Guild F­1512E Review ­- The Brighter Side Of 12 String Guitars

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

• Check Price on Amazon
• Check Price on Musician's Friend

Guild's craftsmanship and overall quality is known far and wide. Their offer includes anything from standard acoustics to more unique instruments. One such instrument is Guild F­1512E. This is one of the most impressive 12 string guitars you can get right now. Today we're going to take a closer look.

Body and Neck

Compared to a good number of other 12 string models out there, Guild F­1512E features a somewhat more traditional design. We have a jumbo body shape that sports a solid sitka spruce top along with solid Indian rosewood back and sides. This is a pretty interesting combination that has even more interesting consequences on the sound. More on that a little bit later. Neck is a mahogany piece that comes with a vintage profile. It is somewhat beefier than what an average guitar player might be used to, but that works great with having additional 6 string on there. In terms of build quality, fit and finish, Guild F­1512E is truly something to behold. If aesthetics are something that matters to you, we can guarantee a very positive experience. With that said, Guild F­1512E much more than just good looks. This becomes apparent as soon as you scratch the surface.

Hardware

Keeping a 12 string guitar under check takes a bit more than just your standard bridge. The additional strain on the neck, along with the increased complexity that comes with this design requires proper hardware. Guild took care of that quite nicely. We have a strong, stable Indian rosewood bridge that houses NuBone pins and a saddle that is made of the same material. Looking at the headstock, you will find a set of 12 high quality die cast machines. Tuning retention is important on any guitar, but more so on something as complicated as Guild F­1512E. Even though these tuners might look average, they are nothing but. Another piece of hardware that is worth mentioning is the preamp. Guild chose Fishman Sonitone system for this occasion, which has proven to be a very good match. It fits right in with the organic acoustics of F­1512E.

Sound

There is an argument to be made that 12 string guitars are much more sensitive than their more traditional counterparts. With so many strings vibrating at the same time, the choice of tonewood can really make or break a guitar. Guild's decision to go with Indian rosewood back and sides was received with optimism. Such a hard wood is bound to provide snappy response and plenty of volume. When you add its jumbo body, that is exactly what you get. A massive tone that has no trouble cutting through a mix, both plugged and unplugged one. Speaking of plugged in sound, that Fishman Sonitone offers a rock solid foundation for refined tone shaping. Slap a few effects in the signal chain and you will have an extremely capable setup. If you are looking for something that can work for unplugged applications too, nothing beats a rosewood jumbo.

Conclusion

Guild has once again proven why they are among the very best in the industry. Their craftsmanship, combined with a great selection of materials, makes for an instrument suitable for any application. In context of 12 string guitars, Guild F­1512E is definitely among the top models available at the moment.

For more info about the Guild F­1512E, click here.
For more Acoustic 12 String Guitar you might like, click here.