C. F. Martin D-12-20 12 String Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1965)
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Item # 10171
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C. F. Martin D-12-20 Model 12 String Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1965), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 206441, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This is an original and fairly early example of Martin's first production 12-string, the D-12-20. The model was launched in 1964, when Martin could no longer ignore the popular demand for 12-strings, something they had previously been reluctant to build. The d-12-20 was the result, basically a 12-fret D-18S with 12 strings braced rather more heavily for the extra tension as would be expected. It has features typically associated with Martin's Style 18; a spruce top, mahogany body and rosewood fingerboard and bridge with a slightly fancier backstrip presumably meriting the "Style 20" designation. Only 152 were sold in 1964, but 726 went out of Nazareth in 1965, making the guitar a success at the time.
This second-year example is a much more responsive guitar than the much more common 1970s 12-strings, which are rather more heavily built. It is fitted with openback Waverly strip tuners instead of the heavy cast "box" Grover Slimline pegs Martin later used, with better handling as a result. This Martin 12-string has a smooth ringing sound, with more depth than some 12-strings but plenty of clarity on top. This late-1965 D-12-20 has some general wear but plays and sounds great and is quite well preserved for its 55+ years on the planet.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 15 5/8 in. (39.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 15/16 in. (12.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 7/8 in. (48 mm.).
This is a nice example overall, showing some wear and careful repair but structurally solid and an excellent player. The finish has some moderate checking and a number of small dings, dents, and scrapes, but no large area of pickwear or loss to the top. There is one noticeable larger ding in the center of the top behind the bridge. The back of the neck has some small dents and dings but is relatively clean overall.
There is a well sealed spruce crack running the front edge of the pickguard to the rim; a small area of the top center seam just below the bridge looks to have been open slightly. There is one short mahogany grain crack on the turn of the lower treble bout; other than these the guitar shows no cracks. The pickguard has been replaced, it looks like a long time ago. There is a large rosewood cap over the original maple bridge plate, likely the reason the top is very nice and flat without the bulging or distortion many of these earlier 12-strings eventually succumb to.
The bridge is a very nice repro; the guitar has had a clean neck reset and new frets and bone nut and plays superbly with a very low action for a 12-string. This one is not a closet queen but one of the friendlier playing Martin 12-strings we have had. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is an original and fairly early example of Martin's first production 12-string, the D-12-20. The model was launched in 1964, when Martin could no longer ignore the popular demand for 12-strings, something they had previously been reluctant to build. The d-12-20 was the result, basically a 12-fret D-18S with 12 strings braced rather more heavily for the extra tension as would be expected. It has features typically associated with Martin's Style 18; a spruce top, mahogany body and rosewood fingerboard and bridge with a slightly fancier backstrip presumably meriting the "Style 20" designation. Only 152 were sold in 1964, but 726 went out of Nazareth in 1965, making the guitar a success at the time.
This second-year example is a much more responsive guitar than the much more common 1970s 12-strings, which are rather more heavily built. It is fitted with openback Waverly strip tuners instead of the heavy cast "box" Grover Slimline pegs Martin later used, with better handling as a result. This Martin 12-string has a smooth ringing sound, with more depth than some 12-strings but plenty of clarity on top. This late-1965 D-12-20 has some general wear but plays and sounds great and is quite well preserved for its 55+ years on the planet.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 15 5/8 in. (39.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 15/16 in. (12.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 7/8 in. (48 mm.).
This is a nice example overall, showing some wear and careful repair but structurally solid and an excellent player. The finish has some moderate checking and a number of small dings, dents, and scrapes, but no large area of pickwear or loss to the top. There is one noticeable larger ding in the center of the top behind the bridge. The back of the neck has some small dents and dings but is relatively clean overall.
There is a well sealed spruce crack running the front edge of the pickguard to the rim; a small area of the top center seam just below the bridge looks to have been open slightly. There is one short mahogany grain crack on the turn of the lower treble bout; other than these the guitar shows no cracks. The pickguard has been replaced, it looks like a long time ago. There is a large rosewood cap over the original maple bridge plate, likely the reason the top is very nice and flat without the bulging or distortion many of these earlier 12-strings eventually succumb to.
The bridge is a very nice repro; the guitar has had a clean neck reset and new frets and bone nut and plays superbly with a very low action for a 12-string. This one is not a closet queen but one of the friendlier playing Martin 12-strings we have had. Overall Excellent - Condition.