12-fret guitars

Before 1929 every Martin joined the body at the twelfth fret, and the shape that results — a longer body, the bridge sitting in the widest part of the top — is a large part of why pre-war guitars sound the way they do. The twelve-fret neck trades access to the top of the fingerboard for a deeper, rounder voice, and most players who try one keep it.

The shop carries twelve-frets from Martin's 15 Series and O'ahu line, National resonators, Sigma, and hand-built examples from David Benavides and Jimmy Edmonds. Set up before they leave.