Tacoma DR12

Sold spruce gloss top, with one piece mahogoney neck and solid East Indian back and side ,,nice MOP sound hole inlay ,, this guitar had some minor finish problems mostly on the back and sides because of the flat finish you can sometimes notice them,,,Forget the flaws you ain,t paying 2000 for the guitar

This guitars has a Large sound,,a Great bottom end allmost boomey like an old Martin and a nice crisp top end like a Taylor and a quite decent mid range ,,Just a georgeous rich sound ,,

Bought it used so no factory set-up ,I raised the action a touch ,just my preference, with the exception the the minor finish flaws ,its put together nice,good matching of woods nice inlay .a look inside the sound hole will tell you how it was built,no glue marks ,no rough edges, I also Love the contour of the neck and the 1-3/4 neck width

Built in 2002 so its allready 6 years old and looks great ,tight seams no seperations great tuners etc

Bought used so I,m on my own, don,t care if it needs attention I,ll spend the money to get it fixed

You can still find these guitars ob line brand new for around 800.00 and when you look at the going rate for solid wood guitars especially rosewood these guitars are a bargan,,huge sound ,USA made ,I,d buy another one in a flash

Not sure if they still make this model anymore (I didn't see any listing on Tacoma's webpage) but the salesman told me the original owner bought it before Fender acquired Tacoma. Made in the USA, solid top. THe tuners are fine, smooth and functional. Mine came with a beautiful case, leather outside, with a velvet interior but again, since it's used I'm not sure if this was something purchased after-market by the original owner. Also, this guitar is not electric but the first owner threw in a bridge pick-up. No complaints about the features. Nice looking piece o' wood.

The most prominent feature about this guitar is its treble response. It's very bright. Is that good or bad? Well, that depends on what you want. Personally I think it's good for fingerpicking (I don't use finger picks, just a bit of fingernail) and so it provides excellent clarity for that. Using a typical flat pick (fender medium) it has a bell-like quality. I'm probably going to switch to a "softer" pick to take the edge off, tonewise. I've had other guitars where I loved the sound of new strings, but with the DR-12 I actually LOOK FORWARD to the strings aging and getting a little less bright. Strummed chords have good clarity between individual notes. The bass is tight without being boomy. The sustain is excellent. If it was possible, I'd trade a little treble for a bit more low-mids, my only complaint with this guitar.

The action on this guitar is lovely. It instantly felt comfortable to play it. The workmanship on the frets is very good. And the intonation is fine all up and down the neck. The neck was supposedly replaced after-market by Tacoma (under warranty, not sure what the issue was) and I've played a lot of acoustics over the years, and this neck is one of my favorites- but admittedly it's a very subjective thing.

Only had it for a little while, but is seems solidly built.

Supposedly the old Tacoma company had great service, but now Fender owns it so I will refrain from rating it since I've had no personal experience. But here's a story the salesman told me. The original neck has some problem with it, so the other owner sent it back to Tacoma and the replaced it free of charge. Shortly thereafter, Fender purchases the Tacoma company. Appearently personal customer service was so important to the guy, that he decides to get rid of the guitar. He'd rather be able to pick up the phone and talk to somebody than have to deal with some faceless mega-corporation. Seems a little odd to me, but his loss was my gain!

It's obviously a well made guitar. The sound is rather bright, lacking in the low-mids, but overall very clear and articulate. Craftmanship is very good.

Features have been expounded on already. My favorite faetures on this guitar are the clear pickguard and the contrast of a gloss top/satin back, sides & neck. The smooth neck & wide fretboard beg to be played.Rated a 8 'cause all the components are top quality - except cheap ass bridge pins (plastic?!!).

Sound is extremely balanced from high to low. a/b'ed it with a Taylor 310 and a Martin D-28 and preferred the Tacoma. Not as bright as the taylor or as earthy as the martin - but a perfect tone in between.

Action was set quite low - hard playing causes some fret buzz - but I don't play it hard & prefer the low action. Nice tuners, beatiful & smooth binding. Looks like a small bit of satin finish is seperating near the binding neck area so it gets an 8.

Heavy, solid - built like a tank. Yeah the top gloss is thin - but I tend to believe to much finish might mute the wonderful tone of this beauty.

Never had occasion to deal with them. I have seen others say Fender has bought them. What a shame. They will be crap in a couple of years.

Been playing off & on for 10 years - I'm a perpetual "advanced beginner". I love this guitar. The "feel" of the neck is incredible - I have simply never picked up another guitar that just "fit" into my hand like this one! This price & guitar deserve ebony bridge pins!! I currently own this and a brass Johnson resonator 998. If it was stolen I cant afford another - but have found the Martin DX1 to be neat & would get one of those instead.

