Oscar Schmidt Od312 12-string Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Review

The subject field of today'due south Oscar Schmidt OD312CE-A-U review has reached u.s. through quite a journeying. The story of guitar manufacturer Oscar Schmidt is probably unique. Oscar was a German immigrant, and he and his blood brother had an instrument manufacturing company.

Initially founded in 1871, by the turn of the century, they had five factories in Europe and one in Jersey City. They made a variety of instruments, including guitars, banjos ukuleles, and mandolins.

Door to door…

In the US, they had an interesting marketing ploy. They didn't sell their instruments through instrument shops. For a beginning, there were not that many around. Merely besides because there were even less in some of the poorer areas downward in the South of the U.Southward. They, therefore, employed teams of traveling salesmen that would carry the instruments to these areas and sell them.

They were popular firstly because they were bachelor. Secondly, because they were quite cheap and thirdly because they were really quite good. Salesmen kept authentic records of what was sold and what people were suggesting, and the company fulfilled the need.

Good times, bad times…

They flourished, only then came the Great Depression, and things got very hard. Only they nigh went bust in the 30s; yet, they survived until they were bought by Washburn in 1978.

They are nevertheless with us today, but the traveling salesman idea sadly isn't. The guitars are modestly priced, well-made, and represent great value for money. That is something that the two German immigrant brothers would be proud of.

Our rating: (4.three / 5)

Oscar Schmidt OD312CE-A-U – An Overview

This guitar is a 12-string offering with a classic dreadnought design only with a cutaway. Oscar Schmidt guitars have always been known every bit a great place to start to learn an musical instrument. Having a cutaway on this 12-string gives the histrion more access to the strings. That is a good pattern for a beginner.

This guitar though is not simply an acoustic; it has a pickup and preamp. An acoustic-electric 12-string with quite a decent tone. More on this later.

First released in 2017, it has gained a reputation of existence excellent for beginners and improvers akin. It is fabricated in China. So, let's accept a closer look…

The Torso

When you get into the Oscar Schmidt ethos of instrument manufacture, yous learn something quite chop-chop. They do non accept whatsoever inflated claims of excellence like some do and haven't got any wild pretenses as some have. They brand a budget guitar and do the best job of it that they tin. Something one or two others could learn from.

Information technology has a Spruce top that is laminated or, equally some describe information technology, layered. This is a cheaper way of using this tonewood for the top. A solid piece of spruce can be expensive, and you usually just find them in guitars costing much more than than this.

More robust…

However, there are some advantages to a laminated pinnacle. Yous understandably don't go the sound quality y'all will become from a solid piece of forest. But on the other hand, laminated woods tops are less susceptible to weather conditions. They don't buckle or change shape and are sometimes preferred by the traveling musician.

Spruce then for the height woods combined with a mahogany dorsum and sides. An age-old combination of woods that produce a not bad sound. Equally nosotros mentioned, there is a cutaway. And the whole guitar is given a loftier gloss cease.

A swish expect…

There is a very tasteful white and black binding and edging effectually the edges of the top. For decor, though, you get some added style. The decorative marquetry effectually the soundhole actually gives this guitar a classy look.

There is an interesting omission, though, with this body, in that there is no pickguard. Not something you could forget in the design process.

There are ii lines of thought with pickguards. Well-nigh acoustics have them, of course. Some think that without a pickguard, yous could damage the tiptop tonewood. At that place is an element of truth in that. Bandbox, for example, is quite soft, and constant contact might not practice it also much good.

However…

I think for this guitar, though, it is a purely aesthetic pick. When you come across it, you instantly realize in that location is something different earlier y'all realize the pickguard isn't there. The reverse argument is that almost people don't harm the guitar with a pick. Even if they do use them, and some, of course, don't employ them at all. Therefore, it is not an issue as far as I am concerned.

It is quite lightweight at 5 pounds. The Dreadnought shape is non an easy guitar for a very immature player to learn on. But beingness so lightweight will help, as will the cutaway. A nicely designed and well-made body so plenty of points earned there.

Permit's move on…

The Neck

A fairly standard neck made from Mahogany. It has 20 frets, all of which are hands playable courtesy of the cutaway. There is an adaptable truss rod. It has a white bounden on both edges of the fingerboard for the full length of the neck.

The fingerboard is made from Rosetek or engineered Rosewood. This is a fabric that has been fabricated to experience and look very much like Rosewood. Information technology performs quite well and is actually a piddling more hardwearing than Rosewood.

In that location are standard inlay dots the length of the fingerboard. The nut width is 1.89 inches. It is a 12-string, after all. Information technology is fabricated from NuBone, which is a step up from plain former plastic.

The Hardware

Up at the summit, enough of hardware with twelve dice-cast chrome-plated tuners. They are upkeep level and nix fancy. Their job is to keep the guitar the melody. Nonetheless, on a 12-string, that can be a tougher job than information technology usually is, only they practise the task adequately. The mahogany gloss stop on the neck is applied to the headstock.

