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It makes no difference at to string tension. String tension is determined by scale length. 12-fret guitars have the same scale length as 14-fretters, the builder just puts the bridge in the centre of the lower bout instead of near the soundhole. That in turn shortens the neck, but the scale length remains the same.
(When I say "12-fretters have the same scale length as 14-fretters" that's not quite accurate. Any guitar can have any scale length and there is no law to say that one must build a 12-fretter with a standard 650mm scale. Quite often they are built with a Gibson-style 630mm scale, but then so are 14-fretters.)
A question: how does string tension affect your right hand? Left hand, sure, lower tension is easier to fret. But right hand - I'm always wishing for more string tension for my right hand (so I can bang away in my usual hamfisted style) and less for my left.
TLDR
“As a guitarist you get more bass and a more rounded sound. It can mean you have to sacrifice some directness and attack, but especially in combination with a somewhat smaller body guitars, a unique guitar sound can come from opting for 12 in stead of 14 frets.”
anyway I saw this demo by the fabulous Stuart Ryan and I bought one a few months ago - fabulous ..
I pick it up to play at least four - five time a day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py33sUx4lmw
To go back to 12 frets would be fine, just different. If you like it, buy it! :-)
But I'd love to try a 12-fret version of my Brook Taw and see how that feels. I don't go down the dusty end that much on an acoustic so easy access to fret 15 wouldn't be an issue.
Cutaways? Ambivalent. Only the 12-string has a cutaway and that wasn't the reason I bought it.
@DavidRees that guitar sounds amazing!
Like I say, 9/10 on videos the 12-fret sounds less "harsh" and more natural.
I will have to try a 12-fretter. I get the feeling I would be annoyed at left hand jutting against the body but who knows, maybe not. I do play the higher frets on a few tunes but how often... not often. No money to be made above the 5th fret, apparently!
@Tannin agree also not overly keen on cutaway (and if there is one, prefer rounded contour) but if 12-fret was a go-er then would be a necessity. I had thought string tension would be less but maybe not then. I've had to get injections into my pinky knuckle due to it seizing up at times and my hand cracks and cramps (maybe due to over-use of mouse at work). Re right hand, I prefer lighter gauge strings as they feel more snappy and less tight to play/pluck - I do notice the difference with the right hand as I do a lot of fingerstyle. But I admit higher gauge brings out the sound of the guitar MUCH better.
My 22 fret Suhr electric feels easier to play than the 24 fret PRS because, as pointed out above, the left hand doesn't have to move so far out. I believe it, that moving the bridge saddle further down the guitar improves the tone, from what I've heard.
Thanks for the article @drofluf ! If 12 fretters naturally have more bass then great.
Anyway... if I see one I'll try one. But that may be years down the line.
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however, I do find capo'ing is affected far more on a short scale/12 fretter and sometimes requires a tuning tweak
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
I was playing a friend's 12 fret Martin a few weeks ago. Lovely guitar. It took me a short while to realise that it was 12 frets - it felt much closer in playing style to my 14 fret OM than to my 12 fret parlour, but maybe I was feeling the body size more than the fretboard length, if that makes sense?
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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The most comfortable by far is the 00, followed reasonably closely by the OM. Playing the 00 in the summer outside on the garden bench is great. Can play for hours.
The resonator is nice to play but very heavy and the classicals should be played in the classical position on the left knee. As I get older, I find that increasingly uncomfortable and ache-inducing. Ditto the dread to a much less extent. It starts to become uncomfortable to my right arm and shoulder after about an hour.
The dread is my favourite instrument though. Just love it.
I don't think scale length is much of a factor for me in the comfort stakes, playing position, size of guitar and weight are all more important.
P.S. Lack of access around the 12th fret is an issue for me though. I do venture up the dusty end from time to time!