[martingitdave]

So I played some options:

Taylor 526: very chimey on the high end, easy to play. I think it would record really well. Not a lot of low end, even for a smallish guitar.

Martin HD12-28: liked everything about it but the prices they were asking new and used.

Custom HD12-28: Adirondack top. More headroom for sure. I liked it. This would take a few years to open up. When it does, it will be a monster. Not sure they used the same neck shape and spacing as the standard HD12-28. Cost is fair for what you get, but high.

Guild 1212: nice guitar. Plays decently well. Maybe not the sound in my head.

Martin DX12 new model: Good deep Martin sound. Missing tone due to the HPL back and sides. Doesn’t compete acoustically with the HD12-28

1974 Martin D12-35: sounded great. Neck was a pretzel.

1968 Martin D12-35: sounded even better. Work had been complete. Price was super high and for collectors. Regular people won’t pay that for a 12 string.

That’s what I was able to play. Left empty handed but better armed with information. I’ll keep looking around for other options, but I put a Yamaha LL-16-12 on order. Should be easy enough to return if needed. I’ll report back when I get that in hand to try.

I don’t make it up to try the Larrivee L-09 or L-03R. I think I’d be happy with either.