Martin D12-20 Natural 1972

We are happy to offer for sale this vintage Martin D12-20. Details as follows:

• Year: 1972
• Country of origin: USA
• Serial number: 303156
• Body Shape: 12-Fret Slope-Shoulder Dreadnought
• Top Wood: Solid Sitka Spruce
• Back & Sides Wood: Solid Mahogany
• Neck Material: Mahogany
• Fingerboard & Bridge: East Indian Rosewood
• Scale Length: 24.9 inches (Short scale)
• Nut Width: 1-7/8 inches (47.6 mm)
• Headstock Style: Slotted
• Tuning Machines: 6-on-a-plate open-gear tuners with plastic/pearloid buttons
• Bracing: Traditional X-Bracing
• Pickguard: Tortoiseshell (non-original)
• Backstrip: Style-28 checkered "zipper" chainlink strip
• Fingerboard Inlays: Mother-of-pearl dots
• Finish: Gloss Natural Nitrocellulose lacquer
• Condition: 6/10
• Case: Modern Martin case

 

Introduced in late 1964 to capitalize on the American folk music boom, the D12-20 was Martin's first official production 12-string guitar model. It remained in production until 1991. Unlike standard modern dreadnoughts, the D12-20 used Martin's traditional "slope-shoulder" (Ditson style) body shape. It features an elongated upper bout, a rounded shoulder profile, and a neck that meets the body at the 12th fret instead of the 14th. Structurally, the model is heavily based on the mahogany-backed D-18. Martin designated it a "Style 20" because they added a few premium cosmetic upgrades: a checkered "zipper" backstrip borrowed from Style 28 models, black bridge pins with white dots, and an extra white line in the binding. Moving the neck joint to the 12th fret pushes the bridge closer to the wide center of the lower bout. This allows the 12 strings to drive the soundboard much more efficiently. This design provides a deeply resonant, warm, and velvety tone that lacks the harsh, metallic high-end bite of later 14-fret 12-strings.

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