What is the difference between a 12 and a 14 fret?
Short answer: the neck protrudes a little further.
This may seem like a small difference, but it has a huge impact on the sound and feel of a guitar. A 12-fret guitar is not necessarily better than a 14-fret or vice versa. They're just very different.
Playability
Pick up a 12-fret guitar and you feel it immediately: this is different. Smaller, more compact, lighter and always inviting. Some players fall like a log for the friendly clarity and no longer have to ‘stretch’ so much while playing. Do you have a slightly smaller stature? Then definitely try a 12-fretter. Are you taking your first steps from a classical, Spanish nylon guitar to a western guitar with steel strings? On a 12-fret guitar, that transition might just be a little easier.
Other guitarists find 12-fret guitars too compact and for them, such a neck can feel a bit finicky. Especially players who have already made some meters on an electric guitar and often play a bit higher on the neck, don't immediately feel at home on it, because their own elbow suddenly seems to be in the way or the neck suddenly stops in the middle of a solo.
Tone
Even though it might take some time to get used to a 12-fret, there is a reward waiting for you: a great tone. Due to the fact that the neck protrudes less, the position of the bridge moves backwards; towards the centre of the lower bout of the body. On a lot of 12 fret guitars, the bridge ends up in the centre, but that is not always the case, because there are subtle differences from one luthier to the other...
Many luthiers, like Jean L’Arrivee, refer to that middle of the soundboard as the bridge's ‘sweetspot’, because it causes the vibration of the strings to make the top work a little harder. As a guitarist, this gives you more bass and a ‘rounder’ sound. You often lose some directness and attack, but in combination with a slightly smaller soundboard, this can actually create a unique guitar sound. Fellows Maarten and Niek also experienced this when they tried out a Martin 12 and 14 fret dreadnought .
Endless possibilities
A lot of luthiers like Santa Cruz, Martin, Collings and Lowden put their own spin on the 12-fret. Sometimes the neck not only sticks out less from the body, but is shortened giving you a short scale. Other luthiers opt for a somewhat extended or deeper body. Experimenting with the ratios between the neck and the body offers luthiers endless possibilities to get the most out of the wood and gives guitarists more to choose from.
We are very fond of 12-fret guitars and we always have some in stock in our shop in Dedemsvaart. So feel free to drop by our magical guitar shop in Dedemsvaart if you want to try one out. We are open again!