Sound Pure's Take
Blending traditional pre-war styling with dependable modern construction, the Martin D-12E Retro pairs a solid spruce top treated with Aging Toner with solid sapele back and sides stained in a rich dark mahogany, all bound under a full-gloss finish. Its select hardwood neck is shaped to a comfortable Performing Artist profile with a High-Performance Taper, carrying a 25.4" scale ebony fingerboard decorated with Old Style 18 faux mother-of-pearl inlays and anchored by a 1 3/4" White Corian nut. Understated vintage touches include black body binding, an Old Style 18 Boltaron rosette, a faux tortoise pickguard, nickel open-gear tuners with butterbean knobs, and an ebony belly bridge with a white TUSQ saddle. Weighing 4 lbs 8 oz, this versatile, stage-ready dreadnought comes equipped with a protective softshell case.
From Martin and Co.
The Martin D-12E Retro delivers classic style, powerful tone, and proven performance—all wrapped in a full-body gloss finish that adds rich visual depth to its solid spruce top and solid sapele back and sides. The Dreadnought body produces bold, projective tone with strong bass, while scalloped X-bracing adds clarity and responsiveness. A Performing Artist neck with high-performance taper ensures smooth, modern playability across the fingerboard. Vintage-inspired touches like old-style dot inlays, a multi-stripe rosette, and nickel open gear tuners with butterbean knobs nod to Martin’s Style 18 roots. With versatile E1 electronics, a built-in tuner, and a softshell case, this Road Series model is made to go the distance.
- Top Material
- Spruce
- Finish Top
- Gloss
- Top Color
- Aging Toner
- Top Inlay Material
- Multi-Stripe
- Top Detail
- None
- Binding
- Black
- Bridge Material
- Ebony
- Bridge Style
- Modern Belly
- Bridge String Spacing
- 2 5/32"
- Bridge Pin Material
- White Plastic
- Bridge Pin Dots
- Black
- Pickguard
- Faux Tortoise
- Pickguard Inlay
- None
- Rosette
- Old Style 18 Boltaron
- Saddle
- White TUSQ®
- Saddle Radius
- 16"
- Body Size
- D-14 Fret
- Construction
- Mortise & Tenon Neck Joint
- Back Material
- Sapele
- Side Material
- Sapele
- Back and Side Finish
- Gloss
- Back and Sides Color
- Dark Mahogany
- Back Detail
- None
- Side Detail
- None
- Back Purfling/Strip
- None
- Back Inlay Material
- None
- Side Inlay Material
- None
- Bracing Pattern
- X-Brace
- Brace Shape
- Scalloped
- Brace Material
- Spruce
- Brace Size
- 5/16"
- Endpiece
- None
- Endpiece Inlay
- None
- Neck Shape
- PA Profile
- Neck Taper
- High-Performance Taper
- Neck Material
- Select Hardwood
- Neck Color
- Natural
- Finish Neck
- Hand-Applied
- Scale Length
- 25.4"
- Number of Frets Total
- 20
- Neck Joins Body At
- 14th Fret
- Heelcap
- Black
- Fingerboard Material
- Ebony
- Fingerboard Width at 12th Fret
- 2 1/8''
- Fingerboard Width at Nut
- 1 3/4''
- Fingerboard Inlay Style
- Old Style 18
- Fingerboard Inlay Material
- Faux Mother-of-Pearl
- Fingerboard Binding Material
- None
- Side Dots
- White
- Headstock Shape
- Solid
- Headplate Material
- Brazilian Rosewood HPL
- Headplate Logo Style
- Script Ink
- Headplate Binding Material
- None
- Tuning Machines
- Nickel Open Gear
- Knob
- Butterbean
- Nut Material
- White Corian®
- Case
- Softshell
- Weight
- 4lbs 8oz
Free 3-Year Warranty
Sound Pure stands behind our products. Free three-year warranty on this item. Coverage exclusions live in Terms & Conditions, Section 27.
Level of support and expertise that simply isn't available at big-box megastores. Read the warranty →
Returns
Try Before You Buy: take it home, commit only when it's right. Program details →
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