Best 12 String Acoustic Electric Guitar in 2023 - Top 16 Models Worth Buying

Our Top Picks

1. Best Overall: Taylor Builder's Edition 652ce 12-String Grand

This is the most recognizable 12-string guitar available. It's the semi-acoustic that George Harrison used on the Beatles' first US tour, 1963 360/12, given to him by Rickenbacker's Francis C. Hall. You can see which string you're tuning, which Harrison appreciated immediately. The Rick-O-Sound parallel-mono outputs on the 360/12 are one of the most excellent features, as they allow you to divide the signal and send one pickup to one amplifier and the other to another, providing depth and spread to the sound.

2. Best Professional Sound: Martin Guitar X Series D-X2E

The Martin D-X2E 12-String Guitar focuses on the boom, chime, and value. Getting that name on the squared-off headstock for less than a thousand dollars is not terrible at all, and the price of the Low Shape neck profile is a highly pleasant palm-filler that is accessible without being too slim. The Martin D-neck X2E is advertised as "select hardwood,' and this may vary according to supply, although it is usually Spanish cedar, Sapele, and rarely mahogany. It's the same on the fingerboard, although we'd expect Mexican ebony here.

3. Best  Body Shape: Fender Villager 12-String, Black V3

The Fender Villager 12-String, Black V3 is a black 12-string electric guitar with a spruce top, mahogany back and sides, fishman pickup/preamp system, mahogany neck with slim-taper "C"-shaped profile, and walnut fingerboard and bridge. It's hand orientation: Right. This guitar is perfect for blues, rock and country music.

4. Best Rosewood Back Sides: Taylor 254ce 12-String Grand Auditorium Sitka

The Taylor 254ce's construction is simple yet faultless. A magnificent piece of solid Sitka spruce complements the back and sides of laminated Indian rosewood, resulting in a well-balanced sound with lots of heaviness in the bass end. The Expression System 2 pickup and preamp are used here, making it ideal for the stage. At the same time, the Grand Auditorium's body size is a good balance between the enormous boom of dread and smaller-bodied acoustics that lack guts down low. And with those 12-strings, that balance manifests itself in a lovely, broad chime that's difficult to put down.

5. Best Laurel Fretboard: Gretsch G5422G-12 Electromatic Classic

The contemporary Electromatic line has terrific attention to detail, with flawless finishes. The Gretsch G5422G-12 Electromatic Hollowbody, with its bound f-holes, G-Cutout tailpiece, smaller late-50s standard headstock, and multi-ply binding, is one of the best-looking instruments in our round-up of the top 12-string guitars. The slender U-profile neck is small enough for rapid jazz comping and switches rock double-stops, but just as you plug in and crank in the slapback echo, the 12-string breadth and chime smack you in the face.