2002 Tacoma DR12, dreadnought, OHSC included. Solid wood, American made (Tacoma, Wa.) Solid spruce top, one piece mahogany neck, solid East Indian rosewood back and sides. Ivoroid bound body and neck. 20 frets; the neck is a little meaty, so a person with small hands might not be too comfortable playing this guitar I have medium size hands , and I have no trouble. The tuners (Grover, I think) are tight and smooth. The guitar stays in tune very well.

The sound of this guitar, simply put, is BIG. The treble is crisp and clear, and the bass while not booming like a Guild or a Martin, is very rich, with a loud, full sound. Overall, very bright and loud with excellent sustain.

I bought the guitar used, and the action was great, medium-low, just the way I like. The seller had the guitar set up and restrung before I bought it, I didn't like the strings so I restrung it with Martin SP custom lights. The gloss finish seemed kind of thin as compared to my Guild, and there are two pinhole size voids on the top but who cares. Overall the craftsmanship is top-notch! The spruce and rosewood make for a beautiful guitar!

Simply put, this guitar is built like a tank. I own a Guild D25, and while my Tacoma is not quite as heavy, I'm sure it could withstand the rigors of any type of live play.

Haven't dealt with the company, and chances are, I probably never will unless something terribly wrong happens to the guitar. I'll take it to my own guy for setup and minor repairs if needed.

I've been playing for 30 years, mostly folk, rock and blues. I own a Guild and a top end Washburn. I've played Martin, Taylor and Gibson acoustic guitars, and this guitar stands up to all of them. This guitar has it's own sound, loud with brightness and clarity. This is the first rosewood guitar that I've owned, and I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. If this guitar were lost or stolen I'd be devastated. The reasonable prices Tacoma asks for their guitars, along with the quality craftsmanship and sound I think compares to others costing three or four times as much, makes trying one of these a no-brainer! I've heard Fender just bought out Tacoma and they'll probably ruin them like they destroyed Guild, so my advice is to buy one quickly before the good ones are all gone.

i have owned this guitar for 4 years and play bluegrass music. my review would be much the same as other users so ill skip to customer service.

after one year a small seperation was appearing where the fretboard is attached to the top of the guitar. i took it back to where i bought the guitar and they agreed to send it back to the manufacturer to be evaluated for warrenty. i did't hear anything for a while and i began hounding the dealer. after four months, i got word that tacoma would fix the guitar. i received the guitar after a total of 6 months. had to pay $60 for round trip shipping. instead of fixing it, they sent me a brand new guitar. that worked out fine for me, the other wasnt broke in yet.

overall, it took some time (as expected) but they came through for me and i have been happy ever since

9

2003 Solid Sitka top and Solid East Indian Rosewood back and sides. Nice soundhole rosette of abalone. Nice finish. Gloss top and the rest satin, which I like best anyway. Some VERY minor finish problems (one pinhole size spot), but not anything that the average person would even notice, let alone care about.

Very balanced tone. Aggressive and growling like an old Martin and still has the top end clarity. I couldn't say that it is as clear as a Taylor (I A/B with my 714 for comparison), but very, very close for a LOT less money.

Action was spot on on this one. I have found MOST Tacomas to have dreadfully high action and not much saddle left after even a medium string height has been achieved. This is the best one I have seen in that regard and I have owned 5 of them, so I think I am somwhat qualified in this regard.

Haven't had this one long, but the others held up very well.

Always very helpful on the phone. Never had any warranty issues and I probably never will, but they seem to be great so far. Takes a while to get to sombody who knows the answer sometimes and I have had emails not returned, but I would rather have them build guitars than write emails anyway, so I am not gonna complain much but it does cost them some points in this section.

I have owned every major guitar brand and of them all, and I would buy another Tacoma in a second. I don't need more than the two I have now, but they are a tremendous value for an American Made All-Solid wood guitar. Nobody touches them in this area. This guitar and my DM-9 are great models. Very different tone, but that's what is cool about having more than one.

Hi, I'm the guy (John) that submitted the review on the Tacoma DR-12 on December 22nd. I read the posted version today, and realized that I made a small mistake. I said (in the Action, Fit & Finish section) that "I had the action lowered during setup, so I guess that I must have found the original action low." Obviously, what I meant to say was that I found the original action high, not low. This was a mistake on my part.

Solid rosewood sides and back & spruce top. No electronics package on mine, which is good because I'd consider it a shame to chop a hole into the side of this thing. Eventually I'll get a pickup installed under the bridge. The official specs in the Tacoma website says the top on the DR-12 is a gloss finish, and that the back and sides have the satin (thinner) finish. I don't know though, because even the top finish on this seems thinner than most gloss finishes out there. This is fine with me however, because I think it lets the guitar "breathe" a little more. I read an interview of George Harrison once where he talked about scraping the finish of his Epiphone Casino to get this very effect, so I know I'm not buggin' here.

