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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Can anyone tell me why the 14 fret acoustic steel string guitar is more widespread than a 12 fretter? My Folklore has an incredible depth of tone and is incredibly loud. when it's hanging on the wall in my room, if I speak, it starts to resonate. The reason being, I'd imagine, is because the bridge on a 12 fret guitar sits right on the sweet spot of the soundboard - hence my question - why aren't ALL steel string acoustics made this way? If the argument revovles around useable fretboard real estate, then incorporate a cutaway, or make the neck longer... |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | I suspect that it's because some people persist in perpetuating the myth that you can play music above the third fret and maybe above the 12th fret. Those of us in the know, understand that this is simply not true...... |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I asked that question way back in 2007 or so.
If a 12 fret acoustic guitar sounds better, why aren't they ALL 12-fretters?
Dave (standingovation) said that the 14 fret is more popular because of the fret access.
I rarely venture any higher than the 7th fret anyway. 
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October 2005
Posts: 4043
Location: Utah | The 12 fret neck is that much closer to the player's body. For a smaller person it is more comfortable. For a taller person the short neck can feel cramped. I've been told this by several women who find the 12 fretter more comfortable to play. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | All different flavors of ice cream but if you have 3 acoustics, one of them should be some kinda 12 fret. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6197
Location: Phoenix AZ | A number of builders now make 13 fret to the body guitars !!!
Back to the question at hand (12 vs 14 fret) and you need to keep in mind that Ovation is VERY UNUSUAL in how they make a 12 fret guitar. This is because the size of the Ovation BODY is fixed due to the one-size-fits-all bowl concept. An Ovation 12 fret and 14 fret guitar have EXCTLY the same size body. I'm referring to the length and width of the body, not bowl depth. Attaching a 12 fret neck to that body (vs a 14) requires moving the bridge towards the tail of the guitar to keep the same scale length. Yes this does move the bridge closer to the "sweet spot" of the soundboard and maybe (?) that means something.
But virtually all other guitar makers (ie wooden guitars) achieve a 12 fret body by EXTENDING the body length towards the neck so that it now attaches to the neck at the 12th fret instead of the 14th. I have a Collings 14 fret dreradnaught and the same guitar in a 12 fret version and the 12 fret version has a BIGGER (longer) body, although the bridge to tail distance is the same. Bigger body means bigger soundboard, bigger cavity volume, etc. You can guess which one of these guitars sounds BIGGER.
Another interesting variable that I don't think Ovation ever dabbled in is Scale Length. A "short scale" ie usually 24.7 inch is pretty much like capo'ing a regular (25.4) guitar at the 1st fret. I have average sized hands and for me this scale feels totally natural. For reasons I don't know, the short scale seems to be more common on 12 fret guitars. Not sure why. I do have a nice 14 fret dread with a short scale and it's a wonder to play. That slightly shorter neck eliminates the "big dread" feeling and makes the guitar super comfortable to play. Anyway, just another variation. Sure is nice to have all these options.
Here's a nice website that clarifies a lot of this ...
http://www.lutherie.net/12-14-evolution.html
Edited by Standingovation 2014-11-03 10:22 AM
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609
Location: Colorado | I like dave's description over the years I've had a D28s and a standard D28. These pics IMHO show one way (though not always) how martin extended the body for the 12 fretter...thus the "slop shoulder style.
D 28 S = https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source...
Regular D 28 = https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source...
Sorry I'm not great with pics |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609
Location: Colorado | Sorry for the slip...though it was funny - the word should be slope! |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609
Location: Colorado | Sorry for the slip...though it was funny - the word should be slope! |
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12 fret vs 14 fret