1976 Bozo Bell Western 12 string. Sitka on east Indian Rosewood. I had played a number of 12 strings (Gibson, Martin and Guild) but this one was in a class of its own. I never got over it. It sounded ethereal and orchestral. I sold it when I moved aboard a sailboat in 1990, knowing the humidity would kill it.
I bought it at Bozo's shop in Escondido, CA. He had built it custom for a musician that backed out. $1300.This was not one of the clones. He told me a bit about the guitar and I asked him about EIR vs. Brazilian rosewood and he said the difference in sound was small but there. Mostly he put Brazilian on his top 12's for looks mainly. The heavenly ornamented ones went for around $3500. The waiting list for one of those was two years.
Second place was a friend's '61 Gibson Country Western. Wonderful to play and just a very rich sound. The short scale made fingering so much easier than my D-18.
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