Don't know who makes the tuners on it, but they work nice and smooth. It has a bound neck and fretboard. It's a large guitar as you would expect with a dreadnaught. It feels really nice to the touch. Doesn't feel exactly like a Taylor or Martin; it has it's own thing going on. The abalone inlay is simple and tasteful. Basic fret dots. Tacoma's visual identifier seems to be a "wave" shape, which is unique, and is featured at the top of the peg head. It's cool, although sometimes it does make me think of the Bob's Big Boy hair flip, LOL. (if you're not from Southern California you might not get that reference)

Doesn't have a cutaway, and I don't expect to miss it in playing acoustic music. I did notice a small glue spot(?) on the top corner of the peg head. No biggie ...

Well, I think the sound is great. I'm giving it a 10 with the understanding that the score is in the context of the instraments price range. Hell, in light of that, I should probably give it an 11. The wood they used on this is top notch. All solid wood for the price that I paid? Amazing!

The sound is bright, but not lacking in warmth. And, it has continued to get warmer over the course of the 14 or so months that I've been playing it. It's well-balanced over the full tonal spectrum. The highs sing out strong and are complex. The bass thunders away like a piano, and is deeply satisfying. The mids hang in there exactly as they should.

I play rock, blues, folk and country with a mix of finger picking and strumming. When using either technique, this guitar has remarkable articulation; none of the notes played get buried in mud.

I wanted a guitar that could take any kind of physical input the situation called for, and this one can do it. Delicate, arpeggiated passages can be made sweet and quiet. Conversely, you can slam home 1st position chords or bar chords a-la Pete Townsend and watch as the walls around you start collapsing. The thing can be REALLY loud if you want it. Since I like the sound, however, I like to say that it "projects well" :)

I almost bought the Tacoma C1C Chief, which is an interesting guitar. I really liked the fact that lead lines were quite easy to play on it. Some have compared it to an "acoustic telecaster." I liked it's warm, earthy tone. And, it too projected well. One thing about it, though (which steered me in the dreadnaught direction), is that it was VERY light, and, I suspected, would become stressed sound-wise with truly muscular strumming. You can never tell when you're going to want to blow someone's head off with some powerful chording, sooo ...

I can't remember exactly how I felt about the original action. I had it lowered, however, during set-up so I guess that it was a little low for my taste. Now it's just fine. Feels great, as noted. Workmanship, tolerances etc. seem very, very clean. I'm going to have a bone nut and saddle cut for this guitar. The stock ones are plastic, which is typical. For the money, once again, I'll give it a 10.

Seems totally solid. Nothing falling or flaking off. Time will tell. I'll N/A this one for at least a decade.

The warranty is transferrable to one more buyer. That's real nice! Can't remember exactly now long it lasts ... it's in my file and I'm too damn lazy to go fish it out right now. I once emailed Tacoma with a question and got no reply. This is not a favorable indicator, but is not definitive by itself. I haven't had any need to try to contact them again, so I'm going to N/A this one for now too.

Despite a musical layoff of a few years at one point, I've been playing for several years total now, and am more committed than ever. I have a stratocaster which I play a lot too. My other acoustic steel string is sort of a cheapo, so I decided to get one that I would really enjoy playing. I spent a long time trying out many different guitars because I didn't want any regrets afterward. I played several brands: Taylors, Martins, Larivee, Takamine, blah blah. Every weekend for about three months I'd go to various music stores and sit, play, feel and listen.

The conclussion I finally reached is that Tacoma guitars are a fantastic bargain. To me, they sound as good as Taylors I played that cost double the price. Taylors have their own "feel," however, so if that is something you just have to have then I can understand.

Martins, however, although they could be quite warm, I found too muddy-sounding for my taste. I like articulation. Nothing Martin made in the price range I was looking at even came close. Projection, too, is an issue for me. I didn't want to think that I would always have to amplify to be heard. Martin guitars often could be drowned out by the normal, conversation-volume discussions I might have with store clerks while playing. Not so with Tacoma, they project better than either Martin OR Taylor. It's forcing me to really concentrate on my singing. I have to make sure I'm using my diaphram correctly or I'LL be drowned out. I think that that kicks ass!

