The Delta Snake Review: Musical Gear Review & Article Archive: Review: 2007 Fender DG14S-12

Review: 2007 Fender DG14S-12

Twelve-string guitars have a distinguished history in the early days of its introduction, most notable for it being the mainstay of the “Atlanta Sound” Blues:in the 30's, and the main guitar of the legendary Leadbelly.

Leadbelly was more important to the guitar than just being its most famous early user. It was a guitar that was dying out until he (and later, Pete Seeger) made it popular again. He used the most popular type at the time, which was also the cheapest, the Stella brand. The Stella had a unique, rich sound due to having less internal bracing (which made it less expensive to make). It had a reputation as a tough, hard to break guitar, making it useful for a player gigging in small bars and juke-joints.

The top of the lines was expensive, like the Martins and Gibsons, and many guitar makers would simply put a heavier neck on a six-string model and convert it to a 12. So, until around the 80's, the average lifespan of a twelve string was around three years, less if you kept it at concert pitch (which most players do). In reality, you’re supposed to follow folk and blues practice and tune it down one or two steps (and capo off if needed).

The minimum standard was 300.00 for a twelve that would last longer than three years, and for that, you still often got higher action and less resonance. People who gave up on trying to play the Twelve often took off 6 of the strings and played it as a six. Which doesn’t work as well as the guitar is too heavily braced to function well that way.

These days we're seeing Fenders, Epiphones, and Ibanez 12's in the 150.00-250.00 range and the improvement would be startling to someone used to inexpensive 60's versions. The construction is better, and string action is generally good, or can be adjusted.

What you do give up at this price range is resonance. A six-string converted to a twelve was more resonant (even if shorter lived) due to lighter bracing (like the Stella).

I stress this point because without the resonance, one of the pairs of strings (called “courses”) will not ring out as well. The most important course is the third pair. That set, believe it or not, is the key to whether or not your guitar will sound vivid and colorful, or simply deep and somewhat quiet.

In this price range, Fender has clearly built a solid feeling guitar. Its response is the most even of the inexpensive models I’ve tried (with one exception) and it's built to last. Which work both for and against it.

The most expensive acoustic guitars, including twelves, don't get tougher up the price ladder. It often works the opposite. If you want an acoustic you can use as a canoe paddle, get a cheap one. If you get a 3000.00 Martin, be sure to buy a hard case for it because it'll break if breathed on. I'm exaggerating of course, but you get the point.

What you have here in the Fender DG14S-12 is a good beginner's guitar, which won't discourage you from learning it. You'll get less vivid tones and richness than from an Epiphone version (which is modeled more after a Gibson, which has a whole different idea of what an acoustic is) but you'll get closer to what a Martin is like (richer, but not as smooth as a Gibson). Which if you like this guitar, would be your natural upgrade path.

When looking for an inexpensive twelve, another key point is the tuners. You're keeping 12 strings in tune and reliability is key. You'll often be tuning the guitar twice, once across, then again because the bass strings will go slight off tune again as the treble strings are tightened. If you get cheap pegs, there isn't a guitar more annoying to tune than a 12.

Luckily, I've found that Fender pegs tend to be good, and the ones on this guitar are no exception. Whether it's their cheapest acoustic, mandolin, or banjo, the pegs tend to be decent. Sure, many of these guitars are made in Korea or China, but the companies subcontracting out the work do spec their orders, and there are quality differences. Between a Johnson and Fender, I'll take a Fender any day.

There are ways to make this Fender an even better guitar. Use a thicker pick (like Leadbelly did) or a thumb-pick and you'll add 50.00 worth of sound to it. Also, on that vital third course, reverse the thin string (the octave string) so it faces you (an old trick) and it doubles the volume and chime on that string.

Also, try out the Ry Cooder method, and keep the double courses on the last four positions, but use single heavier gauge single strings on the two high strings. It adds clarity to the sound on a cheaper guitar. A low-priced guitar is no longer an obstacle to sounding like a genius. Just add hard work and practice.

- Al Handa

2007

Note: This review first appeared on the ePinions.com site in 2013. This and other reviews were short takes that accompanied the link to a business that sold the guitar. As a rule, the guitar had to be at least examined and played by the reviewer (and ideally owned). In my case, a severe case of GAS made it possible to have at least owned the reviewed instrument for a short while. I'm reprinting these as having another source on a guitar never hurts, even if the reviews aren't definitive. Other than minor corrections, these short takes are unchanged from the original text. I figure that it might be helpful to keep the older perspective.

The Quitturz by Al Handa