LKSM Leo Kottke Signature Model 12-String Acoustic Guitar

One of the most celebrated and popular 12-strings ever made, the Taylor 2012 LKSM Leo Kottke Signature Model 12-String Acoustic Guitar Model incorporates tropical American mahogany back and sides, a Sitka Spruce top, Indian rosewood binding, and special bracing with a Jumbo body shape. Rosewood binding and a thin band of green purfling add subtle accents, while the inlay-free fretboard is profound in its simplicity. The model uses heavy gauge strings and is tuned to C#, which yields Kottke's rumbling, throaty piano guitar sound.

Jumbo (JM)
Body Width: 17" / Body Depth: 4-5/8" / Body Length: 21"
Taylor's biggest body shape packs a 12-string punch.
Although youll see less Jumbos in the 2012 Taylor Lineup as it undergoes a design makeover, it remains Taylors largest shape, and conjures a big, full sound without being bottom heavy.

While the Jumbos voluptuous curves present a lot of soundboard real estate, the contoured waist helps tighten the midrange, controlling the overtones. This comes in handy with 12-strings, with which the Jumbo shape is most closely associated. The full bass tones counterbalance the doubled treble strings, producing a rich, lush tone with lots of signature Taylor clarity and balance. Coupled with Taylors thin-profile necks, low action, and accurate intonation, you wont have to work hard or retune a lot to get a great 12-string sound.

Tropical Mahogany
Origin: Central and South America
Mahogany is a good wood to anchor a discussion of tones, as a lot of other wood tones can be described in relation to it. Its essential sonic profile is well represented in the midrange frequencies. Acoustic guitars in general tend to live in the midrange portion of the sound spectrum, but mahogany in particular displays a lot of midrange character. That thick, present midrange sound is sometimes described in guitar circles as meaty, organic or even œchewy ” wherever a player digs in on the fretboard, theyre tapping into the core of the harmonic content of what a guitar produces. Those great midrange frequencies produce overtones that stack up and produce bloom, giving the sound extra girth. When one hears the resulting harmonics, the œchewy tone serves up a big mouthful of midrange. As a popular tonewood for many decades, mahogany has been used on scads of old school acoustic recordings, and that sonic heritage carries across various strains of roots music, from blues to folk to slack key.

Goes well with: A broad range of players and musical styles; people who like a well-balanced tone, nice dynamic range and a healthy serving of overtones. Blues and other rootsy players tend to respond well to mahoganys midrange character. A smaller body mahogany guitar (GC or GA) might appeal to fingerstyle players, whereas more aggressive flatpickers might opt for a mahogany Dreadnought or GS. For versatility, a mahogany GA is a good bet. Because of mahoganys midrange, a player with œdark hands will tend to sound darker on a mahogany guitar. A bright player will sound slightly less bright.