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Pros:
- Affordable
- Comfortable for a 12 string
- Decent tonewood
Cons:
- Action might be too high
- Need to tune quite often
When you are thinking of buying your first guitar the first thing to get out of your way is the budget. If you know how much you are willing, or able, to pay for a guitar the options will dramatically be reduced. If you have decided you should test the waters first before plunging full-on into it, maybe you should get a more affordable guitar, figure out your likes and dislikes and then possibly get another one that will last you years and years. Oscar Schmidt OD312CEB is a perfect beginner’s guitar, it is affordable and provides all the necessities that a beginner might have.
Build
The OD312CEB is a hand-crafted 12-string dreadnought guitar with select spruce top and mahogany back and sides. The tonewood and build of the model gives it great volume and sustain. The neck is mahogany and surprisingly comfortable and easy to grip for a 12-string model. This model also features a cutaway, making it easier to access upper frets. The one thing I would say is not that perfect is the action on this model but it is definitely possible to fix if you take it to a professional.
Hardware
Oscar Schmidt has equipped this model with a rosewood fingerboard and bridge as well as adjustable truss rod and standard chrome die-cast tuners. Overall, this model is not overbuilt or given extra features. It has standard hardware and decent tonewood which makes it affordable and functional for beginners. This guitar comes in three colors: natural, black, and tobacco sunburst, all equally beautiful and has an equally good quality high gloss finish.
Oscar Schmidt OD312 Sound
This model, for the price that it is offered at, brings surprisingly rich tone and great sound. The choice of tonewood and how they complement each other definitely plays a big part in the sound and volume of a guitar and that shows with OD312CEB. The key to creating 12-string guitars for beginners is making them as comfortable as possible so that the player can learn and perfect their playing and that is exactly what Oscar Schmidt did by making the neck comfortable and giving this model a cutaway to access upper frets.
Conclusion
The OD312CEB will be a perfect first step for any beginner looking to get into 12 string guitars. I would not go so far as to say it is the best one. It definitely is not, but taken into account how affordable this model is, it is a great option. Creating a guitar that sounds this good with rich tone is a hard task but doing it on a budget shows the expertise and attention to detail that people at Oscar Schmidt have.
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