Taylor 312ce 12-Fret vs Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe
Reasons to Get
Taylor 312ce 12-Fret over Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe
Reasons to Get
Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe over Taylor 312ce 12-Fret
Other Key Differences
Taylor 312ce 12-Fret vs Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe
Shared Features
Taylor 312ce 12-Fret vs Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe
Common Strengths
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- High-Quality Frets
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe is probably the better product overall with its final score of 85 compared to the Taylor 312ce 12-Fret's 79 score, although not by a lot.
The Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality, value for the money. This means that it wins over the Taylor 312ce 12-Fret in every aspect.
If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Taylor 312ce 12-Fret is the better choice.
The Taylor 312ce 12-Fret meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe 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
Taylor 312ce 12-Fret- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Taylor 312ce 12-Fret Overview
- From Taylor's 2016 300 series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 24.9"'' scale
- 15" Fretboard Radius
- Solid Sitka Spruce top
- Solid Sapele back
- Solid Sapele sides
- Tropical Mahogany neck
- West African Crelicam Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Expression System 2 Electronics (Preamp/Active)
- West African Crelicam Ebony bridge
- Acoustic Taylor Standard Set neck
- 18 Medium frets
- Taylor Slot Head tuners
- Compare Specs >
Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe Overview
- From Martin's 2022 Modern Deluxe series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 24.9"'' scale
- 16" Fretboard Radius
- Solid Spruce with VTS top
- Solid East Indian Rosewood back
- Solid East Indian Rosewood sides
- Genuine Mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fishman (Preamp/Active)
- Ebony bridge
- Acoustic Vintage Deluxe Set neck
- 20 Medium Gold frets
- Gold Open Gear tuners
- Compare Specs >
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
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
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 Taylor 312ce 12-Fret
It's similar to Mahogany in both color and tone. It can produce warm tones, and it's known for its beautiful figured grain patterns. Find out more about Sapele.
Woods Used in the Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe
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.
Winner: Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe.
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 Taylor 312ce 12-Fret compares to the Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
Winner: Tie
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 Taylor 312ce 12-Fret has a Graphite nut. It's a self-lubricating material that will allow the strings to slide over the nut without a lot of friction. It's a good type of nut if you want to have better tuning stability than with plastic, although it's not as resistant as Bone or Tusq.
On the other hand, the Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe comes with a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
Winner: Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe.
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.
In this comparison, the Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe is the only one that has stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.
Winner: Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Taylor 312ce 12-Fret's are Taylor Slot Head while the Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe's are Gold Open Gear
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Taylor 312ce 12-Fret
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Electronics
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- Low-Quality Material Saddle
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe
- Gold Frets
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Compensated Saddle
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- No Locking Tuners
- 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-42 Modern Deluxe has the wider nut with 46mm (1.811'') vs 44.5mm (1.75''). This is a 1.5mm (0.061'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe, 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.
In this case, both have a scale length of 24.9".
This is the scale found in most triple-O acoustic guitars. It's still considered a long scale, but shorter than the standard 25.5" scale.
A shorter scale length guitar has a few advantages. One is that it is easier to play because the strings are under less tension. This can be helpful for beginners, or those with smaller hands.
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.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Taylor 312ce 12-Fret has a C type of 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.
The Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe, on the other hand, has a Asymmetrical neck. Even though this neck shape looks like a poorly-made job, it's, in fact, the neck that most naturally adapts to the arc of your hand when grabbing a guitar neck. You'll notice that the lower part of your palm makes a more pronounced, deeper curve while the upper part makes a more subtle arch. This is the shape that adapts the best to that natural arch your hand makes while playing.
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 Taylor 312ce 12-Fret's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe'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-42 Modern Deluxe.
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''.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .
Taylor 312ce 12-Fret:
Martin D-42 Modern Deluxe:
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.
