Walden Guitars D552 12-String Acoustic

This is a 12-string dreadnaught by Walden Guitar. Made in China. Solid spruce top and laminate mahogany sides and back. Not sure what kind of wood was used for the neck. Plastic rosette inlaid, black plastic full-body binding with chrome die-cast tuners. Non-glossy nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Very simple but nicely and tastefully put together. It also comes with a well built deluxe gig bag. I bought this guitar sight unseen from Glen Giles of NiveneH Guitars, the price is unbelievable and Glen is a really good and honest guy to work with. There are guitars with nicer appointments but considering the price of this guitar, it is a great deal.

The sound of this guitar is awesome. It is very balanced and loud ? it sound as good if not better than guitars many time its cost. I expect it to be even better after it opens up some. Again for the price it is just a great deal, and it sounds better than a lot of much higher price guitar that I played.

Action, fit and finish are all top-notch. Glen of NiveneH Guitar ordered the D552 for me from Walden and he was supposed to checkout and setup the guitar before he shipped it to me. He told me he did not have to do anything thing to it. With factory setup, it has killer action for any acoustic guitar, let alone a 12 string. It may be the easiest guitar I have ever played. There is no buzzing what-so-ever and it sounds awesome. The guitar is flawless other than a very small (pin head size) lacquer bubble on the edge of the finding on the tip side of the upper bout. I took care of that by very lightly sanded it off with 0000 steel wool. The craftsmanship of this guitar is as good as anything that cost many times more on the market. Bookmatching is excellent for both top and back. Definitely a 10.

I have only had this guitar for not quite two months. It is too soon to tell how reliable and durable it will be, however, this guitar is solidly built and I have every reason to believe that it will hold up.

I have not dealt with Walden, but Glen of NiveneH is a super guy to work with. His price is most competitive and he really took care of me. I give this category a 10 based upon dealer support rather than manufacturer support.

This is a great guitar with a great price and I got it from a great dealer. If it is lost or stolen I?ll get another from NiveneH. I have played on and off for many years but still suck. Other than the D550 I have a couple of Larrivee?s (Mahogany OM and Koa Parlor), a Blueridge BR-160, a Seagull 20th Anniversary Cedar, a Washburn Rover (Travel) and a Fender American Highway 1 Strat. I did not want to spend a lot of money on a 12 string. I looked at the Seagull, Alvarez, Washburn 12's but I was sold on the Walden after I talked to Glen. I am extremely happy with the Walden D552 and the overall experience totally exceeded my expectations.

2005 Natura D552 - Designed in the USA and made in China. Features are pretty well described at the Walden Web Site - http://www.waldenguitars.com/steel/natura/n500/d552.html
In summary, dreadnought body, solid spruce top, mahogony laminate back and sides, mahogony neck and rosewood fretboard. Die-cast sealed chrome tuners. Satin nitrocellose lacquer finish and nice body binding complete the package - and it really does look nice!Understated, classy, not a 'showy' guitar so look elsewhere for lots of fake abalone inlay. Comes with a nice Walden padded gig bag.

I'm new to 12 string - so don't have a wealth of comparative experience. But out of the box, this guitar has a nice full sound with really great projection. The satin lacquer finish is not extremely heavy, so that might contribute to the good vibrations I'm getting. I'll admit that I had been warned about buying an inexpensive 12 string - that a guitar that doesn't sound good or is hard to play is no bargain. This guitar IS a bargain - the sound is really impressive!

Again, I was concerned since I was buying sight unseen through an on-line dealer. Mirroring other comments, Glen at Nineveh checks them out before shipping and this sure met with his approval! The action is great, set nicely and it's pretty easy to play. Frets are smooth and even - no buzzing at all. Spruce top is nicely matched and looks great. The mahogony back and sides are simple and attractive. Binding looks well done. I don't spend lots of time looking for excess glue in the bowels of the guitar - but the construction looks good throughout from what I can see.

Seems solid and very well put together. I imagine that the satin finish is not as protective as a heavy polyurethane or whatever - but the resulting sound is worth the trade in my opinion. As with any rating of a guitar that's a month old, only time will tell.

Have not dealt directly with Walden, but Nineveh as the Walden retailer has been great to deal with. I can't say enough about how helpful and decent Glen has been to work with. Highly recommended!

This is an amazing guitar for the money. This package combines attractive looks, great sound, and playability at price that I find hard to believe. But I believe it now.

Walden's entry level Natura Series designed in the U.S. and made in China. Dreadnaught (slightly smaller than my Yamaha FG230 12-string dreadnaught) with solid spruce top and laminate mahogany sides and back. Very comfortable thinnish neck with really excellent fret dressing. Low action and no buzzing. The wood in this guitar is really stunning with natural gold flame in the mahogany and excellent bookmatching. Beautiful striping in the rosewood bridge and headstock overlay. Sealed tuning machines. Tuning appears to be very stable.

I have played acoustics for some 30 years and dollar for dollar, this has to be the best bang-for-the-buck of any 12-string I have played. Tone brand new is amazingly warm and refined and would out-play and sound better than most guitars I have played at 2x-3x the price. My 30 year old Yamaha has the edge, but you would expect that due to its age and bigger body, but it is stunningly close. It doesn't have an "overbraced" tone. Very well balanced. There are 12s that sound a bit better, but not near this price point. My rating reflects that.

Action and fret dressing are absolutely top-notch! The mail-order dealer I work with (NineveH Guitars) checks them out personally before shipping. Bookmatching far exceeded my expectation for a guitar at that price or again, 2x to 3x that price. There are a couple of minor cosmetic shortcomings when comparred to the high-end stuff like glues being a bit more visible than my Carvin Cobalt (industry standard quality) and the top edge of the headstock is not quite clean and perfect an edge. Very minor and understandable for the price point... Satin finish is beautiful and neck feel is awesome regardless of price!

It is too new to really comment on this category, but it does seem solidly built.

NineveH Guitars have been a dream to work with. As I said, he checks out every guitar he ships before it ever leaves his store. He has been known to send guitars back if they do not meet HIS personal standards.

If it were lost or stolen, I would get another in a heartbeat. I cannot financially afford a Carvin Cobalt C980-12 jumbo, so to augment my Yamaha which I keep in alternate tune, I found out about this one which I intend to keep in standard tuning. Saves a lot of re-tuning time! I have been playing 30+ years, have 2 CDs out, and am more than impressed with this little jem... Walden isn't even listed in the "brands" to review. That'll change!!