Show Full Spec Comparison
| Martin D-X2E 12 String | Yamaha APX700II-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Martin | Yamaha |
| Year: | 2015 | 2015 |
| Strings: | 12 | 12 |
| Made in: | Mexico | China |
| Series: | X | APX |
| Colors: | Natural | Natural |
| Left-Handed Version: | Yes | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Hollowbody | Hollowbody |
| Body Material: | Solid Spruce | Solid Spruce |
| Sides Material: | HPL | Okoume |
| Back Material: | HPL | Okoume |
| Bridge: | Select Hardwood | Rosewood |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Set | Set |
| Tuners: | Chrome Enclosed Gear | Die-Cast Chrome (TMW28) |
| Fretboard: | Select Hardwood | Rosewood |
| Neck Material: | Select Hardwood | Nato |
| Decoration: | Mother-of-Pearl Pattern Style 28 | Pearloid Dots |
| Scale Size: | 25.4" | 25" |
| Shape: | Acoustic Low Profile | Acoustic C |
| Frets: | 20 Medium Nickel Silver | 20 Medium Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 16" | 15.75" |
| Nut: | Corian | Plastic |
| Nut Width: | 47.6mm (1.875'') | 46mm (1.811'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Pickups: | Fishman MX (Preamp / Active) | SYSTEM64 + ART 1-Way Pickup (Preamp / Active) |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Chrome | Chrome |
Reasons to Get
Martin D-X2E 12 String over Yamaha APX700II-12
Reasons to Get
Yamaha APX700II-12 over Martin D-X2E 12 String
Other Key Differences
Martin D-X2E 12 String vs Yamaha APX700II-12
Shared Features
Martin D-X2E 12 String vs Yamaha APX700II-12
Common Strengths
- Solid Top Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Martin D-X2E 12 String favors large hands more than the Yamaha APX700II-12. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Martin D-X2E 12 String:
Yamaha APX700II-12:
Beginner Friendliness
The Yamaha APX700II-12 meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Martin D-X2E 12 String meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Martin D-X2E 12 String- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Yamaha APX700II-12- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
Sound Quality Comparison
The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .
Woods Used in Both
Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.
Woods Used in the Martin D-X2E 12 String
Hardwood is just a generic wood that can come from many species. This type of wood is used to build guitars because it provides a rich, warm sound. The wood also has good structural properties, making it durable and long-lasting.
HPL is a high-pressure laminate made from multiple layers of paper or fabric that are impregnated with resin and then fused together under high pressure and heat.
Woods Used in the Yamaha APX700II-12
Nato a hard and dense wood similar to Mahogany, but cheaper and not quite as hard. Tone-wise, it's also similar, but it doesn't have quite the same attack as Mahogany.
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Okoume is an affordable wood and one of the first to replace Mahogany when the prohibitions started. It's generally softer than Mahogany and the tone has warmer lows.
Winner: Yamaha APX700II-12.
Electronics
Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.
Winner:Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Martin D-X2E 12 String compares to the Yamaha APX700II-12.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Martin D-X2E 12 String is built in Mexico while the Yamaha APX700II-12 is made in China.
Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
Winner: Martin D-X2E 12 String
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Martin D-X2E 12 String has a Corian nut. It used to be the go-to nut for Gibson, but it's slowly being replaced by Graph Tech (Tusq). It's a synthetic material made to be similar to Bone, but it doesn't have the same self-lubricating properties, and it's less resistant.
On the other hand, the Yamaha APX700II-12 comes with a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
Winner: Martin D-X2E 12 String.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Martin D-X2E 12 String's are Chrome Enclosed Gear while the Yamaha APX700II-12's are Die-Cast Chrome (TMW28)
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Martin D-X2E 12 String
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Solid Top Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Mexico
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- Low-Quality Material Saddle
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Yamaha APX700II-12
- Expensive Wood
- Electronics
- Solid Top Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- Low-Quality Material Saddle
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Martin D-X2E 12 String has the wider nut with 47.6mm (1.875'') vs 46mm (1.811''). This is a 1.6mm (0.064'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Martin D-X2E 12 String, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Martin D-X2E 12 String has the longest scale: 25.4". The Yamaha APX700II-12 is only 25" long. This is a 0.4'' (10.2mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
Both the Martin D-X2E 12 String and the Yamaha APX700II-12 have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Yamaha APX700II-12's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Martin D-X2E 12 String's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Martin D-X2E 12 String.
Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.
Fret Size
Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.
