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

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Sound Pure stands behind our products. Free three-year warranty on this item. Coverage exclusions live in Terms & Conditions, Section 27.

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Sound Pure Studios Control Room A — Durham, NC

Sound Pure Studios · Durham, NC

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