12 Fret VS 14 Fret, Which Is Better?
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Published 2018-05-09
Our hyper hair follicled friend is back to shed wisdom on a question asked by one of our very own Acoustic Tuesday viewers this week.
Matt Chulka, acoustic aficionado, beard maintenance master, and overall awesome dude from Eddie’s guitars in St. Louis shares his wisdom as he discusses the impact of a 12 fret neck to body joint and a 14 fret neck to body joint. If you have ever wondered what the deal with this is you have to tune into this segment to learn more.
I think you will be surprised at how it affects more than just the aesthetic of the guitar.
All Comments (21)
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I’ve got to say, the last 2 years or so I’ve pretty much been 12 fret only. And I love it!
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Thank you for answering a question I often wondered but never actually checked into! I had seen a couple of 12 fret guitars wondered but never actually asked! Thanks Mat
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Excellent video, Matt. Great observations, and info!!
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Excellent video. Terrific explanation 12, v 14 fret guitars.
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Great discussion. I've long thought that Martin's 000-15s is one of the biggest bang-for-buck guitars out there-- the 12 fret design just gives you such rich tone for the price.
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Thank you, it never dawned on me to actually count the number of frets. I rarely go beyond the middle of the neck.
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Silly me thinking he was gonna demonstrate the difference between by playing them.
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Good information but where are the sound examples letting us hear the differences? You had both 12 and 14s there; I kept waiting to hear each guitar...
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great information but would've loved to have heard the two guitars back to back so I could hear the differences.
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I’ve been having some fun with fender ma-1 3/4 guitars for a time now. They are the only 12 fret guitars I seem to come across on auction sites. Not too many guit shops in my neck of the woods.
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You are the best, Matt. Love 12-fret all the way! All I have are 12-fretters.
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I just bought a 12 fret handmade "Gary Garcia"*made in Sacramento* guitar with a cutaway.. and holy crap does it sound amazing (best of both worlds since the cutaway makes it feel like a 15 fret neck joint... I found this video while trying to understand WHY it makes such a tone difference.
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Nice explanation, but no a/b sound comparison, which would be most helpful.
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Matt, great summary but you didn't mention one of the major differences - between the 14 fret 000/OM and the 12 fret 000. the original 000 came with a 1 &7/8" nut width whereas the 14 fretters were 1 &43/4" at most. For those of us that prefer a wider fretboard with wider string spacing, the 12 fretters are usually the better choice, and the same applies to 12 & 14 fret dreads. See my video on this : https://youtu.be/kfpMciG92oY
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#ask Matt, Great info, you compared a 000 but I was wondering about the dreadnought and the fretboard width on a 12 fret vs a 14. I'm looking at maybe a wider fretboard for my bigger hands. I'm a newbie, 2 years playing and I'm 64 years young.....ha. Any thoughts on that comparison and to the sound difference?
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have you ever tried out a Prestige acoustic guitar? I recently bought an Eclispse Koa model and I love it but i wanted to know how it compares with the range of guitars youve reviewed #askmatt
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It's Tony's beard anyway...This guy is an expert...thanks for the info! Those guitars are gorgeous. More expensive though than mine...from Godin.
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I know it’s an old post but love the hair and the beard!
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A forgotten subject. Thanks, man!
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Any preference for 14 vs 12 for acoustic blues? Thanks for the video!
