› ›

Vintage Brett 12 String

stimpsonslostsonstimpsonslostson Frets: 5418
in Guitar Reviews
I'm of the opinion that every guitarist should have a good acoustic guitar in their collection. Here's mine: it's a Vintage Paul Brett signature 12 string.

I got this guitar 2 years ago, in that time it's been used for jam sessions, open mic nights & general sofa noodling/song writing.

I confess to never having heard of Paul Brett before buying the guitar! Apparently it's modelled after a 1920s 12string he owns.
The top is solid spruce & has darkened somewhat since I bought it- initially it was quite anemic.

As this model was designed from the ground up as a 12string (theres an ostensibly identical 6 string) there's extra bracing under the top to prevent the bridge being pulled up by the string tension.

I really like the parlour sized body- it's really comfortable & manageable when playing seated.
The neck isn't too wide & barre chords are easy enough without your hand fatiguing after two songs.

The neck meets the body at the 12th fret, so upper register noodling is out... But that's not the point of a 12 string is it?

Despite the diminutive stature, the sound generated is very impressive. It's quite articulate too- the bass doesn't boom and the treble is bright but not cutting- through an amp this can be balanced further using the on board electrics.

The electronics work perfectly- it's a fishman system with vol & tone tucked inside the rim of the sound hole & the jack is in the strap button.

It comes with a fitted foam hard case which is light & protective- due to the elongated slotted headstock I doubt another fittedpcase would be easy to find.

So any criticism?
This is my second guitar, the first hadn't had its cabling secured properly & rattled constantly. Thankfully RedDog (where I got it from) just handed me another, perfect, example.
While it holds tune admirably, an on board tuner would be a godsend. I use a pitch black clip on, but it seems a strange oversight.

Overall it's an excellent guitar & well worth the £350 it cost me. This is the guitar I spend the most time playing- it lives above my sofa & is always to hand.
Vintage aren't a fashionable brand, but on this evidence they do some good work. Especially as this is the only small bodied 12 string I've seen for under £1000.
0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom

Comments

Sign In or Register to comment.