Down at the other terminate, there is a hardtail Rosetek bridge with dotted cord pins. As is common with most budget guitars, the hardware is zero to get excited most. Only with the Oscar Schmidt OD312CE-A-U, information technology does the job, and that's the most important matter.

The Electrics

This is always a difficult area with audio-visual-electrical guitars. It takes a very good preamp and pickup to recreate anything like a decent sound. Even many of the expensive acoustic electrics fail to achieve it. If there is ane weak bespeak in this guitar, then this is probably it.

Just equally I say, the failings this guitar experiences, are likewise experienced by a large majority of the competition. And especially at this price point.

Barcus Berry EQ4T pickup…

It has a piezo pickup. These apply crystals instead of a magnet to make the electric betoken that is amplified. They are well-known to be brighter in sound, and so it is with this. There is a Barcus Berry EQ4T pickup and preamp system that it is fair to say is quite basic.

However, it does offer some controls – the usual Volume, Treble, and Bass – only also offers a mid-range control. There is also a presence and pitch command. So, full marks for providing the tones and tonal changes.

The problem is the audio is a bit thin to showtime off with. And when you accept that situation, with no real bottom end, y'all are already on a losing battle with the tone controls. It doesn't sound bad, merely it sounds improve unamplified, to be honest.

Superb for a beginner…

Simply the electrics will be a corking idea for a young starter. They might not know if it was a expert audio and probably wouldn't care if they did. What they do know is they can plug it in. In that case, it is proficient fun and a definite plus point. Just don't have information technology on stage. Keep it for fun at habitation.

It takes a 9-volt battery, which has its own born compartment that is piece of cake to use with a sliding cover. It as well has a digital tuner, which is a nice bear on.

How does it Play and Sound?

Having but covered the sound when amplified in the terminal department, I am not going to dwell on it. Simply acoustically, it is fine and sounds very overnice. The 12 strings really sing out every bit they practice, and there is a dainty depth to information technology. The top is bright, courtesy of the laminated Spruce top.

I have to admit that for a upkeep guitar, it has a squeamish well-rounded tone. And that at its price indicate is quite surprising.

Like shooting fish in a barrel access…

It plays nicely as well with the cutaway giving you options that some Dreadnoughts don't give yous. The action is ok, just of course, the fingerboard is quite wide past necessity. Therefore playing bar chords might be a trouble for a starter.

Its Dreadnought design too makes it beefy. And fifty-fifty though information technology is lightweight, you withal have to get over and round information technology to play. Not that easy for a young novice, but with perseverance, they volition go used to it.

Practice you love the sound of 12 Strings?

I tin can see this guitar perfectly suited for a beginner that really loves the 12 String audio and is willing to persevere to main the instrument. Or for someone who has been playing a six string for a while and has already mastered some basic chords and techniques. And so possibly thinks that a 12-string would be a squeamish option. For them, it is a great guitar.

The action itself is quite nice. And without whatsoever abrupt fret edges, it is comfortable to play once you have got used to the size.

Oscar Schmidt OD312CE-A-U Review Pros and Cons

Pros

• Beautiful look and sound.
• Easy and fun to play.
• Low toll.
• Congenital-in Tuner.

Cons

• Only one strap push button.
• Tuning machines could exist better.

Looking for some more superb acoustic guitar options?

If and then, check out our reviews of the Best 12 Cord Guitars, the Best Acoustic Guitars for Beginners, the Best Audio-visual Guitars under 500 Dollars, the Best Acoustic Guitars for Kids, the All-time Audio-visual Guitars under 300 Dollars, equally well as, the Best Cheap Acoustic Guitars under 200 Dollars currently on the market place.

You may also exist interested in our reviews of the superb Epiphone Hummingbird Pro, the Taylor GS Mini, the Martin LX1 Little Martin, the Epiphone EJ 200SCE, the Taylor BBT Big Baby, or the Epiphone AJ 220S.

Oscar Schmidt OD312CE-A-U Review Conclusion

What we think

In the context of what you will have to pay for this guitar, y'all can't actually fault it. It plays nicely, information technology has a nice tone and like information technology or not, there are some electrics to plug information technology in, and it has a digital tuner.

At that place is only one strap button on the trunk, then you volition demand to become a strap that fits over the headstock. That is a chip disappointing if you want to stand up and play. But I am not sure that's what this guitar is all about. For a young player and their first 12-string, you volition go a long way to finding a better guitar at a similar price.

Happy strumming.

Fine art

To notice out more about Fine art and our other writers, please check out our About The states page.

kimescoging.blogspot.com

Source: https://oldtimemusic.com/oscar-schmidt-od312ce-a-u-review/

Share this post