GGJaguar
Reverential Member
It’s the battle of the jumbo 12-strings: F-212XL Standard vs F-412 vs Martin Grand J40-12! The guitars are roughly similar, but then again, they’re not. All three have 17” (nominal) width bodies that are 4 3/4” deep. The Martin has an Indian rosewood body while the F-212XT is Honduran mahogany. Both are flat backs. The F-412, on the other hand, has a maple body made with solid rims and a laminated arched back. All three have Sitka spruce tops.
The Guilds have scalloped bracing with 2 tone bars and the Martin has straight bracing with three 1/4” tone bars. It’s interesting that Martin says the tone bars are “progressively scalloped” because they’re not. They are straight, skinny and not very tall. Here are the specs (actual measurements):
The F-412 has slightly bigger neck than other two guitars and it is D-shaped. It has a softer pick attack than the others, but the sound is sweet with even response. You can pull out some bigger bass notes by digging in. The F-412 doesn’t project as well as the other two, but it has great sustain.
The F-212XL has thinner neck that is C-shaped. The pick attack is more immediate and the notes jump out. The bass response is strong and the overall tone is woody tone with a pushed midrange. It is much louder than F-412 and has great sustain.
The Martin Grand J40-12 has the thinnest neck of the bunch and it has a C-shape profile. It’s almost as loud as the F-212XL. It has good projection with a lush sound that has good note separation. The sustain is good, but is not at the level of the Guild 12ers.
FWIW, in a blind test, Mrs. Jaguar selected the Martin as her favorite with the F-212XL as a very close second. So in close, in fact, that she made go back and forth between the two for a solid 10 minutes. The F-412 lagged well behind, though she proclaimed that it has a very pleasant tone. To be fair, to the F-412 is about 10 years younger than the other two and its sound may not be as mature.
None of them disappoint and there is no “best” here. Each of these jumbo 12-strings has a unique voice and it’s easy to tell them apart. The F-412 is like a string quartet – sweet and singing. The F-212XL is like a grand piano – full and clear. The Martin Grand J is like an orchestra – it has it all. They each have their own place and special talent.
The Guilds have scalloped bracing with 2 tone bars and the Martin has straight bracing with three 1/4” tone bars. It’s interesting that Martin says the tone bars are “progressively scalloped” because they’re not. They are straight, skinny and not very tall. Here are the specs (actual measurements):
The F-412 has slightly bigger neck than other two guitars and it is D-shaped. It has a softer pick attack than the others, but the sound is sweet with even response. You can pull out some bigger bass notes by digging in. The F-412 doesn’t project as well as the other two, but it has great sustain.
The F-212XL has thinner neck that is C-shaped. The pick attack is more immediate and the notes jump out. The bass response is strong and the overall tone is woody tone with a pushed midrange. It is much louder than F-412 and has great sustain.
The Martin Grand J40-12 has the thinnest neck of the bunch and it has a C-shape profile. It’s almost as loud as the F-212XL. It has good projection with a lush sound that has good note separation. The sustain is good, but is not at the level of the Guild 12ers.
FWIW, in a blind test, Mrs. Jaguar selected the Martin as her favorite with the F-212XL as a very close second. So in close, in fact, that she made go back and forth between the two for a solid 10 minutes. The F-412 lagged well behind, though she proclaimed that it has a very pleasant tone. To be fair, to the F-412 is about 10 years younger than the other two and its sound may not be as mature.
None of them disappoint and there is no “best” here. Each of these jumbo 12-strings has a unique voice and it’s easy to tell them apart. The F-412 is like a string quartet – sweet and singing. The F-212XL is like a grand piano – full and clear. The Martin Grand J is like an orchestra – it has it all. They each have their own place and special talent.