Why Twelve

Twelve strings. That's twice as many as I needed until I decided I needed them.

I'd been thinking about this guitar for a while. The koa top, the shaded burst along the edges — it looks good, but that wasn't it. I wanted something that could actually do John Denver justice. "Take Me Home, Country Roads" on a six-string sounds fine. On a twelve-string it sounds like what it's supposed to sound like.

The Avett Brothers factored in too. That big, open, ringing chord sound they get on songs like Head Full of Doubt. You can approximate it on a six-string. Or you can just get the right instrument.

First thing I noticed when I picked it up: not as hard to play as I was expecting. Twelve strings sounds like a commitment until you realize Taylor builds them to actually be played. Action's reasonable. The neck is wider than I'm used to but not awkward.

Tuning takes a while. That part is exactly what I expected.