.
- Pros
- Cons
- It comes with a Big NEX body
- It has a loud, clear sound
- It comes with a Spruce top
- It also features a Nato back and sides
- It features a 21-fret mahogany neck
- It is Covered chrome tuning machines
The Yamaha FG820 is another great addition to a respected brand; the Yamaha FG820 12 is the perfect starting point for those searching for a mid-level 12 string guitar that will not let them down.
It is also perfect for home and professional use.It features a solid spruce top that is accompanied by a mahogany back and sided and also extremely comfortable.
Its Nato neck ensures comfortable playing. It provides plenty of volume due to its classic dreadnought shape.
This guitar will slowly become one of your favorites quickly due to the newly developed scalloped body bracing which offers an enhanced acoustic response; this means it stands up to guitars higher up on the budget scale.
- Pros
- Cons
- It features a solid Sitka spruce top
- It has mahogany back and sides
- It features a rosewood fingerboard
- It also has a die cast tuners.
The Epiphone DR-212 Dreadnought 12-string is a right 12 string acoustic guitar, made to deliver a full, dark and beautiful sound.
This guitar features a select spruce top, a mixed and excellent tonewood that starts to breathe and improve the more you play.
It also features a solid mahogany body plus a rosewood bridge that is suitably sized and braced for an extra tension of a 12 string tuned to standard tuning.
It sports a classic black vintage pickguard that is easy to see on stage or across the room and the iconic Epiphone E.
The Epiphone DR-212 mahogany neck is glued at the 14th Fret and has a 25.5-inch scale, a smooth rosewood fingerboard that has a dot inlay and a slim taper profile.
It features the iconic Epiphone Sloped dove wing headstock which completes the lock with twelve premium tuners.
- Pros
- Cons
- It has beautiful color
- The tuners are great
- It sounds fantastic.
- Well packaged
The Fender CD-100 is an acoustic guitar that features a laminated spruce top with a laminated mahogany back and sides finished if a satin sheen.
This guitar also features a scalloped X bracing that is rare on low priced instruments this improves the vibration and increases the volume
The neck consists of Nato, with a rosewood fingerboard inlaid with dot markers. The fingerboard width is not too wide and is very playable.
It also features a dual action truss rod, a set of tidy sealed chrome tuner.
This guitars most impressive feature is the compensated bridge saddle which is unusual on a guitar in this price range, this function makes an enormous contribution to the intonation and the overall chime of the guitar.
This guitar has an excellent tonal balance, and it will respond well to a gentle playing technique.
- Pros
- Cons
- It requires frequent tuning.
How To Choose The Best 12 String Acoustic Guitar
A twelve string guitar has more strings that are close together and complicated. Therefore consider these ideas to choose the best one for yourself.
Play Every Guitar in Your Price Range
Test out the guitars when you go to the store. A few strums can often tell you a lot about the guitar you are about to purchase. Make sure you like the sound and move on to the next guitar and do not come back to it until you are through with all. Maybe the first one plays well that the rest. Choose the best sounding 12 string guitar.
You Can Check Also : How to Play 12 String Guitar
Check the Strings
Strings have a lot of say in the sound. Some strings are better on some models than others. Lighter ones sometimes do not complement an instrument, making it look sharp and hoppy. Therefore, cords need to compliment the guitar.
Check for Buzz
You might buy a 12 string acoustic guitar thinking that It sounds good for the price, but when you take them home for a while, you begin to notice fret buzz that you would have checked right away in the store. Always check for every type of technical problem the guitar might have.
Find Out the material used in making them
Woods produce different sounds. Depending on the purpose of your 12 string acoustic, which could be playing live or in the studio, some woods have a more balanced sound that is suitable for recording.
Check the Action
Check if the open chords sound great, also check how the chords play up on the neck and check if the power chords feel harder when playing because of the action.If the response of the instrument is too high move on, make sure your guitar is properly set up and playable from the beginning.
Final Words
A 12 string guitar produces big beautiful sounds and is excellent for performers and rhythm players. However, they also require proper practice, but if you master this guitar, there is nothing quite fulfilling like the rich tone it produces.
There are many different types of 12 string guitars which can be confusing to a new buyer however the five guitars listed above are guaranteed to give you the best playing experience, and come with extra equipment such as strings, carry case and others.