1969 Martin D12-20 Vintage 12 String Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar w/ Case

Up for sale, a 1969 Martin D12-20 12-string dreadnought acoustic in excellent condition and in perfect working order. With an X-braced top and classic Martin tonewood combination, the D12-20 is akin to a 12-string version of a D-18, albeit with a wider nut for more navigable string spacing.Tonewoods include a solid Sitka spruce top paired with mahogany back and sides, and this 12 string has exquisite chime, with the power, balance and tonal breadth inherent in the dreadnought body shape. This D-12-20 sings with equal parts sweetness and cutting clarity, plus the airy openness that befits an instrument of its vintage. This Martin weighs 4lbs 9oz, freshly restrung with bronze strings and professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with easy-playing action and optimal intonation.The mahogany neck has a moderately slender C-shaped profile carve with lightly rolled fretboard edges and modest shoulder at the nut, gaining a hair more heft in the upper registers, measuring .815” deep at the 1st fret and .995” at the 9th. On the rosewood fretboard, there’s a touch of light finger wear into the rosewood behind frets 1-3. The slender fretwire is practically perfect, leveled and crowned in the guitar’s lifetime, with just a hint of wear beneath the treble side string courses on the crowns of frets 1-3. This guitar plays cleanly in all registers up the 24 3/4“ scale with a straight neck, and the replacement bone nut measures 1 7/8“ in width. The headstock sports a rosewood veneer and flawless Martin logo, and the replacement set of Ovation Schaller-style tuning machines turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch.The rosewood bridge sits flush with the top on all edges, with notably little deflection behind the bridge. The bridge has been shaved down slightly in this guitar’s lifetime, and the saddle has a limited amount of space for future adjustment. The neck set is original, with action at the 12th fret measuring 8/64” high on the bass side and 7/64” on the treble side. The black pickguard has some requisite scuffing along the strum path.There are three professionally addressed, small stable splits on this instrument; one on the top on the treble-side upper bout, running parallel to the fretboard extension; one on the bass-side rim extending from the waist towards the lower bout; and one on the back at the treble-side lower bout. Additionally, there is a tiny pinhole on the lower bout rim, small enough to easily escape notice, that has been filled and doweled. The original gloss nitro lacquer finish exhibits broad checking on the top, a number of nicks and scuffs on the instrument as a whole consistent with decades of careful use, and light buckle rash on the back. The smooth gloss on the neck profile has a worn-in, easy-playing feel, with an area of fractionally more matte finish behind fret 11 and a few shallow marks along the profile length that have no impact on playability.A jumbo hardshell case is included.