Short Description:

featuring a gloss-finished spruce top with aging toner, solid sapele back and sides, ebony fingerboard, Style 18 appointments, and nickel open-gear tuners.

What We Think:

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.

Manufacturer Description:

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. 

Specifications:

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