Ventura 12-String

Made sometime in the late 60s. No electronics, obviously. Dreadnought style. Not sure of the woods, from the lack of tone it sounds about as good as masonite. But it's not...

This thing sounded like total ***. Worst guitar I ever played. Sustain is nonexistent. A koto has more sustain than this heap of junk.

Terribly high, you could drive a truck under the strings. This was a hand me down and I just thought all guitars were impossible to play like this beast. I would have started years sooner with a better guitar, but this thing just made me give up at the time in frustration.

It's reliably ******, you can depend on that. No tone, period. I would never use it for a gig. Hell, I wouldn't even use it sitting around a campfire, though I'd gladly toss it in the fire.

If it were stolen it would serve the theif right to steal such a piece of junk.

Don't know year it was made- I bought it used at a garage sale. 21 frets total, as I recall- sold it a few months ago. Made in Japan. Laminated top. Satin finish, non-cut-away dreadnaught 12-string. No-brand tuners, with stamped metal covers- servicable, but nothing to brag about.. Fairly fat neck- this was my first 12, so I thought 12's needed a fat neck. My next one proved that wrong.

Suited me quite well at the time- this was the guitar that got me playing again, and that alone was worth many times the price I paid. Rich sound- good 12-string overtones, without being distracting, but after living with another 12, I realize it could have been better. I loved finally having a 12, and the produced overtones it (and all 12's) made. I hated the way the string tension lifted the bridge, which as I said in my review of the Arbor 12 lefty I now have, keeps me up at night. Installed a bridge doctor, which helped, but short of major bracing, which would no doubt affect the sound, not much can be done, unless you wanna pay $2000 for a Martin ( I WANT to, just can't afford it.) Also didn't like the fat neck, but lived with it.

Action was a bit high when tuned to pitch, but settled down when tuned lower and capo'ed- something I have resigned myself to on 12's. No major flaws, just 2nd-tier middling attention to construction detail you would expect.

Sure, I played it live- it lived thru it just fine. I depended on it, it never let me down, just gave me muscle-bound fingers! I'd gig with it without a backup, just because I don't wanna carry 2 12's in addition to whatever else was needed on the gig.

Never tried.

Been playing 30+ years, on and off, 3-4 solid lately. NOthing I whish I has asked before buying it- never regretted buying it for a second! If it had been stolen or lost while I had it, I would have figured no great monitarily loss, and bought another- but would have missed the guitar, if not the money. In spite of my somewhat tepid ratings, I loved this guitar, because it got me playing again. I told that to the next owner, who confessed that he, too was just starting to play again, so maybe this is a special instrument, more important for it's effect on it's owners, than it's musical qualities. And for that carma, I give it a 10.