Simon and Patrick SP12 Cedar 12-String Reviews 
4 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI've played guitar for about 35 years, mostly just for pleasure.
The S&P was bought on the spur of the moment- i set out originally to buy an Ovation-type 12-string (which would be much more expensive but possibly more robust), to belt out strummed chords to accompany vocals rather than intricate finger picking. I haggled down to £290.
This guitar certainly sings and has a powerful voice: it's loud and bold, and ecourages you to play loud- this is the instrument's forte. There's plenty space on this large neck for finger picking. It's also a light guitar, and has a lively feel to it. It's an honest, no-frills instrument. It's well put together- i could not fault the workmanship- and it looks good.
The cedar top of this guitar is fragile, and this should seriously be borne in mind before buying! Make sure that it lives in its hard case- it's very easy to mark and split the top. The sound is not as consistant throughout the range as more expensive guitars, and the upper frets not as playable as, say, a Guild. So, i wouldn't attempt to play ralph Towner on it: stick to the lower frets. The neck is quite chuncky. The action is very high and it's not the easiest guitar to play: I've sanded down the bridge to improve playability with some success.
Workmanship cannot be faulted at this price. There's very little finish, which no doubt contributes to its vibrant nature.
I would recommend this guitar to anyone- it has a lovable honest character and it's probably the best 12 string i've played at this price, though there are easier guitars to play and the neck design might not suit everyone. I reckon you'd have to pay perhaps 3 times as much for appreciably better quality
Mike rated this unit
on
2008-01-30.
