Martin D-12E Road Series Acoustic-electric Guitar – Natural

With a lovely spruce top, sapele back and sides, and Fishman electronics, the D-12E is the perfect affordable entrée into the world of solid-wood Martin dreadnought acoustic-electric guitars. Graced with a Style 28 multi-stripe rosette and Style 18 purfling on the back, the D-12E demonstrates classic Martin understated elegance. In addition to quality solid tonewoods, this guitar features a smooth-as-glass Richlite fingerboard and bridge and a hand-rubbed neck finish. Like other Road Series models, it also sports Fishman MX-T electronics with an onboard soundhole tuner that auto-mutes the output so you can tune up any time without using a pedal. At City Music, we get our hands on countless high-end guitars, and we’re mightily impressed with the Martin D-12E — it’s a lot of guitar for the money.

Quality solid tonewoods deliver timeless tone

As a top tonewood, spruce offers a combination of strength and elasticity that delivers a broad dynamic range with crisp articulation that’s ideal for a wide range of playing styles, from delicate fingerpicking to aggressive flatpicked strumming. Sapele, used for the back and sides of the D-12E, is tonally similar to mahogany, but its higher density tends to produce a slightly brighter sound with more high-end shimmer. The characteristic sapele sound is consistently balanced across the tonal spectrum, which makes it, again, suitable to a broad range of playing styles.

A cornerstone of modern music

Martin’s early dreadnoughts set into motion the guitar’s prominent role in modern music and set the standard for tone quality in acoustic guitars. Martin dreadnoughts became known for resonant warm tones, quality craftsmanship, and tasteful styling. For those reasons, Martin guitars became an important part of the music written and performed by the stars of the 1920s and ’30s. Post-WWII, the Martin dreadnought became a cornerstone of the folk and folk rock music of the ’50s and ’60s. The powerful voice and full sound of these iconic instruments have made them a staple in the bluegrass world, but their bold sonic signature is heard cross-genre.

Martin D-12E Acoustic-electric Guitar Features:

• Solid spruce top, solid sapele back and sides; gloss finish
• Spruce X bracing, non-scalloped
• Style 28 Multi-Stripe rosette
• Black binding and pickguard
• Select hardwood neck, Performing Artist with High Performance Taper, hand-rubbed finish
• Richlite fingerboard, 16-inch radius, 20 frets, dot inlays
• Richlite bridge, 2.15625-inch string spacing
• Compensated white Tusq saddle; plastic bridge pins
• Fishman MX-T electronics
• 25.4-inch scale length; 1.75-inch Corian nut
• Enclosed gear tuners; dual-action truss rod, neck heel access