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Average of 19 User Ratings
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incredible tone at an incredible price point
Posted by dross from akron OH on Sep 5, 2009
Experience w/product: I own it
Reviewer's Background: hobbyist, engineer.
Reviewer's Play Style: folk rock, prog metal, fusion, jazz
i was on a mission to find THE 6-string guitar for me. the one that sounded rich, smooth, shimmery, and full. after auditioning several dozen acoustics, i found that the only one that had the sound i wanted was a $2400 taylor, which was outside my budget. then i just started playing every guitar in the room, and this one blew me away. i came back twice over the next few days to be sure i was hearing correctly, and yeah--this guitar was consistently unbelievable, at a crazy low price. you'll be hard-pressed to find any guitar at any price that is this well balanced tonally. hearing is believing. plus the playability is phenomenal. the neck is more narrow than i've seen on other 12-strings and the action is easier than many 6-strings at this price point. all-around winner.
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6 month update
Posted by Bob from South Carolina on May 18, 2009
Experience w/product: I own it
Reviewer's Background: singer songwriter, active musician
Reviewer's Play Style: contemporary ballads, old standards
I have owned it for about 6 months now. Played quite a few gigs. First thing I did was install a Matrix Infinity system from Fishman. Install it yourself , its not difficult, just go slow and be careful. I play thru a Gigrac 600 and a nice pair of Warfedale Titan passive speakers. The sound is rich. When I walk into my practice room I can smell that beautiful spruce wood. The guitar is opening up now. I have given it a good home.
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A Fine Instrument
Posted by The Pi Thor Project from Michigan on Apr 17, 2009
Experience w/product: I own it
Reviewer's Background: Guitarist since 1969, Active Musician
Reviewer's Play Style: Jazz Fusion, Art Rock, Classical
I put a lot of research into 12-strings before my purchase and focused on models under $1000. This DX wins hands down. Anything with a plastic finish and toy-like construction was out completely, and relying on reviews from musicians with limited, short term experience, forget it.
I used a nice 12 Ovation (Ultra Deluxe deep bowl) in the studio… great projection, but neck was somewhat difficult to manage. All other makes (under $1000) I checked. Breedlove baseball bats, pretty Ovations with Tupperware bowls (I have two already), Seagull, etc. No winners.
So where are the nice 12 strings ‘made for sound’ that have a reasonable price?
Finally, I found a Martin DX… solid construction with a light finish.
HPL sides and back with a micarta fretboard… very intelligent. HPL adds to the overall strength and contributes to a solid neck interaction. Solid wood on back and sides are only muted when you lean into the guitar to play anyway and is more susceptible to environmental changes. The fretboard felt the same as my CY116 Yari. Just like ebony wood. Once again… intelligent. The solid spruce top, bracing and neck are priority, which this Martin excels at.
I’m very happy with this guitar, there are NO gaudy cosmetics and it has a light lacquer finish so the spruce can breathe. No plastic polyurethane on this baby!
A perfect neck that is solid and comfortable scores a 10. Most important - incredible sound is offered, just what an acoustic is supposed to do!
The 12DX1 is going straight to the studio for recording with a microphone. For live play, it gets an LR Baggs M1A. Design and workmanship went straight to achieve a wonderful sound.
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Pleasantly Suprised
Posted by Made2Worship from Atlanta on Apr 15, 2009
Experience w/product: I have used it
Reviewer's Background: Active
Reviewer's Play Style: Worship
I played this guitar at a local guitar shop recently. I'm in the market for a 12 string acoustic electric, but this was the only decent 12 string they had. I decided to give it a go because I was there, but wasn't seriously considering this as an option: again, it's not an acoustic electric. The strings were a bit dingy...too many browsers & not enough buyers. Even so, this instrument sounded fantastic. It resonated like a dream and the width of the neck was just right. Not too wide so that you felt like you were playing a 1x6, but enough room to allow for some picking here and there. After playing this guitar, I'm considering purchasing it and having a little saddle pickup installed.
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Excellent guitar, give it a try....
Posted by Songwriter1948 from South carolina on Mar 3, 2009
Experience w/product: I own it
Reviewer's Background: active musician, singer, songwriter.
Reviewer's Play Style: contemporary ballads, Country
A new purchase. Excellent action. May be the best resonating 12 string I have ever played. No frills, but arrived in flawless condition. In tune dispite being shipped in the dead of winter. The string balance is right on. Made in Mexico. Martin shouldnt hide that fact. Take pride in your operation south of the border. Workmanship is outstanding. I love picking apart inferior products, but this instrument totally impresses me.
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