Are there $2,500+ Taylor, Martins, custom shop guitars etc., out there that have even better tone than this? Yeah, of course. But then, to even consider one of those, I'd have to be in a different buying category alltogther. Besides, Tacoma also makes high, high end guitars that sell for thousands of dollars. Typically, they're only available through specialty dealers. If I was THAT type of buyer, how do I know that I wouldn't, once again, be buying Tacoma at the end of the day? Some of those Tacomas look just INSANE to play. Get that first ding, though, and I'd be jumping off the nearest cliff, LOL.

I am happy with this guitar and would gladly buy it again. One thing, though, Tacoma used to recommend Elixir (coated) strings for their instraments. Don't belive them. I use Martin SP Phosphor-Bronze Lights, and they simply ROCK. I'm very skeptical about coated strings; I just don't think they sound as good. The Martin strings are 110% better on my DR-12.

This is a review of my new Tacoma DR12 solid rosewood, spuce topped acoustic guitar. This differs from the DR20 and DR38 in having a satin body with no gloss coat. I did not know this guitar had a satin finish when I bought it but I'm very happy with it. The guitar was bought through zzounds.com for 799.99, shipping was free. It has a rosewood fingerboard with attractive abalone dot inlays. It also has an abalone soundhole ring. The guitar has a clear pickguard, makes it look like there is no pickguard at all. The ivoroid bindings used along the outer edges of the guitar look superior to plastic bindings that you see on cheaper acoustics. It comes with a hardshell case of good quality. There is a buckle at the very bottom of the case which is a bad idea. A better position would be a few inches off to the side. Buckles at the very bottom of a case usually break first if the entire weight of the guitar rest on the buckle like this one does. It's also annoying having to pick the entire case up just to get to the bottom buckle open.

I have never played a Tacoma acoustic before. The guitars sound did not dissapoint me and is everything I would expect in a guitar in this price range. The sound is rich, full and deep fills a room up nicely with it's sound. Some people beleive a satin finished guitar body offers improved tone over a gloss coat because it allows the wood to vibrate more freely resulting in a better tone. This makes about as much sense to me as saying a gloss coat acoustic body offers a better tone over satin because the coating aids the wood in capturing and reflecting the sound waves that travel in the guitars body. Really both finishes sound equally nice and I don't think one is superior over another. I'm not a fan of the elixir strings that it came with. My first string change will be with Martin SP light strings.

paying 800 for an acoustic is a lot lot of money and I would expect the finish to be flawless which the guitar is. The satin finish does not photograph as well as a gloss coat but it's very nice to look at. The string action is a tad high for my tastes. The neck is a bit chunky which might be a problem for people with smaller hands. The sitka spuce is very tightly grained and nice. You just don't see solid spuce tops like this on economy solid top acoustics. Many excellent solid top acoustic acoustics are available under 500 dollars, the best that come to mind are Washburn and seagull. This guitar differs from them as being excellent and also being a work of art....congratulations Tacoma!

This guitar and any other high end acoustic models are for people who intend to be careful with them. This guitar just will not take abuse that an ordinary electric guitar might get. There are no strap buttons installed.

limited lifetime warranty that is transferable for 60 dollars. If you mail a guitar with a problem to Tacoma and it's not their fault for the defect you pay shipping to get it back to your home.

I have been playing since 1986. I have 7 guitars now some electric some acoustic. I hope this is the last guitar I ever buy, meaning it completes my collection of guitars. I don't have any particular style of playing and like everything but classical and country guitar styles. I also considered buying an all mahogany Martin 15 series guitar. The J-15, D-15, 00-15 and 000-15 are all nice but they have a real economy look as compared to the higher priced Martin models. This guitar has the fit and finish of a Martin and I'm real happy with it. You won't be dissapoined buying a Tacoma acoustic, buy one before the prices goes up!!!!

Made in USA, 20 frets, Solid Sitka Spruce top, Rosewood back & side, Gloss top, Satin back & side, Dreadnought body style, acoustic. Comes with light guage Elixir strings & hard case.

Rich, loud, full range sound, for either finger-picking or strumming.

Good action, very easy to play. Fit & finish could be better for a guitar in this price range. There are a few glue drops, or whatever it is, on the body near the base of the neck which cannot be removed. There are some sharp edges on the frets which had to be filed amooth.

The guitar has a lifetime warranty and it should last accordingly. I bought it 4 months ago, after sampling with may makes & models. This guitar should withstand any type of playing.

The warranty info was sent but I've yet to receive any reply or acknowlegement.

I owned a Yamaha acoustic, Morris 12-string acoustic, and Ibanez acoustic. I am very pleased with this Tacoma and would buy it again if it were stolen or lost. Its sound is as good, in my opinion, as some more expensive Taylor's and Takamine's I sampled. If I had to add anything to it that would be a 2nd button for shoulder strap installed from the factory.