Which would you pick up?

Nuuska

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Immediately after seeing that picture - Karma popped into my mind - because of the fireplace.
But if I ignore him, then my choice would be the F412 - I do not have a maple guitar.

1663694996661.png
 
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chazmo

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Ditto.
I’d go right to the 412.
By any chance, do you know where the Red Spruce came from ?
Well, I think it's Adirondack, Balderdash, but Guild has been saying "red spruce" for years now. I don't know why. Maybe it's not actually grown in the Adirondacks, I don't know. Or maybe there are multiple species of red spruce. All I know is that it's quite different than Sitka in terms of color, grain, and sound.
 

davismanLV

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And probably tuned at least 100 times! Beacause I'm lazy about tuning I'm not a fan of 12 strings either, though they really do sound great, as long as someone else manages them.
AND it needs new strings before it gets sold and there aren't enough drugs and alcohol in the world to get me through that without a total breakdown. So, yeah.... nice guitar but someone else can enjoy the hell out of it!! :LOL::ROFLMAO::p
 

Balderdash

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Well, I think it's Adirondack, Balderdash, but Guild has been saying "red spruce" for years now. I don't know why. Maybe it's not actually grown in the Adirondacks, I don't know. Or maybe there are multiple species of red spruce. All I know is that it's quite different than Sitka in terms of color, grain, and sound.
Red Spruce is definitely in the Adirondacks. We have it on our farm in VT, too. It’s also in the western part of MA. I have to wonder if I could sense a difference in the sound compared to Sitka Spruce.
While we’re talkin’; what strings are you running on your 412 and 512 ? The same on both ? Have you found something you’re happy with, and staying with, or still experimenting ?
 

chazmo

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I've been using John Pearse uncoated phosphor-bronze, Balderdash. I use a light set and usually tune down at least a 1/2 step on the 12s. IN this picture though, all the guitars are tuned to pitch... I was kind of doing a comparo between the F-412 and the F-512 just for giggles.
 

chazmo

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I should mention that I have a bunch of string sets collected that I haven't used... I intend to be trying them over the next year or so. Some of my guitars have not gotten the love they should. :(
 

richt54

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Immediately after seeing that picture - Karma popped into my mind - because of the fireplace.
But if i ignore him, then my choice would be the F412 - I do not have a maple guitar.

1663694996661.png
Max is down with his homies!
 

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fronobulax

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Well, I think it's Adirondack, Balderdash, but Guild has been saying "red spruce" for years now. I don't know why. Maybe it's not actually grown in the Adirondacks, I don't know. Or maybe there are multiple species of red spruce. All I know is that it's quite different than Sitka in terms of color, grain, and sound.
Red spruce can be and is sourced from places that would not be considered the Adirondacks. Guild has been saying "red spruce" so that there are no grounds for taking them to court over where the red spruce was grown and harvested.
 

davismanLV

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Red spruce can be and is sourced from places that would not be considered the Adirondacks. Guild has been saying "red spruce" so that there are no grounds for taking them to court over where the red spruce was grown and harvested.
This is a strange thing that I've noticed. In researching about this type of spruce, I found a website that said, "All Adirondack Spruce is red spruce. Not all red spruce is Adirondack." But I'm not sure about this notation. Adirondack Spruce is commonly used as a name but it's more a location of quite a bit of red spruce from that area. And according to Wikipedia, "This species (Picea rubens) is also known as yellow spruce, West Virginia spruce, eastern spruce, and he-balsam." So I think in guitar building they're one and the same, but for documentation purposes it's more clear to call it red spruce and leave the location alone. So basically, what he ^^^ said. :p
 

fronobulax

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This is a strange thing that I've noticed. In researching about this type of spruce, I found a website that said, "All Adirondack Spruce is red spruce. Not all red spruce is Adirondack." But I'm not sure about this notation. Adirondack Spruce is commonly used as a name but it's more a location of quite a bit of red spruce from that area. And according to Wikipedia, "This species (Picea rubens) is also known as yellow spruce, West Virginia spruce, eastern spruce, and he-balsam." So I think in guitar building they're one and the same, but for documentation purposes it's more clear to call it red spruce and leave the location alone. So basically, what he ^^^ said. :p

Think of sparkling wine or Champagne or Roquefort vs. Stilton vs. "blue". There is a long history of litigation when a product is labeled as coming from a specific region and it doesn't. As guitar quality wood becomes harder to source in a sustainable manner, builders of production instruments have gotten vaguer in their wood descriptions and focused on species, not geography.
 

Boneman

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I would give that F412 a trial run, see what that flamed maple does to my gut while I strum it hard. :D;) Although to make a more informed choice, I'd have to see the same photo with the 3 guitars turned around to finalize my decision. Then again, I suppose if I was there to try either of them, I'd try all of them :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: go right down the line.
 

redta

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The f-512 would be my choice. I've got a 2007 from Tacoma and it's great. Tried a f-412 before I bought mine and like the rosewood much more. I really like the big full sound when I play it. It's a much more versatile guitar than most people think. Always stands out with my group and all those 6 stringers.
 

Taylor Martin Guild

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I had to give up playing the 12 string due to hand and shoulder problems.
I miss playing them.
What is interesting though is that I can play my Guild 8 string Baritone for a long time without much pain.
The neck on the Baritone is only 1 3/4" wide and that has to help.
The long scale helps with fretting the Baritone.
 

chazmo

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That's great that the 8-string works OK for you TMG! Sorry to hear you've had issues with 12-strings. You might want to look for an F-112 or F-212 to keep the small body... Might work.

Anyway, best wishes.
 
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