Factory setup is very good. Action good, too. Case is rock solid and great value. Playability is good, although the neck is a little fat but that's just personal opinion. Unique tone sets it apart: very mellow and buttery tone, never heard anything like it. I think the soft tone of this particular guitar sounds better tuned a whole step lower. Stays in tune in or out of the case. Grover tuners a sweet bonus. Nice woods, some models have a really wild quilt. Elegant inlays and thankfully, no pick guard, I don't like those things. I'm replacing the saddle, nut and bridge pins with bone or something similar. For the money, it's the best 12-string on the market today. With the normal tweaks, it will turn from a good guitar to a fantastic guitar. Did I mention it smells nice too?

Best 12-string for the money right now. Features are great for the price. Action is easily playable, factory setup is quite good. Tone is mellow if somewhat quiet - the buttery, understated tone is unique among 12-strings. I enhanced the mellowness with Martin SP phosphor bronze strings because the bronze-plated treble strings are warmer than regular steel. With regular PB strings and plain-steel trebles it positively sparkles, but stays creamy and mellow. Stays in tune in or out of the case, stays in tune while playing.

The inlays on the fingerboard, top, and binding are beautiful and it's nice to own a guitar without a pickguard! I hate those things. Grovers are a sweet bonus. Time will tell how the construction holds up under the tension. I keep mine tuned DGCFAD, and wow, the mellow tone really sounds terrific a whole step lower. If tuned to EADGBE it maintains a mellow tone but rings out crystal clear. This makes a versatile guitar because not all guitars sound equally good at concert pitch and detuned a whole step.

Quilted ash *can* have an undulating 3D figure in the grain but I have seen many D46S12s on the wall that don't show the quilt; some just look like quartersawn and show little if any quilting. That's lumber, for ya: some trees will show a curl and some won't even if they're sawn the same way. If you order sight-unseen then you might get a cool quilt and you might get something a little more ordinary. It's a crapshoot but curl or no curl, ash has a nice grain and tone that are agreeable and seldom used in acoustics. I plan on replacing the nut, saddle, and pins to make it a little brighter.