Simon and Patrick SP 12 Cedar Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsBought from Sound Control, Moseley Street, Newcastle, UK. in May 2001.
I have played guitar for over 30 years and always wanted a 12-string, so when my mid-life crisis came I decided to treat myself!
UK Catalogue Price is £380.00 Sterling inc taxes which tends to mean that we tend to pay the same number of pounds for uk bought goods as our north American Cousins pay in dollars. The the typical price however is around £320.oo, and I was pretty pleased to haggle down to £279.00.
The tone, feel and sustain on this guitar is really much better than any of the many similarly priced 12s I tried. The only one I thought better was a Guild 12 selling (secondhand!) at nearly four times the price! The Guild put me off buying anything else until I found the S&P and I dont think the difference is sufficiently noticeable to be worth that kind of money.- OK, so you can put medium strings on a Guild 12 (with its double trussed neck), and you would be foolish to put more than light gauge on the S&P. I use Martin extra-lights and they are fine for me!
The cedar top and the plain satin finish is really quite elegant and understated. It is a plainly but elegantly styled instrument which declares function, not fashion. The neck is a comfortable width and the action (factory set-up)is nice and low. The tuners work efficiently and hold tune well.
The only slight irritation was having to fit a strap button to the heel of the neck. I cannot abide guitars held up by a strap tied at the nut, and it would have been such a simple thing for S&P to have fitted one at the factory.
Solid Cedar top, wild cherry back and sides(laminate) Mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge. Compensated saddle.
Sealed tuners. Satin finish lacquer. The guitar is well-made and finished.
One thing it certainly has in common with the Guild; if there in a piece you can't play on it, it is your playing that is the problem, not the guitar!
Buy one!
John rated this unit
on
2002-01-13.
